THCA diamond concentrates are relatively new to the cannabis world, but they have extraordinary potency. Pure THCA diamonds, also known as THC crystalline, can have up to 99.9% THC content, making them the most potent THC product on the market. If you are looking for the most extreme form of cannabis consumption, this is probably it.
Although there is a lot of hype about THCA crystals in the cannabis industry, many cannabis consumers are still confused about what they are and how they are made. People have a lot more questions that need to be answered. How does THCA achieve its crystal formation or solid form? What is this process called diamond mining? Do these highly potent cannabis products deliver the same psychoactive effects as other concentrates? Can you buy them in the legal market?
This article is the right piece to read if you are curious about these things. Let us get right on to it.
What are THCA Diamonds?
THC is the most abundant psychotropic cannabinoid in cannabis, but before it becomes the intoxicating compound we all know about, it starts in its acid form called THCA. It transforms into THC and produces the famous high when exposed to heat.
When THCA is extracted and turned into sauce, a cannabis concentrate with a runny texture and high levels of terpenes, the THCA can clump together and turn into crystals. Their solid form gives them the appearance of diamonds, so they are also called diamonds.
How does this happen? Technicians create sauce using a closed-loop system. Instead of purging all solvents from the solution, the technicians leave 10-15% of the solvent and slowly purge them. This method allows the major cannabinoids to naturally separate from the other compounds. Hence, the THCA separates from the terpene-rich solution and gradually forms solid crystalline structures or diamonds.
The sauce can thus contain THCA diamonds in a terpene-rich liquid. The THC diamonds can be further processed and separated from the solution. They can be refined into a powdery concentrate called crystalline THCA.
Terpene Sauce Vs. Crystalline Diamonds
Diamonds can be created from the sauce. You may be familiar with vape cartridges that contain terpene sauce. The terp sauce is often the result of separating the cannabis diamonds from the initial sauce. When you remove the diamonds, what is left is a solution rich in terpenes.
However, there is another way to produce diamonds, and that is by isolating THCA from refined oil. The result is pure crystalline THCA. The only difference between the two kinds of diamonds is how they were extracted. The first kind is usually packaged with the high-terpene sauce, while the other is packed in its isolated form. Nevertheless, they are both crystalline structures of THCA>
Properties of Crystalline THCA
Crystalline THCA is by far the most concentrated form of the cannabinoid. At 99% potency, it must require a tedious process of purification that comes at a high cost. Nonetheless, the resulting product leaves no room for other compounds. That also means that all the terpenes have been purged, leaving the final product tasteless and odourless. The way around this is to coat the diamonds in terpene sauce before selling them to the public. Therefore, highly potent diamonds can be paired with great terpene profiles.
Having no terpenes in the first place is not necessarily bad. Isolating THCA allows technicians to control when using THCA in different applications. They can easily measure the amount of THCA they need to put into blended products. With high accuracy, technicians can develop products that yield other effects.
With THCA diamonds, technicians can make potent and flavorful products using terpene extracts. They can also create hybrid products with varying CBD and THC ratios. With isolated cannabinoids, the applications are endless.
What is Diamond Mining?
Diamond mining sounds like an expensive endeavour, but it is only an industry term used to refer to the process of producing THCA diamonds by allowing them to crystallize from cannabis sauce. The size of the crystals will depend on a variety of factors. Nevertheless, big diamonds can be separated from the sauce quickly.
Diamond mining produces two kinds of products that can be sold separately or combined. The first is the THCA diamond, and the second is the terp sauce. Terp sauce contains a heavy percentage of terpenes, more than 50%, and some other cannabinoids.
Do THCA Diamonds Get You High?
If you consume THCA without applying heat, it will not get you high at all. However, when heated, the THCA in the diamond transforms into THC and becomes intoxicating. Hence, if you prefer to get high from consuming THCA diamonds, vaporize them or use them in any way involving heat. You can use a dab-rig or a tabletop vaporizer to transform THCA into THC. As the vapour hits your lungs, the THC travels into the bloodstream and into the endocannabinoid system to do its magic.
How to Make THCA Diamonds
There are two ways to make crystalline THC. The first method is the usual multi-step procedure to make isolated crystalline cannabinoids. The second method is through the unique solvent removal process involved in the closed-loop system. It is the same formula used to process solvent-based concentrates. The only difference is how the solvent is removed.
