Pour Some Sugar (Wax) on Me

How is sugar wax made? 

The most common solvent-based method used to produce sugar wax is butane extraction, but other solvents, like ethanol or CO2, are used as well. Essentially, by blasting the cannabis plant material with butane, the gas acts as a solvent and stri

ps the plant material of its most desirable components. What’s left is all the cannabinoids and terpenes of the cannabis flowers and none of the excess plant material. From there, it goes through additional processing to remove leftover butane by way of evaporation and temperature control. 

It’s in the post-extraction processing though that sugar wax differentiates itself from other concentrates like budder or shatter. Interestingly, sugar originated by accident – other extracts gradually turned into sugar over time and voilà! Who doesn’t love a happy accident? Since its flavor profile is so rich and sought after, the process has evolved from an accident to a science. After removing leftover butane, the product must go through a process called nucleation. Nucleation produces crystalline structures by manipulating the environment with proper temperature, humidity or oxygen exposure. Further whipping encourages nucleation to continue, thus resulting in the granular, wet sand-like consistency with low viscosity. 

Nucleation is to thank for sugar’s full-bodied terpene profile and is what makes sugar wax potentially superior, depending on your preference. That being said, a terpene profile’s quality is only as good as the cannabis plant itself. Due to substantial agitation throughout the extraction process, sugars are able to retain the most terpenes from the cannabis plant. 

How to dab your sugar wax 

Like any other cannabis concentrate, sugar wax can be smoked, vaporized or included in edibles. Here, we will be zeroing in on dabbing to fully optimize and appreciate the richness of sugar’s flavor profile. Sure, edibles are more convenient if you don’t already have a dab rig, but allow me to present a case for dabbing. 

Dabbing is for those that aren’t using the product simply as just a means to an end, but want to fully experience the product at its most optimal state. To do so, you must have the proper tools – an e-nail or a dab rig. For those looking for the luxury of convenience, e-nail is the way to go. E-nails make the dabbing process simple by allowing dabbers to choose and maintain a temperature to dab at via an electronic nail. Otherwise, a traditional dab rig set-up will do the trick while requiring just slightly more dexterity needed in manually heating your nail with a torch.  

For optimal sugar wax dabbing, a temperature range somewhere between 500 and 750 degrees Fahrenheit is the range you want to hit. In essence, a lower temperature will highlight the flavor and make for a much gentler and balanced high. Whereas, temperatures over 600° will grant you an immediate high, but potentially at the cost of its characteristic terpene profile. High temperatures over 600° run the risk of combusting the product’s terpenes, which results in a burnt flavor and a harsher high.