cleanliness of concentrates?

[bkpnsux]

Hey guys, I'm new to the world of concentrates and just picked up a Kandy Pen galaxy a couple weeks ago. I wanted to try out a few different shatters so I bought a couple from the local dispensary and also order some blueberry haze shatter from an online dispensary in BC.

Anyways, I had my pen all of a week when my wife messed up the atomizer.. She loaded the sticky wax on top of the battery instead of on the quartz rods inside the atomizer and when she realized her error and tried to take it apart again, a small rod from the bottom of the atomizer came out and stuck on the battery.
So I ended up picking up another pen from the local dispensary to try out my concentrates until I can order a new atomizer (thinking of getting a Donut's ceramic atomizer instead of the quartz galaxy this time).
I found the concentrates to be rather harsh tasting with a nasty aftertaste.
I ended up using a small piece of tubing to jerry rig my pen to a oil rig I had laying around to give it some water filtration and it worked pretty well, cleaning up the harshness of the concentrate.

My concern was in regards to what the water looked like after use. There was a brown liquid lining the inside of the oil rig. Very gross looking. Unfortunately I forget to snap a pic, but next time I will try and remember.

Are concentrates generally dirtier than bud? I use the same oil rig connected to my arizer EQ to vap flowers and have never had any residue like this.

From what I have read, concentrates are supposed to be more flavorful than flowers and a much stronger high. I found the taste to be actually quite nasty compared to a tasty bud. (One of my favorite buds is Dela Haze which has loads of limonen terp).

The high was different too.. I expected a similar buzz to a flower buzz only stronger, however this was something completely different altogether.

Am I doing something wrong here or is this what I should expect from concentrates?

I know the quality of concentrates reflect the bud it's made from as well as the process, but can someone recommend a concentrate that actually tastes good?

Are clearer concentrates cleaner concentrates?

Is distillate cleaner than shatter/wax?

I was quite disappointed because prior to moving to vaping only I used to enjoy occasionally amsterdam black and blonde hash as well as Jamaican gum hash and my experience with the waxes was nothing remotely similar.

Thanks for any feedback

 

[Eatrocks]

Hey guys, I'm new to the world of concentrates and just picked up a Kandy Pen galaxy a couple weeks ago. I wanted to try out a few different shatters so I bought a couple from the local dispensary and also order some blueberry haze shatter from an online dispensary in BC.

Anyways, I had my pen all of a week when my wife messed up the atomizer.. She loaded the sticky wax on top of the battery instead of on the quartz rods inside the atomizer and when she realized her error and tried to take it apart again, a small rod from the bottom of the atomizer came out and stuck on the battery.
So I ended up picking up another pen from the local dispensary to try out my concentrates until I can order a new atomizer (thinking of getting a Donut's ceramic atomizer instead of the quartz galaxy this time).
I found the concentrates to be rather harsh tasting with a nasty aftertaste.
I ended up using a small piece of tubing to jerry rig my pen to a oil rig I had laying around to give it some water filtration and it worked pretty well, cleaning up the harshness of the concentrate.

My concern was in regards to what the water looked like after use. There was a brown liquid lining the inside of the oil rig. Very gross looking. Unfortunately I forget to snap a pic, but next time I will try and remember.

Are concentrates generally dirtier than bud? I use the same oil rig connected to my arizer EQ to vap flowers and have never had any residue like this.

From what I have read, concentrates are supposed to be more flavorful than flowers and a much stronger high. I found the taste to be actually quite nasty compared to a tasty bud. (One of my favorite buds is Dela Haze which has loads of limonen terp).

The high was different too.. I expected a similar buzz to a flower buzz only stronger, however this was something completely different altogether.

Am I doing something wrong here or is this what I should expect from concentrates?

I know the quality of concentrates reflect the bud it's made from as well as the process, but can someone recommend a concentrate that actually tastes good?

Are clearer concentrates cleaner concentrates?

Is distillate cleaner than shatter/wax?

