We just pulled a great batch of earwax hash oil that is very strong and very tasty. It's a sub-critical butane extraction that preserved the flavor of the product that we used to make it really well. Do you use/make hash oil? What type to you prefer? What are your other experiences with concentrates?
Can you explain what a subcritical butane extraction is compared to a standard butane extraction, or are all butane extractions subcritical?
Good question. We recently researched the difference as well. There is sub-critical and super-critical. Most any butane extraction is going to be made using a sub-critical method. The equipment required for a super-critical extraction is really expensive and requires more than your garden variety extract artist is capable of putting together. Sub-critical is when the solvent used changes states as butane does from liquid to gas in our extraction method. Butane, that is a solvent of THC, is run through product and then evaporated out of the extraction using warm water. Sub-critical extractions can be done using hexane, water(not for marijuana), or ethanol. Super-critical is much more complicated and involves keeping the solvent in its liquid state while removing the extract from it. It requires a closed system that can hold pressure. Typically Co2 is used in super-critical extractions. Decaffinated coffee is made using a super-critical extraction method. read more here: Supercritical fluid extraction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I got it. Thanks for the explanation. I've only ever seen supercritical CO2 extractors. Anyhow, I use a Tamisium table top extractor. It is actually a closed system that recovers the solvent. You can use just about any solvent. Heat or cool the system or system components. You can also add and remove pressure from the system, do multi solvent extractions and recover each solvent individually, yada, yada, yada. I went with the super deluxe package number 4 and I ordered the carrying case. I got it a couple months ago, and haven't really smoked weed since. I love BHO and my Tamisium!
Check them out. They make huge commercial units too, but don't talk about weed. You are making lavender extracts. He won't sell to peeps in the weed game because of the federal situation. Also look at Eden Labs. They make a lot of different extractors that range from around $1000 to hundreds of thousands. Obviously you can imagine the safety and cost improvements with a closed system that recovers any solvent.
The safety improvement is a huge one for us, as everything we do is above the table and will certainly need the approval of our local bureaucrats.
I love me my Butane Honey Oils! I still love a great QWISO too though. But I prefer the taste, look, and high of BHO anyday of the week. Nothing like it. The beautiful thing about BHO is all the colours and flavors that can come from all the different strains. Every run is like a Christmas.