Who else is all about that sauce?!
HTE, or High Terpene Extract, is made unique by the fact that it retains a full-spectrum blend of cannabinoids and a significant concentration of terpenes, presenting a terpy (or “saucy”) product that mirrors the intricate range of compounds found in the live cannabis plant.
“Full Spectrum” means that the extracted cannabis concentrate product reflects the raw, live cannabis plant in both potency and compound makeup. There are two types of full spectrum products: HTE (High Terpene Extract) and HCE (High Cannabinoid Extract.) HTE typically has a cannabinoid potency of around 50%, while HCE has a much higher potency of around 90%.
The “high” associated with cannabis use can be credited to the well-known cannabinoid THC, while CBD, another well-known cannabinoid, has no psychoactive effect but is credited with a plethora of physical and mental benefits. While terpenes don’t produce a high, they have medicinal properties and when used together they work in tandem with cannabinoids to have a highly potent effect – known as the “entourage effect” – even if the percentage of cannabinoids is lowered by the inclusion of terpenes.
If you’re a regular cannabis concentrate user, you’ve most likely heard the term “entourage effect” thrown around. It basically means that a cannabis compound may have a greater effect – be it relief from a physical ailment or a psychoactive “high” – when combined with other cannabis compounds than when used on its own. This provides an explanation for why an 80% THCa product could be less potent or effective than a high-terpene product with only 50% THCa.
The extraction process pulls the desirable cannabis compounds from the plant, while leaving behind the elements that don’t have psychoactive or therapeutic benefits – the fats, waxes, etc.
An example of a full spectrum extract is Live Resin, which is a highly advanced extraction technique that is one of Dabstract’s signature processes. Live Resin extracts are unusual because the cannabis used for extraction is the fresh flower directly from the garden. The flower is frozen within 30 minutes of harvest, putting the plant into a stasis before the changes that begin during the typical drying and curing process can take place. It is then put into deep freeze storage until the extractor is ready to extract the material.
As the fresh flower is frozen immediately following harvest and basic trimming, the Live Resin extraction process preserves the aromatic and flavor profiles of the plant at the peak of the plant’s life cycle. The fresh buds and sugar leaves are flash frozen and remain frozen during the entire extraction process… this is as close as you can get to the raw cannabis plant in concentrate form!
Dabstract’s Live Resin HTE averages 50-60% potency (either THC or CBD) and a terpene profile that falls within the 15-30% terpene range. Because of the high terpene content, HTE products typically have a “saucy” or “juicy” look. High cannabinoid products that have a lower terpene percentage, on the other hand, have more of a sugar or diamond consistency.
While terpenes are naturally occurring, some cannabis extractors use synthetic terpenes in their products rather than the natural terpene compounds found in the cannabis plant.
At the Dabstract labs, every ingredient in every product comes 100% from the cannabis plant – including the terpenes. The result is an HTE of unparalleled flavor and potency (…at least, that’s what we hear every day from our consumers!)
Whether or not to choose a high terpene or high cannabinoid product depends purely on personal preference.