Have you heard of the marijuana culture celebration known as 710 Day? Many have heard or celebrated the cannabis holiday known as 4/20 but fewer have heard of Oil Day, the celebration of cannabis oil also known as concentrates. The more popular 4/20 has a few different theories as to its origins but the most widespread can be traced back to 1971. That was when 5 students in California used the time 4:20 as code to meet after school and smoke weed. Fast forward a few decades later with the help of an old joke, lyrics to a song and a new cannabis holiday is born. When you rotate the numbers 710 around you revel the word OIL.
The Origin of 710 as a Cannabis Holiday
There is an old mechanic joke that has been around since probably the first modern car was repaired. It basically refers to a person who doesn’t know anything about cars going to a shop because they are missing a 710 cap on their engine. After the customer explains a few different ways what they are missing they finally draw a picture of the missing part. The mechanics can’t help but laugh because the missing 710 cap is actually an OIL cap. (It’s a real knee slapper) You can read one version of the joke here which was posted 20 years ago online.
Then in 2011, the band Task & Linus release songs by the name “7:10” and “Burn That Oil”. Those songs bridged the terms to the cannabis community. By the time 2013 rolled around the LA Weekly published an article using the term and Denver celebrated the first formal 710 Cup. The 710 holiday has since been a growing celebration of cannabis concentrates. Keep reading to learn more about different forms of cannabis concentrates and how to consume them.
Types of Concentrate
Now that you know the history of 710, let’s dig into what is being celebrated. Cannabis oil, more commonly referred to as cannabis concentrates, comes in a variety of forms. The most known forms of concentrate are the classic hash, BHO (butane hash oil), shatter, crumble, sugar, budder, oil, rosin, CO2 oil (carbon dioxide), and distillate. Both hash and rosin are considered a full spectrum concentrate meaning they have all the terpenes and cannabinoids that are contained in the flower they are derived from. BHO, CO2 and distillate are typically less flavorful by having some or most of the plant material and terpenes stripped away. Read more about each below.
Hash
Hash is made a few different ways. One is dry sieve where a fine screen is used to separate the trichomes from the flower using dry ice or vibration. Another way hash is made is using ice water and a series of screens to create different grades of what is known as bubble hash or ice water hash. The water is then extracted from the material left on the screens and dried until you’re left with a product you can dab. Both techniques will leave you with full melt hash and half melt hash depending on the quality of the material when you start. The difference between full melt and half melt is that full melt hash doesn’t leave behind any residue after dabbing the product whereas half melt will. Using higher quality flower and trimmings in the beginning will yield you more of the desirable full melt hash.
Cannabis Oil
The next form is where the 710 holiday gets its name. Cannabis oil comes in an array of consistencies. Most notable is the type that is very viscose and the ideal material for vape cartridges. While most cannabis oil is produced using butane, newer methods are using CO2 to extract the oil. Let’s discuss more about each.
BHO
Butane hash oil, as known as BHO, is extracted from flower or trimmings using butane. The butane freezes the trichomes off the starting material and then is evaporated off to leave behind a concentration of THC. This process does have a few drawbacks including residual butane left in the final product and the lose of some of those delicious terpenes. Depending on the amount of THC, terpenes and other factors like moisture content, the final product will be different consistencies. The most notable are shatter, crumble, sugar, budder, and of course oil.
Shatter
Shatter is the most popular with its glassy and easy to handle consistency. It is typically sold and stored on parchment paper because of its stickiness.
Crumble
Next would be crumble. This form is a lot softer than shatter but still easy to handle. You will most likely get this product in silicone or glass jars and should be stored in cooler temperatures.
Sugar
Another sticky form of cannabis concentrate is sugar. The texture of this product is a combination of crumble and shatter is also stored in glass or silicone containers. This product is more difficult to handle because of its sappiness. It’s also known to liquify easily in warmer temperatures.
Budder
Budder is a waxy, opaque consistency. This product is a result of extraction with higher terpene content which will deliver more flavor than the others. This is one of the most sought after by dabbing enthusiasts.
Carbon Dioxide Extraction
Carbon dioxide, aka CO2, extract has a few advantages over BHO. Those include a higher content of terpenes, THC, and other cannabinoids like CBD. It does this by using a more sophisticated extraction process that doesn’t damage those compounds. It also produces a cleaner final product because the gas is more easily evaporated and leaves no residual chemicals behind. A couple disadvantages of CO2 are that the equipment is expensive, and process of extraction takes more skill. This is typically not an option available to most concentrate producers. The same is true for creating distillate.
Distillate
Distillate is a more refined THC product. It uses different temperatures and pressure to precisely extract individual cannabinoids. This is a highly potent product that is extracted from cannabis oil extracted prior to becoming distillate. It has the potential to become 100% THC.
Rosin
The last form of concentrate to mention is rosin. The process to create rosin doesn’t use chemicals or solvents to separate the desired compounds. Instead, rosin uses heat and pressure to mechanically separate the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant. The advantages of rosin extraction are that it’s solventless so there are no unwanted chemicals in the final product, it is full spectrum which means it has all the flavors and benefits you would get from the starting material, and that it’s quick to produce with minimal time or expensive equipment.
Consuming Cannabis Concentrates
How do you consume concentrates? The most popular ways to consume cannabis concentrates are topping flower, dabbing, infusion and vape pens.
Topping Flower or Joints
The easiest way to consume is just add a little to your bowl or joint. This will give your flower a little boast in potency with little effort.
Dabbing
The next would being the fast acting, potent dab. Dabbing rigs or devices use a heated glass, ceramic, quartz, or titanium surface to instantly turn the concentrate into an inhalable vapor. Typically, these are heated by using a torch, but newer methods use an electric coil to keep the surface at an ideal, consistent temperature.
Concentrate Infusion
Infusion can be accomplished in a couple different ways. One being in the form of edibles. Concentrates are cooked or baked into food to deliver healthier way to consume cannabis. The drawback of edibles is that it does take some time to onset and dosing can be difficult for beginners. The second way to infuse concentrates is with topicals. These products are applied directly to areas that need medicinal relief without the head high.
Vape Pens
And last but certainly not least are oil vape pens. Vape pens provide a discreet, portable, and efficient way to consume cannabis concentrates. While vape pens use the same methods as dabbing to vaporize the product, you are not going to get as high off one hit. The high does come on as quickly though and stretches your material for more sessions. Most vape cartridges come prefilled without a battery or disposable with a battery. Others are refillable with wax and turn your vape into a dab pen. Vape cartridges and oil vape pen batteries typically have a 510 thread which require an additional 510 thread cart battery to consume. Check out our blog on 510 vape batteries to learn more.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed learning about concentrates and the 710 holiday. Browse our complete catalog of vape pen products on Rokin website.
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