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Just when you thought there weren’t any more ways to enjoy cannabis, you discover terms like reclaim. Reclaim is a lesser-known cannabis byproduct formed from the leftover residue of dabbing concentrates.
While some people are comfortable using reclaim, there are some contradictory statements about its flavor, potency, benefits, and safety.
To get to the bottom of reclaim and its pros and cons, let’s do an in-depth examination of cannabis reclaim and all its claims.
Cannabis concentrates smoked through a dab rig leave behind a residue. This residue forms a hard substance called reclaim. Its color can vary from dark yellow to dark brown and you’ll find the substance coating the walls of your dab rig.
Why is it called reclaim? Because you technically already smoked the concentrate. But with a dab rig, you can reclaim some THC by smoking the left-behind residue.
A similar thing happens when you smoke bud through a pipe. The bud leaves behind blistered resin or wax, which you can reuse to get high.
However, while reclaim can contain up to 60% THC, dabbing burns away most of the terpenes in the product. Cannabis-derived terpenes activate the entourage effect, which leads to a better, more full-bodied high. Terpenes are also the flavonoids responsible for the taste and aroma of different weed strains.
But because reclaim no longer has any terpenes, it tastes and smells terrible.
If you love dabbing, then you’ve likely worked with reclaim without realizing it.
Reclaim is formed in dab rigs. A dab rig is a water pipe similar to a bong, with a dab nail and rig made to hold concentrate. Heat is applied to the dab nail (which is similar to a bowl) and vaporizes the concentrate, which is then inhaled by the smoker.
However, not all the concentrate makes it to the smoker.
As you smoke from your dab rig, it forms a coating on the glass walls of the rig. The coating starts off a yellow color but darkens and thickens the more you use the dab rig.
Eventually, the coating breaks off the pipe walls and settles on the rig water supply. And because water and oil don’t mix, they form balls on top of the water. The substance is reclaimed.
Yes, reclaim can make you high. Reclaim contains THC and very high concentrations of CBD.
However, it won’t be a nice high. Cannabis needs a healthy combination of THC, CBD, and terpenes to produce an intense, full-body high. Because reclaim has no terpenes and often unidentifiable amounts of THC, your highs will be inconsistent and not that great.
You’re more likely to get a headache and a head rush than you are to experience the type of high you would experience with concentrates, buds, or resins.
Reclaim differs from bud and concentrates and more closely resembles live resin. Consuming it can look a little different from what beginners are used to.
If you’re interested in using reclaim, here’s how to do it.
You can enjoy your reclaim the same way you originally did: through a dab rig. All you need to do is collect the reclaim and smoke it like you would your concentrate.
However, it might not be worth it. The reclaim is going to pale compared to the original dab because of the lower THC and limited terpenes supply. So prepare yourself for a harsh dab.
Cannabis is fat-soluble and it is often added to food and beverages. Traditionally, before you can create an edible with cannabis, you need to add it to fat like oil and butter, and then decarb the cannabis to turn the inactive THCa into phytoactive THC. This is done by introducing the cannabis to heat, usually through baking.
Reclaim has already been heated and smoked, so the THCa is already converted to THC.
There is no need to do anything more with the reclaim but to eat it. You can put it straight into your mouth or add it to food. We’d suggest adding it to food to help mask the smell and taste. For the most potent masking, infuse the reclaim in your food.
There is no need to keep reclaimed cannabis. It’s not going to produce the high you first had. It’s likely going to taste and smell bad. And it might just leave you with a headache and no high.
Instead, give it a toss and spend a little cash on new concentrates and keep your dab rig clean.
Reclaim has a reputation for being foul. But it’s also been the subject of controversy, as there is some evidence that it might be bad for your health.
To get the full picture, let’s look at the benefits and risks of using reclaim.
Here are the most notable benefits of cannabis reclaim:
Because the reclaim is a byproduct of your dab rig, it is technically free. You can get another hit of THC without having to pay for more concentrate simply by cleaning and collecting the resin in your bong.
If you’re the type of person who avoids waste at all costs, using reclaim can be a good way to repurpose cannabis residue.
There isn’t a reliable way to test every bit of reclaim for every dab rig in the world. However, some estimates suggest reclaim can hold up to 60% THC. It’s also got a higher-than-normal amount of CBD. While it doesn’t produce the psychoactive effects of THC, it does still have impressive benefits.
If you ever find yourself at home without your usual supply and you’re too far from a dispensary, reclaim can work as an emergency stash. All you need to do is collect the residue from your dab rig and there you go – extra THC.
Next, let’s consider the risks associated with cannabis reclaim.
The cannabis you buy at dispensaries like Embarc goes through rigorous quality controls. They ensure the cannabis is both of a high quality and safe to consume.
