You might not see live diamonds and sauce cartridges on any other Massachusetts dispensary menus… yet. That’s because the extractions team at our Worcester production facility is whipping up what’s possibly the first live diamonds and sauce cartridges for vapes in the Commonwealth.
In fact, there’s no other Massachusetts dispensary doing it quite like the extraction team at Temescal Wellness. If you enjoyed the high-testing live resin we brought you for Oil Day, diamonds and sauce are about to become your new best friend.
What are diamonds and sauce? Only the most potent and flavorful form of concentrated cannabis on the market. THC diamonds are top-shelf cannabis concentrates that are made when live resin is extracted from cannabis using a cold-extraction method and pressure until THC crystals, or diamonds, form. What remains is the sauce, or a high-terpene extract. Like other concentrates, you’ll need a vaporizer or dab rig to get this extract to temperatures that allow the THCa to transform into a potent high.
This time around, our extraction team utilized a few strains to create the trailblazing live diamonds and sauce cartridges for our convenient Freedom Pen vapes:
MAC1, a hybrid strain that crosses Alien Cookies F2 and Miracle 15
Zkittlez, an indica-dominant cross between Grape Ape and Grapefruit
Goji OG, a sativa-dominant hybrid cross between Nepali OG and Snow Lotus
If you’re more interested in dabbing diamonds and sauce rather than vaping, it’s easy to convert your bong into a dab rig. Pick up a banger at any Temescal Wellness dispensary in Massachusetts and you’re good to go!
To teach us how to truly appreciate this groundbreaking product, we brought back Joe Rosenthal, the Extractions Process Specialist at our Worcester production facility who formulated our 7/10 live resin line. Read below to learn more about creating high-testing concentrates, preserving those precious terpene-derived flavors, and how thinking outside the box led our extractions team to produce some of the best live diamonds and sauce cartridges in Massachusetts.
When and where did you first hear of “diamonds and sauce”?
Joe Rosenthal: The first time I heard about “diamonds and sauce” was about 5-6 years ago when it was relatively new to the market and really didn’t exist at all out here on the East Coast. For those who may not know what “diamonds and sauce” refers to, “diamonds” are simply crystallized THCa whereas “sauce” is all of the terpenes and flavonoids preserved during the extraction and purging processes.
What’s different about the diamond extraction process compared to live resin?
JR: Live resin, as well as diamonds and sauce, are actually extracted very similarly using super cold hydrocarbons. For those who may not know, live resin is a potent and flavorful hydrocarbon extract made by utilizing freshly frozen cannabis instead of the typical dry and cured cannabis extract like shatter. Live diamonds are the most potent type of cannabis extract on the market and are also created utilizing only freshly frozen cannabis.
Regular diamonds and sauce can also be made from dried and cured flower but freshly frozen cannabis is ideal, as it still has the light volatile terpenes that would normally be lost during the drying and curing processes. Both concentrates are extracted exactly the same way, however the biggest difference is the post-extraction process and how long it takes to actually create the finished product.
A typical live resin is usually extracted and done purging in the oven after about 7-10 days maximum, whereas diamonds and sauce don’t even start purging until after about two weeks minimum to allow for the most amount of THCa crystallization, aka “diamonds.” Unlike live resin, live diamonds and sauce are separated and purged separately to preserve the most amount of terpenes possible.
So, when all’s said and done, a live resin can usually be created, tested, and hit the shelves in about 4-6 weeks time. Diamonds, on the other hand, spend 1-2 weeks just growing, sometimes even longer depending on strains, clarity of the diamonds, as well as overall cannabinoid saturation. Then, the terpenes are separated and diamonds are “mined,” and both begin their purge process at different temperatures again to preserve the most amount of terpenes possible throughout the entire process. Once both are purged of residual solvents, the hard part begins: Carefully melting the diamonds down into a liquid in the oven. This process was much easier said than done, as diamonds are stubborn and don’t like to melt.
Has anyone ever put diamonds in a vape cart before?
JR: The short answer here is yes; however, I believe we are one of the first, if not the first, in Massachusetts to be able to bring “Live” diamonds and sauce carts to life here, locally. I cannot say for certain that other carts are made the same way as ours are, though. Most operators don’t spend the time growing diamonds, separating the terpenes, melting the diamonds back into a liquid, and then formulating a vape cart with the actual terpenes from the original extract.
How did you get the idea to melt down diamonds?
JR: In all honesty, I was tired of battling with the 12ppm limit for residual butane, as it’s a limit with zero scientific backing. Interestingly, the NIH (National Institute of Health) published standardized limits for residual solvents in cannabis extracts, which put the limits much higher at <5000ppm. Most states have a reasonable limit between 200ppm-500ppm but here in MA, getting butane-derived diamonds below the 12ppm threshold is incredibly difficult. (Diamonds/crystals form in layers that can and do trap residual solvents in between them.) This forced me to think outside the box and develop an alternative way to deliver the same incredible flavor and potency of an actual diamond and sauce dab in a much more user-friendly form.
How is flavor impacted in this extraction process?
JR: The flavor of the extract depends mainly on two variables, most importantly the quality of the fresh frozen material and secondly, how cold I can keep everything during the extraction process. The more terpenes present in the flower being extracted, the more terpenes I will be able to extract and eventually re-introduce. Keeping the solvent as cold as possible helps to keep out unwanted tastes or colors, such as chlorophyll (what makes plants green), which can have an undesirable taste.
How does the Temescal Wellness diamonds and sauce concentrate taste and smell?
JR: Diamonds and sauce are one of the most flavorful types of concentrates on the market. Live diamonds and sauce, like the extracts we’re offering, contain even more of the light, volatile terpenes that would have typically been lost during the dry/cure process.
How high does it test?
JR: Mid 90’s THC/TAC.
Why would someone choose this version of concentrate over something like wax or oil?
JR: That’s one of the best parts about this new product! It’s like having the ability to take not just any dab but a delicious diamond and sauce dab literally anywhere you go. The portability of diamonds and sauce in a cartridge form completely eliminates the need for a dab rig at all. It’s also important to remember that these are live diamonds and sauce, which has a more noticeable symbiotic relationship between the cannabinoids and terpenes. This becomes much more evident once inhaled.
How does one usually consume diamonds and sauce?
JR: The average concentrate user will typically use a dab rig either made from glass or manufactured like my personal favorite, the Puffco Peak Plus. For the absolute best experience for raw diamonds and sauce, a dab rig is absolutely essential.
Want to learn more? Head over to our Concentrates 101 blog to learn the basics, or ask any of our friendly associates at our Massachusetts dispensaries to help you make the best cannabis selection for your needs.
