Higher CBD concentration – Introduction

Higher CBD concentration – what does this all mean? What’s the difference between Icerocks, Moonrocks, and CBD Hash compared to traditional dried cannabis flowers?
The market is getting more and more saturated with cannabis products. Besides a huge selection of oils, cosmetics, and food, there is also a huge diversity in dried cannabis flowers. In this category alone, we can find many producers offering different strains, cultivation methods, and the percentage of cannabinoids. In the past blog, we warned about dried cannabis flowers exceeding the 7% CBD mark. So what are products such as Moonrocks, Icerocks, and CBD Hash? Why do they exceed the concentration of CBD that a plant can naturally produce, and still fit in the 0,2% THC restrictions that our polish law requires?

Higher CBD concentration

Usually, if you see a higher concentration than 7% CBD on the label of dried cannabis flowers, it’s an obvious red flag. The polish law requires that products allowed to be sold on the market should not exceed the maximum of 0,7% THC. Naturally, plants fitting in these restrictions can produce a maximum of around 7% CBD. Unfortunately, there are methods available for the producers to artificially higher the CBD concentration, or artificially lower the THC count in the flowers. It often comes at a cost of the naturality of the product, or even on the overall quality of the product itself. There are products available on the market with a higher CBD concentration – not by artificially modifying the cannabinoid count – but by adding good quality CBD isolate or kief. Thanks to this, the product remains natural and of high quality but can reach much higher CBD counts than traditional dried flowers can.

CBD Icerocks

CBD Icerocks is a product gaining popularity very quickly amongst cannabis enthusiasts. It is a high-quality CBD or CBG flower, additionally coated in kief (cannabis pollen) and CBD isolate. The kief and isolate form a hard, crystal-like shell around the flowers. Thanks to the isolate, we can distinguish the characteristic white color of the Icerock resembling normal rocks or stones. That is also where the origins of the name came from for this product.

The isolate coating, aside from giving the product its characteristic look, also has another very important role – it substantially highers the CBD count in the flowers. Good quality isolate has around 98%-99% CBD. Thanks to this, icerocks can reach up to 80%-85% CBD.

It’s also important to mention, that the isolate in no way affects the flavor or smell profile of the dried cannabis it is coating. By isolating all other terpenes, cannabinoids, and plant matter, the isolate is just a pure, crystal form of CBD. It has no smell or taste whatsoever. Because of that, it can higher the concentration of CBD in the product, without impacting its flavor or smell.

CBD Moonrocks

Moonrocks are iconic products, well known and liked by cannabis lovers. It gained huge popularity and publicity in the United States in its traditional form – with a high THC concentration. In Poland, because of the THC restrictions, it’s only available in its CBD form. The looks and production methods are practically identical between the THC and CBD variants. Moonrock is a product very similar to Icerocks. It’s also a high-quality CBD or CBG flower, additionally coated in kief. Additionally, it is sometimes also coated in CBD oil or extract. This way, the kief can stick to the flower better. Kief can stick to the flower with ease and coat it – forming a shell resembling a rock or stone.

This is also where it gets its name. The word “rock” refers to the kief coating and the overall look of the product. The word “moon” refers to the high concentration of THC and describes the kind of “high” the user will experience. In Poland, due to the restrictions, no cannabis products (aside from medical marihuana available at the pharmacy) will have any psychoactive effects.

Because of the coating, the concentration of CBD is a lot higher. A high-quality Moonrock can reach up to 60% CBD. It’s also good to mention, that compared to the isolate, the coating of kief has its own smell and flavor profile. This impacts the overall flavor of the finished product itself. It’s recommended to experiment with different Moonrocks, in order to find the flavor profile of the flower with kief coating that suits you.

CBD Hash

Hash is probably the most popular product – right after traditional dried cannabis flowers. Both the traditional version (with a high THC concentration) and the version with CBD alone are widely popular amongst cannabis consumers. Hash is a product made mainly from cannabis kief. After it is pressed, it condenses and takes its hard form. It can be compared to the consistency of chalk or play dough. There is a huge variety of hash on the market. There are also many methods of production known – thanks to that, hash can often vary widely in its looks and consistency. High-quality CBD hash can reach up to 11% CBD. It’s also normal for it to have a little bit less – but still exceeding the 7% mark (being the limit of what the plant can naturally produce). This happens because of what it’s made out of. Kief has a higher concentration of cannabinoids. After it is pressed, the final product can have a higher concentration than its natural dried flower variant.