The Beginner’s Guide to Buying Dabs and Cannabis Extracts

Adults across the country can now enjoy cannabis in all of its incredible forms.

Naturally, a large selection of cannabis strains can be found in indica, sativa, and hybrid varieties. You can also use alternative products such as tinctures, edibles, and vape juices. But if you’re looking for versatile products with potent levels of THC, you might want to check out dabs or cannabis extracts.

Cannabis Extracts are products made using various extraction processes. Some of these processes involve solvents and technical equipment, whereas sometimes all it takes is some household equipment such as a hair straightener to impose heat and pressure. Whichever way, you end up with unique cannabis products that give you potent THC without any excess plant material.

You may know extracts by other names such as cannabis concentrates or dabs when used with a dab rig. They’re some of the most powerful cannabis products and can come in various types such as crumble, wax, hash, and rosin. You can use extracts in various ways, each offering a slightly different psychoactive experience. So how do you use them, where do you get them, and what should you expect?

Here’s the complete beginner’s guide to buying dabs and cannabis extracts:

What are Cannabis Extracts?

The term Cannabis Extracts refers to high-potency products that have been extracted from cannabis. Cannabis flower or weed is subjected to unique extraction processes, often involving things like solvents and high pressure, to result in a product that retains the potent trichomes and terpenes of weed without the rest of the plant matter.

There are now all kinds of processes used to make these products. For instance, Hash can be made by hand simply by rubbing the resin from cannabis buds and compressing it together. Shatter is made by dousing cannabis with solvents to extract a thin, amber substance. Rosin can be made simply by applying heat and pressure to weed with a hair straightener. However, the highest quality extracts are made using lab equipment and high-quality weed.

You might also know cannabis extracts as cannabis concentrates. These are now commonly available in cannabis stores and online for users who want something different to weed. Due to their high levels of THC, extracts are much stronger than smoking weed and even a tiny amount can give you strong effects. They can also be used in various ways, with one of the most prominent being dabbing.

What are Dabs?

You might sometimes hear cannabis extracts or concentrates being referred to as dabs. This is because they’re often consumed using a unique method known as dabbing. Dabbing involves using a Dab Rig – a high-powered bong designed for use with small cannabis extracts.

A Dab Rig is made up of many parts, including a quartz nail which you heat with a blow torch. You apply a small amount of your cannabis extract, known as a “dab”, to the heated nail to vaporize it and take a hit through the mouthpiece. Dab hits are much more powerful than regular bong hits and dabbing can hit even the most experienced cannabis users hard.

You can also use Dab Pens- vaporizers designed for use with dabs of cannabis extracts. The name comes from the fact that it only takes a small dab of your cannabis concentrates to produce powerful effects. Users who want to dab usually use a dabbing tool to cut off a small piece of their chosen cannabis extract and apply it to their Dab Rig or Dab Pen.

Are Extracts/Dabs Better Than Weed?

Weed and cannabis extracts are two of the most diverse kinds of cannabis products. Both can be found in a variety of different strains, whether you prefer indica, sativa or hybrid effects. Both can also be used in multiple ways which can alter the kind of high they give you. But are cannabis extracts better than weed?

Gram for gram, cannabis extracts are much more potent than weed. By extracting the cannabinoids and terpenes from the rest of the cannabis flower, extracts give you nothing but pure potency. As such, a gram of any kind of cannabis concentrate will generally cost more than a gram of weed. However, while you might smoke a full gram of weed in one joint, you can get similarly potent effects from just a small dab of a cannabis extract.

As far as variety goes, both of these products give you tons of choices. Users often pick which strain of weed to buy based on its flavor, potency, and the effects it gives you. Cannabis extracts can be taken from any strain of weed, but they also come in different forms such as Shatter, Hash, and Wax. 

These different forms have differing levels of potency. For instance, Live Resin gives you higher levels of THC and retains all of the terpenes. That means it’ll give you much more powerful effects as well as more flavor than other concentrates like Hash.

While cannabis extracts are undeniably stronger than weed, you may still prefer to stick to good old-fashioned flower. Weed gives you milder effects, but you can still get a perfectly good high by smoking as much weed as you want. Plus, smoking weed is much easier, although you may prefer concentrates for vaping and dabbing.

How To Use Cannabis Extracts in a Joint

Cannabis extracts can be consumed in a variety of ways, but one of the simplest is to add it to a joint, spliff, blunt or any other kind of roll-up. If you’re used to rolling joints, you might want to try adding some cannabis extracts to enhance the potency.

Keep in mind that you can’t roll a joint of pure cannabis extracts. Extracts won’t burn well on their own, and you’ll end up wasting your extracts. However, you can mix in some concentrates such as Shatter, Hash or Live Resin along with your weed. Not only will you get the effects of your favorite strain of weed, but the extracts will make the joint much more potent.

