Herbal Knowledge
Some unusual colors can appear in cannabis: red, pink, purple, and even blue. Check out these unique, colorful strains at the top of our list.
The post 5 picture-worthy cannabis strains with unique colors appeared first on Leafly.
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It wasn’t long ago that dabbing conjured visions of intense consumption and high THC levels. Fast forward to e-rigs, portable vaporizers and strides in testing and quality of concentrates, all helping propel this once “sketchy” corner of the black market into a booming, legal industry. Though, despite this, consuming concentrates and extracts tends to make newcomers a little wary.
Like all forms of weed villainization, the negative connotations that surround dabbing are unfounded. Understanding extraction is inherently complicated due to its scientific nature, but the way extracted products are displayed is complicated too. New users are immediately bombarded by the market, forced into making choices between products and terms they know little about — think solvent versus solventless extraction, badders versus diamonds, rosins versus resins, and so on. Brands consistently tout staggeringly high THC percentages, while providing little to no useful information for beginners to cannabis attempting to navigate this vast and confusing sea.
With our guide to getting into concentrates, you’ll find everything you need to know to get started. From methods of extraction and different types of extracts, to a rundown of the best dabbing devices and extracts on the market. We’ll help you learn how to choose the best concentrate or extract to suit you and the effects you’re wanting.
The terms “concentrate” and “extract” refer to concentrated cannabis products like rosins, resins, sauces, shatters, and so on. These potent substances are produced by isolating the active ingredients in cannabis, like terpenes and cannabinoids, from plant matter by a method called “extraction.” The type of concentrate produced, and whether it would be considered a concentrate or an extract, is determined by which method of extraction was used in production.
To explore the inner workings of cannabis concentrates and extracts, we spoke to concentrate/extract experts, Russ Daniels, master extractor and CEO of Cali Stripe Concentrates (formerly known as Candy Stripe Concentrates), and Michael Tanzer, co-founder of RedTape Ventures, a venture firm that invests and develops business in the cannabis industry, including Candy Stripe.
“A good way to communicate what concentrates and extracts are is to think about them as the active ingredients in the plant,” Tanzer said. “Through extraction, we’re able to isolate and remove just the active ingredients, so you don’t have to consume all of the plant’s fiber and materials.” By isolating the active ingredients (cannabinoid and terpenes), these products offer the cleanest, and most time-efficient way to get lifted.
Gina Coleman/Weedmaps“I would define concentrates as solventless products like rosin and bubble hash, and extracts as anything produced with hydrocarbons like BHO or CO2 closed loop systems,” Daniels explained.
It should be noted that extract and concentrate are considered interchangeable terms by certain regions and cultural circles. For the sake of this article, we will be adhering to the distinction supported by our experts.
Extraction methods are first broken into two groups: solvent and solventless. It should be noted that there are two types of material that can be extracted with solvent or solventless extraction: dry material (flower that has been dried) and fresh/frozen material (whole plant that has been frozen immediately after being cut down).
“The difference is that solventless extraction is considered more of a vegan or holistic approach,” said Daniels. “When we use hydrocarbon gases to extract, people who are less educated about cannabis and consider themselves on the healthier side of life don’t like that. They tend to choose rosin over a butane hash oil (BHO) because they feel the rosin doesn’t contain toxins.”
Once either form of extraction has been employed to remove active oils from plant matter, the base product is processed again into different variations, like a shatter or a live resin, using various techniques.
To understand this process further, we spoke to Will Jacod Pennstrom, a master extractor from Raw Garden’s extraction program, who now heads up the extraction lab for a new brand called Exir by Euphoric Life Inc. For the sake of making this mass of information more digestible, Pennstrom helped create an outline that illustrates the most popular forms of extracts and concentrates that are produced by different subsects of extraction.
Different types of extracts and concentrates can be produced using a number of post-extraction processes. When trying to determine the high of any given one, it comes down to the chemical makeup of the plant.
Regardless of extract texture, extraction method, or form the flower has taken. It’s the terpene profile and cannabinoid ratios of the original flower that ultimately dictates how an extracted product will make you feel. Simply put, if the flower sucks, so will the extract.
Gina Coleman/WeedmapsNow that you’re read up on all things concentrates, what are the go-to quality products that beginners, concentrate fanatics, and those in-between, reach for the most? Check below for our picks.
The Puffco Peak was the original game changer, simplifying the old school process of a nail and a torch into an electronic device sleek enough to be sold at an Apple Store.
Part e-rig, part vape pen, the G Pen Roam is the first portable electronic dab rig, complete with a bubbling water chamber.
Personally, I don’t think any concentrate pens work that well if you’re looking to replicate the experience of a dab. The secret to hand-held concentrate vaporizers is the size of the battery. The bigger the battery, the better the hit. The battery of a vape pen is simply not strong enough to effectively vaporize thicker materials from my experience.
Electronic dab straws are cool, but tend to break easily. The best two I’ve tried are The Dipper by Dip Devices, and the Huni Badger by Nectar Collector.
If you’re not ready to invest in an extract-only device, meet yourself halfway with one that also vaporizes flower. Dr Dabber’s Switch and New Vape’s FlowerPot Vaporizer are both excellent.
