Hydrocarbon Extracts vs Solventless Concentrates

Alright this week I want to talk about hydrocarbon vs solventless extraction methods and some of the end products they produce. Is one actually superior to the other? Do most consumers even know the difference?

I want to discuss the recent increase in popularity of solventless concentrates on the Oregon rec market, the basic differences between hydrocarbon extraction and solventless hash, as I understand them, and my personal experiences with both. Due to the character limits and nature of IG, I have decided to post this discussion in four parts. The majority of the information for this article comes from my personal experiences, independent research over the years, and knowledge I have gained through discussions with people in the industry. Other sources are sited.

Part 1: Recent increase in popularity of solventless concentrates on the Oregon rec market

Solventless concentrates have exploded in popularity on the Oregon rec market since late 2018, when Happy Cabbage won first place and runner up for best rosin at the DOPE Cup. At the time, live resin diamonds were the hot product on the market, the CRC craze was taking off, and there were very few brands putting out quality solventless products at all.

Flash forward to today, diamonds have lost their shine, CRC has become synonymous with low quality, and it seems like every day there is a new hash rosin on the market. We have seen a major shift from just a few years ago when live resin was the most hyped product and commanded the highest price in it's category. Today, hash rosin has taken the place of most premium product on the dab shelf at many dispensaries and more and more consumers view BHO as an inferior product.

Due to the nature of this "new" and emerging market, it's understandable that trends would shift quickly in the beginning, as they have. But is hash rosin just the latest hype train or have high end dabbables just become more accessible to the masses? 

 

Part 2: Hydrocarbon Extracts

So what exactly is a hydrocarbon extract anyways? What's a hydrocarbon? According to "Hydrocarbon", published Nov 4 2020, in the Encyclopedia Britannica, "A hydrocarbon is any of a class of organic chemicals made up of only the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). The carbon atoms join together to form the framework of the compound, and the hydrogen atoms attach to them in many different configurations."

The most common hydrocarbon gas used for making cannabis extracts is butane, hence the name butane hash oil (BHO) given to most hydrocarbon extracts. I'm told a mix of butane and propane is common these days although the name BHO has stuck around. These gaseous hydrocarbons are used as a solvent to extract the cannabinoids and terpenes from the cannabis plant in order to create many of the dabbables we know today. The gas is then purged from the extract, typically in a vac(uume) oven. On the Oregon rec market these products are tested for residual solvents before being sold to dispensaries.

Live resin, BHO made from freshly frozen material, is the most popular type of BHO on the market currently and while high end cured resin is starting to see a little more demand, most consumers still seem to view live resin as inherently superior (another good topic for discussion perhaps). Hydrocarbon extracts can be presented in many different forms including "shatter", "pull n snap", "sugar", "sauce", "budder", and "diamonds".

 

Part 3: Solventless Concentrates

So what is a solventless concentrate? It's an extract made using mechanical separation instead of chemical solvents, hence the term "solventless". For this discussion we will be talking about ice water hash and the hash rosin made from it, although there are other forms of solventless concentrates including kief, dry sift, and flower rosin.

Ice water hash is made using water, ice and agitation to separate trichomes from the cannabis plant. This can be done with either cured or live material however again, live is seen as inherently superior by many consumers. After separation from the plant material, trichomes are then separated further using bags with varying micron sizes. The bags are stacked on top of each other, with the highest micron at the top and lowest at the bottom. When the water is poured through the bags, it allows for collection in a range. For instance, a 90u bag would collect the 119u-90u when used in conjunction with a 120u bag. I believe some common bags used are 180u, 150u, 120u, 90u, 70u, and 40u with a 220u "wash bag" to hold the material, but other micron sizes and more or less bags are most certainly used.

After collection, the trichomes are dried (air dried or freeze dried) and depending on quality and other factors can be sold as "hash", pressed into hash rosin using heat and pressure from a rosin press, or used for edibles. Hash rosin can be sold in several forms including "fresh press", heat teched "jam" or cold cured "badder". Many times select bags, often the 90u, are kept separate and sold at a premium.

