An Easy Guide to Concentrates: Waxes, Shatters, Live Resin Carts, and More
If you’re looking for a potent dose of THC or a new way to consume your favorite strain, cannabis concentrates are the obvious solution. But with so many options on the market, including live resin carts and THCa diamonds for dabs, it can be hard to know what’s out there. How do you choose?
We’ve put together this guide to help you navigate the exciting world of cannabis concentrates. We’ve included some of our favorite products, all of which are guaranteed to give you a delicious buzz!
What Are Cannabis Concentrates?
Typically enjoyed using a dab rig or in a vaporizer (with a live resin cart) concentrates deliver a strong dose of cannabinoids and terpenes in a small amount of product. This potency makes concentrates popular among recreational cannabis lovers and medical users alike.
The types of concentrates vary based on the process used to make the concentrate, as well as the consistency: While some are more liquid-like, others have a dry, crumbly consistency.
You can also add a little concentrate to your joint, pipe, or bong—a method called bowl topping—which gives your smoke a powerful upgrade.
Wax
Wax is made with a solvent, using a whipping process. Because it’s not heated to a high temperature, it preserves those tasty terpenes and cannabinoids, delivering a superior flavor and aroma. It usually has a high concentration of THC, ranging between 60 and 80 percent.
Wax usually has a dry, crumbly consistency. It’s best enjoyed with a dab rig.
Mountain Remedy's Favorite Waxes:
- Brite Labs’s Jelly Wax Legend OG
- Brite Labs’s Jelly Wax Limelight
- Brite Labs’s Jelly Wax Rolls Choice
Budder
Budder is a lot like wax in that it delivers a high dose of THC and terpenes. It’s also made with a whipping process. However, budder has a creamier consistency, sort of like—you guessed it—butter.
Budder is often enjoyed using a dab rig or vaporizer. The consistency can make it a little tricky to add to a joint or bowl.
Mountain Remedy's Favorite Budders:
Live Resin
Producers make live resin concentrate with frozen cannabis flower. Like with flash-frozen vegetables, freezing cannabis flower preserves the good stuff—in this case, terpenes—so that you get to experience the full goodness of the plant.
Live resins are perfect for terpene enthusiasts who love a potent flavor and aroma. While some live resins are taffy-like, others might be like sugar or crystals in consistency. It’s best to enjoy them with a dab rig.
Mountain Remedy’s Favorite Live Resins:
- Dime Bag - Live Resin Sugar - Presidential OG
- Stiiizy - Curated Live Resin - Purple Pie - 1 Gram
- Absolute Xtracts - Live Resin Sauce - Huckleberry Goo
Looking for Live Resin Carts?
- Absolute Xtracts - Live Resin DART Pod - Grape Punch
- Alien Labs - Live Resin Cart - Melonade X Animal Cookies X Biscotti
- Bloom - Live Resin - Vape - Limoncello
Shatter
A popular concentrate, shatter usually has a brittle, glass-like texture. It’s typically amber or yellow in color. It’s usually broken up and used on a dab rig.
Mountain Remedy’s Favorite Shatters:
THC Diamonds
[caption id="attachment_973" align="alignright" width="417"]
Crystallized and beautiful, THCa diamonds focus on potency over flavor[/caption]
THC diamonds are an exceptionally potent form of concentrate—in fact, they might have the highest concentration of THC out there, ranging up to 99% THC. This makes them perfect for someone who wants a powerful high.
As the name suggests, they look like small crystalline structures. These are great for bowl topping or adding to a joint, making your regular smoke all the more blissful!
Mountain Remedy’s Favorite THC Diamonds:
- Stiiizy’s Live Resin Diamonds in Pink Razz Slushie
- Antidote's THCA Diamond Dust in Peanut Butter Breath
Sugar and Crumble
Usually, extractors make sugar and crumble using the live resin process, which is to say, they freeze the cannabis flower before it’s processed.
As the name suggests, sugars have a sugar-like appearance and consistency while crumble has a dry, crumb-like consistency. They’re usually bright yellow or amber in color and high in terpenes, making your smoke fragrant and flavorful. Both are perfect for topping up a bowl or joint!
Mountain Remedy’s Favorite Sugar and Crumble:
- Dime Bag’s Live Resin Sugar in Snow Cap
- Dime Bag's Live Resin Sugar in Jungle Cake
- Dip N Dabs’s Live Resin Crumble in Blue Dream
Terp Sauce
For flavor chasers, terp sauce has a runny, syrupy consistency and is usually bright yellow. As the name suggests, terp sauce is brimming with terpenes, making it a flavorful and aromatic experience.
Although it does contain cannabinoids, dab enthusiast love terp sauce for its high concentration of terpenes. This makes it perfect for cannabis connoisseurs.
Mountain Remedy’s Favorite Terp Sauces:
Enjoying Concentrates for the First Time: Live Resin Carts to Dabs of Wax
Remember, even if you don’t have concentrate equipment like a dab rig, why not try adding something like sugar or crumble to your joint, pipe, or bong. Don't forget about the growing range of vape carts, including live resin carts and distillates.
For newbies, we’d recommend using a tiny amount of concentrate at first, as it can pack quite a punch. Which means, this also lets you experiment with different delivery methods and types of concentrates.
Now that you know the lingo, go ahead and try it yourself—a whole new world of cannabliss awaits you!