Cannabis connoisseurs regularly seek new ways to level up their smoking experience, and infused joints have emerged as the ultimate player in potency and flavor. These aren’t your grandfather’s joints, we’re talking about a careful fusion of flower and concentrated cannabis extracts that turn an ordinary smoking session into an epic, high-flying experience. 

Cannabis concentrates stand alone as the highest THC products on the market. While traditional cannabis flower usually ranges between 15-30% THC, concentrates can command potency over 90%, with some climbing as high as 99%. There are many ways to extract concentrates from cannabis, and the array of products produced can find solace inside or outside your joint, creating an infused pre-roll that packs a punch, like a Tyson right hook kind of punch!

Concentrate Extractions: Solvent vs. Solventless 

Two primary methods of extraction lead to the creation of concentrates: solvent-based and solventless extraction.

Solvent-based methods use chemicals like butane or CO2 to dissolve the plant’s cannabinoid and terpene resins. Alcohol is also a common extraction solvent. Extraction is a meticulous process; solvents are carefully purged through vacuum ovens to eliminate the solvent through evaporation, and what remains is a clean, safe product that meets the same high industry standards as the flower itself. 

Solventless-based methods, on the other hand, use mechanical techniques like heat and pressure to extract cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant material. This method is preferred by some consumers for its purity and lack of chemical residues.

Different Types of Concentrates for Infusion

Varying methods of processing cannabis as well as the extraction method yields different extracts of varying quality, taste, and potency: 

Rosin – Produced through heating and pressing the cannabis to draw out terpenes and cannabinoid oils, producing a thick, saucy cannabis concentrate. Straightforward, void of residual solvents, and strong, strong, strong. Rosin is a highly sought-after extract for concentrate enthusiasts. 

Live Rosin – The main difference between rosin and live rosin is the processing of the cannabis before pressing. While rosin is produced through the pressurized extraction of cannabis plants, live rosin comes from cannabis that has been flash frozen after harvesting. Flash freezing locks in the freshness of the cannabis, greatly reducing degradation and essentially producing a fresher version of rosin. 

Resin – Sticky and strong, resin leverages solvents to separate the concentrate extraction from the cannabis. Following the extraction, the solvents, like in other solvent-methods, are removed through heat in a vacuum oven repeated until the concentrate is near pure. 

Hash – The classic, hash, is created through compression of cannabis kief and trichomes, yielding a flavorful and potent extract that is time-tested over centuries and is one of the oldest and most popular THC extracts. 

Bubble Hash – Yielded by separating trichomes and kief from the flower through a mix of ice and cold water agitation in either a container or bubbleator. The water is then separated through force, producing a high-quality extract that has no impurities based on the use of H2O. Cannabinoids are left intact, making this a wildly popular method of extraction and product. 

Kief – Well-known and available through your flower purchases, the THC potent particles that fall through the screen of a grinder, kief is very accessible and manageable for infusion. 

Distillate – Targeting cannabinoids, distillate is made by employing specialized equipment to extract active compounds from the cannabis plant, followed by removing other plant compounds like chlorophyll and terpenes. This produces and high-THC, thick, flavorless compound that is often used as the base in edibles or as the concentrate in vape pens. 

Gather Your Supplies To Make Infused Joints 

Creating premium-infused joints doesn’t require a dispensary trip—just the right supplies and a little technique! Here’s everything you’ll need: 

Flower & Grinder

Select your favorite flower and grind to an even consistency to prevent air pockets and not too fine to keep airflow for your pulls. Inconsistent grinding of your flower can lead to uneven burns and joint canoeing, where your joint burns unevenly and can cause waste and a less enjoyable experience. 

Concentrate & Tools for Infusion 

Gather your preferred cannabis extract and a dab tool to cleanly handle your sticky concentrate. A second tool is helpful to scrape concentrate off of your other dab tool. A lighter will be one of your primary infusion devices for heating and dripping concentrations. 

Papers & Packing Tools 

You may prefer a mini-sized joint or a big ol’ king-sized, whatever you decide, gather your paper or wrap of choice and a packing stick to manipulate your concentrated flower core while rolling consistently throughout your roll. This is a sticky process; making sure you have a few tools to avoid using your fingers can save you substantial hassle during the process. 

