by Lucas Kleven, shift lead

Innovation is a major part of the cannabis industry, and we’re constantly moving forward to find the newest ways to enjoy and utilize our favorite plant to reach its full potential and effectiveness, all the way down to most smokers’ humblest beginnings: the pre roll. 

But what if just flower isn’t enough for you? Perhaps you’re looking for a new spin on the old classic. Or maybe you’ve been asked enough times by your budtender, “Infused or uninfused?”, and you’re curious about what that means.

Many farms are infusing their pre rolls with different types of concentrates, and this blog will help you understand the differences between the types of infused pre rolls so you can find the one that’ll smoke best for you.

Solventless infused cannabis pre rolls

Solventless concentrates are made without the use of any form of solvent. This leads to a more natural extraction that includes more terpenes and other cannabinoids extracted from marijuana. The oil itself will test anywhere from 40% to 70% THC, which adds a nice boost to any pre roll. Solventless extracts include kief, hash, bubble hash, and rosin. 

Benefits of solventless-infused cannabis pre rolls

• Cleaner extraction processes

• Carries more terpenes and other minor cannabinoids than other extraction methods

• Adds a good kick without being too much, with more of an adjustable scale

• Very good starting point for those new to infused pre rolls

The following list also acts as a potency scale (from less potent to more potent), as each one of these extracts is essentially a more refined version of the last. 

Kief

• Kief is the trichomes on the dried, cured bud that’s been shaken off and collected. You probably have some in your grinder or noticed the shiny specks in your jars. It can be added to a bowl, infused into a pre roll, or concentrated into hash.

• Examples: Experience Organics and Juicy Joints

Bubble hash and hash

• By compressing and heating kief, you create hash, which starts to get even more potent than kief. Bubble hash has a few more layers of potency added to it, due to the process of preserving and maintaining cannabinoids through an ice bath procedure.

• Examples: Seattle Bubble Works and Falcanna 

Rosin

• Take the same heating and compression process you use for hash, increase the pressure and heat (typically with a press), and you’re making rosin. Now we’re getting more of the trichomes featured in our concentrate, and they are pre-broken, leading to a saucier and more terpene-rich mixture.

• Examples: Stingers and Knots

Non-solventless infused cannabis pre rolls

These extracts require an outside component to act as a solvent in order to dissolve the trichomes containing the cannabinoids and terpenes and separate them completely from the plant matter. Non-solventless extracts include Butane Hash Oil (BHO), Propane Hash Oil (PHO), Distillate, Shatter, Live Resin, and THCa extracts. Typically, these extracts use food-grade solvents like butane, propane, hexane, or ethanol. Due to the isolation capabilities of solvents, these extracts tend to test higher in THC, leading to a noticeable boost in potency to any pre roll. 

Benefits of non-solventless infused cannabis pre rolls

• Noticeably higher intensity

• Tend to test higher on THC values

• Flavored options are available

• Generally, there are more options of this type

Distillate, BHO, PHO, and shatter

• All four of these methods have the same goal in mind: test high in THC. You can find any of these extracts testing upwards of 70% THC by themselves and in a pre roll will give any flower the boost of potency you may be looking for. You can also find pre rolls infused with flavored distillate, if tastiness or discretion is on your mind.

• Examples: Smokey Point and Lazy Bee Gardens 

Live resin

• The creation of live resin utilizes some of the same extraction methods as the previous three; however, with a more preserved flower, live resin maintains a large amount of potency while still keeping a broad spectrum of terpenes and cannabinoids, all increasing flavor and packing a solid punch of THC.

• Examples: Lish and Passion Flower 

THCa

• THCa is the acid form of THC, hence the “a”, and when heated up, it converts to THC. When isolated, THCa crystallizes, and this is then ground up and added to the pre roll or on top of it. Crystalline is the purest form of THCa possible and will be sure to amp up your experience with any pre roll.

• Examples: Super Stingers and Canna Organix 

Other cannabis pre roll infusions and things to know

There are a few other things you’ll find during your adventures in pre roll land that don’t quite fit into the previous two sections.

CO2 extracts are similar to live resins but are extracted using CO2 gas, resulting in an incredibly clean extract. They won’t have as much flavor, but they will have great potency and typically have not as harsh a smoke. 

On the topic of flavor, terpenes are another extract that are infused into pre rolls to add flavor and create certain desirable effects. These terpenes can be isolated from cannabis, fruits, vegetables, and even other plants! Make sure to check out our blog series, “Terpenes 101” (https://seattlehashtag.com/blog/terpenes-101-humulene), to find out more detailed information about specific terpenes.

CO2

• CO2 is a very clean extraction method to the point of it sometimes being called the “solventless solvent”. 

• The effects of CO2 are closer to a live resin, but with less flavor. 

Terpenes 

• Botanically derived terpenes (BDT) are usually extracted from everyday plants, fruits, and vegetables using a steam distillation method. These terpenes are incredibly similar to the same compounds found in cannabis and are usually used for added flavor and, sometimes, effects.

• You can also find terpenes derived from cannabis infused into pre rolls. Terpenes can be isolated and extracted from the plant using many different extraction methods and then added to pre rolls for some flavor, but mostly to increase the potency of their effects.

Things to avoid in infused pre rolls: essential oils, PG, and VG

You will never find a pre roll with essential oils, propylene glycol (PG), or vegetable glycerin (VG) for sale at a Hashtag Cannabis location.

• Essential oils have been used in the past by companies to flavor their pre rolls. When smoked, both of these are known to cause issues in your lungs, especially essential oils as many of them break down into harmful compounds at high temperatures. 

• PG and VG are used in nicotine vape products. Studies are inconclusive and/or negative about the effects these liquids have on people's lungs when vaping. Inhaling them can cause an increase in lung inflammation and harshness on the throat.

The more you know!

And there we have it! You are now fully equipped with the knowledge needed to guide yourself around the infused pre roll section. 

Next time you’re in at your local Hashtag Cannabis, pick up one of the many infused pre rolls featured in this blog, or ask your budtender what they might recommend. You never know when a new favorite may show up!