The Crystalline Method
The method requires placing highly refined cannabis concentrate into a solvent to create a supersaturated solution. The solvent separates all the lipids and terpenes from the cannabinoid. The solvent is purged from the solution slowly by applying the right amount of heat and pressure. The solvent evaporates gradually, and the crystals form. However, the THCA will only precipitate and form crystalline structures given the proper temperature and concentration.
The Closed-loop System
Solvent extraction methods follow the same procedure. When the plant material is placed into the solvent, the compounds separate into a solution. The solution is composed of both the solvent and the desired compounds from cannabis. The solvent must be removed before the compounds become consumable to leave behind a potent cannabis concentrate.
Usually, the solvent is removed as quickly as possible to produce concentrates. However, this is not the same case when making cannabis sauce with diamonds. The procedure applies a closed-loop system that involves a different way of purging the solvent.
In usual solvent extraction, the technicians use a vacuum oven to remove the solvents from the solution immediately. The closed-loop system leaves around 10-15% of the solvent to produce a supersaturated solution of solvent mixed with THCA. As the solvent purges slowly, the THCA bonds to form crystalline structures. It can take around two days to two weeks for the diamonds to form using this method, depending on the concentration of THCA in the solution.
How Cannabis Diamonds Look
The diamonds will have varying shapes and sizes, but these qualities do not necessarily determine the quality of the material. These qualities can be influenced by various factors, such as temperature, chemical impurities, moisture, and the type of solvent used in extracting the cannabinoid. You can find diamonds in small pieces while others are in large chunks. The factors mentioned above can change the way the crystals form.
The way sugar crystallizes to form molasses is the same. Chemical variables, including terpenes and intruders, can disrupt and change how THCA crystallizes. The solvents can also affect this matter. Therefore, you will find that THCA diamonds have varying shapes and sizes.
Therefore, the shape and size do not necessarily tell the quality of the product but what variables were present during its extraction process and crystallization. The only way to tell the quality of the product is to test it for potency and safety. cannabis concentrates.
How to Enjoy THCA Diamonds
There are several popular ways to enjoy your highly potent cannabinoid crystals.
Smoking
You need a powered form of the diamond for this to work. Sprinkle a small amount of it into a bowl of weed or joint before smoking them. You can also add a small terpene sauce to provide more flavour. If you are working with crystals, smash them into smaller pieces, add a bit of terpene sauce and mix them to your favourite flower.
Vaping
Vaping is a popular way to consume cannabis products. You can add a bit of the substance into a vape device and inhale the resulting vapour. Vaping is a much healthier option than smoking, plus it is more efficient and economical. Be careful when vaping diamonds with sauce. Be sure to use an appropriate device to handle semi-liquid and liquid concentrates.
Dabbing
You can dab diamonds like any other concentrate. However, make sure to add terpene sauce on top of the crushed or powdered diamonds to add flavour and aroma to the vapour. Use the dab tool to handle the concentrate and terp sauce. It can be a bit messy but correctly arranged, and it will give you a potent cannabis experience.
Eating
You can enjoy THCA without getting high. You can do that by ingesting the substance directly without heating it. You may want to do this if you love to experience the potential health benefits of cannabis. Interestingly, THCA has similar effects as CBD and without the psychoactive effects.
If you want to experience the high, you have to decarb the diamonds. It is a risky process because you may end up burning the diamonds. Hence, we recommend that you use regular THC for making psychoactive edibles.
Where to Find Quality THCA Diamonds
Don’t just buy marijuana products from scrupulous illegal traders. Would you please buy it from legal and trustworthy stores such as BuyWeed247? We provide top-quality THCA diamonds with high potency. Check out two of our products:
Valley Farm’s Gorilla Glue #4 THCA Diamonds (Hybrid)
Valley Farm’s Granddaddy Purple THCA Diamonds (Indica)
These diamonds are made of 99% THCA. The remaining 1% includes terpenes and other cannabinoids. The way to unlock THC from these products is to smoke or vaporize them. Always remember that THCA is at least four times more potent than your regular flower. Be cautious about dosing to avoid experiencing the adverse effects of intoxication.
If you want to lessen the potency of the crystalline THC, you can add other less potent concentrates. You may also add CBD concentrate to negate the adverse effects of THC.