 

Part 4: Personal Experiences with BHO and Hash Rosin

So what are my personal thoughts of and experiences with these products? I personally dab both BHO and hash rosin and I enjoy them both for different reasons. I don't believe any of the fearmongering about either product and I don't believe what you choose to dab says anything about you as a person.

I generally prefer live resin BHO when it comes to flavor. For one there is a wider variety of profiles available due to not every strain washing well for hash rosin. Additionally, some terpenes are definitely lost to the water more than others in the hash making process and hydrocarbon extraction seems to get the full profile from more strains.

Hash rosin on the other hand does seem to provide me with a more complex high. I don't really know how else to explain it but the effects do generally feel higher quality and more long lasting to me. I'm not sure if this is because of the nature of seperating trichomes and only dabbing certain sizes or if it's because higher quality starting material is going to hash rosin since it commands a higher price.

The problem with hash rosin for a lot of consumers is the price though. I generally find that hash rosin of equal quality and flavor to live resin costs considerably more. For instance I would compare a $60-$72 (med) gram of hash rosin to a $40-$50 (med) gram of live resin. For this reason I've found live resin to be the more affordable option for quality and flavor while still meeting my medicinal needs. Recently I've been able to keep a good mix of the two around though and it's been very nice.

What are your experiences with these two types of products? 🕵️ Do you have a preference?

Sources:

Carey, Francis A.. "Hydrocarbon". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Nov. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/science/hydrocarbon. Accessed 26 May 2021.

Echo Electuary x BNK Strawberry Guava Live Budder

Had to grab the Strawberry Guava (Strawberry Banana x Papaya) live budder from Echo Electuary and Bo's Nose Knows 🍓🍌🥭🧀  This budder has a loud fruity smell with hints of papaya cheese 😋 The color and texture are just beautiful 😍 and working with it is very easy 👍🏼

The flavor is very strong fruit with hints of cheese 🤤 A very nice profile that's been making it's way up into my favorites lately🔥🔥🔥 The effects are very strong in my head when dabbing and also give me a nice body buzz. I'm really enjoying this one 😋

Did you pick up the Echo x BNK Strawberry Guava? If so what did you think 🕵️

Made 5/3/21

Tested 5/13/21 SC Labs

#honestreviews #echoelectuary #bosnoseknows #dabreview 

Bo's Nose Knows x Ananda Farms Tally Mon Rosin Badder

Bo's Nose Knows x Ananda Farms Tally Mon #hashrosin has become a staple on the Oregon market over the last few years 🍌🔥 Bred by Oni Seeds and selected by Ananda Farms in 2018, this cut of Tally Man ((Banana OG x Dosido) x Papaya) is truly special 🍌🍌🍬 Organically grown in living soil in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountains, in Williams Oregon, Ananda Farms' Tally Mon creates some of the most amazing hash rosin I've personally had the pleasure of trying 🙌🏼

The latest batch of BNK Tally Mon rosin badder has a super loud banana candy and papaya fruit smell 😋 The badder is very wet with a beautiful color and amazing texture 🤩 Working with it is a dream 😁 I got the regular badder which I'm told includes the 70u, 90u and 120u, but the 90u first wash was released separately for those looking for a more "premium" experience.

The flavor is super strong banana candy when dabbing 🤤 It really does taste like banana flavored Laffy Taffy 🤯 It's quite unique and if you haven't experienced it before it's a strain I highly recommend trying 🍌🍌🍌 The high is very medicinal for me 🤗 Strong full body relief with a l stoney head change that is very relaxing 😁 I wouldn't call it couch lock at all though. The high has a stimulating quality to it that you don't often find with this level of body relief. This is the type of strain I could dab from sun up to sun down 💯

Have you tried BNK Tally Mon hash rosin before? What does everyone think of the latest batch? 🕵️

Made 05/05/21

Tested 05/10/21 Green Leaf Lab

#honestreviews #anandafarms #bosnoseknows #solventlesssunday 

 

The LOWD 503 WiFi

This batch of 503 WiFi (White Fire OG) grown by The LOWD has a strong earthy OG smell 😋 It has super dense frosted buds that are very well trimmed 👍🏼

This flower vapes earthy OG with some pine 😋 Vapor is thick and smooth. The effects were somewhat light for me. Sorta uplifting "sativa" type high. It doesn't mess with my anxiety though, which is nice, and I could see this being a good daytime smoke for a lot of people.

