These days the terms hash oil, butane hash oil, shatter, wax, crumble, and honeycomb are commonly thrown around in the world of cannabis.
If you’re new to the scene, it might be unclear how to tell each product apart from another. The good news is, these nicknames are usually just terms used to describe some of the many cannabis extracts.
That said, cannabis oils, concentrates, and extracts serve as an umbrella term for various cannabis extracts on the market today. These extracts offer a variety of benefits you wouldn’t normally find when smoking regular flower.
Extracts are notorious for giving smokers a much cleaner high, enhanced flavour, and more intense effects.
Without any further delay, let’s jump right in and take a closer look at hash oil.
What is Hash Oil?
Hash oil is a highly potent weed extract that can either be smoked, vaped, eaten, or applied to the skin.
Hash oil is extracted from the cannabis plant and comprises mainly of cannabinoids and terpenes like THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient known for producing wacky tobacky’s psychoactive high.
How is Hash Oil Made?
There are several different ways people tend to produce their hash oil, although only a few tried-and-true ways reign supreme.
That said, each of the methods we’ll be looking into requires the growers to separate the trichomes (cannabinoids and terpenes) from the rest of the plant to be consumed or further refined.
The main difference in each process lies in the type of substance used as a solvent and the refinement process that follows.
Alcohol Extraction
The alcohol extraction method involves submerging the beautiful bud in either ethanol or another alcohol solution to isolate the trichomes that carry most of the plant’s terpenes and cannabinoids.
After the alcohol can absorb all of the necessary magical goodness, it is eventually separated and purged from the mixture through evaporation — it can then be consumed as is or refined into hash oil.
Butane Extraction
Butane Hash Oil (BHO) is created when weed and liquid butane are combined and pressurized in an enclosed, heated chamber.
Butane hash oil is also commonly known as honey oil and uses heat and pressure to create a vacuum that purges the liquid butane away once it has extracted the cannabinoids from the weed.
Due to its versatility, many tokers favour butane hash oil for their weed needs.
CO2 Extraction
CO2 extraction is considered an advanced method of extraction. It is not only expensive to do but also requires specialized training to operate the extraction equipment.
Rather than using traditional solvents like butane or alcohol, this extraction process uses pressurized carbon dioxide heated to an optimal temperature. CO2 extraction takes place in a closed-looped system and is much more difficult and expensive than solvent-based extraction methods.
However, it results in a much cleaner product and produces significantly less waste.
Types Of Cannabis Extracts
Shatter
One of the more unique types of extracts with a golden amber colour and brittle glass-like texture that will “shatter” upon impact.
Shatter has earned the reputation of being one of the purest and cleanest extracts available for purchase today. However, many people are fooled by its colour, thinking that its clarity represents its potency.
Shatter is favoured for its ease of handling while dabbing and generally requires a series of long and delicate purging cycles in order to achieve its purity.
Wax
Wax is a type of cannabis extract that gets its name from its wax-like appearance and texture.
In fact, the textures of cannabis wax can range from slightly liquid to thick and gooey. Falling somewhere in between hash oil and shatter, the texture of wax means it can be used to take dabs or vaporized in pens.
Distillates
Distillates are products created using CO2 extraction. They are runny in texture and are usually free from all other compounds except for one specific cannabinoid, typically THC.
This makes them some of the cleanest, most advanced extracts on the market today. They are commonly used to take dabs, can be vaporized and added to any cannabis edible recipe.
Due to the purity of distillates, many do not have terpenes in them, meaning that they are flavourless. However, terpenes can be added later to give them additional flavours.
The appeal of hash oil is the variety of methods it can be consumed, with one of the most popular methods being with a vape pen, such as those offered by Pyro Extracts.
The Pyro vape kit and cartridges provide a convenient, discrete method to consume your favourite icky sticky without compromising the flavourful terpene profile through the variety of flavours available.
Its easy-to-use nature and efficient ingestion method make it a perfect kit for those looking to toke on the go.
How to Smoke Hash Oil Using a Dab Rig
One of the main benefits of using a dab rig is that you’re not actually smoking hash oil, as many people would believe. But rather, you’re vaporizing it, which gives a much smoother and flavorful effect.
Dabbing allows you to get the full hash oil experience, including its terpene and cannabinoid content, without the harmful side effects of smoking.
What You Will Need:
- A dab rig
- A nail
- A dabber
- A carb cap
- A torch
- Hash oil
Directions
- Turn on your torch and insert the nail in your dab rig.
- Aim your torch directly at the nail and heat it until it begins to turn red hot.
- Once heated, turn the torch off and let the nail cool for 45 seconds (10 seconds for titanium).
- Using your dabber, apply the hash oil directly onto the nail and begin inhaling at a slow and steady rate. You can rotate the dabber tip on the nail to ensure all the extract gets used up.
- While still inhaling slowly, cover the dab with a carb cap and finish your inhale.
- Exhale, and enjoy the high!
Caution: The nail can get extremely hot while dabbing. Exercise extreme care while handling them as they will burn the skin.
Hash Oil – The Versatile Extract
Cannabis extracts like hash oil suit the purpose of many lifestyles and weed needs. Maybe you’ll take one during a social gathering with friends. Maybe you’ll take one while camping in the woods.
Wherever you choose to enjoy your extracts, they will deliver a high that’ll send you flying into a rush of euphoria and joy. But with that, it’s important to be mindful of how much you consume as extracts can be up to four times as strong as your standard flower.
Even for the more experienced smokers out there, start low and go slow.
Happy dabbing!
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