WHAT ARE TRICHOMES?

OPENING SYNOPSIS

Cannabis concentrates appear in a variety of forms. You'll see them in cannabis dispensaries, retail cannabis settings and on-line. You'll see products like (KIEF) or (HASH). Do you know the difference between them? Let us explain...All extracts are concentrates, but not all concentrates are extracts!! Did you read this correct? The difference between (KIEF) and (HASH) is that (KIEF) is from (TRICHOMES) that have been taken off the plant material without using some form of  extraction process using (BUTANE) or (ALCOHOL) - (HASH) is a (TRICHOME) that is formed from using an extraction process. 

Now, let's move on to learning what products are out there from (TRICHOMES) - 

1. KIEF
2. HASH
3. MOON-ROCKS
4. WAX
5. BUDDER
6. GOOD NIGHT GLOBS
7. THE GREASE
8. DANK-TANKS
9. CAVIAR PRE-ROLLS 
10. SALVES
11. BODY PAIN OIL

NOW LET'S DIVE INTO MORE ABOUT CONCENTRATES AND EXTRACTS!!!!

For consumer's abroad and Guardian MMJ, In.c customers looking for an alternative, and a way to fully appreciate the diverse world of cannabis concentrates have come to the right place. Next, we'll review common variations of cannabis concentrates and the different ways you can consume them as well as how to find the right product for your purposes. The line items listed above, highlighted are concentrate products we offer, but we do offer additional products that are NOT concentrates, such as our sweet cannabis flower. 

Compare your orange juice concentrate in the back of your freezer to cannabis concentrates. They contain all the cannabinoids and terpenes of cannabis flowers and none of the excess plant material. Ounce for ounce, cannabis concentrates have a far greater proportion of cannabinoids and terpenes than raw cannabis flowers. Why? Because of (Synergy) and the infamous (Entourage affect) which is to experience the full-spectrum of the cannabis extract through a cleaner more refined process. Cannabinoids and terpenes are responsible for the effects, aroma, and flavors you might experience with any cannabis product. Synergy and crystals are found throughout the cannabis plant in small, sparkling structures called trichomes. 

A cannabis concentrate is a condensed accumulation of trichomes. Purchase any high-quality cannabis flower and you can see them for yourself. These snow like, crystal diamond sap coat the entire surface of the plant, but they're particularly noticeable on the flower buds. The more Trichomes you can see, likely the more potent and pure and powerful the Trichomes will be in the end product. 

Are their methods to increase the Trichomes in the plant during cultivation? Answer: YES!! How do you do that? Unfortunately we cannot share this trade secret with you, but rest assure that Guardian MMJ, Inc. has the formula on how to accomplish increasing powerful trichomes in a plant during the cycle of growth. You will just be the one to experience our superior end products!!!

Concentrates let you experience the best parts of cannabis in a multitude of ways and they come in a variety of textures that can be consumed using several different methods. Depending on the final form they take, cannabis concentrates and extracts can be consumed on their own, sprinkled in one of our Cannabis Caviar Pre-roll joint to increase the potency, or precisely incorporated in a batch of edibles. Straight forward...When concentrates are combined with other cannabis material, you receive what we call the Entourage Effect, which is the to receive the full-spectrum of the end cannabis product used. 

You may have heard the terms concentrate and extract used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference between the two. Extracts are a specific type of concentrate made using a solvent. So, while all extracts are concentrates, not all concentrates are extracts. 

FOR EXAMPLE:  Flavor extracts are produced using alcohol as a solvent to pull out the desired flavor component such as vanillin, from vanilla bean pods. Alcohol may also be used to make a cannabis extract, as is in the case with Tinctures, Capsules and other ingestible cannabis products, But other solvents may be deployed as well, like butane for Butane Hash Oil (BHO) and supercritical CO2 for cannabis wax extracts.

Concentrates made without the use of solvents are produced using mechanical or physical means to remove and gather trichomes. 

EXAMPLES: 

Rosin, dry sift, and KIEF are all examples of concentrates made without the use of solvents. Dry sift is a concentrate made up of trichome glands characterized by its soft-sand texture and appearance. It is not considered an extract because the trichome glands that make up dry sift are mechanically removed from the plant material without the use of solvents. 

In the same way that not all concentrates are extracts, not all concentrate customers are dabbers. Dabbing is the process of heating a concentrate or extract to the point that it vaporizes, producing a highly potent vapor the consumer can inhale. Dabbing is the most common consumption method associated with concentrated cannabis, which explains why you'll hear concentrates referred to as dabs. But these products can also be experienced by using dank-tanks pens, Moon-Rocks, HASH and more...

In order to decide which concentrates and consumption methods will work best for you, first consider what you're looking to accomplish. Different Dab/Budder pens, Dank-Tank pens, Wax Pens and more are there as a tool to help you ingest the concentrates. 

Adding powdered (KIEF) to your bowl or wrapping wax around a Caviar Pre-roll joint can up the potency of your smoke-ables with little extra effort. These methods don't require any of the expensive tools necessary to dab, while still increasing the potency of your smoke and adding extra flavor from the concentrate. Guardian MMJ, Inc. is is proud to be the Concentration experts, and offer some of the best concentrate products in all of Kansas. You cannot purchase more purified (TRICHOMES) than from us, expect in Colorado. Not one retail location has this amazing (Gangsta Grease) product we offer at Guardian MMJ, Inc. 

