Terpenes, also known as terpenoids, or terps, are compounds produced in the flower and leaves of the cannabis plant. (via shopbotanist) In today’s age many take in consideration the terpene content of cannabis almost as much as the potency of THC and CBD in a strain.
However, when creating cannabis concentrates terpenes are constantly in danger of being eliminated and are sometimes completely lost. This is because terpenes are a fragile element of cannabis and many extraction methods inadvertently remove terpenes from the mix.
This goes the same for filling cartridges as well. Many cartridge fillers are unable to protect terpenes due to a lack of control but we’ll get into that later. Here’s we’ll discuss why terpenes are important and how to get an oil cartridge machine that keeps them intact.
What Are Terpenes?
Terpenes are the primary elements of the essential oils in plants. They account for the cannabis plant’s flavor and aroma. Cannabis strains are often defined based on their terpenes. Name’s like Tangerine Dream and Super Lemon Haze are all based on the smell and taste attributed by terpenes.
Terpenes don’t just account for the aroma and taste however. Terpenes often combined with the other cannabinoids in cannabis create what has been known as “The Entourage Effect.” This effect is often described as a sensation formed from the synergy of all the different compounds when consuming cannabis. Many users prefer strains that can best make use of this effect so you can understand why protecting terpenes is so important.
How Do Terpenes Get Removed?
During the extraction process, for many oils and distillates, terpenes are lost usually in the pursuit of higher THC levels but the two aren’t mutually exclusive to one another. It’s possible to get high THC levels and keep your terpenes intact with the correct extraction and filling methods.
Oil concentrates like distillates have had all of their other cannabinoids and terpenes removed and separated in the extraction process to form a stronger concentration of THC. However, many distillate manufacturers will re-add terpenes to determine the final aroma and taste of the their products. These terpenes are either derived naturally or created artificially as you would expect with any type of flavoring.
Concentrates such as Live Resin are able to keep just about all of their natural terpenes in the extraction process because the plants used have been flash frozen to preserve them. Making sure terpenes aren’t lost in live resin is extremely important to end users because they’re most likely paying a bit more for them.
Speaking of which, temperature is one of the most important factors in whether terpenes are lost in the cannabis oil vaping process. When vaping cannabis oils, you’re usually missing out on flavor with the higher the temperature you vaporize your oils. This is because the terpenes are getting burnt in the process!
This is also possible during the heating process when filling cannabis oil cartridges. Many fillers will heat the oils too high and end up ruining the terpenes. This is why you need to be careful with how you fill your oil cartridges.
A Cartridge Filler for Protecting Terpenes
Considering terpenes are often loss due to high heats, CoolJarz has created a cartridge filling machine that gives you complete control of how hot your oils can get with the HotShot 1500 cartridge filler machine.
The HotShot is able to control temperatures with half-degree accuracy all the way up 170 degrees Fahrenheit. This means precision heating for your oils, exactly the way you want them.
This is including a wide range of oil viscosities that may be too difficult for many other cartridge fillers on the market. The HotShot 1500 is capable of handling oil viscosities anywhere from olive oil, glycerine, all the way up to Honey.
This is because of the power that the HotShot is able to put out to dispense thicker oils at lower temperatures, all without the need for an outside pump.
Conclusion
Terpenes can be extremely important to cannabis oil cartridges as the flavors and aromas they produce often define the oil themselves. If your customers are looking for specific terpenes in their concentrates, don’t destroy them!
To maintain the terpenes in your cannabis oil, use a cartridge filler machine that allows you to control your temperatures, and can dispense higher viscosities at lower temps. You can do this with the HotShot 1500 cartridge filler machine.
For more information about CoolJarz HotShot, or cannabis packaging in general, visit CoolJarz.com or Contact Us! We’ll be happy to help!
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