Cannabis concentrates collect a plant's cannabinoids and terpenes while leaving most of the plant matter behind. The result is far stronger than flower, which is why a serving is measured in specks rather than pinches. This guide covers how concentrates are made, the common types by texture, how people use them, how to store them and how to start low.
What are cannabis concentrates?
A concentrate is any product that gathers the plant's resin into a denser form. Some are made by simply sifting or pressing trichomes, the resin glands that coat the flower. Others are made by dissolving the resin in a solvent and then removing the solvent.
You'll hear "concentrate" and "extract" used as if they meant the same thing, and in everyday use they mostly do. Some people save "extract" for products made with a solvent, which leaves kief and pressed rosin as concentrates that never touch one.
Solvent vs. solventless extraction
Solvent-based methods wash the plant with butane, propane, ethanol or carbon dioxide. The solvent carries the cannabinoids and terpenes away from the plant material, then it's purged out. These methods produce most of the textures below. Licensed Michigan products made this way pass state-required lab testing before they're sold.
Solventless methods rely on sifting, water, heat and pressure. Screens catch kief, ice water knocks trichomes loose to make hash, and a heated press turns flower or hash into rosin. Solventless products are often priced higher, since separating resin without solvents tends to yield less.
Leave solvent extraction to licensed processors. Butane and propane are highly flammable, and the work calls for professional equipment. For a closer look at each method, see our guide to types of cannabis extraction.
Types of cannabis concentrates, by texture
Most concentrate names describe texture. Whether an extract is whipped, left still or allowed to crystallize decides how it looks and handles. Texture says little about strength, so check the label for potency.
| Type | Texture | Usually made with | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shatter | Glassy, brittle, see-through | Solvent | Dabs |
| Crumble, honeycomb | Dry, crumbly, porous | Solvent | Dabs, topping a bowl |
| Sugar | Grainy, like wet sand | Solvent | Dabs |
| Budder, badder, wax | Soft, creamy or waxy | Solvent or rosin | Dabs, dab pens |
| Sauce | Runny liquid with crystals | Solvent | Dabs |
| Diamonds | Hard crystals of THCA | Solvent | Dabs |
| Kief | Fine, loose powder | Solventless | Topping a bowl or joint |
| Hash | Pressed, pliable block | Solventless | Bowls, joints, dabs |
| Rosin, jelly | Sticky oil or soft jam | Solventless | Dabs, carts |
| RSO | Thick, dark oil | Solvent | Swallowed |
Glassy and brittle: shatter
What is shatter? It's a translucent amber sheet that snaps like thin glass when it's cool. The extract is left undisturbed while it purges, so it sets into a stable, glassy state. Warmth and handling can turn it cloudy or sugary over time.
Soft and whipped: crumble, sugar, budder, badder and wax
Stirring or whipping an extract while it purges changes its structure. Crumble is dry and falls apart at a touch, and honeycomb is a porous version of it. Sugar looks like wet sand. Wax covers the soft, opaque forms in between.
So what is badder? It's an extract whipped until it looks like cake batter. Budder is a slightly firmer cousin, and makers use the two names loosely. Both scoop easily, which makes them popular for dab pens.
Saucy and crystalline: sauce, live resin and diamonds
Sauce is a runny, terpene-rich liquid that holds crystals of THCA. Makers can grow and separate those crystals into larger "diamonds" that are sold on their own or paired with sauce. People often call them THC diamonds, but the crystals are mostly THCA, which becomes THC when heated.
Live resin is less a texture than a starting point: it's extracted from fresh-frozen plants to keep more terpenes, and it comes as sauce, sugar or badder. Our comparison of live resin vs. live rosin explains how it differs from its solventless cousin. You'll also see brand-specific names on menus; they aren't standard categories, so read the label to see how a product was made.
Classic and solventless: kief, hash, rosin and jelly
Kief is the loose dust of trichomes that collects in a grinder's bottom chamber or under a sifting screen. Hash is kief or ice-water resin pressed into a pliable block. Our explainer on what kief is covers both.
Rosin is made by pressing flower or hash between heated plates, with no solvent involved. Jam and jelly are names for softer rosin textures.
Oils and pre-dosed forms: RSO and dablets
RSO, short for Rick Simpson Oil, is a thick, dark, whole-plant oil named for the medical cannabis activist who created it. It's usually swallowed or placed under the tongue rather than dabbed, so it acts like an edible, with a slow start. Our guide to hash oil and other cannabis oils goes further.
Dablets are pre-portioned single servings of concentrate, so you don't have to measure out a dab yourself. Consistent portions help while you're still learning your limits.
How to use concentrates
- Dab rig. A small water pipe with a quartz or ceramic "banger" that you heat with a torch, then let cool briefly before touching a dab to it. The vapor passes through water before you inhale. Lower temperatures keep more flavor and feel less harsh.
- E-rig. An electronic rig with a built-in heater and temperature settings. There's no torch, the heat is more consistent and low-temperature dabs are easy.
- Vape pens. A prefilled cartridge on a 510-thread battery is the simplest way to vape concentrate oil. A dab pen has a small chamber you load with wax, badder or rosin yourself.
- Topping a bowl. Sprinkle kief or set a small piece of concentrate on top of flower in a bowl or joint. It's the easiest way to try concentrates without a rig, but it raises the strength quickly.
- Swallowing. RSO and some oils are taken by mouth in carefully measured amounts and act like edibles.
A torch-heated rig involves an open flame and very hot glass or quartz. Set it up on a stable surface, away from anything flammable.
How to store concentrates
Heat, light and air speed the loss of terpenes and can change a concentrate's texture. A few habits keep yours fresh:
- Keep it in its original package, or in an airtight glass or silicone container, stored where children and pets can't get to it.
- Store it somewhere cool and dark, away from windows, car dashboards and appliances that run warm.
- For longer storage, the refrigerator works. Let a sealed container come back to room temperature before you open it, so condensation doesn't form inside.
- Handle shatter with parchment and a clean tool, since the warmth of your fingers makes it sticky.
That also answers how to store wax: airtight, cool and dark, with the lid closed between uses.
Starting low: potency and tolerance
Concentrates are strong. Lab analyses of concentrate products have found average THC levels of roughly 60 to 70%, and some packages list more than 90%. Dabbing can deliver a large amount of THC very quickly, which raises the risk of unwanted effects. Anxiety, fear and panic are more common when a person takes a large amount, uses a strong product or has little experience.
If you're new to cannabis, get to know flower or a low-dose product before you try concentrates. Canadian public health guidance suggests new consumers begin with one or two puffs of a product with 10% THC or less, far below a typical concentrate. If you do try one, take the smallest portion you can, and give it up to 30 minutes, the time inhaled cannabis can take to reach full effect, before you take more.
Tolerance builds with regular use, and chasing it with bigger amounts brings more side effects. A break may bring it back down: in one brain-imaging study, receptor changes seen in heavy daily users returned to normal after about four weeks without cannabis.
Michigan limits and where to find concentrates
In Michigan, adults 21 and older may carry as much as 2.5 ounces of cannabis, and no more than 15 grams of that may be concentrate. Licensed stores may sell up to 2.5 ounces in a single transaction, again with no more than 15 grams as concentrate.
At High Society, concentrates sit on the menu alongside vape pens, and they're made for experienced consumers who want a strong, fast-acting option. Selection varies by store, so check your store's menu and order ahead for in-store or curbside pickup. Our budtenders are happy to answer questions and help you find products that match your preferences and comfort level. Bring a valid government-issued ID or passport: shopping is for adults 21 and older, or 18 and older with a valid medical marijuana card.
