In the past, BHO was just a pipe dream (literally) and weed consumption was pretty limited to either smoking flower or making edibles.
But since legalization, methods to enjoy cannabis have exploded and branched out into a wide variety of products, including infused beverages, tinctures, lotions, and various types of highly-potent concentrates.
It’s true what they say. You can’t have too much of a good thing!
One of the most popular concentrated forms of cannabis is butane hash oil – or BHO.
This extract uses butane as a solvent to pull out the righteous terpene and cannabinoids from the rest of the beautiful bud we all know and love.
BHO comes in a variety of consistencies, colours, and textures that will determine if you’re smoking shatter, budder, sauce, or crumble.
But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a step back and break down butane hash oil, how it’s made, and the different types of BHO on the market.
What is BHO?
Butane hash oil is more commonly known as BHO. It’s a concentrated weed product that comes in a variety of colours, consistencies and textures.
Types of BHO include wax, budder, shatter, crumble, and sauce. While they offer users an easier way to get higher faster, they also come with the risk of being contaminated with mould, pesticides, or other toxins if not made and processed correctly.
If you want to try your hand at making your own BHO at home, we strongly advise you to leave it to the professionals due to the risk of explosion working with butane.
Not to mention the potential mistakes that can happen during the extraction process, such as unintentionally creating contaminants.
Remember: the bud’s quality, the specific strain, and the unique characteristics will determine the overall quality of the final BHO product. The consistency depends on the techniques used during the extraction and post-extraction stage.
Ultimately, all creators have the same end goal: to create a safe and high-quality BHO product.
How is BHO Made?
Butane hash oil is made by soaking buds in a butane solvent that separates the oils from the rest of the plant.
Back in the day, the open blasting method was the norm for making BHO. This process involved blasting weed seedlings with a solvent, usually in a metal or glass container, to extract all the wonderful weed goodies.
However, this method is unregulated, wasteful, and can be very dangerous.
Butane fumes are incredibly flammable, and this process does not have any way to contain it. So, any spark or ignition could blow the entire thing up.
That’s no bueno.
Many producers instead opt for the newer, safer, closed-loop system for BHO extraction. With this method, the fumes don’t have anywhere to leak out from to ignite an explosion. It also produces a higher yield than open blasting.
Therefore, you get a better product, and nobody blows up. It’s a win-win situation.
It is worth noting that, while the closed-loop system is indeed the safer option, it does require safety checks and specific procedures to follow to ensure a gasket doesn’t get blown.
Types of BHO
Like with any other form of your favourite icky sticky, BHOs will get you high. The only difference is that you will feel the effects stronger and faster since they are a potent concentrate.
So if you’re planning on hitting your concentrate products with the same intensity as a bowl or joint, you might want to reconsider.
While you can’t necessarily hurt yourself or die from going too hard on the ganj, it can lead to a less than stellar experience, like increased paranoia or greening out.
The beauty of BHOs is that they come in varying consistencies and forms.
Examples of some of the most popular BHO concentrates include:
Honey Oil
With an ooey-gooey consistency and translucent golden brown colour, honey oil, also known as hash oil, is a highly pure concentrate that can often contain THC levels of over 80%
The beauty of honey oil is that it is incredibly versatile. You can consume it in a variety of ways, including in joints, bowls, or pipes.
You can also add it to food, but you need to heat up the product to activate its magical compounds.
Crumble
As the name implies, crumble has a unique, crumbly texture that sets it apart from other, more fluid-like BHO concentrates. However, it is still smooth, moist and creamy.
You can consume crumble on its own or mix it into a joint or blunt with dry flower to enhance its effect. When smoked together, the combination of crumble wax and regular, dry bud can have significantly heightened effects.
In other words, you get super-duper high.
It is also a popular choice for dabbing.
Wax
It’s no secret why wax is the preferred concentrate for a lot of people. Not only does it contain a high level of THC but because it has high terpene content, it’s tasty too!
What sets it apart from other BHO concentrates is its almost grainy and gritty texture and consistency. Wax falls somewhere in between the liquidity of oil and the denseness of shatter.
Like other oil-based concentrates, the best way to consume wax is by vaping or dabbing.
Budder
If the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears came in concentrate form, it would be budder. It’s not too liquidy, like oil, but it’s not as glass-like as shatter.
For a lot of tokers, it’s just right!
Budder is moist and has a creamy consistency making it ideal for smoking using conventional methods, like pipes or bongs.
For more information on budder, check out our guide here.
Crystalline
While the consistency and appearance may vary, crystalline concentrate products look like small crystals or granulated sugar. However, the biggest crystals can be as big as diamonds.
With some diamonds reaching purity levels of nearly 99.9% THCA, they can lose some of their scent and flavour in the creation process.
But don’t fret! Terp Sauce is added back in to regain the mystical smells and flavours that bring the product to life.
Because of its complexity, crystalline concentrates are among the most expensive on the market.
Shatter
Shatter is easily one of the highest THC concentrates out there. It’s hard and glasslike with a smooth, reflective surface that easily shatters when dropped, tapped, or broken apart. Hence the name.
The exception is pull-and-snap shatter, which is more malleable and can be stretched.
At its highest, shatter can reach levels of nearly 90% purity. However, this high level of THC comes at the price of losing terpenes and, therefore flavour. So if you’re looking for a super flavourful BHO concentrate, shatter might not be right for you.
Distillate
Distillates are the purest form of cannabis concentrates available on the market, making them a popular choice among health-conscious blazers.
The quality of distillates is so pure because the process of creating them is two-fold. Like other concentrates, the first step is the extraction process.
However, the second step is what sets them apart because it removes impurities and solvents, such as butane, resulting in an odourless, pure concentrate.
Because of their purity, distillates also contain the highest concentrations of THC, making them ridiculously potent. This fact, combined with how easy they are to use and their discrete nature, make them a weed lover’s dream!
Distillates are also incredibly versatile. One of the most common methods of consuming them is by vape pen, mainly because it allows them to enjoy the fabulous, flavourful terpenes.
As you can see, there are many types of BHO concentrates out on the market today, and that isn’t even the full list!
To make things easier to visualize, we decided to make this handy-dandy chart that lists the different types of BHO, their THC levels, and overall consistency to help you decide which type of BHO is right for you:
Types of BHO
| Name | Form | THC Levels | Consistency |
| Budder/Batter | Liquid | 90%-99% | Thick but spreadable |
| Crystalline | Solid | 99% | Hard and crystal-like |
| Distillate | Liquid | 95% | Oily |
| Crumble | Solid | 60%-90% | Spongy/crumbly |
| Honey Oil | Liquid | 70%-85% | Sticky/gooey |
| Shatter | Solid | Brittle/glass-like | 70%-90% |
| Pull-and-Snap Shatter | Solid | Taffy-like | 70%-90% |
| Wax | Liquid | Sticky/thick | 60%-90% |
BHO – The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Today, using butane hash oil is the customary approach to extracting and making cannabis concentrates. In fact, the majority of concentrates you will find at dispensaries will be made with BHO.
Even so, there are major dangers involved with creating BHO concentrates.
Considering that BHO-based products are still in their infancy, there isn’t much research done regarding side effects or medical efficacy. This is why cannabis aficionados and qualified manufacturers are pushing for more research, education, and regulation for BHO made products.
But despite these uncertainties, BHO is here to stay as it continues to be widely available and rising in popularity for the quick and powerful high it brings to its users.
Just be sure to start low and go slow — and you should be just fine.
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