Cannabis extracts are a rapidly growing and complicated topic. There are so many types of extracts and extraction methods that it would take a book to explain them in detail. But we can still give you some solid basics upon which you can build a respectable knowledge base for the subject.
Keep scrolling to learn more about how extracts are made, what types are available on the market, where to buy cannabis extracts, and how they're used.
What is the Difference Between a Cannabis Extract and a Concentrate?
There are two main methods for removing and concentrating cannabinoids from cannabis: solvent-based extraction and mechanical or solventless extraction.
Solvent-based extraction uses volatile chemicals to dissolve the trichomes from the plant material. The solvent is then removed, leaving behind an extract like shatter, wax, or vape oil. These are called extracts.
Solventless or mechanical extraction methods don't use chemicals. Instead, the trichomes are beaten, rubbed, or pressed from the plant, resulting in a concentrate like kief, hash, or rosin. These are called concentrates.
Both of these methods have advantages and disadvantages.
One advantage of solvent-based extraction is that it can be manipulated to isolate specific cannabinoids. However, some people prefer solventless extraction methods to make concentrates because they see them as more natural and true to the plant.
The solventless processes also leave more of the original cannabinoids intact, unaltered by chemicals used for solvent-based methods. This has led to a growing interest in these solventless extraction methods, including the use of commercial rosin presses.
Another extremely important consideration is safety.
- Solventless extraction processes are mostly safe to do at home. Still, solvent-based procedures can be extremely dangerous if done improperly and have even resulted in deaths by explosion or fire.
- Dangerous amounts of solvent can be left behind if the product isn't purged adequately after manufacturing.
- Using certain solvents in many areas without a specialized license and equipment is illegal.
So, for those who are thinking of manufacturing their own cannabis products at home, solventless is the way to go.
Types of Cannabis Extracts & Concentrates
Just as there are many different methods of producing extracts and concentrates, each method can create many different types of products.
Below is a list of the different types of basic extracts and concentrates. Each is linked to an in-depth article explaining what the concentrate is like, how it's made, and how it's used.
Types Cannabis Extracts
- Cannabis Oils
Cannabis oils are generally natural oils extracted from the cannabis plant. Depending on the type, it can be extracted from the leaves, buds, or seeds.
There are as many ways to make cannabis oil as there are types of cannabis oil. It's important to pause and note that different types of cannabis oil are meant for different methods of consumption, and these aren't interchangeable.
The most common type of cannabis oil available at local dispensaries is oil meant for dabbing or vaporizing. Cannabis cooking oil, on the other hand, is a popular substitute for cannabutter and is intended to be consumed as an edible. Still, it is NOT safe to inhale because it includes olive or coconut oil. Likewise, topical oils are meant for external use only.
Cannabis oil variations include vaporizer oil, topical oils, CBD oil, butane hash oil, and edible oils like RSO. Some oils are obtained by pressing, and some by using solvents.
Below, we look at a few types of cannabis oil meant to be vaporized and inhaled.
- Wax/Budder
Wax or budder is a runny cannabis oil extract that tends to be opaque and gooey rather than clear and hard. It is easy to roll onto a pin and dab, and it sticks to its container. Read more about how to make and use wax and budder.
- Pie Crust/Honeycomb
Pie crust/honeycomb is a form of wax/budder that is crumbly and more brittle than wax/budder but softer than shatter. It's easier to get out of the jar but can crumble and scatter easily. Read more about how to make and use honeycomb.
- Shatter
Shatter is a very pure cannabis concentrate that is typically translucent and very brittle, like glass candy. It looks a lot like amber. Shatter will have roughly the same potency as the other concentrates but lacks terpenes. For this reason, it is an ideal concentrate for dabbing. Read more about how to make and use shatter.
- Butane Hash Oil
BHO is a very potent cannabis extract made using butane as a solvent. It can come in the form of wax, budder, honeycomb, or any of the other types described above.
Types of Cannabis Concentrates
- Kief
Kief is the collection of resins and trichomes that you can see crystallized on the leaves and buds of the marijuana plant. Kief can be left in its natural form and sprinkled onto flower to make it more potent, rolled into moonrocks and other exotic treats, or pressed into rosin. Grinders with kief catchers make it easy for consumers to collect their own kief.
The most common method of processing kief is to press it into hash. Read more about kief. Or explore a similar but more potent concentrate in the form of THC sand.
- Hash
Hash is manufactured by applying very light heat to kief--not enough to combust it--and very high pressure to form a solid, shapeable mass.
This method of concentrate production preserves most of the natural cannabinoids and terpenes in the final product.
It can range in color from very light amber to dark green or brown and can have a grainy consistency or a smooth, tarry texture. Read more about hash.
- Bubble Hash
Bubble hash is pressed from kief that was extracted using a water bath. Flower or trim are immersed in a bath of ice and water and then agitated so the ice knocks the trichomes off the plant.
The ice water bath is then drained over a series of filters to collect the trichomes. The trichomes are laid out to dry for roughly 24 hours and then pressed into very pure, clean hash.
