What is Budder?

Budder is a concentrate that is whipped under heat to create a cake batter consistency. It sounds like butter but is definitely not to be confused with cannabis butter. This is somewhere between a solid and liquid in texture. Some people think of frosting or peanut butter to describe it. You can call it a type of cannabis wax.

The colourations see browns, green-browns, yellows, oranges, and also very golden. This depends on the batch and how it was made. Some people say a bright blond colour shows it is good quality. Perhaps there is truth to this, but quality budder is not solely defined by colouration.

Budder has a high moisture content and is packed with terpenes. Terpenes are the natural compounds found in cannabis that give it the aromatic and flavour properties we attribute to it. This means that when it’s consumed, it has a rich flavour and showcases all that terpenes have to offer. It is thought that terpenes have medicinal and therapeutic properties. This is an added bonus for recreational users!
How is it Made?
A lot of budder is being manufactured lately due to its rise in popularity. In order to make it, you need a solvent to extract it. This is typically done with butane or carbon dioxide as the solvent. The solvent’s job is to blast through the plant material in order to get to the THC and pull it out. This purge occurs when heat and air pressure are added.

There are other cannabis concentrates for sale that are made in a similar manner, like shatter. Concentrates made this way are called butane hash oils, butane honey oils, or most commonly as BHOs. You will see this name thrown around a lot if you are shopping for concentrates. It basically means that butane was the solvent used in the process.

Now let’s get back to when the purge occurs in the process to make budder. This is when cannabinoids are extracted. THC is a cannabinoid. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one, too. So when these cannabinoids are extracted, they start to form crystals as they’re agitated and moved about. If the plant is purged at a high temperature or whipped at the middle or end of the purge, then you get shatter. Alternatively, when it is delicately whipped throughout the process, then budder is created. This doesn’t change the potency, just the final texture. And consequently, the name and product too.

Two cautionary notes in regard to how budder is made. First, never put budder in edibles. The name could make it sound inviting, but poisoning could occur if it is ingested. Since butane or another equally strong solvent could have been used, it should not be eaten. Secondly, make sure you buy budder from a reputable dispensary instead of making it at home. Butane is highly flammable. You get the picture.
The Best Way to Use Budder
Budder is recommended and best experienced as a dab. For those unfamiliar with dabbing, it is done in a variety of ways. It is the means of smoking or vaporising hash oil. The oil is heated to a very high temperature, to where the concentrate or oil evaporates in a controlled manner and is inhaled by the user.

A dab rig is a common and one of the more traditional methods used in dabbing. This is pretty similar to a bong or water pipe, except it doesn’t have a bowl. Instead of a bowl, the dab rig has two other components: a nail and dome. A torch is used to place an extremely hot and concentrated flame on the nail. The concentrate is then added to the nail, which vaporizes it upon touch. The dome directs the airflow into the apparatus, and the evaporated mass can be inhaled. To an inexperienced user, the whole experience looks very similar to a bong hit.

There are so many other ways to dab. The variety and choice of tools can be overwhelming. It can also be extremely geeky for us cannabis nerds out there.