The world of cannabis extracts is expanding rapidly with no intention of slowing down. In most legal markets, the sale of concentrates is increasing steadily. This is due to the fact that they continue to grab larger shares of the market over a year. Emerging trends within cannabis concentrate sales have been fueling innovation at a tremendous pace as a result of high demands.
For consumers, this is a very exciting event. Fans of hash products would agree that having options available is a must. A few years ago, if you wanted to purchase solventless cannabis extracts, your choices were limited to kief, cold water hash and hashish.
It wasn’t until recently, with the emergence of new advancements in heat extraction methods, where tehe market began to shift back in favor of the solventless hash consumer. The interest in heat extraction methods such as rosin proved to cause a profound effect within the community by reinvigorating the appeal for solventless extraction methods within legal markets. This gave rise to an entirely new generation of hash products.
Rosin
Rosin, the game change in heat extraction, opened the door to several different new products. Solventless shatter, a type of rosin that maintains a stable and glass-like consistency, may resemble butane hash oil in appearance, but it was manufactured using nothing more than head and pressure. Hash oil of this consistency is achieved both through the acquisition of certain genetics and the right combination of heat, pressure, and exposure period.
Some cannabis cultivars will produce more stable rosin than others. The cure time and degradation of the trichomes also affect the consistency of hash oil in rosin form. Rosin can be made from a multitude of precursors, including freshly harvested and/or cured cannabis flowers, kief, water hash and even trim. The color, consistency and flavor will all vary depending on the precursor used.
Many solventless hash oils are offered om more sappier and less stable forms. Their color can vary from a golden opacity to a darker amber. Cure time and starting material will all play a role in facilitating these nuances. Heat, pressure and exposure too can greatly impact the consistency of rosin. Higher temperatures tend to produce more stable products that more resemble shatter, whereas lower temperatures often yield sappier, less stable products. Both products are appearing on dispensary shelves and have become to form respective niche markets.
Budder
Budder, also known as cake batter or a “whipped” rosin, is another variation of solventless hash oil. These products were created by incorporating light head and agitation to rosin. The result is a buttering effects that resembles a salve or batter of some sort. Using this technique has been known to significantly increase the aromatic properties of the hash oil and also provide a new creamier texture that can be much easier to work with when dabbing. While many retailers are beginning to sell whipped solvent-free hash oils, the process is simple to achieve at home. All you need to do is stir preexisting rosin with a warm dabber tool.
Freeze-Dried Hash Oil Products
On the polar opposite end of the thermal spectrum are new products incorporating the use of sub-zero temperatures in their production. Freeze-dried hash oil products are made by using sub-freezing temperatures to keep trichromes in a perfectly suspended state in their degradation cycle, preserving the valuable and volatile tepidness that would have been lost in almost any other extraction process. The machines used to create these products can be expensive, as this technique is still relatively new.
As the concentrate market continues to expand demand for solventless options will continue to inspire innovators to push the envelope even further in creating more exciting products for has consumers. Rosin, and its many subsequent forms, was the “Holy Grail” that opened up the door for full melt hash oils, and the demand seems to be rising. You can expect to see many more products emerge that will push the boundaries of hash oil flavor, consistency, and effect even further.
