The cannabis industry is constantly evolving and creating new products to meet the demands of marijuana enthusiasts looking to achieve more powerful effects. No other product exemplifies this than concentrates. Cannabis concentrates are extracts derived from cannabinoids and terpenes within the cannabis flower plant. This produces a substance with high levels of THC of up to 90% offering the most potent and fast-acting high for consumers.
These concentrates come in various forms and are consumed through dabbing, vaporizing, or adding to flower for an intense kick. Therefore, understanding the different types of concentrates is important to making informed choices to stay healthy and have a more satisfying smoking experience. This article will explore the high-strength options and types of cannabis concentrates in the market today.
Here’s a guide to the most potent cannabis concentrates.
Budder
Also known as badder or batter, the Budder concentrate has a reputation for being a deliciously aromatic and intensely flavoured concentrate. It has a smooth and thickly whipped texture like butter and oil but can also appear thinner, granular, or sauce-like depending on the product variety. It also comes in a yellow and orange color.
What’s more, budder has a high THC level of 80%-90% and above, making it one of the most potent cannabis concentrates in the cannabis market. The best part of consuming budder is the soft and smooth consistency makes it easy to use. It can be scooped up and added to dab rigs, vaporizers, or spread on as an extra ingredient to joint and blunt paper before flower is added to make intensely strong pre-rolls. Some of the most potent Budder concentrates include Rockstar, Duke Nukem, and Space Cookies Budder.
Wax
Dabbers looking for a mildly potent and immediate high effect favor wax concentrates. This substance has a thick consistency and is sticky, and granulated with a golden color. It’s formed when oil crystalizes and cools during the extraction process. Wax concentrates contain 60%-80% THC content, but can feature higher levels depending on the product and manufacturing process and a 6% terpene count.
The most common way to consume wax is using a dab rig, which is similar to a water bong with a nail that is heated to high temperatures to melt it. Another tool for wax is vaporizers that burn it to the right temperature to produce vapor that won’t destroy the terpenes. Additionally, these vapor-inhaling methods better protect the lungs compared to direct smoking. Some of the most potent wax concentrates include Solomon’s Skunk, Bruce Banner, and Berry Runtz wax.
Shatter
One of the most popular and purest forms of marijuana concentrates is shatter. The substance is known for having a shattered glass-like appearance, a yellow-amber color, and a hard yet sticky texture. The highest-quality form of shatter has a translucent, clear color and has a potency of up to 80% to 90% THC and a lower terpene content compared to other concentrates at 6%.
This, however, still gives a massive kick when smoked by dabbing, adding it to a joint or bong bowl, or vaporizing it. Since it must be consistently heated at high temperatures, it’s not the most suitable for vape pens. Non-smokers can consume shatter in cannabis edibles. Shatter also has a longer shelf life than most of the other concentrates, making it perfect for storing it to smoke over time. The most potent shatter include OG Shatter, Death Bubba, Golden Pineapple, and Pink Kush Shatter.
Live Resin
Another potent cannabis concentrate most commonly found in premier cannabis dispensaries is live resin. It’s widely known to have the most flavourful aroma among all the concentrates as well as containing one of the highest potency levels depending on individual products. Live resin comes in light and darker shades of yellow and varies in consistency, from sticky to loose and saucy and sugary and granular.
Live resin shares similarities with rosin as they are both produced with frozen cannabis plants. However, the resin has a different extraction method that retains more terpenes in resin. The THC content in the live resin can reach a staggering 95% and a terpene profile of up to 40% for extremely strong effects and an intense high.
Live resin can be consumed using a dabbing pen, vaping, or a dab rig when bought in the more solid form as this allows smokers to better control the amount to vape. The most popular and potent live resin include Snoop Dog OG, Legendary Orange, and Black Truffle live resin.
Diamonds
While relatively new to the potent cannabis concentrate market, diamonds have quickly become sought-after for their top-quality and pure THCa content that turns to THC during heating. Just as the name suggests they have a crystalline and transparent appearance and are also odorless. While similar to the crystalized terp sauce, however, it contains no terpenes, flavonoids, or cannabinoids.
Furthermore, the diamond concentrates are made using live resin and complex extraction methods that can take weeks to complete. This process is why THC diamonds are considered the luxury option among highly potent concentrate products. They can be consumed by dabbing or vaporizing them to get the best out of the 90% and above THC potency levels and experience an ultra-intense high. Some of the most potent diamond concentrates include Kush Mint, Sour Berry, and Paradise OG. These diamonds usually come with a sauce as a base to grease the dab tool.
Conclusion:
Cannabis concentrates have taken the marijuana market by storm thanks to their highly potent effects of up to 90% THC levels. They are a sticky, smooth, solid, and saucy substance extracted from the cannabis plant and are most often smoked by dabbing, vaporizing, or adding to a joint or blunt.
All of these factors together make concentrates the purest form and strongest type of marijuana product for consumers who want an extremely powerful high experience. Fortunately, there are plenty of extracts to choose from as the most popular ones outlined above are also notable for enhancing smoking with unique flavors and intense aromas.