Cannabis Vape Products
Cannabis is no longer limited to just flowers. There are a variety of ways to consume now, but one of the top options? Cannabis vapes.
A Closer Look at
Marijuana Vape Products
Vaping cannabis is a way of consuming cannabis by inhaling vaporized cannabinoids. Vaping occurs at a lower temperature than smoking weed, which produces smoke containing hundreds of chemicals and toxins.
Vaping involves heating cannabis without a flame, using convection and conduction. This process regulates temperature so that the cannabis doesn’t burn and produce smoke. Vapor often imparts a fuller flavor and smoother inhale than smoke.
What Are Cannabis Vapes?
You can vaporize fresh cannabis flower using a dry herb vape device. You can also vape cannabis concentrates using a dabbing device or pre-filled vape cartridges. The cannabis industry borrowed an idea of vape carts from the nicotine industry, utilizing heat to change an oil contained in a cartridge to vapor for inhalation. The technology of vapes remains the same from nicotine to cannabis vapes… but the ingredients differ. Vapes may contain THC, CBD, and a variety of terpenes, all extracted from cannabis strains.
Vaping Flower Versus Concentrates
Flower is still the most popular cannabis product, but vaping flower has several advantages over smoking them. Vaping allows you to zero in on a strain’s flavor profile and unique characteristics. You won’t have to deal with smoke or lingering weed smell.
You can also adjust the temperature to get the most out of your flower, as different compounds have different decarboxylation temperatures.
Concentrate vaporizers, or e-rigs, allow you to dab easily. Dabs are an especially potent form of cannabis that can be taken by using a water attachment for smooth hits.
Concentrates are much stronger than flowers, with THC levels between 50-80%. Flower generally ranges from 15-25%, and sometimes higher, THC.
Best Temps for Vaping Cannabis
Despite the myth that the term “710” comes from dabbing at 710ºF, that is way too hot and you should never be dabbing or vaping at that temperature. To avoid compromising the terpene profiles of your fresh cannabis flower, your decide should be set to 325-430ºF.
Concentrates contain less plant material than fresh flower so you can heat your device a bit more than you would your flower, but we still recommend keeping it between 400-600ºF. Some might argue that when you go above 500ºF you compromise the full flavor spectrum and balance of cannabinoids and terpenes in your extracts.
Why Temperature Matters for Vaping
- Trichomes: Cannabis flowers produce these tiny structures that pump out resin loaded with psychoactive and medicinal molecules.
- It Can Be Manipulated: By modifying vaporization temperature, cannabis users can optimize the concentration of specific molecules in each hit.
CBG (cannabigerol): Offers painkilling and anti-inflammatory effects.
THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin): Can help to suppress the effects of THC and may combat pain and inflammation.
CBC (cannebichromene): Appears to reduce swelling and preserve mammalian brain cells.
Common Types of Cannabis Vape Products
Although you can vaporize cannabis in a number of ways, the three most common are vaping extracted oil, vaporizing fresh flower or vaporizing cannabis concentrates (more on that in our Guide to Concentrates).
Devices for Dry Herb Vaping
Portable Dry Herb Vaporizers
These personal handheld devices are designed for vaporizing flower. An internal oven heats the cannabis to a precise temperature to produce vapor you can then inhale. Smoking makes you lose between 15%-20% of the potency of your herbs. Vaporizing, on the other hand, produces vapor at a much lower temperature, preserving all of the desired compounds of your herb. The result is vapor that is much purer, much stronger, and uses less flower per dose..
Tabletop Vaporizers
Also known as desktop vaporizers, tabletop vaporizers are cannabis vaporizing systems that require a flat surface to rest on - the most common in the industry is the Volcano. Tabletop vaporizers offer a power boost, with the added bonus of no charging, and potent results by eliminating the typical battery system and utilizing a wall outlet instead. Daily cannabis users can benefit from these features, but the benefits may come at the cost of portability and large space requirements.
Vape Products for Oil and Distillate
Vape Oil Cartridges
A cannabis vape cartridge is used in tandem with a vape pen. The vape pen’s battery heats the oil contained in the cartridge to a pre-set temperature, changing the oil from a viscous liquid to a vapor.
Vape Pen or Vape Battery
A cannabis cartridge requires a vape pen with a charged battery for proper use and effect. A vape pen is an electronic device that uses heat to vaporize THC distillate oil.
Cannabis cartridges usually screw onto the top of your vape pen’s battery while pods usually slide onto a compatible pen.
Traveler, All-In-One Vapes (Disposables)
Traveler, disposable vape pens deliver cannabis oil through a high-quality, ready to use system. These reliable products are typically free of buttons and offer the convenience of disposability. Traveler All-in-one portable vape pens are lightweight and discreet, perfect for on-the-go cannabis users.
Cannabis Vape Cartridge Types
Cannabis cartridges prefilled with cannabis oil are often simply referred to as “vape carts,” though not all vape carts contain the same product. Distillate is the most common vaping oil. A distillate is a type of cannabis oil - though like the adage all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, all distillates are cannabis oils, but not all oils are distillates. To be classified as a distillate, the oil must be stripped of other materials and compounds—including terpenes—leaving mostly cannabinoids. There are many cannabis oil products on the market that have not undergone this refinement process.
Vape Distillates
As mentioned, distillate is a form of cannabis oil that has undergone a refining process to remove most other compounds. The remaining product contains the specific desired cannabinoid and can reach levels of purity as high as 99% THC. Terpenes may be infused back into the final distillate product to create a strain-specific experience.
Sauce Carts
Sauce is a viscous cannabis product —THCA crystals are present in the extract, but the terpene sauce is prominent, and where the concentrate gets its name. This cannabis extract has a strong terpene aroma and is known for the full-flavor, strain-like experience it provides.
CO2 Cartridges
CO2 oil is a type of cannabis oil extracted by using liquid carbon dioxide. CO2 can be used to create cannabis cartridges, or further manipulated to create shatter, crumble and other cannabis concentrates.
Live Resin Carts
Live resin is a type of full spectrum oil that is crafted from flash-frozen marijuana buds to preserve maximum terpene levels. It is a high-terpene live hash oil that provides a full blast of scent and flavor reminiscent of the original plant. This product can be found in cartridge form and vaped like other types of cannabis extracts.
Solventless Rosin Cartridges
The highest quality of vape cartridges, rosin stands out in the cannabis oil vape market. The oil is made without using solvents during the extraction and purification process; trichomes, the small hair-like structures on cannabis flower where cannabinoids and terpenes are produced, are collected. These beneficial plant compounds are extracted using only heat and pressure, creating a solventless vape option that tastes like the strain it was extracted from. You’ll find solventless rosin cartridges at only the highest quality dispensaries.