Have you tried 503 WiFi from The LOWD? 🕵️

#honestreviews 

 

Nelson & Co. Organics OG Sandwich Live Hash Rosin

This Nelson & Co. OG Sandwich (Kosher Kush/Stardawg/WiFi 3) fresh press #hashrosin is a mix of some of my favorite profiles and I really enjoy the smell coming off of this rosin 😋 While it's not loud, it's surprisingly strong considering it's not baddered. It has that earthy "dawg" smell to it that I really enjoy 🌎🐕 The rosin itself is stable and beautifully grammed out in a coin shape. It's very easy to work with and agitating it really brings out the smell.

The flavor of this mixed batch is definitely that earthy "dawg" kush that I'm always looking for 😁 It's strong and quite smooth to dab 👍🏼 The effects are very full body for me with an extra stoney head change 😊 Also noticed some good appetite stimulation from the OG Sandwich. Good name I guess 😅 Super solid meds for me 💯

After spending some time with the fresh press, which I really enjoyed, I decided to budder up the rest just to see how it would be 😋 A few stirs, a couple times in and out of the fridge, and boom 💥 In about 24 hours I had some loud 🔊🌎🐕 OG Sandwich budder 🤤 The flavor is super earthy OG 🔥🔥🔥 Love it 😋

Have you tried the OG Sandwich mix? What has been your favorite Nelson & Co. hash rosin? 🕵️

 

Koma the Grower Cake Bomb #36

This Prolific Coast Seeds Cake Bomb 36 (Dosidos x PCS1) from Koma the Grower has a crazy purple color to it and the buds are very frosty. They are dense and trimmed super tight. There is a nice strong sweet cake smell when you pop the top 🎂🎂

Cake Bomb is a great name for this strain 💯🎂💥 It has a super sweet and intense cake profile that is almost mouth watering when vaping 😋 It definitely feels like a couch lock strain for me. I bet a dab of Cake Bomb could put me down nicely 😴😊

Have you tried Cake Bomb before? 🕵️

#cannabisreviews #honestreviews 

 

Echo Electuary Scott's OG

New batch of Echo #singlesource Scott's OG live budder has landed 🎉 The color on this batch of budder is very light. It's almost white and looks similar to some of the CRC products on the market, although I know it's not. The smell is also on the lighter side, quite a bit lighter than the last batch of Scott's OG as I recall. The profile is a kinda sour citrus gas but it seems to be missing the strong earthy funk from the last batch, which is unfortunate since that's my favorite part 😅 The budder is very nice but is drier making it a bit more crumbly when working with it.

I'm happy to report that the flavor is quite strong despite the lighter smell. It's a nice citrus gas with that funky earthyness like I remember from last time. I wish I had the two side by side to compare but the profile is a little different, more of the citrus gas 🍋⛽ which makes sense based on the difference in smell. The terps tingle my nose quite a bit when dabbing on the Scott's OG. The effects are very strong in my head with solid full body relief that is very relaxing 🤗

Overall these are some high quality meds for me, as always from #echoelectuary, I just preferred the last batch over this one. Have you tried the latest batch of Scott's OG single source from Echo? What were your thoughts? 🕵️

#honestreviews #dailydabbers #cannabisismedicine 

 

Eastwood Gardens PDX Runtz x Horchata

This Eastwood Runtz x Horchata has a very strong smell 🔊 It's sweet, creamy, and very funky with some spice 🍭🥛⛽ It has super frosty buds, with insane bag appeal 🤩 This is the type of bud that people just look at and go ya that's some fire 🔥🔥🔥 The flavor is very unique, kinda earthy creamy spicy funk 😋 I really like the profile 💯 Vapor is thick and smooth in my vape 👍🏼

