Different Types of Wax Dabs: A Comprehensive Beginner Guide

If you're brand new to dabbing, it can be a confusing new world. There are all kinds of gear to get straight, and different types of concentrates you can use.

Concentrates or wax dabs are considered to be an ideal way to enjoy the many benefits that cannabis has to offer in an incredibly potent, cost-effective way.

There are a wide variety of terms for wax, but they are made with a few specific methods. Each term used hints at the texture, color, and malleability of the particular type of wax.

Knowing the basics helps cannabis consumers get a feel for what they are looking for when it comes to truly enjoying their own personal smoking experience.

In this in-depth primer, we will discuss the different types of wax dabs and their characteristics as well as how they can boost your high for the best session.

What is a Wax Dab?

A wax dab refers to a concentrated form of cannabis known for its varied texture and amplified potency.

Wax Dabs can vary in texture and exist in a variety of types including shatter, wax, budder, or crumble.

These extractions contain all of the cannabinoids and terpenes of the cannabis, but without the plant material. Therefore, per ounce, dabs deliver a more potent experience than flower.

How to make a wax dab?

When it comes to how to make dabs or wax dabs, they can be produced using a range of solvent-based and solventless extraction methods.

Popular solvents used for extraction include CO2, butane, propane, and ethanol.

Solvent-based extraction will make many different consistencies, textures, and user experiences, depending on how the product is treated.

Usually solventless extracts are more expensive and difficult to locate.

Different Types of Wax Dabs

Wax Dabs are categorized by their appearance, texture, and method of extraction. Let's look at the most common types of dabs.

1. Shatter

Resembling glass, and is usually between a golden and bright amber color, shatter is a transparent and solid extract.

It offers a potent experience and is favored for its purity and clean taste.

Shatter is extracted using butane hash oil (BHO) and is often bought in parchment paper as it has a sticky surface.

Shatter can't be smoked easily because of its high evaporation point.

Generally, you will have to use either a butane torch or a nail rig that you can heat up to 600 F before you can vaporize shatter.

2. Wax

With a consistency similar to earwax or honey, this form of dab is easier to handle than shatter.

It often contains a high THC content, producing a powerful and long-lasting high.

Wax can range from crumbly (crumble) to sticky (budder), each offering a slightly different texture and flavor profile.

It's most commonly extracted via a butane extraction method, and it's very versatile.

In addition to dabbing, waxes can be mixed into joints, blunts, or bong bowls to boost their potency.

3. Budder

Budder or Badder has a reputation as the cleanest concentrate available, as well as one of the most potent.

On average, you can expect an average of 90% THC and 99% purity.

As the name implies, this type of wax has the consistency of a stick of butter or cake batter.

It is a more oily or softer texture than the previous types of wax discussed and tends to be bright yellow to orange in color.

Its consistency makes it easy to handle and to spread on a variety of things including joints, blunts, or dab rig bowls -- like adding icing on top of a cake.

It tends to be on the higher end given its elaborate production process and high THC content.

4. Crumble

Crumble is a type wax that is looser and drier than other extracts.

Sometimes called “honeycomb,” it breaks apart easily. Therefore, when you use a dab tool to scoop it up, it will fall apart easily upon contact.

Its color is similar to badder, being anywhere from yellow to orange, but has a matte finish to it instead of a glossy saucy glaze.

It is usually cheaper than other solvent extracts because it is more difficult to handle.

However, the exceptionally low moisture content guarantees that mould contamination won't occur.

5. Rosin

Rosin is one of the most popular types of dabs amongst users looking for a more natural extract.

Produced by pressing cannabis flower, hash, or kief under heat and pressure, rosin is a solvent-less extract.

It looks a lot like fudge or toffee, with a crumbly consistency and light brown color.

Rosin packs high potency and flavor, as it retains more of the natural terpenes and flavonoids from the original plant.

In addition to dabbing, rosin is also used in high-potency vape cartridges, a bowl or bong, and added to a cannabis edible.

6. Live Resin

Live resin is considered to be one of the highest quality types of wax available.

Different from rosin, live resin is made using solvent butane.

The reason it is called “live resin” is because it is made from fresh frozen cannabis plants instead of dried plant material.

The plants are kept below freezing from being harvested until the finished product is generated.

Live resin is particularly simple to deal with because of its thick, wasabi-sauce-like consistency.

Additionally, the resin has a higher concentration of terpenes and a richer flavour and scent due to the extraction process.

