What Is Terp Sauce & How Do You Smoke It?
Terp sauce is a cannabis extract with a high concentration of terpenes. One of the best ways to smoke this type of cannabis extract is by using a dab rig or by vaporizing it. Terp sauce also makes a flavorful addition to other concentrates such as shatter or wax.
Terp sauce has a syrup-like consistency and may feel sticky, smooth, or marmalade-like. Because of its high terpene content, terp sauce boasts a robust aromatic profile and flavor. Many cannabis users like terp sauce due to its versatility and potent high.
Terp Sauce 101
Terp sauce, sometimes referred to as dab sauce or simply "sauce," is a cannabis concentrate with very high levels of terpenes. Its appearance often resembles a golden syrup with diamond clusters. Terp sauce contains a mix of terpenes and cannabinoids, including THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid).
Due to the high terpene content, terp sauce has a rich flavor and aroma that can range from musky and earthy to sweet and fruity, depending on the starting strain. Many cannabis users love terp sauce for its potent taste and powerful mind-altering effects—especially when the terp sauce is mixed with THCA diamonds (referred to as “sauce and diamonds”).
How Do You Smoke Terp Sauce?
One of the best ways to smoke terp sauce is by dabbing it on a heated nail in a dab rig. However, there are several ways to consume terp sauces besides smoking. Below are a few of the most popular ways to use this kind of cannabis sauce:
Dabbing: The most common and popular method of consuming terp sauce is dabbing. To dab terp sauce, you will require a dab rig. This type of cannabis device uses a water pipe to vaporize cannabis concentrates with the help of a butane torch. When the concentrate reaches very high temperatures, it produces a vapor, which can then be inhaled through the mouthpiece.
Vaping: Another way to consume terp sauce is to vaporize or “vape” it. You can vape terp sauce using a tabletop vaporizer or a vape pen and cartridge. You will load the terp sauce into the vape chamber, turn on the vaporizer, let it heat up, and then inhale slowly.
Nectar Collector: A nectar collector is a portable, straw-like device that works similarly to a dab rig. It can be made from quartz, glass, or titanium. To consume terp sauce, you heat the tip of the collector, place it in the terp sauce, and inhale through the mouthpiece.
Smoking: Terp sauce can be added to flower or smoked in a joint. Terp sauce can also be added to bowls and bongs. Consuming terp sauce by adding it to regular cannabis flower results in a more hard-hitting high.
How to Use Terp Sauce in Edibles
Edibles: Terp sauce can also be added to homemade edibles like butter, brownies, and oils. To do this, you will want to make sure that you are using a high-quality terpene sauce that doesn't contain additives. Before adding terp sauce to your edibles, decarboxylate the sauce to activate its psychoactive properties.
How to Make Terp Sauce
The process of making terp sauce involves a (generally butane) extraction process with dried-and-cured, fresh-frozen, or fresh cannabis plants to create butane hash oil (BHO), which is high in cannabinoids and terpenes. Using fresh or fresh frozen flowers as the starting material results in live resin—which is especially high in terpenes because it bypasses the usual drying process that leads to terpene loss.
Once the oil is extracted, it is generally placed in a specialized “diamond mining” machine for the nucleation and separation process to begin. The THC will nucleate or “crash out” over the course of a few weeks to form diamonds, which will separate from the terp sauce. The diamonds and terp sauce can then be purged of residual solvents separately.
Can I Make Terp Sauce at Home?
Making terp sauce at home is possible with the right materials and equipment. However, using solvents at home without closed-loop extraction equipment and a C1D1 room is extremely dangerous and is also illegal in some states, so you’re better off attempting the process using a solventless extraction process instead.
To make terpene sauce solventlessly, put waxy or buddery rosin in a filtration bag between sheets of parchment paper in a rosin press and press at low temperatures of around 105°F. The terpenes will flow out of the bag in the form of a liquid concentrate while the THCA remains in the bag. You may need to press the extract for up to 10 minutes for all of the terpenes to flow out.
Terp Sauce FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions about terp sauce:
Is Buying or Making My Own Terp Sauce Better?
Buying high-quality terp sauce from a dispensary is generally best unless you have a solventless extraction setup at home. Attempting solvent extraction at home is extremely dangerous and not recommended.
What Is the Best Way to Consume Terp Sauce?
The best way to consume terp sauce is by dabbing or vaping it. However, others may enjoy mixing it with flower or edibles. More traditional methods, such as dabbing or vaping, are likely to produce a stronger high while mixing with flowers or edibles will produce a milder one.
Is It Safe to Consume Terp Sauce?
Terp sauce that has been lab-tested is safe to consume but is best enjoyed in small amounts. As with any cannabis product, users should begin with low doses and gradually increase to avoid greening out or feeling too high. Always check the ingredients of terp sauces to ensure they are pure and free from additives.
Fall into Terp Sauce Heaven
Terp sauce is loved by cannabis connoisseurs for its powerful high and robust flavor. One of the best ways to consume terp sauce is by dabbing or vaping it. Terp sauce can be made at home using solventless extraction equipment. However, it’s usually easier to purchase it from a reputable dispensary.
Adding terp sauce to your joints, bongs, bowls, or edibles is a popular and effective way to consume this popular concentrate. Whether you’re a seasoned cannabis user or just starting, terp sauce is worth trying out. The mind-blowing effects of this powerful sauce may be enough to leave you speechless.