The Traits of a Good Concentrate

A Patient’s Guide to Hash, Wax, Budder and Beyond

Hundreds of thousands of patients across the country are using more and more hash, kief, “wax,” “shatter” and other forms of concentrated medicine. The explosion of concentrates’ popularity is only equaled by how unregulated the market is. As a service to CULTURE readers, we consulted experienced concentrate buyers from leading dispensaries nationwide—as well as the best hash makers and lab managers testing the stuff—to develop a “Patient’s Guide” for determining the traits of a good ‘trate.

ANCIENT FUTURE

Hand-rolled hash (charas) as well as dry-screened (kief) and water-sieved (bubble hash) concentrates have existed for millennia, historians note. But over the last three years hash-makers have adapted for cannabis industrial processes similar to those used to extract vegetable oil, as well as vanilla or essential oils found in coffee and other food items.

These methods all use some medium (a solvent, cold water, C02, etc.) to strip off cannabis’ external glands—called trichomes. Trichomes contain the plant’s psychoactive and therapeutic molecules, like THC and CBD, plus aromatic molecules called terpenes. Terpenes give OG Kush and Grand Daddy Purple their distinctive smell. Concentrates are divided into non-solvent (kief, bubble hash) and solvent. The names of solvent types of concentrates come from their consistency (and, to an extent, appearance): wax, budder, shatter and oil. Patients add concentrates to joints or bowls, or vaporize them on a health stone, nail, skillet or in a vape pen.

Ideally, trained chemists in a lab-grade setting are using safe, Class 3 edible solvents like n-butane or isopropyl alcohol to strip trichomes from the plant. Then, controlled heat and atmospheric pressure is used to purge all residual solvent from the concentrate. But the field is unregulated, so in reality, “this stuff is so all over the place,” says Dave Hodges, owner of All American Cannabis Club in San Jose. Hodges buys hash for the 3-year-old collective and uses about a gram of wax a day.

“The best concentrates start with the best herb,” notes Rhett Jordan, owner of Native Roots Apothecary, as well as Rasta Bubble and Native Roots Extracts in Denver, Colorado. That means fresh trim or bud that is free of pesticides, fungicides and other contaminants.

SKUNK FUNK

Even with a great strain, shoddy hash-making can lead to mold. It’s a plague on bubble hash, says Josh Wurzer, owner of SC Laboratories, which tests thousands of California concentrates per month. Mold on hash is often white, furry and appears in a main patch. The smell is a dead giveaway. “It smells like sour milk,” says Paul Moore, manager for The Healing Leaf Collective Garden in Lake Stevens, Washington.

Solvent-based concentrates don’t have the same mold problems as bubble hash, says Wurzer, but wax, budder, shatter and oil can come with their own special baggage.

“Light color, dry texture and good smell,” is Hodges’ short-hand for good solvent hash.

FOLLOW THE LIGHT

Pure THC-A is a crystalline solid that is translucent white, amber or cream, and crumbly—and the best waxes are just that.

Wax and budder should be as light as possible, and semi-translucent. “Lighter is better,” says Hodges.

Strain type and the trichome color can influence a concentrate’s hue, experts say, but if it’s a “dark, black blob,” Wurzer says, something is off. The color may be plant pigment, leaf, dirt, the effect of excess temperature or—worse—mold.

Shatter should be as clear as stained glass and have “no bubbles,” says Jordan.

“No bubbles, definitely not in shatter,” says Moore.

Bubbles mean water or residual solvent, experts say. “And water equals mold,” says Hodges.

MORE THAN A FEELING

Wax should be dry and crumbly, experts state. Gooeyness or wetness in a wax, budder or shatter indicates the presence of something other than trichomes. Shatter should generally behave like glass at room temperature and shatter or snap.

The consistency of different types of oil varies widely. Hodges examines oils by smearing a dab out on a piece of white paper, looking for light color and zero particulates. The best oil is Clear Concentrate, says Rick Pfrommer, manager of Harborside Health Center in Oakland. Totally see-through with zero residual solvent, “Clear is just phenomenal,” he says.

NOSE KNOWS

The best-made concentrates will “capture the essence of the flower,” says Wurzer.

Waxes and budders are the most aromatic and shatter is the least, but will smell like its source strain when vaporized. Shoddy solvent hash makers use cheap butane or propane contaminated with sulfur, mercaptan and other chemicals whose telltale smell is a dead giveaway.

“It just stinks like a leaky heater,” Wurzer says. “That smell is an indication that it’s toxic.”

FLAME TEST

Most club buyers use a flame test to see how a concentrate reacts. The best solvent hash vaporizes in a “smooth boil,” says Jordan. Sizzles, pops and crackles indicate water, residual solvent or other issues. Concentrates should not catch fire—or spark.

“I call it fireworks,” says Moore.

“That is a bad sign,” Jordan adds.

GHOST OF THE FLOWER

Great hash should taste “strictly like the strain it came from—whether it be an OG or a Haze, you can tell,” says Moore. Sub-par product can taste stale, bitter, burnt or chemical-laden. And solvent hash should never be stored on wax paper, Hodges notes. “It’ll taste like a f*#@ing candle.”

WHERE AND HOW TO GET

Read online reviews of concentrate sellers on Yelp, WeedMaps, StickyGuide and elsewhere, Pfrommer says (CULTURE’s concentrate reviews are also an excellent source of information). Patronize established businesses that test for residual solvents like Harborside Health Center does. And grill your budtender, says Moore.

“If you’re asking a lot of questions and your budtender doesn’t know, maybe they should,” says Pfrommer.