For this reason, live resin is considered a high-end concentrate by canna connoisseurs.

7. Terp Sauce

Terp sauce, also known simply as sauce, is a very goopy, sticky extraction of cannabinoids with an extremely high level of terpenes.

It's made by allowing the concentrate to separate into two layers during the purging process, with the terpenes rising to the top.

Terpenes gives it the flavor and smell, so sauce, tends to be very aromatic and flavorful.

It often contains small granular crystals. The color can range from amber to a soft yellow.

Best used with an electric dab rig. Requires lower temperature to moderate temperature.

8. Crystalline

Crystalline is the most potent variety of dabs. It is pure cannabinoid crystals with a full spectrum of cannabinoids.

Crystalline ranges in color from see-through clear to cloudy yellow.

It can often appear like a single chunk of crystal that can be broken into smaller pieces to dab.

9. Diamonds

If crystalline is made up of a single cannabinoid like THC or CBD it's often called Diamond.

Usually, on their own, diamonds don't contain a lot of terpenes nor are very flavorful.

This is why people frequently mix them with terp sauce while dabbing them.

10. Cannabis Oil

Cannabis oil, sometimes called distillate, is a thick, runny, oily liquid. Because it's so runny, it's not the best material for dabbing.

However, it's commonly used in vape cartridges, and it's great for cooking edibles. Oils are also a good base for isolating particular cannabinoids.

As you can see, Cannabis oils may be consumed in a number of ways, depending on how they are extracted and refined.

Oil usually are made using BHO (Butane hash oil). In addition to that, CO2, alcohol and propane are other forms of solvent extraction.

The Benefits of Dabbing

The main advantage of Dabbing is that it provides fast and powerful results.

You won't have to wait long to feel the effects of a wax dab, and the effects tend to be quite strong and potent.

Cannabis flower typically has a potency between 15-25% THC, but concentrates are usually in the 60-90% THC range, which means it doesn't take much to get profoundly high.

In addition, Dabbing is also a smokeless consumption method, getting THC or CBD with fewer of the toxins that come from burning dry flower.

Best Ways to Enjoy Cannabis Wax Dabs

Cannabis enthusiasts have several methods to savor the intensity of wax dabs:

1. Dab Rigs

Dab rigs, are designed specifically for concentrates like wax dabs, offer efficient vaporization.

This method ensures users experience the full potency and flavor profiles of their chosen concentrate.

You simply heat up the nail of the dab rig with the aid of a torch and then add your wax to the nail.

The heat vaporizes the wax, allowing the user to inhale and experience the benefits.

Electric dab rigs are similar to classic glass dab rigs except with a battery powered electric heat source.

2. Nectar Collector

Nectar collectors, or honey straws, are portable devices for dabbing that offer a middle ground between wax pens and a full sized dab rig.

A nectar collector makes dabbing easier than ever. Its vertical and portable design lets you dip its tip in a dab and inhale on-the-go or at home.

You can opt for an Electronic nectar collector, which use heating coils powered by a battery instead of torch so that they can heat up with the touch of a button.

3. Dab Pens

Dabs can also be used in certain types of electric vaporizers, like Dab Pen or wax pen.

Dab pens tailored for cannabis wax provide a more discreet and convenient option for on-the-go consumption.

These pens heat the wax dabs or shatter, transforming it into vapor for inhalation.

4. Vape pens

Vape pens (all-in-ones) and Vape Cartridge products are designed specifically to vaporize cannabis oil.

5. Joints or Bongs

Elevate your smoking experience by adding wax dabs or crumbled-up shatter dabs to your joints, hand pipes or bongs.

This practice intensifies the effects of the flower and introduces new dimensions of flavor.

Overall, The thicker, stickier types of wax are best used with a dab tool and dab rig. But the drier wax or wax that likes to shatter is a bit easier to load into a dab pen.

It all comes down to consistency, but all of the various types of wax will have the same side effects in the end.

Conclusion

There are many different types of wax dabs out there, each with its unique flavor profile and potency.

Whether you prefer a more solid concentrate or a runnier one that's easier to handle, there is something for everyone.

If you're new to dabbing, it's essential to do some research before making your first purchase.

Always start slow and go easy on the dosage until you understand how your body reacts to concentrates.

With time and experimentation, you'll find the perfect concentrate for your dabbing needs!

Keep exploring the diverse world of cannabis concentrates and discover new flavors, effects, and benefits.