Cannabis Concentrates
A cannabis concentrate is the resin of the plant separated from the plant material, producing a far more potent product by weight than flower. It is the most experienced-shopper corner of any dispensary shelf.
Concentrates at a glance
- Potency
- Substantially higher THC by weight than flower
- Common textures
- Live resin, badder, sugar, rosin, hash
- Onset
- Seconds when inhaled
- New York possession limit
- 24 grams of concentrated cannabis
What to know before you buy
Solvent and solventless
Solvent extractions use a hydrocarbon or CO2 to strip resin from the plant, then purge it. Solventless methods, principally rosin, use only heat, pressure, ice, and water. Neither is inherently better; they produce different textures, flavours, and price points.
Live versus cured
"Live" means the plant was frozen fresh at harvest rather than dried and cured before extraction, which preserves more of the volatile aromatic compounds. It is the reason live resin usually tastes closer to the growing plant.
Dose scale is different
Concentrates are measured in fractions of a gram and are dramatically stronger by weight than flower. If you are coming from flower, the useful amount is far smaller than it looks.
When concentrates is the right call
Format mechanics decide this more than anything printed on the label. These are the evenings concentrates suit, and why.
Not sure concentrates is your format?
Concentrates questions, answered
What is the difference between live resin and rosin?
Live resin is extracted with a solvent from fresh-frozen plant material. Rosin is pressed using only heat and pressure, with no solvent at any stage. Both preserve aroma well; rosin is solventless by definition.
How much concentrate can you legally possess in New York?
New York adult-use law allows a person 21 or older to possess up to twenty-four grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use.