Price: Switch $399.95, FlowerPot $370
First time dabbers should abide by two rules: start small and stay low.
The dab should be as small as you can make it, and the temperature should be low, around 450—500° as opposed to 650° or higher. The higher the temperature, the higher you’ll get.
Check out Guild Extracts’ Delta 8-THC, a cannabinoid that promotes a sense of calm and is geared towards people who experience anxiety with cannabis use. Or, reach for something super chill, like Punch Extracts’ Fatso Live Rosin.
Both Kaizen Medicinals’ Chemdawg Caviar and Apex Extractions’ Tropicana Cookies are perfect companions to a fun summer day. Exciting and uplifting, they’ll leave you feeling clear, bright, and just a little bit silly. For a more relaxing summer experience, try Moxie’s Sour Sandia Live Resin Badder.
To muster the unmatched focus it takes to work from home on a beautiful summer day, try the ultimate fire that is Maven’s new Guava Kush Sugar Diamonds. Lowell Farm’s fragrant and exquisite Pink Lemonade Live Rosin will help you get the job done, too.
After a long day, treat yourself to a fruity dab of Eel River Organics’ Dairy Queen Live Resin. For other anxiety melting experiences, try Cosmic Brands‘ Purple Medusa, or AbsoluteXtracts’ ‘s Forbidden Fruit.
Featured image by Dre Hudson/Weedmaps
The post The Weedmaps guide to getting into concentrates appeared first on Weedmaps News.
Source: wm
One year after the national VAPI outbreak, Oregon moves to ban artificial vape flavors. It’s not just vitamin E oil.
The post VAPI anniversary: Killer chemicals still on the streets appeared first on Leafly.
Source: lfy
Few things are more important to the modern cannabis vapor enthusiast than build quality, and the Zeus Arc GT should be at the top of your list when it’s time to invest in a new dry herb vaporizer.
Being able to enjoy fresh cannabis flower with no carcinogens or questionable additives is a rapidly evolving privilege for consumers. After years of showcasing various other vaporizers on the market, the Arc GT has become the most cutting edge Zeus vape yet.
The Zeus Arc GT is one of the newest entries into the ongoing dry herb vape wars. While the classic Volcano has long asserted dominance over coffee tables across the globe, when it comes to the vaping hardware in people’s pockets, there is much more room for debate.
The Arc GT, like the Volcano, was engineered in Germany. The folks at Zeus believe the Arc GT is even infused with automotive DNA. You can see how serious they took the design process when running down the list of features that include a goldplated vapor path and a built-in multi-tool doubling as a USB port cover.
Getting your Arc GT ready to use is a quick process after a proper charging session. Pop open the Arc GT’s magnetic top, you’ll see that the same channel that holds the silicone cap in place also serves to guide grinded flower into the heating chamber that is recessed below everything else.
The Arc GT will rip according to how tight you pack it — if you over do it, it’s just not as enjoyable. But it should not take you long to find the sweet point that features hearty hits and solid airflow. Keep in mind that attempting to overload it can mess with the magnetic seal.
Once you’ve loaded your strain of choice into the chamber, here’s a simple guide to start getting elevated:
Don’t immediately empty the chamber when you start to taste burnt flower. Instead, take the tool built into the base of the device and stir up the flower within the chamber. After replacing the lid, you should be able to get a few more decent quality pulls. Remember to be careful when you are sifting around the flower, Zeus warns if you’re not careful you can scratch the inner walls of the chamber.
Photo by TVapeSome other cool features about the Arc GT include checking the battery by giving it a shake. The Arc GT will enter a battery saving “cool down” mode when you don’t touch it for 30 seconds. It will completely shut down after a couple of minutes when not in use, or if you use it continuously for ten minutes.
You should be able to get about 90 minutes of power per charge on the battery. The USB charging also makes it easy to take advantage of upgradeable firmware, but the stock settings worked fine for me.
Like most vaporizers, the cleaning process for the Arc GT is its least appealing factor, but something you’ll have to deal with if you are using the machine regularly. I usually got away with about five sessions before I needed to clean out the chamber.
Whatever you do, make sure not to pour isotropic alcohol into the heating chamber. Dip a Q-tip in alcohol, role the excess off on a paper towel, then swirl it around inside the chamber. Rolling the Q-tip on the paper towel will prevent any alcohol from dripping, and then you can use the same paper towel to clean out that channel the top pops into.
You’ll certainly be able to taste the difference, but the cost/benefit analysis of how often to clean it is up to you. Not a lot of people are using vaporizers in an attempt to discover complex terpene profiles, so if you aren’t worried about missing those more subtle notes in flavor, you can go a little longer between cleanings.
The Zeus Arc GT ends up being one of the most well-built compact flower vaporizers on the market, even with the minor drawbacks of cleaning and its tendency to get a little warm after extended use. It’s been the main dry flower vaporizer in my household for a few months.
You won’t get a lot of bells and whistles here, but the form and function are there. If you’re hoping for something a bit busier and loaded up with glow in the dark features, the Arc GT probably isn’t for you. But if you find yourself just looking for a tool to deliver an above average cannabis vapor experience, this vaporizer certainly fits the bill.
Photos provided by TVape
The post Everything you should know about the Zeus Arc GT appeared first on Weedmaps News.
Source: wm