If you have start to take an interest in the vast world of Marijuana concentrates, chances are you have hear the expressions “solventized” and “solventless”. To help you better understand the difference between the two, here is a summary of Marijuana concentrates, what they are and how they are prepare.
Dabbing is becoming more and more popular. If you have start to take an interest in the vast world of Marijuana concentrates, chances are you have hear the expressions “solventized” and “solventless”. To help you better understand the difference between the two, here is a summary of Marijuana concentrates, what they are and how they are prepare.
Cannabis extracts, as the name suggests, are make by concentrating the essential compounds of marijuana flowers material into a potent end product that can be smoke, vaporize, or use to make edibles. Knowing the basics of creating extracts makes it easier to understand why some Marijuana concentrates are make with solvents and others without.
There are many cannabis extracts that are sold under different names, such as hash, BHO, budder, wax , shatter, etc. These terms are usually more indicative of the consistency of the Marijuana concentrates than anything else. And, although the process of making Marijuana concentrates can vary, they all have the same goal: to separate the trichomes from the marijuana flowers material. These trichomes, as you may already know, contain the cannabinoids and terpenes that give cannabis its effects.
What is the Difference Between Marijuana Concentrates Extracts With Solvent and Without Solvent?
The difference between solvent and solventless extracts is very simple. Solvent Marijuana concentrates are make with the help of some type of solvent (such as butane or alcohol) to separate the trichomes from the marijuana flowers. Solventless extracts are obviously prepare without the aid of a solvent.
Hashish and Charas
Two of the oldest cannabis extracts are hashish and charas. The oldest mentions of hashish consumption come from areas of the Middle East. Charas, on the other hand, is the name use to describe handcraft hashish in India and Nepal. Both hashish and charas are solvent-free extracts, but are also make by separating trichomes from marijuana flowers material.
Hashish is typically make through a process know as dry screening, which involves passing cannabis buds through a sieve to create kief, a fine powder rich in trichomes. This powder is heat and press into blocks that can be brown, black, and even reddish in color.
Charas, on the other hand, is make by manipulating cannabis buds between the palms of your hands for a long time. This produces a buildup of dark resin that is mold into balls or bars, which are then smoke.
Rosin
Another popular type of solventless extract is rosin. Rosin is make by applying pressure to cannabis buds (dry for regular rosin and fresh for “live” rosin) with a hot press.
The heat and pressure of the press results in a sticky, golden-color oil, similar to tree sap. This oil is make up of essential oils from the marijuana flowers’s trichomes. The “live” rosin is highly appreciate for its aroma and flavor.
Water and Ice Hashish
Ice water hash, sometimes also call bubble hash, is a simple way of making hash with the help of, you guess it, ice and water as solvents. Some people consider it a solvent-free Marijuana concentrates, but since water is use to separate the trichomes from the marijuana flowers, for us it is a solvent extract.
Cannabis buds are freeze to make the trichomes a little more fragile, and put into “bubble bags” (PVC bags with meshes of different thicknesses design to be place in buckets of about 5 or 22 liters). Ice and water are add to these bags, and they are shaken to separate the trichomes, which are filter through the different meshes. Each bag produces a different type of hash, with the purest of all being produce by the finest mesh.
Read also: What you should know about use of magic mushrooms?
BHO (Butane Hash Oil)
Butane hash oil is very popular. As its name suggests, it is make using liquid butane as a solvent. To make BHO, cannabis is also often frozen, which is then impregnate with butane. The resulting mixture is purge with heat, which helps evaporate the butane to create a golden-color hash oil.
Note: Many people make BHO at home, but it is very dangerous since butane is highly flammable. If not purge in a safe and control environment, BHO vapors can ignite and cause an explosion. If you’re going to make your own BHO, make sure you do it in a well-ventilate area and avoid open flames. Also, whenever you make your own extracts, use only the best quality solvents like butane, ethanol, or isopropyl alcohol.
BHO goes by many names, including shatter, budder, wax, and crumble. These terms primarily describe the consistency of the final product, which can vary depending on how it has been purge. BHO that is pound or shake during the purging process, for example, tends to have a more creamy or crumbly texture, and is sale as a budder, wax, or crumble. Shatter, on the other hand, is very brittle and is make with as little agitation as possible.
Live resin, not to be confuse with rosin, is another type of BHO; but unlike typical BHOs, it’s make with fresh, snap-frozen cannabis buds. Working with “live” buds helps to preserve many of the flavors and aromas of the marijuana flowers and produces a much appreciate final product.
PHO (Propane Hash Oil)
Far less popular than BHO, PHO is make with liquid propane instead of butane. Propane extracts have slightly different cannabinoid ratios and a lower boiling point. This means they can be purge at lower temperatures, which helps protect the terpenes and produces a more aromatic full-spectrum hash. Just like BHO, PHO has different textures.
Terpenes Sauce
Terpene sauce, also call HTFSE (high terpene full spectrum extract), is a type of extract that is make to be rich in terpenes. This oil is usually create with the help of a solvent like butane or propane, but it is purge through a long and slow process.
This involves a much lower temperature and is usually done in a vacuum which ensures complete purging without causing damage to the terpenes and cannabinoids in the oil. Over time, this slow extraction causes parts of the oil to crystallize, creating a thick, grainy end product with a texture similar to crystallize honey.
Quick Wash Extracts in Ethanol/isopropyl Alcohol
Also know as QWISO and QWETO, these Marijuana concentrates are make using alcohol as a solvent, rather than butane. Quick flushing is done by pouring alcohol over (usually frozen) cannabis buds to separate and extract the trichomes.
This is done quickly to avoid extracting the chlorophyll from the Marijuana flowers (hence the name quick wash). Like BHO, the resulting liquid is slowly purge to produce an oil much like shatter. If cannabis is steep in alcohol for too long, the end product will be darker and more wax-like.
CO₂ Oil
CO₂ oil, as the name suggests, is make using CO₂ as a solvent. It is usually a very expensive oil, because extracting cannabis with CO₂ requires specialize equipment.
The process is similar to that of BHO. Frozen cannabis is put into a chamber where subcritical CO₂ (CO₂ at such a low temperature that it turns into a liquid) is introduce. The oil is kept at this temperature throughout the process, which helps preserve the cannabinoids and terpenes. Once purge, CO₂ oil is usually golden in color and is highly prize for its flavor and potency.
Some CO₂ oils can lose terpenes when expose to high temperatures. As in the case of supercritical CO₂ extraction, in which high temperatures and pressures are use to extract the compounds. And while this process ends up with more terpenes than subcritical extraction, it takes less time and extracts larger molecules, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Which Are Better? Marijuana Concentrates Extracts With Solvents or Without Solvents?
Deciding to dab or ingest solvent or solvent-free extracts is entirely up to you. If you prefer to stick to pure cannabis products, you may want to opt for solvent-free extracts.
However, high-quality solvent-extracte dabs that have been properly purge offer a unique experience that is highly appreciate by many cannabis enthusiasts. The choice of one or the other will depend mainly on your personal preferences and the availability of the different extracts in your area.