Best Concentrates to Try in 2024

If you’ve never tried concentrates before, you don’t know what you’re missing. Concentrates, aka dabs, are highly concentrated hemp products made through various methods including the applications of heat, solvents, pressure, and/or steam to create unbelievably potent products. Concentrates are dabbed, using a dabbing device, at very high temperatures, so that they can be vaporized, producing an outstandingly powerful effect from the cannabinoids and terpenes. With that being said, we’re gonna cover some must-try dabs at The Calm Leaf, all of which offer clean formulas that are ready for your dabbing pleasure.

An Overview of Concentrates

Cannabinoid concentrates are highly potent substances extracted from the cannabis plant that contain a concentrated amount of cannabinoids and terpenes. These concentrates can vary significantly in texture, potency, and composition, but they all serve to deliver a more potent experience than traditional flower products. Popular forms of concentrates include wax, shatter, budder, crumble, rosin, and oil, each with its unique properties and methods of consumption.

How Concentrates are Made

The production of cannabinoid concentrates involves extracting the desirable compounds (cannabinoids and terpenes) from the cannabis plant material. There are two main methods of extraction: solvent-based and solventless.

Solvent-Based Extraction:

• CO2 Extraction: Uses supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent to dissolve cannabinoids and terpenes, separating them from the plant material. The CO2 is then evaporated, leaving behind a pure, potent concentrate.
• Hydrocarbon Extraction: Utilizes butane or propane as solvents to extract the compounds. The mixture is then purged using heat and vacuum to remove the solvent, resulting in a concentrate that can vary in texture from oil to wax.
• Ethanol Extraction: Involves soaking the plant material in ethanol to extract the cannabinoids and terpenes. The ethanol is then evaporated, often using heat or a vacuum, leaving behind the concentrate.

Solventless Extraction:

• Rosin: Produced by applying heat and pressure to cannabis flowers or hash to squeeze out the resin-rich sap. This method doesn't use solvents, making it appealing to those seeking a pure and natural concentrate.
• Dry Sift: Involves mechanically separating the trichomes (resin glands) from the plant material using screens. The collected trichomes are then pressed into hash.

How Concentrates Work

Cannabinoid concentrates work by delivering a high concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes to the body, resulting in more potent effects compared to traditional smoking or vaping flower. The method of consumption can significantly influence the onset and duration of effects:

• Dabbing: A popular method for consuming concentrates, dabbing involves vaporizing the concentrate on a hot surface (called a nail) and inhaling the vapor. It provides rapid onset of effects.
• Vaping: Concentrates can also be vaporized using specially designed vape pens that can accommodate the various textures of concentrates.
• Edibles and Tinctures: Some concentrates, like oils, can be ingested directly or added to food and drinks to create edibles. This method offers longer-lasting effects but with a slower onset.
• Topicals: Concentrates can be infused into creams, balms, and lotions for topical application, providing localized relief without psychoactive effects.

What to Look For in Concentrates

When exploring concentrates, focusing on quality, purity, and the type of experience you're seeking is essential. Specifically, here's what to consider to ensure you're choosing a high-quality product:

1. Type of Concentrate: Understand the differences between various concentrates. For instance, wax is softer and easier to work with, while shatter is hard and breaks easily. Rosin is extracted using heat and pressure, making it solvent-free, and distillates are highly refined oils that are potent and versatile.
2. Extraction Method: The extraction process like we talked about earlier impacts the purity and potency of the concentrate.
3. Cannabinoid Profile and Potency: Look for detailed information on the concentrate's cannabinoid content. The potency will affect the product's effects, so choose a concentration that matches your preferences and tolerance.
4. Terpene Profile: Terpenes contribute to the concentrate's flavor and therapeutic benefits through the entourage effect. Products with a preserved terpene profile can offer a more enjoyable and potentially beneficial experience.
5. Purity and Quality: High-quality concentrates should be free from contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, and residual solvents. Reputable brands provide third-party lab test results or Certificates of Analysis (COA) that verify the product's purity and potency.
6. Appearance and Consistency: Appearance can offer clues about the concentrate's quality. For example, shatter should be clear and glass-like, while wax may have a creamy, honeycomb texture. Consistency should reflect the type of concentrate you're purchasing.
7. Brand Reputation and Transparency: Go for brands with a solid reputation for quality and transparency. Look for companies that are open about their hemp sourcing, manufacturing processes, and lab testing results.
8. Legality and Compliance: Ensure the concentrate meets the legal requirements in your area, especially concerning THC content.
9. Packaging: Proper packaging is important to protect the concentrate from light and air, which can degrade its quality over time. Look for airtight, light-resistant containers.
10. Price: While price shouldn't be the only factor, it's important to compare prices among reputable brands to ensure you're getting a good value. Remember, extremely low prices could indicate subpar quality or potency.
11. User Reviews and Feedback: Reading reviews and feedback from other consumers can provide valuable insights into the product's effectiveness, flavor, and overall quality.

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• High Potency: Concentrates offer a more potent experience than flower, making them effective for managing severe pain, chronic conditions, and tolerance issues.
• Efficiency: Due to their high potency, a smaller amount is needed to achieve the desired effects, making concentrates cost-effective in the long run.
• Flavor and Aroma: Many concentrates preserve the terpenes from the cannabis plant, offering enhanced flavor and aroma profiles compared to dried flower.
• Versatility: Concentrates can be consumed in various ways, including dabbing, vaping, and adding to food or drinks, providing flexibility in usage.
• Discreetness: Some forms of concentrates, especially when vaped, produce less odor than smoking flower, allowing for more discreet use.