This process can be done by hand or with a Bubbleator. Read more about bubble hash.
- Rosin
Rosin is a highly sought-after concentrate and has become very popular in recent years because it contains high-potency trichomes without significantly changing the chemical profile. There are some changes due to the small amount of heat used in the process (generally 150 to 180 degrees), but the changes are small compared to other chemical extraction methods. It's also fast and leaves behind no additional chemical residue.
Rosin presses can range from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands for a professional machine. Read more about rosin and how to use a rosin press.in press.
Solvents Used to Make Cannabis Extracts
Many types of solvents can be used to extract cannabis concentrates, with the most common being hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, and alcohol.
Hydrocarbons (Butane, Propane, Hexane, etc.)
Manufacturers making butane hash oil or other hydrocarbon-based products should have special safety and manufacturing equipment.
In other words, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.
In general, the process of creating hydrocarbon-based cannabis oil can be done with either open-loop or closed-loop extraction equipment.
Open-loop systems are dangerous, even for experienced extractors. They are cheap, but they have resulted in many fatalities due to explosions.
Closed-loop systems are safer, but they're also much, much more expensive. A certified machine, even a small model, can cost between $10,000 and $30,000.
Manufacturers must also have a blast-proof environment in which to do the extraction and special safety equipment for the people operating the equipment. Blast-proofing a room can cost around $100,000.
Most municipalities make it a serious felony to manufacture BHO or other concentrates involving volatile solvents in an unapproved area without a license. Penalties generally include severe fines in the 5 to 6-figure range and jail time for months or years.
CO2 (Supercritical CO2 Extraction)
Supercritical CO2 extraction is the process of separating the different compounds from each other using CO2 as a solvent. The carbon dioxide is at such an extreme pressure and temperature that it fluctuates between gaseous, liquid, and solid phases.
This state makes it possible to break down the cannabinoids and separate them.
CO2 extractors are becoming easier to buy in legal states, and basic small-batch kits cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Again, this requires special equipment and special training. CO2 extraction with a closed-loop system involves the use of high-pressure equipment and must be done correctly to be safe.
Some, but not all, municipalities make it illegal to use CO2 and hydrocarbons.
Those wishing to try supercritical CO2 extraction methods should check with their local government first (because it's likely illegal), and they should never try to use specialized equipment without proper training.
Serious injury or death can result from improper or careless use of extraction equipment.
There is a simple hack for home-based extraction, but it's actually a dry ice method for making kief--a concentrate.
Alcohol
People generally use alcohol as an extraction method to make super-concentrated Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) or alcohol-based tinctures.
Alcohol is safe to use when used under the right conditions with proper food-grade alcohol. If making RSO, individuals should use heat-safe glass, reduce the infusion over extremely low heat, and constantly monitor its progress with the windows open.
Non-Solvent-Based Methods for Making Cannabis Concentrates
Admittedly, the above examples are pure killjoys (since most can't be tried safely at home), so here are a few different methods for safely making cannabis concentrates instead.
Many new solventless processes are emerging, such as sonication, but the most commonly used ones are as follows.
Shaking, Sifting, and Dry Sifting-Used to Make Kief
Believe it or not, you make kief every time you use a grinder. The residue that collects at the bottom of your grinder is kief, and it can be sprinkled on joints or in your bowl to make your hit more potent.
There are many ways to make kief, most of which are safe and legal as long as you're in a legal state.
The oldest, safest, and most tried-and-true method is to shake the plant material through mesh. This can be done in many different ways. It's common to grind the plant and run it through a silk screen machine; others like to use a hashish drum.
Whichever method you choose, the finer the screen, the purer the kief, which can then be pressed into different grades of hash.
Ice Water Extraction
Ice water extraction is used to make kief, which is then pressed into bubble hash.
Contrary to popular belief, bubble hash has existed since the 80s. The method was invented by Cannabis Seed Bank owner Neville Schoenmakers.
It's become more common in recent years with the availability of cheap and economical washing machines. A Bubbleator or similar washing machine can be purchased for $100 to $300.
Ice water extraction is one of the cleanest and safest ways to make high-quality, very pure hash with no adulterants. This method also tends to leave behind many desirable cannabinoids that other methods don't.
Heat and Pressure (Rosin Press)
Rosin is made using low heat and very high pressure.
A rosin press uses heat and pressure to remove trichomes from the cannabis buds and leaves. Rosin can also be made from hash or kief.
The product is similar in appearance to extracts made with solvents but with no added adulterants. Rosin can range from clear to dark, comes in varying colors, and has a consistency of very thick, viscous sap. It can be used as-is or converted into other tasty treats.
Rosin presses cost from a couple of hundred dollars for a simple machine to thousands of dollars for industrial setups.
Which Extract is Right for You?
The above cannabis extracts just touch the surface, and there are many different subtypes of each of these products, depending on what you start with (bud vs. shake and live vs. cured), what types of equipment are used in the refining process, and how the products are finished. In the end, the right kind of extract for you is, well... up to you.
The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.
