CBD Concentrate & Crystals

CBD concentrates are just one of the many forms of cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products. Concentrates include products like CBD Dab Wax, CBD Shatter, CBD Isolate, and any CBD product in a raw, highly-concentrated form.

CBD concentrates – sometimes referred to as isolates – are the immediate product of CBD extraction from hemp plants. Some extraction methods involve explosive solvents that can remain infused in the final product. At Green Roads, we only use a method known as supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. This is the only method that can result in completely solvent-free final CBD concentrates.

CBD itself is an oily, resinous compound found in the flowers of cannabis plants along with about 100 other compounds known as cannabinoids. Supercritical CO2 extraction involves compressing the whole plant at a relatively low temperature, but under high pressure. In these conditions, the carbon dioxide pumped through the mixture takes on the properties of a liquid and a gas. In this “supercritical” state, CO2 will only “isolate” one specific compound from the plant for each specific temperature-pressure combination, within the supercritical range.

This means at a specific temperature and pressure, around 80℉ and 1100 PSI, CBD is the only compound that will be drawn away from the plant material by CO2.

When the mixture is returned to room temperature and atmospheric pressure, all of the CO2 evaporates back into a gas. This leaves nothing but CBD in its purest form, which takes on a sticky, crystalline structure known as shatter because it’s so brittle. With oxidation and exposure to light, the shatter becomes more buttery.

CBD in its most potent, concentrated, or isolated form, is difficult to use to say the least. Unless you have a dab rig, which vaporizes the concentrate for inhalation, the CBD must be precisely weighed for any effective dosing. However, our pharmacist takes this same raw CBD concentrate/isolate and infuses it into various bases to make CBD oil, CBD candies, topical cream, or any of our other product types for easy consumption and effective dosing. If you are looking for an especially potent product, consider the 550 mg CBD oil which is one of our strongest formulations.