What is it called and how do I vaporize it?

[El Duderino]

I hope I'm allowed to ask this question here in the thread. Otherwise, thanks to the mods for moving it.

I've only been vaping for two months, so I don't know much about it yet. I'm particularly unfamiliar with concentrates. I have now received the following concentrate from a good friend who works in a grow store. As he doesn't vape himself, he couldn't really tell me exactly what it is and how best to consume it:

https://imgur.com/IZGzfMM

In the photo, I have just taken the concentrate out of the freezer. After a very short time at room temperature, the concentrate becomes extremely sticky and soft.

To vaporize it, I heated a quartz banger on my bong (Globe by SneakyPete) for one minute and then let it cool down for 30 seconds. I then added a pinch of the concentrate to the banger and then vaped it. It worked, but the taste wasn't particularly good and a lot of the concentrate burned into the banger and now I can't get it completely clean anymore. As you see I’m also not familiar with dabbing…

Now my two questions:

1. what is this concentrate called? Is it wax?
2. is it basically correct to vaporize this concentrate in a quartz banger? I think the banger was too hot and therefore the concentrate burned more than vaporized?

Sorry for the stupid questions, I'm still at the very beginning...

Many thanks for your help!

 

[Ramahs]

So, your friend works in a grow store, but had no idea what substance they were giving you?!? How do you know that it's even cannabis concentrate if they didn't, and they work in a place that makes it?

I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot-pole. I don't suggest attempting to inhale an unknown substance if the person that gave it to me didn't even know what it was. It's not worth the risk. It might be what y'all think it is, but it might not be, and could cause long term damage if that's the case.

 

[Franco]

1. what is this concentrate called?

Hard to tell from from my limited experience with making concentrates (so I'd wait for the more experienced crowd to chime in), but it looks like an alcohol based extraction, like QWISO or QWET. At least, the color and the consistency are very similar to what you get with an alcohol as a solvet.
IME, these are not the best methods if you want to dab your concentrate as (I believe) they're more suited for tinctures.

Is it wax?

No. I'm sure about this.

2. is it basically correct to vaporize this concentrate in a quartz banger?

Yes, absolutely!

I think the banger was too hot and therefore the concentrate burned more than vaporized?

Very likely. Best practice would be using something like a terpometer.

 

[El Duderino]

So, your friend works in a grow store, but had no idea what substance they were giving you?

Please excuse me, I have expressed myself somewhat imprecisely. My friend just calls it "dab" and since he doesn't vape himself, he couldn't explain it to me in much detail. However, he knows that I have recently started enjoying vaping and has therefore given me this concentrate as a gift. Now I am interested in the details and the exact name, hence my question here in the forum.

How do you know that it's even cannabis concentrate if they didn't, and they work in a place that makes it?

See my answer above. In addition: you can smell that it is cannabis more than clearly from afar.

Hard to tell from from my limited experience with making concentrates (so I'd wait for the more experienced crowd to chime in), but it looks like an alcohol based extraction, like QWISO or QWET. At least, the color and the consistency are very similar to what you get with an alcohol as a solvet.
IME, these are not the best methods if you want to dab your concentrate as (I believe) they're more suited for tinctures.

Many thanks for the tip. This gives me a good starting point for further research.

No. I'm sure about this.

Alright, got it.

Yes, absolutely!

Good to know I’m not completely wrong.

Very likely. Best practice would be using something like a terpometer.

Yes, of course you're right. Unfortunately, I only have a very small amount of these concentrates and that's all there is. Apart from normal hash, it's unfortunately very difficult to get hold of concentrates in this country. That's why I don't want to spend any more money on additional equipment.

 

[Canna Chameleon]

I think the concerns expressed above are valid.

What we didn’t do was explain to you why we would stay away from whatever that is.

This is what concentrates should look like.

What you have is not what anyone would consider a quality trate.

If the extraction method was one of the above the consistency and look would be much different.

The Different Types of Cannabis Concentrates - Explained for Beginners

Unlock the Secrets of Cannabis Concentrates! Your Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Cannabis Concentrates Revealed.

mooselabs.us

 

[El Duderino]

I think the concerns expressed above are valid.

What we didn’t do was explain to you why we would stay away from whatever that is.

This is what concentrates should look like.

What you have is not what anyone would consider a quality trate.

If the extraction method was one of the above the consistency and look would be much different.

The Different Types of Cannabis Concentrates - Explained for Beginners

Unlock the Secrets of Cannabis Concentrates! Your Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Cannabis Concentrates Revealed.

mooselabs.us

Very interesting, thanks a lot for your reply. Unfortunately it’s quite impossible to get concentrates like that here, being an illegal country.

But I understand that it’s better to not vape that stuff (even the high was very nice). Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated!