I was quite disappointed because prior to moving to vaping only I used to enjoy occasionally amsterdam black and blonde hash as well as Jamaican gum hash and my experience with the waxes was nothing remotely similar.

Thanks for any feedback

You could be burning your wax, try pulsing the power button only holding for 1-2 seconds, that should help vaporize the oil instead. I mean maybe u got a dirty batch but I find that hard to believe from a dispensary.

The gross looking stuff in the rig is normal, it's reclaim, check out some reclaim catch adapters for your piece. You can scoop it for use in edibles or shitty dabs, it's not like resin from smoking which has little to no thc.

Quality fire concentrates are cleaner than bud. The hash goes thru many filter processes. Rosin is a new solventless extraction technique using only heat and pressure..Top shelf rosin is usually 40 per .5

Also check your temp when u hit off a nail, if u heat till it glows you need to wait at least 30 seconds.

I just picked up some distillate aka the clear...No scent or flavor but man...Does it work. Clear is supposed to be extracted using heat but I think most manufacturers use alcohol/ethanol. To me it doesn't matter, it's collected thru evaporation.

 

[bkpnsux]

Thanks for the reply. I was using a kandypen galaxy with dual quartz atomizer on the lowest setting but perhaps I was holding the button too long. After my wife wrecked the atomizer, the new pen I picked up I'm pretty sure was a bit cooler temp because it seemed to not be quite as harsh, but it was still awful. The concentrates I got were three different kinds I got from two different dispensaries and I think all tasted equally as shitty. It must have been something to do with my technique.. I'll have to experiment a little.
The gross looking stuff you're referring to I think is something different than what was in my rig. This was a brownish liquid, it almost looked like liquid nicotine, it wasn't gummy or anything and seemed to be dissolved in the condensation on the inside walls of the chamber.

Are all distillates clear? I'm going to try some next.

Do you think when I buy a new atomizer for my Kandypen I should go with the ceramic bowl instead of the dual quartz rods? I would think the ceramic bowl atomizer may work at a bit lower temp..?

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[shredder]

Thanks for the reply. I was using a kandypen galaxy with dual quartz atomizer on the lowest setting but perhaps I was holding the button too long. After my wife wrecked the atomizer, the new pen I picked up I'm pretty sure was a bit cooler temp because it seemed to not be quite as harsh, but it was still awful. The concentrates I got were three different kinds I got from two different dispensaries and I think all tasted equally as shitty. It must have been something to do with my technique.. I'll have to experiment a little.
The gross looking stuff you're referring to I think is something different than what was in my rig. This was a brownish liquid, it almost looked like liquid nicotine, it wasn't gummy or anything and seemed to be dissolved in the condensation on the inside walls of the chamber.

Are all distillates clear? I'm going to try some next.

Do you think when I buy a new atomizer for my Kandypen I should go with the ceramic bowl instead of the dual quartz rods? I would think the ceramic bowl atomizer may work at a bit lower temp..?

Thanks again for your reply.

I'm no expert on pens, but I prefer ceramic over coils. I taste metal when I use coils.

I use a cheap pen with a ceramic atomizer and a big battery. It helps to only load match head size loads and clean after each load. Kind of a pain but it will taste better.

And with ceramic you don't hit the on button and wait till you see vapor, or you'll bake concentrate on the ceramic. Right after you hit the button, hit the vape.

And if it's like mine, keep hitting it after you stop pressing the button. That keeps the tiny air holes in the atomizer stay unclogged. Resin can solidify in them otherwise.

And if all this fails look at enails. I think the pens have come a long way, but at least with wax pens they leave plenty of room for improvement. Enails are pricier but much more advanced taste and effect wise.

Either way best of luck dude, hope this helped

 

[seaofgreens]

Pens suck essentially. You are better off with a $15 quartz banger and a torch.

As for concentrates,

I find that the terpier the concentrate, the sappier the consistency seems to be.

Not always, but often, the darker the concentrate, the older the material processed.