Cons:

• Complexity of Use: Using concentrates often requires additional equipment, such as dab rigs or vape pens, and a learning curve for proper usage.
• Cost: High-quality concentrates can be expensive, and the initial investment in necessary consumption accessories can be challenging for some users.
• Legality and Availability: The legal status of cannabis concentrates varies widely, with stricter regulations in some areas of the country compared to flower.

Our Picks for Concentrates to Get Your ‘Dab On’ with Here in 2024

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: some fantastic concentrates that you can buy at The Calm Leaf, each offering a wide selection of cannabinoids and strains to choose from. These are all additive-free, lab-tested, and derived from organic, homegrown hemp.

Concentrate #10: Boston Hemp Apple Fritter Full Spectrum CBD Sugar Wax Dab

Boston Hemp’s emphasis on clean and potent formulations has made them one of the most sought-after brands in the industry, and their artisanal approach to crafting concentrates shows. In fact, we’re all about CBD dabs, which offer a powerful full-spectrum hemp experience without the high. Their nonintoxicating sugar wax is very potent, and promises big flavor, while offering the delectable Apple Fritter strain – a premium hybrid cultivar known for its balanced high that’s euphoric and peaceful, offering relief from head to toe.

Concentrate #9: CBD For The People Full Spectrum Hemp CBD Wax Dab Syringe

CBD For The People has truly been a gamechanger in the hemp industry with a product lineup boasting highly innovative formulas designed to maximize bioavailability. FTP’s Full Spectrum Hemp CBD Wax Dab Syringe is incredibly pure and highly concentrated, while again being totally nonintoxicating. This comes in a syringe for easy administration into your dabbing device or onto fresh flower – or even below the tongue, for sublingual absorption. It also happens to come in a ton of strains, so you can customize your CBD experience.

Concentrate #8: Blue Moon Hemp Delta 8 THC Dab

Blue Moon Hemp has been a staple of the hemp industry for over a decade, and their products are still selling out. In fact, Blue Moon Hemp is always finding new ways to delight their customers, and their Delta 8 THC Dab supplies a powerful serving of delta 8, typically known for its mild and calming effects. Available in ultra-popular strains like GSC, Wedding Cake, and Gelato, each choice tastes amazing and promises a more powerful delta 8 high than you’ve ever experienced before.

Concentrate #7: Binoid Gold Line Live Resin Premium THCP Gelato Sorbet Wax Dab

Binoid wax dabs are concentrates that are made into wax form, to offer extremely high potency through the use of butane. Their live resin products are a huge hit with our customers, and we particularly enjoy their Gold Line Live Resin Premium THCP Gelato Sorbet Wax Dab, as it’s ready for your favorite rig or wax vaporizer. Keep in mind that THCP is 10x as intoxicating as delta 9 THC, and dabs are, by nature, outstandingly potent to begin with.

Concentrate #6: Hi On Nature HHC Cocktail Live Resin Dabs

Hi on Nature knows how to supply premium products that give you a feel-good high. So, if dabbing is more your style, no problem. These live resin dabs are going to give you a powerful dose of HHC along with a fresh and flavorful boost of powerful terpenes, with 3 excellent, top-shelf strains to choose from. You will enjoy 2 grams of wax that can offer up the most potent effects possible.

Concentrate #5: iDelta8 iDab Delta 10 THC Full Gram Syringe

iDelta8 has proven themselves to care about the needs of each individual, which is why their selection is so varied and extensive. For something a bit different then, this iDab Delta 10 THC Full Gram Syringe offers a concentrated, purified extract of delta 10 THC, without any terpenes or other cannabinoids. The syringe allows for easy application, whether you’re dabbing with the cannabinoid, or adding it to flower before smoking. The purity level is off the charts, and it offers a uniquely concentrated high from the cannabinoid that’s known for being both uplifting and mild.

Concentrate #4: Binoid THCA Live Rosin Diamonds Wax Dabs

Yet another great concentrate comes from Binoid: their THCA Live Rosin Diamonds Wax Dabs, which combine pure THCA diamond crystals with terpene-rich live rosin for a powerful experience. Available in 3 strains, this concentrate offers an incredible delta 9 THC high like you’ve never experienced it before.

Concentrate #3: ATLRx Delta 8 THC Shatter

ATLRx is a super popular brand that offers all kinds of hemp products but has a particular knack for delta 8 THC. This delta 8 shatter offers something different from wax. Shatter is more concentrated, resulting in a brittle and thin sheet that shatters like glass, hence the name. It’s more potent than wax, offering a fantastic alternative. Plus, it comes in a nice selection of strains so you can explore different types of highs.

Concentrate #2: Delta 8 Pro Delta 8 THC Diamonds

Delta 8 Pro has dedicated their craft to producing some of the most consistently effective, innovative, and federally compliant delta 8 products you will find anywhere, This delta 8 concentrate consists of pure delta 8 diamonds in sauce, for the purified form of the cannabinoid along with highly potent terpenes. We love that there’s a huge choice of strains, and a concentrate that’s made using tried-and-true methods for maximum purity and overall satisfaction.

Concentrate #1: TabEASE THCA Wax 2G Concentrate

The TabEASE Company has really gone above and beyond to offer products that’re extremely appealing to the senses, while having the level of effectiveness that hemp enthusiasts are seeking out. THCA dabs allow you to enjoy a potent delta 9 high legally, since the heating process converts THCA into delta 9. This THCA Wax takes it up a notch with incredible purity levels, fresh extractions, and a really big variety of strains that all offer something totally unique, allowing you to find bliss on your terms.

Experience Potency Like Never Before at The Calm Leaf

Clearly, concentrates offer a higher-potency hemp experience, whether you’re choosing a psychoactive or nonintoxicating cannabinoid for your product of choice. At The Calm Leaf, you will find all of these concentrates and many more on our website. That way, you can find the absolute best formula to meet your dabbing needs.