Level Up Your Cannabis Consumption Game Like A Boss With Weed Distillate
What is THC distillate? This article explains it all.
Almost everywhere in the media and popular culture is the push toward using clean products — think of hybrid and electric vehicles for environmental sustainability, or eating organic foods and reducing plastic use for our physical health.
It may sound strange, but these philosophies translate into recreational weed, too. Like, who says you can’t cleanly consume cannabis? Certainly not us…
Here at My Green Solutions — Canada’s premiere online dispensary — we’ve got the undisguised truth about THC distillate: What it is, how it’s made, and why it just may be the most revolutionary product in the cannabis industry.
What Is THC Distillate Distillate Weed?
THC distillate is potent, highly concentrated cannabis oil that has nothing but the good stuff to take you to new heights.
In this case, it essentially comes from a full-spectrum oil — sometimes called crude oil — that’s been distilled, or stripped of all the “extras,” such as plant matter and other unnecessary compounds, like flavonoids and terpenes that have no psychoactive effects — or, the high you’re looking for.
Flavonoids are substances found in all plants. They make up about 2.5% of cannabis plant dry weight, are responsible for giving each plant its individual colour, and their types vary, depending on the strain.
Think about the varying shades of crude oil: Some are darker than others based on the flavonoids that each plant contains.
Terpenes are the unsaturated hydrocarbons in cannabis responsible for giving the plants their aroma — you know how specific strains have individual smell and taste characteristics? It all comes from the terpenes.
So, marijuana distillate is a cannabis extract that’s been distilled to remove all these extras and to amp up the THC content to a whole new level. For example, once your weed has been distilled, you can expect the THC content to hit around 85% to 90%.
In The “Clear”
After distillate weed has undergone the distillation process, the finished product is a gorgeously pure, translucent golden-yellow stiff resin that’s likely the most potent form of cannabis you’ll find. It’s pure THC gold.
Seriously, THC distillate has all the good stuff your cannabis dreams are made of: a weed distillate of such beauty and purity that packs a punch and gets you the high you want without the smell, the smoke or the mess that can come from burning flower.
In fact, distilled THC is so clear, it honestly comes by its street name: the Clear.
Keep in mind that THC distillate is much thicker than, say, vape oil or even hash oil, so you must apply gentle heat in order to soften it into a runny, honey-like liquid before using it.
This is as easy as immersing your syringe or container into a warm bowl of water, then adding it to a carrier oil, depending on your intended use. More on this later.
How Are Pure THC Distillates Made?
Cannabis distillate is a relatively new product in the cannabis industry, becoming ever more popular over the past decade. Marijuana distillate is made — you guessed it — through distillation.
Distillation is most commonly used to convert base fossil fuels into gasoline, turn saltwater into freshwater, and change substances like fermented fruit or plant juice into alcohol.
In the case of THC distillate, you take full spectrum oil and apply heat to separate the cannabinoids from the rest of the crude oil’s impurities.
But what is distillation?
In short, distillation is the process of purifying a liquid by turning it into a vapour to remove impurities, cooling the vapour to condense it, then collecting the liquid in its new form.
Let’s look more closely at the process.
How is THC Distilled?
Short-path distillation is the quickest and simplest method to purify cannabinoids from your crude oil. Here’s a brief rundown of the process:
- The crude oil is added to the feed tank for heating to become more liquid. Crude oil is very thick at room temperature.
- The warmed oil is pumped through the feed tube into the main evaporation chamber.
- In the chamber, the crude oil is evaporated and separated into two fractions — or parts — called the residue phase and the distillate phase.
The distillate phase contains all the THC-rich cannabinoids (yes, all the good stuff we referred to earlier), while the residue phase holds all the undesirable impurities and byproducts.
- The distillate phase is heated to its boiling point and becomes a vapour. The vapour molecules enter the condenser, which is set at a lower temperature to return the vapour into a liquid that gets pumped into the final receiving container.
The residue phase flows down the evaporator’s sidewalls and is collected in a separate container for disposal.
The term “short path” refers to the distance between the evaporator surface and the condenser or the space between residue and the distillate phases in the chamber.
In other words, the distillate is in a vapour phase for a very short time to reduce the chances of the distillate breaking down through oxidation — something you don’t want to happen.
Unlike the legal implications around distilling alcohol at home — which you can’t, by the way — you can legally distill weed.
However, the process has some serious safety factors to consider, particularly when using high heat, and it takes experience, time and patience.
While material sizes vary, a medium-sized batch of full-spectrum oil could take up to eight hours to distill, from heat-up to finish.
That being said, distilling isn’t for newbies looking to try the Clear and is best left to those with distillation experience.
The good news is, you can buy THC distillate oil and concentrates online, typically anywhere you can buy weed online — for example, right here at My Green Solution, Canada’s best online dispensary.
What Are The Main Uses For Weed Distillate?
Use THC distillate as a highlight to almost any cannabis consumption method you choose. Consider some of the following options:
- Some THC distillate buddies prefer to combine the distillate weed in a carrier oil, like MCT coconut oil or other oil of their choice. Others add it to butter or ghee for use in edibles, or to a vape cartridge.
- Distillate weed is perfect to add directly into whatever recipe you’re using to make edibles: cookies, brownies, Rice Krispie squares, you name it — even pizza.
- Add it to any topical lotion, cream or salve. You can also apply it directly to any affected area for localized relief.
- Use the minute amounts of the raw distillate form in a blunt, bong or dabbing rig.
For the best ways to use THC distillate, check out our other article for more sweet details on this exciting new-ish product to the cannabis world.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Distillate Weed?
Rather than direct drawbacks, take these cautionary points into consideration:
- The ultimate quality of your cannabis distillate will directly relate to the source plant quality: Low-grade flower yields low-grade distillate. So, for best effects, ensure the distillate comes from primo-grade plants.
- For cannabis buddies who take pleasure in the cultural and sensory experience around traditional cannabis use, THC distillate can miss the mark since it’s odourless and flavourless.
- Pure THC distillate is potent. It’s definitely intended for cannabis buddies with significant experience and isn’t recommended for newbies. And regardless — for any first-timer, it’s always best to start low and go slow.
Where To Buy THC Distillate
Buy THC distillate online in Canada for delivery right to your mailbox, anywhere you can order weed online.
We have some selections available, and our stock is continually growing.
Check-in with us often to see product updates and what other goodies we have in store.
What Is THC Distillate? Recap
THC distillates are best made using short-path distillation — a lengthy process where high-purity cannabinoids are extracted from raw cannabis oil extract by selectively evaporating and recovering the distillate using heat.
It’s done using specialized equipment under highly controlled conditions, by people with distillation experience.
Cannabis distillates are pure, have high THC levels, and are extremely potent.
They should be taken only by those with experience in using cannabis and are looking for their next new, clean high without the muss and fuss of smoking dry herb.
As always, when trying any new cannabis product, start low and go slow.