supercritical Co2 oil ??

[MinnBobber]

Hi,
our state's med cannabis producer is making concentrates via supercritical Co2 extraction.

Does that pull out many/most flavonoids?? I have heard that this process leaves product with very little vape taste OR even bad taste?

Yet, heard others say the product tastes good.

Reading on it, it seems there is also an optional process to add these flavonoids back in.

What's your experience? I have none with this product. How is the taste?

Keep in mind that this would be a "state of the art" big, expensive commercial setup.
Thanks for any info

 

[randomtoker]

The stuff I've had has all been very flavorful. Tried several from producers in California, but the best I've had was in Colorado.

It was this hummingbird stuff, crazy flavor:

I don't buy oil myself. Just too expensive ($60/g). Amazing stuff though.

 

[randomtoker]

Hmm, I'm mistaken sorry. The normal CO2 oils are subcritical. I don't know that I've tried any supercritical.

This video tries to explain the difference, but not very well:

Do you understand what he's getting at? Seems like it was a bad comparison because he was implying that he did a subcritical extraction (the oil on the left), and then did a supercritical extraction on the same plant matter that he'd already done the subcritical extraction (the one on the right)?

I wonder if people just use supercritical as a second run like that? Maybe that's why it's not so great? Maybe some do supercritical as a first run, and that's why those ones are better? Hmm.

 

[EpicNameGuy]

CO2 is a complicated matter. There are many performing CO2 extractions, Sub and Supercritical, with varying levels of success. It is COMPLICATED equipment. If you have decent equipment, there are an array of programmable parameters you input to try to fine tune or broaden the extraction profile.

The output can have a lot of moisture. It needs to be purged off and there are a few ways. This adds further complexity and divergence in outcome across extractions.

Additionally, you can post process the output and refine it until it is essentially a high potency clear decarbed concentrate.

So, the spectrum of quality can be poor, average, great, best. As far as terpene profiles go vs BHO or otherwise, in my experience at the lab, all info relayed to me indicated we have at least as high and as complete of a terpene profile as comparable alternative extracts. Maybe that's bias, but I know the folks that are operating the equipment and they know their stuff.

Ultimately, there are too many variable for anyone here to give you any simple guidance. It will always boil down to the quality of the starting product, the experience of the extraction technician, and the quality of the equipment and methodologies employed along with quality control regarding the final product in general. All of that effects the final product.

You can have a high quality BHO extract and a high quality CO2 extract. You can have poor versions of each as well. You'll sort of have to learn to judge on a batch-to-batch basis.

Of course, supplying pictures would help immensely, but even nice looking concentrate can have no taste, good taste or bad.

 

[KimDracula]

From a strictly non-expert consumer POV, the CO2 extracts I've had have never been very flavorful and I also don't tend to like the terpene-added products, either. When I get flavorful stuff, it's BHO. I have to go for the expensive live resin usually if I want real flavor, unfortunately.

 

[Thunderclees]

It's very flavorful. My state mandates CO2 extraction as well, and they even list the terpene content on the bottle when you purchase wax or shatter. I would expect flavanoids would be preserved to a decent extent as well.

You might lose some terps and flavanoids through CO2 extraction, but no more than BHO in my opinion. Cleaner taste than BHO in my experience as well.

 

[KimDracula]

It's very flavorful. My state mandates CO2 extraction as well, and they even list the terpene content on the bottle when you purchase wax or shatter. I would expect flavanoids would be preserved to a decent extent as well.

You might lose some terps and flavanoids through CO2 extraction, but no more than BHO in my opinion. Cleaner taste than BHO in my experience as well.

There is definitely a big spectrum of quality when it comes to BHO as well, so maybe I just haven't had the best CO2 stuff.

 

[Thunderclees]

There is definitely a big spectrum of quality when it comes to BHO as well, so maybe I just haven't had the best CO2 stuff.

It's a definite possibility, I think that there are a lot of ways to screw up the taste of both CO2 and BHO concentrates...