Well, the word in Cannabis for 2020 has surely been hash. A full-circle evolution back to where it all started in the 1960’s, washing water hash from cannabis plants by hand. Baby-Boomers will recall the bubble-hash from decades past, but will hardly recognize today's top tier hash products. Envision the dark brown or black bubble hash of the sixties, seventies, and beyond and you will understand what a three to four-star quality hash product looks like. Today's hash extracted using only ice, water, and agitation has reached 6-star quality, nearly perfecting the ancient techniques of sifting and straining cannabis plants to deliver the purest-natural expression of cannabis available today.
The Solventless Revolution
To the attentive cannabis enthusiast, the recent changes in extraction techniques, from using chemical solvents (BHO) to solventless extractions (SHO), marked a revolutionary moment in the evolution of cannabis. Not since chemical extractions first hit the scene around 2010, has a method been so revolutionary across the industry. Yet, unless you are an avid “dabber” of cannabis concentrates, the Solventless Revolution may appear to have little bearing on you and your products of choice. However, we wouldn't be calling it a revolutionary technique unless ice water hash was poised to change far more than the dabbing world alone. And that's just what Space Gem is poised to do: Change everything you thought an edible could be.
With solventless productions moving full steam ahead in the extract and concentrate space, Space Gem is at the forefront of California's edible market, having made the industry defining turn toward solventless hash infused edibles. The benefits are insurmountable, and the quality ice water extraction provides is unmatched, unrivaled, and set to dominate every aspect of the industry in the years to come. From edibles to medicinal products and eventually even vaporizer cartridges (so we hope!), everything will be made without chemical solvents. With only a few companies state-wide providing solventless products, Space Gem has you covered. It’s time to turn away from products made using chemical solvents and get ready to elevate your being. Did I mention they're also Vegan?
Don't "Dab"? Doesn't matter!
Many consumers that do not "dab" or consume concentrates believe cannabis extracts do not affect them. What they don't realize is that every product on retail shelves aside from whole cannabis flowers, uses some method to extract the psychoactive and therapeutic ingredients from cannabis. Granted, you could always grind up a bunch of dried buds and mix it in your brownie batter, but we can do better.
Say No to Distillates
For the last decade, most edibles and especially gummy products, were made with a THC distillate. These distillates are used to infuse edibles, especially gummies and candy, topical products, pills, patches and vaporizer cartridges. These products use harsh chemical solvents such as Butane, Propane, Hexane, and CO2, to extract very specific cannabinoids from the plant. After a crude oil is extracted with these chemical solvents, further distillation (a process not unique to cannabis) isolates either the THC or CBD molecules. Don't take our word for it, here's what WeedMap's has to say about distillates:
"Distillate is a cannabis extract in which the final product has been systematically stripped of all materials and compounds except one specific cannabinoid. Distillate is the base ingredient of most edibles and vape cartridges".
This one specific cannabinoid refers to either THC or CBD. THC is a tasteless, odorless, cannabinoid that was once believed to be solely responsible for cannabis’ psychoactive effects, however we have known for years this isn't the case. Cannabis’ effects are caused and created by a range of different cannabinoids and terpenes, not just THC or CBD. While distillation isolates either THC or CBD, it strips all the other cannabinoids and terpenes present, removing them from the product. Again, don't take our word for it... WeedMaps:
"A drawback of removing terpenes is that without them, the final product may lack the therapeutic benefits commonly attributed to the entourage effect. Adding terpenes to distillate later in the process is possible, and many manufacturers do this, though it’s been theorized that any medicinal advantages are reduced by their initial removal." -WeedMaps
What is called a “distillate” (isolated THC-a molecules), contains only one of over two-hundred cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant. That's the whole idea with any distillation process, (again not unique to cannabis), is isolating, or "distilling" single molecules. With nearly every cannabis edible mass produced from distillates, they all fail to provide consumers with an experience anything like that of high-quality cannabis.
Think About This!
If vape cartridges are made using a 99% pure THC distillate, why is the total THC percentage listed on the packaging closer to 80% THC? The reason being is they fill the cartridge about 80% full of THC distillate and then do one of the following:
1.Attempt to reintroduce some cannabis terpenes removed during the chemical extraction process and mixing the terpenes back into the distillate by hand.
2. Otherwise and more commonly, non-cannabis derived terpenes are added to your product, in effect watering down the THC content and giving the product an artificial taste.
"Scary Frankenstein stuff is going on right under our noses in Cannabis." -Hashwriter
This incredibly inorganic process of reintroducing terpenes only happens for vape cartridges and cannabis concentrates. When it comes to products like edibles and many medicinal products, they’re infused with either THC or CBD distillate and will always fail to provide the other 200 and counting cannabinoids or terpenes originating in the cannabis plant. But guess what? Ice water hash contains the full-spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes nearly identical to the original plant.
The Future's in Space (Gems)
Unlike Distillates that isolate one cannabinoid, Space Gem's Ice Water Hash edibles provide an entire range of cannabinoids and terpenes. This includes THC and CBD, while also including CBCA, CBGA, CBGV, and a long list like those of other cannabinoids present in cannabis. This equates to superior medicinal products that enhance euphoria and recreational effects. In fact, the least medicinal product available is a distillate. Real science.
Unlike distillation and chemical solvents, ice water hash preserves the entire trichome head just the way it was when attached to the plant. Chemical solvents destroy these trichomes in order to extract and isolate THC or CBD, releasing the most volatile terpenes that evaporate immediately. Solventless hash, or ice water hash (same thing) plucks only the very tip or “head” of each trichome from the plants. These trichomes contain a true full spectrum of terpenes and cannabinoids, just as Mother Nature intended.
Well, What Does it all Mean?
Products made from solventless extraction like ice-water hash contain a full spectrum of terpenes and contains them in the ratio nature intended. The correct ratio of cannabinoids and terpenes is nearly impossible to recreate when trying to reintroduce terpenes into final products. Present and accurate ratios of terpenes and cannabinoids provide a far superior experience where it matters most: the effect. Medicinal value skyrockets. For the recreational user, increased cannabinoids and terpenes cause what's known as the Entourage Effect, that we will detail in future posts. For now, The Entourage Effect leads to increased potency and euphoria along with a laundry list of added medicinal benefits.
Go Solventless!
Be mindful of how your products are made in order to unlock the true potential of cannabis with Space Gem products made from ice-water hash. Continue reading our next article to understand the ins and outs of the Entourage Effect and you'll quickly realize when compared to the edible marketplace, Space Gem provides a truly out-of-this world experience.
Comments