Since the discovery of the extraction method of cannabis resin by means of solvents (BHO) at the turn of the millennium and the discovery of another extraction method by means of temperature, time, and pressure (Rosin/ SHO) around 2015, numerous different cannabis concentrates exist. Individual products differ not only in the way they are extracted but also in consistency, structure, retention of volatile substances, or proportion of undesirable plant parts such as chlorophyll or lipids, regardless of the specific method. Because the extraction artist has an influence on all these parameters. It is not easy to distinguish between the different consistencies and types of cannabis concentrates due to this huge variety. That's why we're going to explain the differences between BHO and raisin and which consistencies you can find when you buy concentrates or make them yourself.

BHO

BHO literally stands for Butane Hash Oil. Contrary to this term, which was influenced by initial ignorance, it is not oil, but the resin of the cannabis plant. In the vernacular, however, the term "hash oil" has become accepted as a synonym for cannabis concentrates. The term probably dates back to the times of the first big cannabis concentrate, distributed by "cannabis oil pioneer Rick Simpson". He is considered the inventor of the infamous Rick Simpson Oil (RSO). This concentrate, which is comparatively inferior due to high terpene losses and is produced with alcohol and a rice cooker, does indeed have a very oily consistency - but RSO is also a resinous extract. - But back to BHO.

One can dissolve the valuable cannabis resin from flowers or cuttings with quite different solvents.

Butane gas is valued for its good terpene retention properties but also requires a carefully executed extraction process. Other common solvents include Dexso, which, like butane gas, is used by many BHO artists worldwide. It has the advantage of being less reactive, reducing the risk of explosion in case of sparks. Supercritical CO2 is also used for extraction. The advantage here is that the gas disappears immediately during the extraction process and does not have to be degassed first by using a vacuum chamber, as is the case with BHO. But CO2 extraction also has its individual disadvantages, the first of which is the comparatively high loss of terpene.

But no matter which specific solvent is finally chosen: The basis for the solvent-based extraction process is always a glass or metal cylinder in which a certain amount of blossom or cut material from the cannabis plant is tightly packed. This cylinder has an opening at the top and bottom - the gas enters at the top, finds its way through the plant material, dissolves active substances such as cannabinoids and terpenes, and leaves the cylinder together with these substances through the second opening at the opposite end. The active ingredient-gas mixture is then collected by means of PTFE foils (Teflon, anti-adhesive). Except in the case of CO2 extraction, it takes some time for the solvent to evaporate completely from the concentrate before it can be collected and consumed.