KC CHRONICLE   December 2022 Newsletter

Meet our resident Director of Health & Wellness, Cody Freeze, PharmD RPH. In this monthly feature, he will field your questions around cannabis and the interactions with the human body. To submit a question, please send to info@kccannabis.org with the subject line "Ask Dr. Freeze."

Q: What are some commonly encountered cannabis concentrates? Isn't a concentrate the same thing as an extract? What is a solvent? What does full-extract or full-spectrum mean?

A: The answer for this is extensive, and with varying facets. We will explore these different points through the next couple articles, to touch on as much pertinent detail as possible. In this second portion, we will address types of cured concentrates.


Cured Concentrates
Cured concentrates are made from bud and trim that has been slowly dried after harvest, just the same as if it were going to be sold as flower. Typically when drying freshly-harvested plants for consumption, the plants are cut and hung up at 60℉ and 60% relative humidity, which can take up to 14 days to dry to the point the stems snap instead of bend. Once dried, flowers are placed in sealed containers, isolated from the external environment. This allows the inner moisture to evenly distribute throughout the flower. Once the inner moisture has been purged (cured) to the point the relative humidity in the container is ~60%, it is complete. When concentrates are made from this material, they are considered cured concentrates. The next step is to choose an extraction method to make a raw/crude concentrate that can then be further refined into the desired product, if desired.


THC distillate Ethanol
Ethanol (EtOH) extraction is used to create ‘THC distillate’ which can be nearly 100% Δ9 THC. Ethanol is added to the plant matter which breaks it down into its individual components, then evaporated off to isolate the THC. This fully decarboxylated THC can then be put into a cartridge to vaporize or into an edible for ingestion. If put into a cartridge, different terpenes are added, either from cannabis/hemp that was rendered in another extraction or from botanical terpenes, i.e. terpenes that were isolated from plants that are not cannabis such as lavender, oranges etc.



Shatter Butane
Butane extraction is used to create ‘Shatter’, a full-spectrum concentrate that varies in consistency from a taffy-like substance to something that could nearly be mistaken for glass. This substance is typically very high in cannabinoids and low in terpenes, which gives it its firm consistency (terpenes make a concentrate more ‘runny’. Shatter is often turned into a wax or crumble by gently heating and physically agitated for a period of time. This allows the THC to crystalize together into small aggregates. When these small aggregates are heaped together there is space in between them allowing for more room for air. This essentially fluffs up the shatter, helping it vaporize off hot surfaces easier, which allows for a more flavorful experience.


Rosin Rosin
Rosin is an extract made by using heat and pressure to force plant resin through a fine screen. This is considered ‘solventless’ as no chemical (ethanol, butane, etc.) was used in the process. When cured flower is at ~62% it can be ‘squished’ to create cured rosin. While it does not have any contamination from solvents, it does have a high wax (paraffin) concentration that may have other health consequences.




Bubble Hash Bubble hash
Bubble hash or sift is created in a similar fashion as rosin however no heat is involved. Trichomes are separated through agitation then separated with a filter screen. If this is done in cold water the trichomes fuse together when drying and bubble hash is created; if done on a dry screen the trichomes loosely come together to create dry sift. This is a very traditional way of making a very simple concentrate.


Cured concentrates are an economical option with great medicinal properties. The reason they are more economical is they can be made with dried trim or unsold flower. They often contain a lower concentration of terpenes, which are more economically valuable than cannabinoids, meaning they cannot command the same elevated sticker price. If cost is not a concern and terpenes are your medicine of choice, live extracts are probably the best option.

Stay tuned for as we dive deeper into the subject of concentrates, and how they're derived, in next months issue of KC Chronicle.