What are the Best Cannabis Concentrates for Beginners?

Breaking into the world of cannabis concentrates can be confusing for any beginner, whether you're a MMJ patient or just a new rec user. What are concentrates? How do they differ from traditional flower that you smoke? Do concentrates affect you differently? What are the best cannabis concentrates for beginners? We're here to help you navigate the landscape and point you toward concentrates ideal for you.

What You Need to Know About Cannabis Concentrates

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When we talk about concentrates, we are talking about a large range of products that have been created through various extraction processes to form concentrated cannabis. Concentrates are, as the name implies, much more potent than traditional flower. They usually have much higher levels of THC (the most prominent psychoactive compound within cannabis), so you consume much less to feel stronger effects. In fact, many concentrates distill cannabis down into the most desirable parts of the plant, primarily THC and CBD.

Things to Keep In Mind When First Using Concentrates

Cannabis concentrates are often preferred over traditional bud because they are so potent. And if you're wondering how to use marijuana concentrates, another reason many prefer concentrates is that there are so many different ways to consume them. Concentrates can be smoked, dabbed, eaten or even drunk. Due to their variety and higher potency, it's important to keep a few key things in mind when first trying concentrates.

Talk to Your Local Budtender

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If you want to know where to buy concentrates, the answer is your local dispensary. First and foremost, budtenders from a local dispensary are an invaluable resource, no matter how serious of a cannabis user you are. More than just selling you cannabis, budtenders are there to provide insight into their products and offer direction for what you should try next and what types of cannabis are right for you. Especially if you're new to concentrates, a type of cannabis with so many variations that hit much harder, budtenders will be able to further expand upon any basic knowledge you know. They will have specific brands they might suggest you try, different accessories they trust over others and will likely offer first-hand insight into what types or how much you should consume when you try concentrates the first few times. Additionally, if you're a medical marijuana patient, they can suggest the best type of concentrates for the type of relief that you are looking for and wouldn't know otherwise.

Start Low, Go Slow

This is a general rule of thumb for almost anything, but especially for concentrates that will hit you so much harder than other types of cannabis. If you over-consume concentrates, especially as you're first starting, there's a chance you'll end up way too high and have a very unenjoyable experience. So, we recommend starting with a very small amount of your concentrate and building up to larger doses until you find your desired effects. We also recommend going slow in between doses to give your body lots of time to properly feel the effects. Even if you're an avid cannabis user, microdosing is another great way to control the effects of cannabis and maintain your ideal high.

Try a Variety of Concentrates

There are quite a few different types of concentrates, including hash, oils, rosin, wax and shatter. These vary based on how they were formed, what chemical compounds they're higher in, how they are consumed and how potent they are. You can even make your own cannabis concentrates! Like other forms of cannabis, concentrates may also affect individuals differently. That being said, each concentrate is going to provide a different experience - if you just try rosin, you may not realize if shatter oils are what you prefer.

The Best Types of Cannabis Concentrates for Beginners

Of course, with so many concentrates to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down what types you should try first. We suggest these four concentrates the first few times you try. Also, don't forget to follow proper dabbing etiquette when taking your hit.

CBD Oil

Not everyone wants to experience a high. Many people look to cannabis as an alternative medicinal supplement - CBD offers a lot of potential benefits, such as the treatment of PTSD, epilepsy, anxiety, depression, addiction and insomnia (to name a few), and CBD oil is an excellent way to experience the positive effects without having to light up CBD flower. CBD oil can be added to almost any type of food or drink, making it incredibly versatile. Especially if you're new to cannabis entirely, dabbing CBD oil might be the best place to start your concentrate journey.

Tinctures

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Not dissimilar to CBD oil, tinctures are liquid cannabis concentrates produced through an alcohol extraction process that leaves only certain cannabinoids (like CBD and THC). With an apothecary-style stopper, the cannabis oil inside can be collected and placed directly under your tongue or added to drinks and snacks. The effects are felt in about 20-30 minutes if consumed by placing directly under the tongue, and tinctures themselves come in a wide variety of potency and flavor. Unlike many other types of concentrates, tinctures off a non-smoking cannabis experience - something that many are drawn to.

Vape Pens

To say that a vape pen is a concentrate is not technically correct. Vape pens are, rather, a vehicle for concentrates - they heat a given concentrate, often oil or resin, into a smokable vape that is easier on the lungs than smoking straight flower but is still fast-acting and heavy-hitting (you should feel the effects within a few minutes). Vape pens are a great way to introduce yourself to concentrates because they are so controllable. They are also very similar to the traditional smoking experience, so people who don't know how to use THC concentrates don't need to worry about it. They are very easy to use with just the push of a button and you're good to go. Additionally, they are discreet, portable, efficient and fairly cost-effective.

Kief

Kief a great concentrate to start with if you already smoke weed because you likely already have everything you need. Kief is a collection of a cannabis plant's trichomes, the resinous colorful nodes on the end of the bud that are filled with THC, CBD, terpenes and other compounds critical to marijuana's effects. To make your own potent kief, all you need is a 3-piece grinder. The third compartment is important because it collects the fine leftover pieces of ground flower, leaving you with kief. Mix kief into a bowl or joint, or press it into hash for a more potent experience!

Have you already started experimenting with concentrates or are you an expert? Let us know what your favorite concentrates are and what tips you have for beginners looking to try concentrates for the first time. Comment below!