Effects are nice and hybrid for me with a stoney head change and a solid body buzz 🤗 I've been reviewing flower first thing in the morning lately, before I dab, so I can get a better experience of the effects. The Runtz x Horchata is quite potent and I almost didn't need a dab afterwards. Almost 😅 I could certainly go for a dab of this strain from Eastwood that's for sure 😋

Have you tried the Runtz x Horchata? 🕵️

#honestreviews #cannabisreviews 

 

Crop Circle Chocolate x Bo's Nose Knows x Ananda Farms Tally Mon Truffles

This was my first time trying Crop Circle Chocolate infused truffles and I was very excited because I got one of their three way collaborations with BNK and Ananda 🤩 These Orange-Yuzu Zest truffles are infused with BNK Tallymon #hashrosin 🍌🍬🔥

Firstly, the packaging for this product is very nice 👍🏼 It both feels high quality and seems to be mostly recyclable 🌎 When I opened the box I could instantly smell the orange yuzu zest and chocolate 🍊🍫😋 The chocolates are packaged and presented just like high quality non-cannabis truffles would be. Nothing about this product seems cheap or low quality in any way 👌🏼 I also really like the ingredients list. I keep a pretty strict diet so it can be hard to find edibles on the rec market that I can eat.

The truffles come with a card inside the box that explains how to portion them for 5mg doses. For me, being an OMMP patient and someone who has generally consumed cannabis on a daily basis for more than half of their life, I decided to eat the 50mg package of two truffles in one sitting.

So how were they? These #vegan truffles were absolutely delicious 😋😋 The orange-yuzu and chocolate go very well together and I did get a slight taste of the Tallymon in there as well 🍌🍬 It was definitely noticeably different than the non-medicated sample I tried however I'm not sure I could have told you there was Tallymon in there specifically if I didn't know. In any case, these were very tasty truffles 😋

As far as the effects, my body often has trouble absorbing edibles but these truffles kicked in very quickly with some light body relief for me starting within about 30 minutes. Within an hour they provided me with some solid full body relief and a bit of a stoney head change 😁 Pretty impressive for a 50mg edible 👍🏼 The effects lasted a good hour or so after fully kicking in and I was able to get some work done around the house without needing to take a dab break until the end, which was nice.

Overall I really enjoyed my first experience with Crop Circle Chocolate 😁 I would definitely recommend these for anyone looking for a high quality edible experience on the Oregon rec market 🔥🔥🔥

#honestreview #cannabisreview #medibles 

Echo Electuary x Benson Arbor Road Dawg Live Budder

This Echo Electuary x Benson Arbor Road Dawg live budder has a very strong sour citrus and earthy gas smell 🍋🌳⛽ that is a bit different than the last batch of Road Dawg which Echo did as a live sauce. The smell is very unique and reminds me of tempura sauce 🍤 as strange as that sounds 😅 The budder itself is beautiful and great to work with as always 😍 no surprises there 🔥

The flavor is very sour citrus gas with hints of earth at low temps and the terps tingle my nose quite a bit 🍋⛽💨 At higher temps I get more earthyness, which I really enjoyed 😋

The high is very medicinal for me 🤗 Full body relief with a nice relaxing head change 😁 Just what I'm looking for 👍🏼

Have you tried this batch of Road Dawg from Echo and Benson? What did you think of the flavor? 🕵️

#honestreviews #echoelectuary #bensonarbor

 

Bo's Nose Knows x Ananda Farms Trop Cookies 90u Rosin Badder

The Bo's Nose Knows x Ananda Farms Trop Cookies 90u rosin badder has a super strong orange and tropical fruit smell with hints of gas 🍊🍍🥭⛽🤤 It's like a fruit smoothie or something 😋 The badder is beautiful and very wet 💦💦 It's incredibly nice to work with 👌🏼

The flavor is delicious sweet orange gas 🍊⛽💨 I've noticed that I get a significantly different flavor at different temps with the Trop Cookies. At higher temps the orange becomes kind of creamy and less gassy 😋 It's almost like an orange sherbet with hints of gas 🍊🍨 It's really delicious both ways and I've been enjoying playing around with different heat up times on my cold starts to experience the different flavors this rosin badder has to offer 😅

