Top 5 Favourite Cannabis Extractions

The finest cannabis concentrates are derived, without exception, from high-quality, resinous flowers and sugar leaves. Gooey green raw material can readily be converted into all kinds of dank delights. If you are an organic cultivator, you can get your hands sticky with resin and extract your own. Alternatively, if you are a medical cannabis patient seeking the purest CBD, you can purchase various non-psychoactive extracts online legally. Similarly, ordinary decent stoners with access to a reputable coffeeshop, club, or dispensary will find a wide selection of uber-potent, high-THC extracts on the menu.

Many killer concentrates are pretty easy to make at home. Sometimes it can be as simple as investing in the right kit and following a handy Zamnesia step-by-step hash guide. A pollinator turns kief extraction into child’s play; just plug her in and let the buds spin. Of course, sophisticated high-tech processes like supercritical CO₂ extraction are far too complicated to replicate outside of a lab environment.

Solvent-based extractions are certainly some of our favourites, but can be dangerous to refine and will hurt your lungs over time. Butane is the chemical of choice for BHO and its derivatives, budder, crumble, shatter, and wax. If you can’t be sure a concentrate is 100% clean, don’t touch it.

Purged, solvent-based concentrates and solventless extracts are the dank delicacies of the 21st century cannabis user. Below are our top 5 favourite cannabis extracts, naturally, in ascending order.

OUR #5 FAVOURITE CANNABIS EXTRACT: POLLEN HASH

Pollen hash is a great smoke and a piece of cake to make at home. All you need is some frozen nugs and a pollen shaker to separate the resin from the bud. You can even buy a press to create your own cool hash coins.

View Super Pollen Press

Typically, pollen hash is crumbly with a blonde or dirty-blonde colour and loud aroma. No solvents are required, regardless of what particular extraction method is used. Pollen hash is one of the safest concentrates. Although not nearly as potent as modern extracts, it’s chock full of flavour. Plus, pollen is more versatile and can be enjoyed in a spliff, as well as bongs, pipes, and vapes.

OUR #4 FAVOURITE CANNABIS EXTRACT: ROSIN

Another super-sticky solventless extract that you can make at home is rosin. This gooey cannabis concentrate oozes from resinous flowers wrapped in parchment paper when heat and pressure are applied. A cheap hair straightener or a special rosin press can be used to extract this immensely potent amber goo.

Staggering 60-75% THC levels are common for rosin. It’s best enjoyed with a dab-rig or vaporizer, although gooey rosin-core blunts are on the rise amongst fire breathers. Freshly frozen flowers are also being increasingly used in the US to create live rosin for a more flavourful hit. Rosin pancakes from dry flowers have a tendency to be a little bland and lacking in flavour.

OUR #3 FAVOURITE CANNABIS EXTRACT: BHO (BUDDER, WAX, SHATTER)

BHO or butane hash oil is probably the world’s most popular concentrate. This extract is the most incendiary of them all, literally. Butane is highly flammable and too many reckless amateurs have blown themselves up during the extraction process. If you are considering a BHO run at home, you need to take safety seriously. BHO is an amber-brown runny jam that boasts THC contents up to 75% and beyond! Depending upon how much it has been heated and purged, an array of BHO derivatives can be created. Glass-like yellow-orange shards are referred to as shatter, while the softer, more buttery consistencies are known as budder, or wax if it resembles earwax. Most prefer to enjoy BHO extract in its various forms with a dab-rig or vape. Although, smearing a rolling paper or blunt with a little BHO makes for a first class roll-up.

OUR #2 FAVOURITE CANNABIS EXTRACT: CBD CRYSTALS

CBD Crystals are 99% pure crystalline CBD extract. In our opinion, this is without exception the number 1 concentrate for medical cannabis patients. These active crystals make it easy to dose with non-psychoactive CBD in a variety of ways. You can infuse edibles with precision and without spoiling the flavour of the treats.

Make your own tincture with some hemp oil and dose discreetly with a few drops sublingually. Or even add some to a joint. CBD crystals give the medical cannabis community plenty of consumption options. Perhaps the only downside is, at a glance, the crystals do kind of look like a hard drug.

OUR #1 FAVOURITE CANNABIS EXTRACT: FULL-MELT BUBBLE HASH

Our top cannabis extract is old-school solventless Bubble Hash. Bubble Hash extracted from resinous flowers and leaves with ice water is a tried and trusted method of Dutch and US pros. This extract proves you really can make fire from ice. In the past, a batch of Bubble Hash was a labour-intensive process involving multiple buckets of ice water and iceolator bags, plus a hand mixer. Some still favour the hands-on system.

These days, you can use a device like the Bubbleator B-Quick if you prefer, and complete multiple runs in far less time.The benefit of using multiple bags with various screen sizes is you can render a selection of half to full-melt hash. Potency can range from 40-70% depending on how frosty the raw material is.

View Bubbleator B-Quick

Luke Sholl

Luke Sholl has been writing about cannabis, the wellness potential of cannabinoids, and the positive influence of nature for over a decade. Working with several cannabinoid-centric publications, he publishes a variety of digital content, supported by strong technical knowledge and thorough research.

Read full bio