When most people talk about consuming cannabis concentrates, they're typically talking about  the concentrate wax, using a dab rig. This method consists of heating the nail, or the dab rig equivalent of a bong bowl, and then applying the concentrate directly onto the hot surface, instantly turning it into an vapor you inhale. Most dab rigs are glass with nails made from either glass, ceramic, titanium, or quartz. Guardian MMJ, Inc. strongly encourages you to use only glass and stay away from any metal or other non-glass material. Please remain safe and apply safe practices when ingesting our products.

Pre-filled Dank-Tank pens: are a discreet, portable, and efficient way to consume cannabis concentrates. While they're unlikely to get you as high as a dab, the high does set in almost immediately. Guardian MMJ, Inc. offers several terpene selections such as BLUE DREAM or PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and even STRAWBERRY COUGH. YOU KNOW HOW WHEN YOU PURCHASE THE "OTHER GUYS" PENS, YOU SEEM TO BURN THROUGH IT WITHIN THREE DAYS? WELL NOT WITH US...OUR DANK-TANKS LAST FOR A WEEK OR SO, AND THE BLEND IS JUST RIGHT!!!

All you need is a pre-filled cartridge and a battery or an all-in-one DANK-TANK pen. The cartridge's battery activates a heating element that warms the cannabis concentrate. Most DANK-TANK pens are operated by pressing a button or, in the case of a buttonless pen, by simply taking a drag from the mouthpiece. Pre-filled cartridges and pens aren't refillable and need to be discarded after the concentrate runs out, but detachable batteries can be saved and reused many times. You will love our concentrate Dank-Tanks and the terpene selections are amazing. 

For a more customizable experience, consider using a dab pen. With a dab pen, you manually fill the chamber with any type of concentrate and attach the chamber to a battery. You cannot use plant material in this pen. This method gives you the flexibility of a dab rig and the portability of a pre-filled Dank-Tank pen.

Cannabis concentrates are simply the accumulation of trichomes (the glands that store the cannabinoids and terpenes), but how extractors separate those trichomes from the starting material can vary greatly. Some methods strip out everything but one cannabinoid (like THC or CBD) while others leave the full range of compounds intact. Of all the various methods extractors use, they can generally be bucketed into two categories: solvent and solvent-free.

Solvent-free, or physical, separation. During the physical separation process, trichome glands are removed from the cannabis starting material using a physical action, like shaking or pressing. Think of the trichome glands as fruit on a tree; physical separation is similar to shaking a tree to remove the ripe fruit. When creating dry sift, for example, cannabis is shaken through a series of screens in specific sizes to ensure only the trichome heads make it through to the final product. Rosin is created using a targeted combination of heat and pressure to squeeze the desired compounds out of the plant. The key concept of physical separation is that a direct physical action results in the expression of trichomes.

Liquid solvent extraction. All solvent extractions use the same basic workflow: a liquid solvent is used to separate the active compounds from the trichome gland to yield a solution. This solution must be further refined until nothing but the desired compounds remain. Due to the volatility of these solvents, technicians typically use closed-loop extraction systems, which allow them to safely control elements like temperature and pressure in order to achieve the optimal result. Depending on the solvent selected, some sort of vacuum system is used to ensure complete solvent removal prior to consumption.

The terms that cause the most confusion (we're looking at you, shatter, badder, crumble, and sauce) simply describe a concentrate's appearance and texture. Even though most of these adjectives are fairly intuitive, things get confusing when they're stuffed into a jam-packed product description like Apple Fritter Live Resin Badder.

While the resulting textures aren't necessarily an indicator of how the concentrate will taste or affect an individual, they do affect the experience. Some people may prefer budder because it's easier to scoop while others prefer the flexibility of oil. As a result, there are no good or bad textures, just personal preferences. 

Shatter is known for its brittle, glass-like texture. It can also have a snap-and-pull consistency. (Imagine taffy candy being pulled really tight before snapping). Shatters usually have a golden yellow to bright amber color throughout.

Budder and badder are slightly oily and soft in texture. (Think of a stick of butter or thick cake batter.) They're malleable, easy to handle, and have a sun yellow to bright orange coloring. The butter-like consistency allows the extract to be easily used as a spread on blunts or joints, or to be dabbed using a dab rig.

Crumble is a brittle version of budder or badder. As the name suggests, it has a crumbly, honeycomb consistency. The color tends to be similar to budder or badder, but instead of having a glossy look, they tend to have a matte or dull finish.

Sugar is a term used for any concentrate that has a similar consistency to wet, sappy sugar. It's not uniform in nature and typically has colors ranging from bright yellow to deep amber.

Sauce is thick and viscous; it looks sticky. The color of sauce can range from deep amber to bright mustard. Sauce is similar to sugar in both its consistency and color, but has a more uniform and prominent crystalline structure.

Crystalline is a single, crystallized cannabinoid. Just as the name implies, THCA and CBD crystalline are white crystals that can vary in density and size from small rocks to powder.

We hope this review of TRICHOMES and EXTRACTION has been helpful to you in learning more about how they benefit you, how they can be used, how you get them and what that are for and where they come from. If you have additional questions, please fell free to contact us anytime with additional questions. (CONTACT US)