Many ways can be used to produce cartridge contents. These extracts can have many different ingredients, whether they are cannabis-derived or not. Delta 8 vape juice cartridges, which are small and discreet, are rapidly becoming more popular with cannabis consumers. Let’s take a look at the two cartridges and what they contain, given the variety of quality products on the marketplace.
Cartridges
There are exceptions to this rule, however, the majority of cartridges (the vessels containing cannabis extracts) can be classified either as high quality or poor quality.
Typically, low-quality cartridges:
- Made of plastic (terpenes are able to penetrate plastic, and that plastic can potentially leach oil chemicals from the oil).
- O-rings that leak from the bottom, whether they are of poor quality or improper fit.
- Use pre-moistened, primed wicks with glycerin/propylene glycol to prevent allergic reactions.
- If there is a return policy, low-quality cartridges will result in a higher customer satisfaction rate and customers will be less satisfied with the experience.
High quality cartridges usually:
- Are made out of premium materials, including glass, metal, ceramic and other metallic.
- Use O-rings of the correct size;
- Seal the joints so that air and cartridge contents do not come in contact.
It is important to choose the right cartridges, and also to inspect the cartridge’s overall quality. A cheaper cartridge will not be better for your company, but it will alert the customer to possible poor-quality contents.
Contents
As consumers learn more about their options, it’s likely that they will start to look at the ingredients of your cartridge the same way as food ingredients. This will impact how dispensary purchasing directors approach you. It doesn’t make a difference if you are vertically-integrated or work with a third-party extractor.
Here is a breakdown of common vape cartridge contents:
- Cannabis-derived phytones: cannabis-derived phytones.
These terpenes provide a full-spectrum of composition. Products made from these terpenes include a high level of monoterpenes.
- Steam-distilled terpenes:
These terpenes taste more like those that have been extracted without using heat. Unfortunately, most steam-distilled compounds are destroyed in the water used in steaming, otherwise known as “pot water.”
- Hydrosols:
hydrosols are produced by steam distillation, low-heat and other distillations. They can be classified as floral waters (i.e. Essence oils) and have very low levels of terpenes. It’s also used to degrade the terpenes.
- Non-cannabis-derived phytone terpenes:
Terpenes extracted from organic plant materials such as leaves, fruits and other organic sources. However, it is not possible to recreate the smell or taste of the original plant/cultivar by using terpenes made from non-cannabis marijuana plants. A rough approximation may be possible.
- Artificial flavors:
Usually, artificial flavors are sourced from e-cigarettes. There are thousands to choose from, but they can be dangerous (e.g. Diacetyl could cause “popcorn-lung”).
- HTFSE is high-terpene fully-spectrum extraction:
This extract is made from hydrocarbon extraction. A recent trend in this area is to use pressed rosemary. HTFSE is also called sauce. It has a high level of terpenes and is flavorful and aromatic.
- Co2 extraction:
This will result is a terpene combination that is mostly composed terpenes from primary terpenes and a low amount of monoterpenes. The end aroma and flavor of the terpene composition are therefore less powerful than HTFSES.