Reclaim, on the other hand, is a completely unknown variable and these are concerns about the smoking byproducts that become infused in reclaim after the concentrate has been vaporized.
While reclaim might not be immediately dangerous, it’s important to consider that reclaim has carbon byproducts like ash and tar that could cause problems in the long run.
One way you can collect cannabis reclaim is through the use of solvents.
Chemical solvents like butane and propane are often used for making concentrates. It’s how dispensaries remove the resin from the harvest to ensure a pure product. From there, dispensaries purge and test the products to ensure it’s safe for consumption.
On the other hand, if you’re using solvents in a DIY operation to collect reclaim, it could expose you to harmful chemicals. Without professional purging, you could accidentally consume the solvents used to collect the reclaim.
Unlike professional settings, there are no checks and balances to make sure DIY purging is done correctly.
While not a risk, it is a major inconvenience. As mentioned in the benefits section, some reclaim can have as much as 60% THC. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, reclaim has negligible amounts of THC.
There is no way to produce consistent results with reclaim. And, considering the taste and the work it takes to use the reclaim, it doesn’t seem worth the effort.
From smoking byproducts to accidental solvent consumption, reclaim is not as safe as normal THC products. Common negative side effects of using reclaim also include headaches, sore throats, and difficulty breathing.
It’s much harsher than concentrates and buds, with none of the smoothness you’ll experience with a high-quality product. Again, a severe headache and a sore throat don’t seem worth it for a subpar product. Buying a new product is a much better option.
If you are interested in using reclaim, here’s how you can collect it from your dab rig.
The easiest method is to dump the reclaim from the dab rig. Because oil and water don’t mix, the reclaim that isn’t stuck to the dab rig will drift on the rig water supply. All you need to do to collect it is dump the water from the rig and catch the reclaim with a paper towel or fine sieve.
This won’t collect all the reclaim in the dab rig. You’ll have to combine it with one of the methods below to collect all the product.
Your next option is a solvent. Common options are isopropyl alcohol or grain alcohol, with grain alcohol being a much safer option because it’s mostly natural.
To remove the reclaim, pour the solvent into the dab rig. Shake and swirl the solvent inside and loosen bits with a picker tool.
Once you’ve loosened the reclaim with solvent, pour the solvent and reclaim out into a bowl or pot.
Before you consume the reclaim, you must dissolve the solvent through purging. To purge the reclaim, heat the bowl in hot water or put it over a hot plate. Don’t use an open flame because it can catch fire when exposed to the solvent.
Leave the heat on and let it evaporate the solvent. When there is no more liquid left, let the reclaim stand for at least a few hours (but preferably a full day) to make sure all the solvent is gone.
To remove the reclaim with heat, repeat the above step but replace the solvent with hot water. It’s a safer and easier method, but not always as effective.
Your second heat option is best for reclaim that is stubbornly stuck to the bottom of the dab rig. To loosen it, turn the dab rig upside down, with the mouth on wax paper.
From there, take a torch and heat the sides and bottom of the dab rig to liquefy and loosen the reclaim. It should drop down the rig walls and collect on the wax paper. Repeat the process until you’ve loosened as much of the reclaim as possible.
Once that’s done, remove the dab rig from the wax paper, scrape the reclaim from the paper, and use it as you please.
Too much reclaim is a waste of product. Instead of smoking all your concentrate, it’s sitting on the side of your dab, a fraction of its original potential.
Fortunately, a lot of reclaim production is commonly caused by low-temperature dabbing. Too cool, and the dab won’t vaporize and reach the smoker. So, make sure your dab rig is operating at the optimum temperature of 450 to 600 °F.
Reclaim has a long shelf life, so you can put away any collected reclaim for later use. However, you’ll have to store it correctly. Remember, reclaim adheres well to glass, so use a rubber or silicone container. It’s also important to follow the usual cannabis storage rules. Keep the reclaim out of direct sunlight and keep air exposure to a minimum.
Reclaim is a natural part of owning a dab rig. That being said, the best way to prevent a lot of reclaim from forming is by cleaning your rig frequently. At least once a week, remove the dab rig water and pour hot water into the rig. Shake it and let it sit before pouring it out.
If you clean the dab rig frequently, a hot water cleanse will have enough power to remove most of the concentrate residue.
There are dozens of ways to enjoy cannabis. But some methods are more deserving than others. Reclaim, the method of collecting concentrate residue from dab rigs, lets you reuse your concentrate.
However, because most of the terpene supply and product have burned away, reclaim tastes and smells bad. It can also cause negative side effects like headaches and a sore throat. While it’s free and a great way to reduce waste, it’s easy to argue that it’s not worth the work.
Instead of relying on subpar reclaim for your next high, enjoy a spectacular full-body high with high quality product from Embarc. Visit your nearest Embarc location to enjoy top-tier concentrates, buds, topicals, and more, all at competitive prices.
