Lab

07.01.2022

A Guide to Dabs

The Green Truck lab crew works day in and day out to bring you some of the finest concentrates in the state of Maine. Some of you may be dabbing experts, and have your favorite consistencies, flavors, and effects down to a T. 

Others may have seen concentrates on our menu when you’re placing an order, but haven’t gotten the opportunity to experience them for yourselves. For starters, cannabis concentrates are pretty self-explanatory – cannabis in its’ most concentrated form. Typically, the THC levels in concentrates are significantly higher than your standard flower, offering quite a different experience.

Concentrates can also be consumed in several different ways, depending on the user’s preference. Many prefer discreet vape cartridges, others enjoy using a rig and a torch to consume their concentrate of choice, or use their concentrates to make edible options to medicate. 

Our clean, consistent, and careful processes at Green Truck make for some, simply put, really good concentrates. Want to know more about the methods to the magic? Read on: 

LIVE ROSIN

Live Rosin is extracted from whole-plant material freshly frozen immediately after harvest. This very intricate harvesting process preserves terpenes naturally occurring on the plant and is a popular option due to its’ full-spectrum effects and flavorful, solventless taste. It is commonly referred to as “ice-water hash” — the material is “washed” with extremely cold water, eliminating the need for hydrocarbon solvents. During this process, the trichome heads are knocked off of the material, the water/hash mixture is filtered through specific sized micron bags and kept in a freeze dryer to remove any water. Using heat and extreme pressure, the product is pressed through finer micron bags to extract the remaining resins from the trichome heads. 

REFINED SUGAR 

Starting with dry, cured material, we create our Refined Sugar with a blend of hydrocarbon solvents. The material is filtered through a specific, tailored blend of medias to remove any fats, waxes, or other undesirables — this process is commonly referred to as color remediation, or CRC.  Once the extracted oil is placed in a vacuum oven, it crystallizes, leaving you with a granular product with separated terpenes. We evenly mix the terpenes in, and carefully prepare for packaging. Refined Sugar is a fan-favorite product, due to its’ clean, high-potency effects, but this product  typically has lower terpene content than other concentrates. 

CURED BADDER

Cured Badder is a fan-favorite product due to its’ convenient consistency and high terpene content. Like refined sugar, it is extracted from dry, cured material, using a blend of hydrocarbon solvents. The material is filtered through a specific, tailored blend of media to remove any fats, waxes, or other undesirables — this  process is referred to as color remediation or CRC. The oil is quickly agitated and “whipped,” until it results in a badder-like consistency. Dry and wet concentrate consistencies are dependent on the quality of the starting products, the way in which material is stored, and the amount of terpenes retained throughout the process. 

LIVE RESIN 

Live Resin is extracted from whole-plant material that is freshly frozen immediately after harvest. This very intricate harvesting process preserves terpenes that naturally occur on the plant. The material is extracted using a specific blend of hydrocarbon solvents but is rarely color-remediated in order to maintain a full spectrum of cannabinoids. Once the extracted oil is placed in a vacuum oven, it crystallizes, and you are left with a granular product with a high terpene content. Live Resin is a popular option due to its’ incredibly flavorful properties, although its’ THC content is not as potent as it would be in the color-remediated concentrates we process. 

LIVE BADDER

Live Badder is also extracted from whole-plant material that is frozen immediately after harvesting, which serves to preserve the terpenes that naturally occur on the plant. We then use a blend of hydrocarbon solvents in the extraction process but rarely use color remediation to help ensure that the full spectrum of cannabinoids stays intact. The oil is quickly agitated and “whipped,” until it results in a badder-like consistency. Live Badder typically has a wetter consistency due to its high-terpene content. Although the THC content of Live Badder is not as high as it is with remediated products, it is among the most flavorful products we offer. 

DIAMONDS

Diamonds can be created from both fresh-frozen material as well as cured material, but as always, your best result will come from a quality start with fresh material. We then use a blend of hydrocarbon solvents in the extraction process. Although it is not required for Diamonds, the materials can be filtered through a specific, tailored blend of medias to remove any fats, waxes, or other undesirables. This super-saturated solution is poured into a jar and tightly sealed for an extended period. The pressure within the jar will force the THCa to slowly crash out and form “diamonds.” Once they are fully developed, the product is strained and the terpenes are separated out. Diamonds are the most potent concentrate, with the pure THCa crystals testing out at 99%. While the separated terpenes are much lower in THC, they are ideal to use in vape carts or re-introduced on top of the diamonds to create a more flavorful concentrate. 

DISTILLATE 

Distillate can be made from either fresh-frozen or cured material but is best suited for  degraded material that has not been stored properly — we begin this process by extracting the starting material using either hydrocarbons or ethanol. The crude oil is then dissolved and winterized, a processing using extreme cold to separate the fats andlipids in preparation for filtering the product. Once the filtering is complete, the product is  processed through a Rovotap, which evaporates the excess ethanol. The remaining crude oil is processed through a short-path distillation system, which purifies the product further, isolates the different cannabinoids, and fractions out undesirable compounds. The potency of distillate can reach upwards of 95% THC, but does not offer the same full-spectrum benefits as other products. A popular, easy option for many consumers, distillate is ideal for vape cartridges and edibles as it is already fully decarboxylated and ready for human consumption.

RSO

There’s a lot of hype around “RSO,” and you may have wondered about how it’s made. Rick Simpson Oil is what’s known as a decarboxylated full-spectrum extract. To start this process, we wash whole-plant material with ethanol to extract the cannabinoids. The ethanol/oil mixture  can then be further refined by filtering it through clays to improve the color & potency. Finally, we decarboxylate the final product to activate the THCa for easy consumption and readiness for edibles, tinctures and other medicinal products.

Green Truck provides a convenient,  full-service option for those searching for a way to help maximize their harvest. From the initial extraction to the final steps of  production, our focus is always on terpene preservation. We continue to pride ourselves on prioritizing the development of innovative extraction techniques to bring you the terpiest and cleanest concentrates in every batch. 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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