 

[CR250M]

Looks like regular rosin pressed off old dry stale flower to me nothing wrong with it if that’s what it is!

 

[Madtater]

Far as cleaning it goes, an ISO soak for the banger and some elbow grease should work. If it does not, i dont know if i would try to vape that again.

As stated above. It is pretty strange that someone who “works in a grow store” doesnt know what it is, let alone how it is made.

Not sure if i would vape it again….regardless of knowing it is cannabis or not.

 

[Ramahs]

That dark color does make it look like a dirtier extract, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. I think if they overdo the extraction and get too much chlorophyll (and/or other fine plant matter) in there, then that can make it dark like that. It will most likely, as you have alluded, get your banger pretty dirty. But it is what it is.

Experiment with different heating and cooling times. Make sure that you are using a carb cap with your banger (otherwise, you have to get it too hot to release the vapor). Use tiny amounts. Heat with larger flame, and with a smaller flame...and google, read and watch instructional videos. Experiment, experiment, experiment...and find the heating method that works best for you.

When learning, it's generally good to heat to a low enough temp that you don't quite vaporize every bit and waste a little with your q-tips. Then push the envelope more once you have gotten a better hang of it.

Also, be aware that heating and draw techniques can have to be adjusted/customized to different concentrates you may get (some vaporize better a little hotter or cooler than others do), different glass pieces, different types of preferred draw speeds, etc.

 

[El Duderino]

Looks like regular rosin pressed off old dry stale flower to me nothing wrong with it if that’s what it is!

Far as cleaning it goes, an ISO soak for the banger and some elbow grease should work. If it does not, i dont know if i would try to vape that again.

As stated above. It is pretty strange that someone who “works in a grow store” doesnt know what it is, let alone how it is made.

Not sure if i would vape it again….regardless of knowing it is cannabis or not.

That dark color does make it look like a dirtier extract, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. I think if they overdo the extraction and get too much chlorophyll (and/or other fine plant matter) in there, then that can make it dark like that. It will most likely, as you have alluded, get your banger pretty dirty. But it is what it is.

Thank you all very much for your support and advice. I will ask my friend again, he may have more information.

Thanks also for the cleaning tips. I have now managed to get the banger reasonably clean with ISO, but unfortunately it is no longer as crystal clear as before.

Experiment with different heating and cooling times. Make sure that you are using a carb cap with your banger (otherwise, you have to get it too hot to release the vapor). Use tiny amounts. Heat with larger flame, and with a smaller flame...and google, read and watch instructional videos. Experiment, experiment, experiment...and find the heating method that works best for you.

When learning, it's generally good to heat to a low enough temp that you don't quite vaporize every bit and waste a little with your q-tips. Then push the envelope more once you have gotten a better hang of it.

Also, be aware that heating and draw techniques can have to be adjusted/customized to different concentrates you may get (some vaporize better a little hotter or cooler than others do), different glass pieces, different types of preferred draw speeds, etc.

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback. The tips on heating are great and I will gladly take them into account. Unfortunately, I only have a little bit of this concentrate left at the moment and am now unsure whether I should still vape it.

However, I have ordered a hair straightener and will then try to make rosin. I'll be able to continue practicing by then at the latest.

 

[Nile-Terps]

taste no good plus the burn in to the banger, maybe I missed someone else suggest it but could this just be somebody's reclaim dabs? if it is reclaim the banger is the right choice don't want reclaim staining one of your devices coils.

 

[vapviking]

I think it may be a rosin, but with some stuff(like chlorophyll) left behind. Some oxidation both before and after pressing, perhaps? But I'm far from expert.

Did you recently get a dry herb vape? Thought I saw that somewhere.
With a lot of dry herb vapes, you can sandwich a small amount of concentrate between layers of flower. Obviously, you don't want anything running down into the heater, etc., but many folks add some to their dry herb.

 

[Polarbearboy]

Based on your photo and on my experience with concentrates and lots of other stuff, what you've got is either some Rick Simpson Oil, aka RSO, or manufacturing residue/pipe cleanings. Black, tarry, hard to clean after vaping, smelly. While technically a concentrate, RSO is not made for vaping but for use as an edible. Around here you can get it in a syringe type dispenser. Even when its made by high-end commercial good-people companies and tested by reliable testing companies, its still black, sticky, and not really suitable for vaping. Yah, you can vape it and I have. Yah, it will get you high. But it will mess up your equipment and given that it doesn't look like a commercial refined product, it can mess up your lungs/health. I'd be very cautious. Then again, in the pre-legal stuff day, when I'd be low or out of any stoning product, I'd clean my pipes and that's what the residue would look like. And I'd smoke it happily! Still, I knew what it was. You and your friend don't know what you have. I'd again urge caution.

