What’s That Goopy Stuff? An Introduction to the World of Dabs
Then came dabable concentrates, and along with them the need for a myriad of tools and accessories – including a blow torch, a dab rig, and products that look more like something from a beehive than from a cannabis plant.
If you’re looking to find out what exactly a dab is, you’ve come to the right place! This blog post will break it down and help you determine whether dabbing is the best form of cannabis use for you, starting with the basics.
Dab products are potent concentrates that are extracted from the cannabis plant, typically using solvents such as ethanol or hydrocarbon. Because of this extraction process and the risk involved, dab products should only be made by seasoned, knowledgeable professionals in a lab setting that has the appropriate equipment, staff, operational regulations, and safety mechanisms. Explosions and serious injury have occurred when these safety mechanisms are not in place, so it’s not something to mess around with no matter what you might see on YouTube!
After extraction, these concentrates are consumed – or ‘dabbed’ – by being melted on a hot surface and the vapor inhaled, typically using a dab rig. Safety is still an element to be aware of with finished concentrate products, as sloppy or untrained extractors might create products that have contaminants such as pesticides or cutting agents, or an excess of chemical solvents that could be harmful to users. If you’re planning to start exploring the world of dabs, make sure that you are purchasing legal product from companies who are clear and transparent about their safety standards.
If that brief overview of dabbing left you with more questions than it answered, don’t worry – we’ll go through each part, pictures included, beginning with the dabable products themselves.
The Products
As we mentioned above, dab products are concentrated forms of cannabis made by the extraction of cannabinoids (like THC) and other compounds from the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant produces trichomes, which contain a myriad of compounds that can be extracted and used in different ways. Not all of these compounds are useful or beneficial, and the extraction process pulls the compounds that produce a “high” or other desirable effect, and leave the rest (fats, waxes, etc) behind.
Concentrates are either made from cannabis flower that has been harvested and dried, or from flower that has been flash frozen immediately after harvest, locking in the aromatic and flavor profiles of the plant at the peak of the plant’s life cycle. This second type that uses flash frozen flower is called Live Resin – it is a highly advanced extraction technique that is one of Dabstract’s signature processes, and one of the most popular products in the cannabis market today.
There are a variety of different concentrate product form factors, depending on the extraction type and the cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Click on each type below to be taken to that product page with full descriptions, profile information, and photos.
The Tools
To dab a cannabis concentrate product, you need: An element (often a “nail”) that can be heated up to melt the concentrateA “dabber” (a tool used to place the incredibly sticky product on the nail) Something to heat up the nail (often a blowtorch) An inhalation device (typically a dab rig) These are the core elements required to dab cannabis. However, there are amyriad of options available for each element ranging from simple, low cost setups involving handheld blow torches and glass (or metal) nails to pricier electronic tools that remove the need for a blow torch and give the user more temperature control, and even dab attachments that can be used with standard bongs.
The dab rig is the most common tool for dabbing. It is similar to a water bong but made specifically for the purpose of dabbing and involves a nail, a holder, and a dome. The product is put in the holder (using the dabber), the nail is heated with a blow torch, and then the dome is put in place. The hot nail melts the product, creating vapor which is inhaled by the user.
Is Dabbing Right for You?
Before you head out to buy a blow torch, there are a few questions to ask yourself to help determine whether dabbing is the best form of cannabis use for you.Is portability important to you? Vape products, edibles, tinctures, and standard flower are more convenient and discreet for on-the-go use – you don’t see many people hauling around a dab rig and blow torch everywhere they go.How stoned do you want to get? Dab products, with a THC potency range that typically falls between 60-90%, may be overwhelming to new dabbers or cannabis users. Unlike with edibles, vape carts, or flower, the psychoactive “high” from dabbing is immediate and intense. What are your desired effects? Medicinal or recreational? If you’re looking to benefit from the many purported medical benefits of cannabis, dabbing might not be the best place to start.Do you have access to products from legal, safe, well-reputable brands? Just like with any form of cannabis, dab products can be found in a wide range of quality. Since chemicals are used in the extraction process, it is essential to know that your products are coming from a source you can trust. Many dab products use filler agents, pesticides, and residual solvents that are harmful to your health so as always – get to know your favorite brands, and make sure that their safety and quality standards are ones that you can feel good about! If you decide to try dabbing, here are a few tips to ensure a positive experience:
Don’t invest in expensive equipment until you know if dabbing is for you
Do your research to ensure you are purchasing safe, high quality product
Make sure that you know how to properly set up and use your dab equipmen
Start out slow to see how your body responds
Clean your dab rig after use to prevent a buildup of residue
Dab products are our area of expertise at the Dabstract lab and we are committed to continually honing and refining the art of our craft, while providing our consumers with top-shelf product that contains 100% cannabis with safety standards that exceed state mandated requirements.