Distillate is created by precisely heating a vat of material, and you collect the THC fraction as it passes through a fractionating cylinder. So yes, the THC fraction seems to be colorless/tasteless. You can always take the terpene fraction, and see if that could be combined with the thc distillate to create something special? I don't know.

 

[damm]

Hey guys, I'm new to the world of concentrates and just picked up a Kandy Pen galaxy a couple weeks ago. I wanted to try out a few different shatters so I bought a couple from the local dispensary and also order some blueberry haze shatter from an online dispensary in BC.

I found the concentrates to be rather harsh tasting with a nasty aftertaste.

Concentrates are smooth up front but if you keep hitting the same wax or oil it is going to eventually burn up and turn into carbon and boy that's about as pleasant as inhaling from the exhaust pipe of a diesel truck.

My concern was in regards to what the water looked like after use. There was a brown liquid lining the inside of the oil rig. Very gross looking. Unfortunately I forget to snap a pic, but next time I will try and remember.

Are concentrates generally dirtier than bud? I use the same oil rig connected to my arizer EQ to vap flowers and have never had any residue like this.

They are different; if you inhale too fast you deal with wax or reclaim in your pipe/tubing. Smoking herb is pretty nasty on the pipe but vaping isn't too bad; dabbing looks pretty clean except there's reclaim/resin all over.

From what I have read, concentrates are supposed to be more flavorful than flowers and a much stronger high. I found the taste to be actually quite nasty compared to a tasty bud. (One of my favorite buds is Dela Haze which has loads of limonen terp).

The high was different too.. I expected a similar buzz to a flower buzz only stronger, however this was something completely different altogether.

There's some debate still usually by silly people who claim that flower has more flavor than concentrates. They are right and wrong; depending what kind of concentrate there is more flavor overall than flower. I say that because you are taking more product and concentrating it. So it should be better

Am I doing something wrong here or is this what I should expect from concentrates?

I know the quality of concentrates reflect the bud it's made from as well as the process, but can someone recommend a concentrate that actually tastes good?

Are clearer concentrates cleaner concentrates?

Is distillate cleaner than shatter/wax?

I was quite disappointed because prior to moving to vaping only I used to enjoy occasionally amsterdam black and blonde hash as well as Jamaican gum hash and my experience with the waxes was nothing remotely similar.

Thanks for any feedback

https://www.instagram.com/concentratedex/ I saw some of his stuff on Bubbleman's World might be up your alley.

Bubble Hash (6 star) is generally the cleanest; full melt you q-tip clean it off and no residue left.
Distillate is different than shatter as they refine the shatter or rather distill it down into a cleaner product.
Wax is just a reference to how the concentrate reacts. You've mentioned a few names already; but wax, shatter, live resin (and others) are all different forms of concentrates. The difference is often the process and end result.

Are all distillates clear? I'm going to try some next.

No; raw distillate is clear. It has no terpenes; otherwise they can have color.

Regarding your pen problems; pen's are generally painful from my experience. Quick cutoff times of 15 seconds or other stupid things that don't make it easy to enjoy yourself.

Not suggesting to step up to a dab rig but a portable vaporizer that can support concentrates better would serve you better.

 

[Eatrocks]

The raw clear(no added flavor/terps) has kinda of a medical doctor office taste to me. You lose 5% thc if terps are added.

Im very sensitive to contaminates in my oils. Nothing is worse than spending an afternoon looking for meds and winding up with dirty conc.

Not sure but I don't think inhaling residual butane is harmful...It just tastes gross and ruins the hi for me.

 

[strictly vapor]

I think you you would have a much better experience if you were to buy a dab nail. Quartz, titanium and ceramic are all options, and I would go in that order.

My least pleasant experiences with concentrates have always been with pens, and unless portability or stealth is absolutely necessary I would never recommend them. That being said I have used pens that were enjoyable, and there are pens out there I wouldn't mind having in my pocket at any given time, but certainly not as my daily driver.

I think you'll find using a dab nail at a low temp (heating the nail fully, and waiting 30-60 seconds depending on type of nail, indoor temp etc.) will yield much smoother and more flavorful vapor.