 

[El Duderino]

Did you recently get a dry herb vape? Thought I saw that somewhere.
With a lot of dry herb vapes, you can sandwich a small amount of concentrate between layers of flower. Obviously, you don't want anything running down into the heater, etc., but many folks add some to their dry herb.

I actually have a few and I like the idea of making a sandwich! Thanks for the input!

Although:

I'd again urge caution.

Thank you too for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it.

To be honest: I'm surprised at the responses here in the thread. On the one hand, I had thought that it would be immediately clear from the photo what type of concentrate it was. That doesn't seem to be the case.

And even more surprising to me are the numerous warnings. Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful for them! I really am! It's just that I actually trust my friend completely in this regard. As I said, he has been working in various areas of the cannabis business for 20+ years and has good, trustworthy sources, but he is just not a vaper. So I probably just didn't ask any more questions when he pressed this concentrate into my hands with the words "here for you, so you have something to dab". He's one of my best friends, I've known him for 25 years and I trust him completely, so it never occurred to me that the concentrate could be bad. So the responsibility is 100% mine.

But I trust your assessments just as much. That's exactly why I'm asking here in the forum. I will therefore stop vaping that concentrate and talk to my friend again and tell him about the concerns expressed here. I'll be happy to let you know here as soon as I have more information.

Thank you all again very much!

 

[TedJones]

Around here you can get it in a syringe type dispenser.

My brother gave me one of these years ago I had long forgotten about! Told to just put a couple drops on the tongue and enjoy. Yea, like tar type sticky. Was ok I guess .

 

[darbarikanada]

the taste wasn't particularly good

even a so-so concentrate should taste at least okay. maybe your banger was too hot. you could try putting a tiny bit in your banger, heating it up only until it starts to boil/vaporize, then don't inhale it: just smell the vapor to see if it's pleasant. if not, it might just be a failed attempt at making concentrate, which could mean anything from harmless-if-meh-flavor to 'not safe for consumption'.

 

[El Duderino]

even a so-so concentrate should taste at least okay. maybe your banger was too hot. you could try putting a tiny bit in your banger, heating it up only until it starts to boil/vaporize, then don't inhale it: just smell the vapor to see if it's pleasant. if not, it might just be a failed attempt at making concentrate, which could mean anything from harmless-if-meh-flavor to 'not safe for consumption'.

As English is not my first language, my choice of words may not have been correct. The flavor wasn't weird or anything, just a little muted and slightly burnt, but clearly cannabis. This was also my first time using a quartz banger, so there is a lot of room for error on my part.

 

[ontopofclouds]

that's called trash brother

straight into the trash it goes, don't put that shit in your lugs dude

 

[darbarikanada]

The flavor wasn't weird or anything, just a little muted and slightly burnt, but clearly cannabis

what about effects?

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

My vote would be rosin pressed from old flower or reclaim, as some others suggested. You're probably better off vaping the flower you already have. Even if it's safe, it doesn't look particularly good.

 

[El Duderino]

what about effects?

A quite strong, euphoric high. Reminded me of the TM2. So no complaining here.

 

[CR250M]

Just google “dark rosin from old bud” 95% chance that’s your answer like I said earlier, I highly doubt it’s reclaim or it’s trash. Anyways here in Canada the government store almost always sells old dry as a bone weed and more than 1/2 the time the rosin I press is just like you showed

 

[El Duderino]

Just google “dark rosin from old bud” 95% chance that’s your answer like I said earlier, I highly doubt it’s reclaim or it’s trash. Anyways here in Canada the government store almost always sells old dry as a bone weed and more than 1/2 the time the rosin I press is just like you showed

Thanks a lot for your reply. Yes, it looks like that, you definitely could be right.

 

[Maschine]

Sorry for being a bit late to the party
@El Duderino to me it looks like what @Franco wrote. In illegal EU countries people did extracts with butan or iso foremost with leftovers from grows. Something like honey bee extractor was the name of a popular device driven by lighter gas years ago. The outcome looks exactly like the concentrat in your picture and fits your description. However we called this just oil or hash oil.

I can`t tell you if it`s really safe or harmless to inhale concentrats made this way but as long as you treat this as something special....

 

[bizwaxzion]

Thanks also for the cleaning tips. I have now managed to get the banger reasonably clean with ISO, but unfortunately it is no longer as crystal clear as before.

Baking soda and a little water to make a wet paste. Use that to clean the banger.

You might try a cold start dab to try for better flavor. Put the concentrate into a cold banger (or warm it just enough to melt that sticky stuff off the tool) and then heat the banger (bottom and sides) until the concentrate starts to bubble. Cap it and rip it. Apply a bit more heat if needed.