CBD distillate is a concentrate produced using distillation to extract CBD and THC. New technologies and state-of-the-art extraction have given far better results than they used to. CBD distillates have been becoming famous because they provide several favorable attributes that a concentrate should offer with a much higher potency.
But what exactly is cannabis distillate? How is it made? How can you use it to get an enhanced experience? In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about cannabis oil distillates.
The Basics
Typically, distillation is a process of purifying any liquid by heating and cooling process. Distillation of the cannabis plant is a process of producing concentrates that are far cleaner and purer on a more molecular level.
In other words, through this process, you extract raw oil from a mature cannabis plant. The oil is also known as crude oil and will have THC and CBD concentration. This concentration varies according to different factors, but it’s usually around 60% to 80%.
The crude oil will also contain terpenes and flavonoids. Each plays a specific role; for example, terpenes are the reason for the odor and taste of the oil.
Along with all of these, the oil will contain a large number of vitamins, antioxidants, and other useful substances.
After the solvent-based extraction process, the oil will be distilled. This is a process that will purify the crude oil to produce more concentrated cannabis. For the distillation process, specialized commercial distillation equipment is used. The CDU 1000 is used, for instance, to distillate the oil.
During this distillation, the producers and processors of cannabis separate THC and extract CBD. Thus, at the end of the distillation process, you’ll get a more refined form of CBD distillate with a purity level as high as 90%.
Terpenes will be present in the remaining portion of the oil, but they do not have much of an effect on the odor or taste of the oil. Besides, you can easily adjust the taste and odor according to your liking by adding extra terpenes.
CBD Extract - Licensed by ShutterStock
How Does the Distillation Work?
Distillation is a process where you heat the liquid until it evaporates without destroying the compounds present in it. Then, the vaporized liquid is turned back into liquid by condensation.
To understand this process more simply, you can take water as an example. When you boil water, it turns into vapors, leaving the dissolved solvent behind. But when the vapors cool down, they immediately turn back into a liquid and the dissolved substances can be easily separated from water.
This is precisely how distillation of crude oil works. After plucking the cannabis plant, it is soaked in a solvent. The solvent can be anything like butane, isopropyl alcohol, or propane. If you are making a homemade concentrate, you can even use ice water. The solvent acts as an agent that binds to the chemical components of the plant.
After discarding the plant matter, the solvent is put through many changes in both temperature and pressure. This process removes the harmful compounds in the liquid.
In the end, the solvent is evaporated, and all that left is the oil known as cannabis oil concentrate. The temperature at which CBD distillates go through destroys many terpenes and flavonoids, but this problem can be solved. You can first boil the liquid at a lower temperature and remove the terpenes and flavonoids before going for THC and CBD.
The equipment used for this process includes a boiling flask, collecting flask, and condensing head. The boiling flask is used to boil the cannabis extract. The condensing head is used to collect the vapors of THC and CBD. Finally, the collecting flask is used to collect the vapors turned into liquid and in the end, you get THC and CBD distillate.
There is more than one method available for the distillation of a cannabis plant. This includes vacuum distillation, short path distillation and fractional distillation. All these methods are popular for producing distillates.
Distillates and Isolates
It’s essential to know the difference between distillates and isolates. The substance you get after the process of distillation has no terpenes in it, so it has no aroma or taste. These are isolates, which are the purest form of THC and CBD.
However, producers add extra terpenes in this substance to give the smell and taste you would normally associate with cannabis. Such substances with the added smell and taste are called distillates. The concentration of THC and CBD in distillates can vary greatly. While it can be 99%, the presence of additional compounds usually lowers the percentage to 80.
How to Use Distillates
There are many ways through which you can enjoy cannabis oil distillates. CBD distillates are a versatile form of cannabis and are becoming more popular day by day.
Pixabay
The most common way to consume cannabis distillate is to either smoke it or vape it. You can either drop a little drop in a joint or consume it by adding the substance in an empty vape cartridge. You can also consume it by dabbing, but if its THC concentration is 99%, you’ll need to be careful.
For people who don’t like to consume their cannabis distillates by dabbing or smoking, they can use it in edibles. If you are using tasteless distillates, your food won’t smell like marijuana and because of decarboxylation, they are already activated and ready to be used.
Cannabis distillates have another popular use in the form of beauty and topical products. You can make your own cannabis-infused topical by simply mixing coconut oil and CBD distillate oil, and you will have a great base with which you can create many topical and beauty products.
Final Thoughts
This advanced way of benefiting from cannabinoids is becoming more popular with time, and distillates are becoming one of the most common products in the cannabis industry. It’s only a matter of time until we see some great changes in how we get benefits out of cannabinoids like CBD and THC.