Solventless marijuana extracts, or concentrates, are any extracts that do not use a volatile solvent in the extraction process of cannabinoids and trichomes from the cannabis flower. True solventless extraction techniques include hash and rosin. CO2 is often considered a solventless extraction technique however there are many factors that may make this misleading.
Hashish, also known as hash and rosin, uses physical energy like friction, pressure, or heat to separate trichomes from the plant. Trichomes are the areas on the cannabis flower where the cannabinoids are stored. Both have a history dating back before the current era to ancient Indian Airavata practices.
Common cannabis products made from hash and rosin are known under the names ice wax, bubble hash, hash rosin, live rosin, batter, budder, and crumble. Always check with your budtender to make sure these products are made from hash or rosin.
CO2 is technically not solvent-free, because CO2 is a solvent in and of itself. Although CO2 itself leaves no residue, additional solvents are often used in conjunction with CO2 in the extraction process. Many CO2 extractions use volatile solvents like ethanol or butanol to create CO2 distillates and many common cannabis extracts are marketed as CO2 concentrates. If the end cannabis product is in a crystal form or an isolated compound such as distillate, shatter, diamonds, and any form of resin, then it was likely produced using volatile solvents.
Solventless products carry less risk of residual solvent contamination, but high-quality solvent extractions still exist. It is important to ask about third-party lab tests for all extractions and cannabis products.
Ultimately, solventless or volatile solvent extraction is not good or bad; it all comes down to the quality of the extraction equipment and the expertise of the extractor. Luckily, Dancing Goat Gardens and Glacier Solventless have a renowned history of producing award-winning concentrates for Montana cannabis consumers and connoisseurs.
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