A Comprehensive Guide to Cannabis Concentrates: From Shatter to Rosin

Misty Mountain

Nov 9, 2024

The cannabis industry offers a wide variety of concentrates, each with unique characteristics in terms of texture, potency, flavor, and method of extraction. Whether you're new to concentrates or looking to expand your knowledge, understanding the differences can help you choose the best product for your needs. This guide covers the most popular cannabis concentrates, including shatter, sugar, budder, crumble, wax, live resin, rosin, distillate, and bubble hash.

What Are Cannabis Concentrates?

Cannabis concentrates are products made by extracting cannabinoids and terpenes from the cannabis plant, resulting in a more potent and refined form. These concentrates come in different textures, potencies, and methods of use, providing cannabis consumers with various experiences.

Types of Cannabis Concentrates

1. Shatter

Consistency: Brittle, glass-like texture.

Extraction Method: Butane Hash Oil (BHO).

How It’s Made: Cannabis is blasted with butane, and then the solvent is purged, leaving behind a translucent, high-THC product.

Key Features: Known for potency and clean hits, but often loses some terpenes during the extraction process.

2. Budder

Consistency: Creamy, butter-like texture.

Extraction Method: BHO extraction, followed by whipping to achieve its soft, whipped consistency.

How It’s Made: After the BHO extraction, the oil is whipped while being purged, which creates a smooth texture with enhanced flavor.

Key Features: Retains more terpenes than shatter, resulting in better flavor and slightly lower potency.

3. Crumble

Consistency: Dry, crumbly texture, similar to cheese.

Extraction Method: BHO extraction with prolonged purging.

How It’s Made: The concentrate is whipped and purged at a higher temperature, which dries out the extract and creates the crumbly texture.

Key Features: Easier to handle and use in joints or bowls due to its dry form. Crumble is potent but retains fewer terpenes compared to wax or live resin.

4. Wax

Consistency: Waxy and soft.

Extraction Method: BHO extraction.

How It’s Made: The concentrate is whipped, but less intensely than budder, to create a soft, waxy texture.

Key Features: Known for ease of use and flavor retention, wax is a versatile option for dabbing or smoking.

5. Distillate

Consistency: Thick, sticky oil.

Extraction Method: Fractional distillation.

How It’s Made: Distillate is made through multiple rounds of distillation to refine the extract into a pure form of THC or CBD, stripping away most other cannabinoids and terpenes.

Key Features: Distillate is incredibly potent and can be used for a variety of applications, including vaping, edibles, or adding to joints. Its neutral flavor makes it perfect for infusing other products.

6. Sugar

Consistency: Crystallized, syrupy texture.

Extraction Method: Hydrocarbon extraction.

How It’s Made: Sugar is made through a BHO process, but left to cure longer to allow THCA crystals to form in a terpene-rich sauce.

Key Features: Sugar has a high terpene content and a granular texture, making it flavorful and easy to dab or vaporize.

7. Live Resin

Consistency: Sticky, waxy, or syrupy.

Extraction Method: BHO extraction from fresh frozen cannabis.

How It’s Made: Cannabis plants are harvested and immediately frozen to preserve terpenes before being extracted using butane. This results in a concentrate rich in flavor and aroma.

Key Features: Live resin has a higher terpene content compared to other concentrates, providing a more aromatic and flavorful experience.

8. Rosin

Consistency: Can vary from sticky to waxy.

Extraction Method: Heat and pressure (solventless).

How It’s Made: Rosin is made by pressing cannabis flower, kief, or hash between heated plates, extracting a clean, solvent-free concentrate.

Key Features: Rosin is prized for its purity and flavor, making it a popular choice among health-conscious consumers who want to avoid solvents.

9. Live Rosin

Consistency: Soft, sticky, and more malleable.

Extraction Method: Solventless heat and pressure.

How It’s Made: Made from fresh frozen cannabis, live rosin retains a high terpene profile due to minimal processing, similar to live resin but solvent-free.

Key Features: Known for its intense flavor, live rosin offers a pure and potent experience for concentrate connoisseurs.

10. Bubble Hash

Consistency: Powdery or crumbly, depending on purity.

Extraction Method: Ice water extraction.

How It’s Made: Ice and water are used to agitate cannabis trichomes, separating them from the plant material. The trichomes are then filtered through mesh screens and collected as bubble hash.

Key Features: Bubble hash is solvent-free and known for its clean potency. Higher-quality bubble hash is often referred to as "full melt" due to its ability to melt fully when heated.

11. Crumble

Consistency: Dry, brittle, crumbly texture.

Extraction Method: BHO extraction, purged for longer durations.

How It’s Made: Like other BHO extracts, crumble is processed at higher temperatures and whipped during extraction to achieve a dry and crumbly consistency.

Key Features: Crumble is easy to work with and can be added to joints, bowls, or dab rigs. It’s slightly less flavorful than other options due to terpene loss.

How These Concentrates Are Extracted

BHO (Butane Hash Oil): Used for concentrates like shatter, wax, budder, and live resin. Butane extracts cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis, which are then purged of solvent.
Solventless Methods: Used for rosin and bubble hash. These methods use mechanical pressure or ice and water to separate trichomes from cannabis without chemical solvents.
Distillation: A high-tech process that uses heat and vacuum pressure to isolate cannabinoids like THC or CBD, creating a refined, potent distillate.
Hydrocarbon Extraction: A method that uses hydrocarbons like propane or butane to extract cannabinoids and terpenes, typically used for concentrates like sugar and live resin.

Conclusion

Cannabis concentrates offer a wide variety of textures, potencies, and experiences. From the clean purity of rosin and bubble hash to the high potency of shatter and distillate, there’s a concentrate for every cannabis user’s preference. Whether you’re a dabber looking for high potency or a smoker seeking a flavorful addition to your joint, understanding these different consistencies can help you choose the best product for your needs.