Cannabis Concentrates Explained
Live resin, rosin, shatter, diamonds, sauce: what every concentrate actually is, what it looks like, how it is made and the rigs, bangers and tools that handle it best. Plain English, with photos and illustrations.
The guide
Every concentrate type
Live Resin
Made from plants frozen right after harvest, so it keeps more aroma. Usually a sticky, glossy sauce or badder.
Rosin
Pressed out with only heat and pressure, no solvents. Golden and sappy when fresh, soft and creamy once it cools.
Shatter
Glassy, see-through and brittle, it snaps like hard candy. One of the easiest concentrates to handle.
Wax
Opaque, soft and waxy, somewhere between budder and crumble. Also a catch-all name for many concentrates.
Budder
Whipped smooth and creamy, like softened butter. Opaque, easy to scoop and easy to load.
Badder
Soft, whipped and glossy, like cake batter. Wetter than budder and easy to scoop.
Crumble
Dry and crumbly, like feta cheese or honeycomb. Breaks apart easily and is easy to sprinkle.
Sugar
Grainy and wet, like brown sugar soaked in syrup. Sticky and full of aroma.
Sauce
Runny, syrupy and packed with aroma, often with crystals settled in it. Needs a scoop tool.
Diamonds
Hard, clear crystals that grow out of a sauce. Usually sold together with the sauce they formed in.
Distillate
Clear, thick, honey-like oil refined down to mostly one compound. Fills most vape cartridges.
Live Rosin
Pressed from ice water hash made from fresh frozen plants. Solventless, aromatic and soft.
Cold Cure Rosin
Rosin cured cool until it turns creamy, opaque and buttery. Solventless and easy to scoop.
Bubble Hash
Ice water hash made with only ice, water and mesh bags. Sandy to doughy, and the base for live rosin.
Kief
Loose, powdery resin glands that collect in a grinder's bottom chamber. The simplest concentrate there is.
Side by side
How do concentrates compare?
Every concentrate sorted by texture, with how it is made, what it starts from and how it feels to handle.
From runny to firm
Hover or tap a concentrate below to see where its texture sits.
| Concentrate | Family | Texture | Made with | Starts from | How it handles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Resin | Solvent-based | Sticky sauce, badder or sugar | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Fresh frozen plants | Very sticky; scoop or hot knife |
| Rosin | Solventless | Sappy to soft and creamy | Heat and pressure only | Flower, kief or hash | Soft and tacky; easy to scoop |
| Shatter | Solvent-based | Hard, glassy and brittle | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Dried, cured plants | Snaps clean; easy to load |
| Wax | Solvent-based | Opaque, soft and waxy | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Dried, cured plants | Soft and tacky; paddle or pick |
| Budder | Solvent-based | Smooth, creamy and buttery | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Dried, cured plants | Holds its shape; scoop or paddle |
| Badder | Solvent-based | Soft, whipped and glossy | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Dried or fresh frozen plants | Sticky; scoop or hot knife |
| Crumble | Solvent-based | Dry, crumbly and light | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Dried, cured plants | Dry; can scatter; scoop it |
| Sugar | Solvent-based | Wet, grainy and sugary | Hydrocarbon solvent, purged | Dried or fresh frozen plants | Sticky; scoop it |
| Sauce | Solvent-based | Runny and syrupy with crystals | Hydrocarbon solvent, separated | Usually fresh frozen plants | Runny; scoop or spoon tool |
| Diamonds | Solvent-based | Hard, clear crystals | Hydrocarbon solvent, crystallized | Usually fresh frozen plants | Hard; crush or pair with sauce |
| Distillate | Refined | Thick, clear oil | Distillation, heat and vacuum | A crude extract | Thick oil; cart or syringe |
| Live Rosin | Solventless | Soft, glossy to creamy | Ice water, heat and pressure | Fresh frozen plants, washed to hash | Soft and tacky; scoop it |
| Cold Cure Rosin | Solventless | Creamy, opaque and buttery | Heat, pressure, then cool curing | Fresh pressed rosin | Soft; holds shape; scoop it |
| Bubble Hash | Solventless | Sandy to doughy | Ice, water and mesh bags | Dried or fresh frozen plants | Dry; crumble or scoop it |
| Kief | Solventless | Fine, dry powder | Screens only, no solvent | Dried flower | Loose; scrape and sprinkle |
How they are made
What are the three families of concentrates?
Solvent-based
Made in a licensed lab by dissolving the resin out of the plant with a hydrocarbon solvent such as butane or propane, then purging the solvent. Shatter, wax, budder, badder, sugar, sauce, diamonds and live resin start here.
Solventless
Made with only screens, ice water, heat or pressure, so no chemical ever touches the resin. Kief and dry sift, bubble hash, rosin, live rosin and cold cure rosin belong to this family.
Refined
Extracts processed further, for example by distillation, until one compound makes up most of the product. Distillate is the main example and fills most vape cartridges.
Shop the gear
Gear for every concentrate
Questions
Concentrates FAQ
What are cannabis concentrates?
Concentrates are products made by separating the resin from cannabis plant material. They come in many textures, from runny sauce to glassy shatter to sandy kief, and they are usually dabbed in a rig or e-rig, vaporized in a concentrate pen, or sprinkled on a bowl.
What is the difference between solvent-based and solventless concentrates?
Solvent-based concentrates like shatter, budder and live resin are made by dissolving the resin with a hydrocarbon solvent in a licensed lab, then purging the solvent. Solventless concentrates like bubble hash and rosin are made with only screens, ice water, heat and pressure.
What does live mean on a concentrate?
Live means the plants were frozen right after harvest instead of being dried and cured. Live resin and live rosin are both made from that fresh frozen material. The difference is that live resin uses a solvent and live rosin does not.
What gear do I need for concentrates?
Most people use either a glass dab rig with a quartz banger, a torch and a carb cap, or an electric dab rig that controls the temperature for you. You also need a dab tool to handle the concentrate and an airtight container to store it.
Does Angies Boutique sell concentrates?
No. Angies Boutique sells the gear: glass dab rigs, electric rigs like the Puffco Peak Pro and Dr. Dabber Switch 2, quartz bangers, carb caps, dab tools, vaporizers and storage. We are a Los Angeles smoke shop and glass gallery, open since 1990.
For adults 21 and over. This guide is general education about concentrate textures and the accessories used with them. It is not medical advice and makes no health claims. Angies Boutique does not sell cannabis or concentrates; we sell glass, vaporizers, tools and accessories. Laws differ by state, so follow the laws where you live. Photo credits.