After getting comfortable with cannabis flower, pre-rolls, vapes and tinctures, I was ready to try out concentrates.
Because consumption methods for concentrates are a little different than what I was accustomed to, I decided to gather more information.
I consulted with a budtender at the dispensary who explained that concentrates are what’s left after the excess plant matter has been stripped away. The process leaves behind the optimal terpenes and cannabinoids, which means that concentrates are usually quite potent. Flower most often has a THC content somewhere between 10 and 25%. Concentrates typically offer between 50 and 80% THC. They are named for their consistency and the process used to create them. Some of the most common concentrates are shatter, wax, live resin, budder and bubble hash. The most common method of consuming cannabis concentrates is by way of a dab rig. The process requires a nail and a butane torch.The torch heats up the nail and the nail heats up the concentrate. The hot nail causes the concentrate to create smoke or vapor that is then inhaled. There are also dab rigs that feature e-nails to heat up the nail electronically. This eliminates the need for a torch and makes dabbing a bit easier. Because the complexities of concentrates intimidated me a bit, I decided to start with vaping concentrates. It’s a simpler means of consuming concentrates. Rather than heat concentrates to their smoking temperature, a vaporizer heats it to the point where the THC burns and releases vapors. There are reusable vaporizer pens that require the purchase of a pre-filled cartridge that is screwed onto the vaporizer battery. I prefer disposable vaporizer pens that already have a batter and pre-filled cartridge. I can fit them in a pocket, bring them anywhere and just throw them away when they are empty.