If you have the chance to try those same concentrates on an enail at a vape lounge it would be a great way to determine for yourself the true nature of your new concentrates. Another great way to enjoy them is to add them to a bowl of herb, either smearing it on a nug before busting or sandwiching it between material.

It's normal to have resin on your bubbler after dabbing and normal to experience different effects with concentrates than you would with flower, but the harshness and taste issues you are having are not a compulsory part of the experience and would be very likely to disappear with a switch to low temp dabbing.

Of course it is possible that you received concentrates that were improperly purged, but because they came from multiple reliable sources (separate dispenseries) it is more likely that the issue is the delivery method (pens).

 

[Baron23]

They are right and wrong; depending what kind of concentrate there is more flavor overall than flower. I say that because you are taking more product and concentrating it. So it should be better

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with this. Yes, some cannibinoids (like THC) are concentrated when processed from flower to concentrate but this is not true of all components of the cannabis to include very delicate terpenes that contribute a lot of the taste and the generally accepted but not proven 'entourage effect'.

Fro concentrates that do have a significant remaining terp profile, this is a conscious decision by the producer, can be done in different ways (e.g. live resin and adding terps back into BHO), and takes effort and technique.

I don't believe that retaining the elements mainly responsible for flavor is a natural outcome of concentration and really, I think its quite the opposite.

Cheers

 

[damm]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with this. Yes, some cannibinoids (like THC) are concentrated when processed from flower to concentrate but this is not true of all components of the cannabis to include very delicate terpenes that contribute a lot of the taste and the generally accepted but not proven 'entourage effect'.

Fro concentrates that do have a significant remaining terp profile, this is a conscious decision by the producer, can be done in different ways (e.g. live resin and adding terps back into BHO), and takes effort and technique.

I don't believe that retaining the elements mainly responsible for flavor is a natural outcome of concentration and really, I think its quite the opposite.

Cheers

Some producers remove the Terpenes in the process of extraction and re-add them after the fact. Don't be shocked if there's more added. Seems like it with 'The White' Sugar Resin from Oleum from last night ..

But this is a decision based on the product; Live Resin will have more Terpenes than Shatter (not that they add them) and I've had some really amazing Bubble Hash Rosin that buttered up... much more terpenes than the 6-star Bubble hash (strange to me, I would have thought the 6-star dry sift would have had more)

 

[slozukimc]

Sounds like technique is the trouble for the most part. Even a cheap pen shouldn't taste that bad if you pulse the button and don't let it get too hot. No, it won't taste great but should be tolerable.
I have used many of them from the cheap glass globe atomizers all the way up to the uptech Hercules. Best taste comes from a good quality ceramic heating element with tiny loads and short pulses on the button. Like 5 seconds on 5 off, etc.
The only one that is really decent to carry and use all of the time is the Hercules but that requires large loads and a bit of a desire to fiddle with shit to learn the maintenance and techniques it likes.
Like the others have said. Try a real nail. Preferably an enail and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised by the taste of your products. Cheapo pens have chased lots of folks away from concentrates for multiple reasons.

 

[bkpnsux]

Sounds like technique is the trouble for the most part. Even a cheap pen shouldn't taste that bad if you pulse the button and don't let it get too hot. No, it won't taste great but should be tolerable.
I have used many of them from the cheap glass globe atomizers all the way up to the uptech Hercules. Best taste comes from a good quality ceramic heating element with tiny loads and short pulses on the button. Like 5 seconds on 5 off, etc.
The only one that is really decent to carry and use all of the time is the Hercules but that requires large loads and a bit of a desire to fiddle with shit to learn the maintenance and techniques it likes.
Like the others have said. Try a real nail. Preferably an enail and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised by the taste of your products. Cheapo pens have chased lots of folks away from concentrates for multiple reasons.

Thanks. I do have an oil rig with glass nail I'm going to try when I can get rid of my cold. I'm on an involuntary (flu) T-break currently..