The high is very strong for me on this Tropicanna Cookies and I feel an instant head change after exhaling 🤯 It also provides some nice relief for my body as well which makes it a good general daytime hybrid dab for me 🌞

Have you tried the Trop Cookies from BNK and Ananda? If so, what kind of flavors did your pick up? 🕵️

#honestreviews #dabreview #dailydabbers #cannabisismedicine 

 

Cannassentials Skunk in the Trunk

This Skunk in the Trunk grown by Cannassentials was gifted to me so I don't have the harvest date or batch number but I wanted to give it a little review anyways because this is some 🔥🔥🔥

It smells strongly of skunky gas and the nugs are totally frosted. When you crack a nug the stinky smell really comes out and is so strong 🔊🔊 The nugs definitely could have been trimmed a little better but it's not untrimmed or anything. The flavor when vaping is sweet and gassy 😋 Vapor is generally a little light but very smooth and flavorful.

The high is pretty solid hybrid for me. Nice stoney head change and full body relaxation 😊 Just what I'm looking for in my meds 👍🏼

Have you tried Skunk in the Trunk from Cannassentials? 🕵️

Bo's Nose Knows X Ananda Farms 24 Bananas Rosin Badder

Alright another #hashrosin review for #solventlesssunday 😉 This Bo's Nose Knows 24 Bananas rosin badder is a mix of two of my favorite strains from Ananda Farms 24K and Tally Mon 🍊🍌🔥💨 and it's some 🔥🔥🔥

The smell is so damn loud 🍊🍊🍊🔊 It definitely leans 24K with hints of the Tally Mon (if you don't know these amazing Ananda Farms strains, they are orange gas and banana candy respectively 🤤) which is like a sweet gassy orange 😋 The color and texture of the badder are incredible and it's amazing to work with. It's nice and wet and not dried out inside at all 💦💦

The flavor is complex and wonderful 🤤 The candied banana really comes through in the dab and mixed with the gassy orange it's just perfection 😋 I don't always like mixed batches and the flavors they create but this was a match made in terp heaven 🔥🔥🔥 The high is most definitely more in my head than my body with the 24 Bananas 🤯 It does provide me with some nice body relief as well though and overall it's quite enjoyable 😁

Have you tried the 24 Bananas mix from Bos Nose Knows? 🕵️ I'm pretty sure they did it last year too. Either way, don't 😴 on this batch 💯

#bosnoseknows #anandafarms 

 

The Dab Sponge 2.0

I've been looking for a solution to cleaning my banger that doesn't involve all the waste of qtips for a while now. I typically use 2-3 qtips every time I take a dab, which still doesn't get my banger totally clean sometimes, and it just seems like a lot of waste to me. I heard about the the Dab Sponge from someone a couple years ago and it seemed like a cool idea but I never actually got one myself. The Dab Sponge 2.0 seems to have made some real improvements from the original and I figured why not give it a try and do a review for you all at the same time 😁

The Dab Sponge 2.0 is $25 w/ free shipping and comes with 1 handle, 2 heads, 5 sponges and a container. The container holds ISO and has a tray in it that lets you wring out the sponge without touching it, which is very nice.

I set up the container and filled it with ISO. I then soaked the sponge in the container and left it there while I went to set up my dab. After dabbing I still used a qtip to get the majority of residue out of my banger. I then used the Dab Sponge to clean the rest out and I just want to say that I was super impressed. It was very easy to use and worked exactly as advertised. Left my banger looking super clean 👍🏼

I've been using the Dab Sponge 2.0 for a few days now and overall I'm liking it. I'm only using one qtip per dab now and my banger is getting way cleaner so I think it achieves both of the goals I had when I decided to purchase this product. I will do a follow up in a few weeks to let you all know how this thing holds up and how long the sponges last.

Have you tried the Dab Sponge or something like it? Do you think this would be a useful cleaning accessory to add to your collection? 🕵️

#dabsponge #productreview #dabaccessories #dailydabbers #710community