Be careful not to add too much of your chosen extract to a joint. Even a small amount can produce powerful effects, which can make the high overwhelming when combined with weed. Another approach is to mix in some tobacco and weed with your concentrates to create a high-powered spliff. Some concentrates are better than others for mixing with weed, but most can work fairly well as long as you don’t use too much.

How To Use Cannabis Extracts in a Bowl/Pipe

Pipes offer a simple and convenient way to get a quick hit of cannabis whenever you need it. Bongs are similar, but usually larger in structure and also filtrate your products through water for smoother hits. Much like you can mix cannabis extracts with weed in a joint, you can also add some to the bowl of your bong or pipe. 

Pack your bowl with some weed first and then sprinkle some of your chosen cannabis extract on top. Some extracts are better than others for this- Hash mixes particularly well with weed and extracts like Shatter and Live Resin can easily be added on top.

When you take a hit, you’ll experience much stronger effects thanks to the cannabis concentrates. The good thing about smoking with a bong or pipe is you can take as many or as few hits as you want to get as high as you want before stopping.

How To Vape Cannabis Extracts

If you want to avoid the harsh effects smoking can have on your lungs, vaping is another fantastic option when it comes to using cannabis extracts. While not all vaporizers are compatible with extracts, many have coils designed specifically for use with concentrates such as Wax, Shatter, Budder, and other popular forms.

All you need to do is take a small amount of your extract and apply it to the chamber of your vaporizer or vape pen. Users often use a dabbing tool to separate a small amount of their chosen extract for use. Once applied, press the button on your vape to heat your cannabis extract and enjoy the potent, flavorful hits.

Vaping creates smooth, inhalable vapor without producing any smoke, making it a healthy and unique method of consumption. It’s also interesting to note that a 2018 study found that vaping produces stronger effects than smoking. That means you’ll get even more value out of your concentrates. You only need to vape a small dab, but you can always use more if you want to.

How To Dab Cannabis Extracts

To get the most powerful effects out of your cannabis extracts, you might want to try dabbing. Dabbing involves using a Dab Rig to inhale your extracts for incredibly powerful hits. Dabbing gives you more powerful effects than vaping or smoking and even veteran users may be taken aback by how potent dab hits are.

You’ll need to buy a Dab Rig. A Dab Rig is similar to a bong but designed for dabbing cannabis extracts. It comes with a dab nail, similar to a bowl, which you heat using a blow torch. Once your nail is heated, you apply a dab of concentrate on top and take a hit. When you inhale, you’ll get an extremely powerful dose of THC.

Dabbing might not suit everyone. After all, it can be expensive to invest in some high-quality dabbing equipment. It can also be overwhelming, even for experienced users, and you may prefer the milder high given by smoking or vaping. However, those who want the most hard-hitting high from cannabis extracts may want to test out dabbing for themselves.

Types Of Cannabis Extracts

You might be surprised at just how many kinds of cannabis extracts you can buy. From popular forms like Shatter and Hash to unique concentrates like Live Resin and Caviar, there are many different types to choose from. Each is made using a different extraction process and takes on a different form.

Here are some of the most popular types of cannabis extracts:

• Budder – Budder is one of the most popular types of cannabis concentrates. It’s easy to break apart for use in a joint or bowl and also makes for great dabbing material. It comes in a crumbly block which looks a little bit like a flapjack and is fairly soft and pliable. Crumble is a similar kind of extract that is more crumbly rather than solid.
• Caviar – Caviar is an extremely potent kind of cannabis extract. It has a similar color to concentrates like Shatter, but is more soft and sugary, making it easy to scoop up with a dab tool for use in a vaporizer or dab rig.
• Diamond – Diamonds are small, crystal-like pieces of concentrated cannabis. These are very easy to use in whichever way you want. They’re also very potent and even a small dab can give you a great high.
• Distillate – Distillates are liquid concentrates which usually contain over 90% THC. They come in syringes and can easily be vaped or dabbed. You can also infuse distillates into a joint, bowl or even add it to foods and drinks for potent marijuana edibles.
• Hash – Hash is one of the most common and popular cannabis extracts you’ll see in stores. It comes in a solid, brick-like form which you have to heat with a lighter to break apart. Hash is made by compressing cannabis resin together, and while it’s not the most potent concentrate, it’s very easy to break apart and use.
• Kief – Kief is the resinous dust leftover from ground cannabis. While some users might throw their kief away, it’s great for sprinkling on top of a joint or bowl for an extra kick of THC. While some users collect their own kief, you can also buy high quantities of kief to use in any way you want.
• Live Resin – Live Resin is one of the purest and most powerful cannabis extracts. It’s made by freezing weed and then subjecting it to a precise extraction process using lab equipment. Live Resin retains extremely high levels of THC and terpenes, making it both strong and flavorful.

Conclusion

Cannabis Extracts or Dabs are highly-concentrated products extracted from weed. They’re great for users who want something more powerful than weed to smoke, vape or use in a dab rig. If you’re looking for high-quality extracts as well as all kinds of other cannabis products, you can buy online from WCCannabis.ca.