Dab Mat & Rolling Tray 

Though not totally necessary, employing a rolling tray and a dab will make clean-up much easier, as you’ll usually need to bring out the isopropyl alcohol to get the stickiness of your rolling surface. The curved edges of the rolling tray also contain your bud and allow you a curved edge to assist in your roll. 

Internal vs External Techniques of Infusion 

Infusing a pre-roll is more than just a part of the process; it’s an artform. You can introduce concentrates internally, mixing them with cannabis flower or simply placing them on top, or externally by coating the joint’s wrap with high-THC extracts. The snake method allows controlled extract placement; rolling a tube of concentrate that is placed on your flower then rolled, while coating the outside of your joint creates a layer of flavorful goodness that looks as potent as it actually is. And why stop at just one method? You can easily add concentrates inside or outside for a quick trip to the clouds.

Internal Joint Infusion 

Incorporating your concentrates inside of your wrap side by side or mixed in with the flower, internal infusion can employ any concentrate and can be done in multiple ways. A common approach is to roll your selected concentrate with the flower, reducing the stickiness of the extract so that you can roll without too much trouble. This can be done during your roll or before you even put the flower into your wrap. Rolling becomes relatively easy as your roll will be easier to mold and compress with the sticky core of your infused joint.

Another infused joints method covered earlier is the snake method, rolling the concentrate into a skinny rod that can then be placed on your flower and distributed throughout your wrap. Consistency of concentrates throughout your joint can be easier with the snake method because the rod of concentrate you use for infusion is effortless to place on your bed of flower. You’ll have a wildly concentrated core at the center of your joint, and the internal combustion benefits the smoker’s experience as there isn’t direct combustion of the concentrate as you would experience when concentrates are infused on the outside of your joint. 

Coating oil on the inside of your infused joints before filling with flower can be a bit tricky, but by adding some heat from a lighter, dripping the concentrate onto the wrap can be easier than spreading the sticky extract. Simple dusting with dry concentrates like kief or hash over your flower is a simple method of infusion because you’re just adding another dry flower byproduct onto your dry flower. For the sticky extracts, you can simply drip, glob, crumble, or place chunks of concentrate on top of your flower to create a high-THC mix of flower and concentrate ready to roll

External Infusion 

Similar in nature to internal infused joints, external infusions are just on the outside. Concentrates are coated, dripped, or dusted on the external portion of your soon-to-be infused joint. This added potency on the outside of your joint can look intense yet beautiful. Concentrates are oils, so your wrap will get greasy, but these oils create a sticky environment, which is perfect for rolling in kief, adding a 1-2 punch that’ll taste great and give you those beautiful stoner eyes we all appreciate. 

Heat is key for coating the outside of your joint with resin, distillate, or rosin, as a liquid oil is easier to manipulate and maneuver than one with a thick, sticky consistency. With a lower viscosity, you’re able to better control the drip of the concentrate; just spread the oil evenly along the wrap and create a surface of extra stick if an added layer of kief is desired. And if you’re feeling like Cheech or Chong, a combination of internal and external infusions can be performed to ensure a trip to the skies after your sesh is complete. 

Joint Infusion: You’ve Got This 

If you can roll up a joint, you’ll be able to handle the infusion process and get potent infused joints rolled. If you’re not as skilled at rolling, grab a buddy for assistance. You might also want to add a few friends to your sesh because an infused joint will hit you quite a bit harder than your everyday joint, which should be clear at this point as we’re working with highly concentrated THC byproducts. 

Infused joints, Donuts, and Hash-Holes are smoked the same way as your usual joints, but there are a few things to know beforehand. Concentrates are highly combustible, so when you may have an open flame near your potent infused joint, it will sustain ignition much longer and stronger than a non-infused joint, fueled by the additions of cannabis oils. The flame will burn your highly coveted concentrated cannabinoids and terpenes, so lighting your infused joint should be a quick affair. Contain your flame, blow it out, and continue to take small pulls on the joint to evenly light.

Gather your flower, buds, and concentrates because it’s time for a trip to the clouds, and since infused joints smoke slower than the average flower roll, they’re a prime addition to group sessions or even multiple smoke sessions when you need to pace yourself, saving the remainder for later. Now, it’s time to infuse, and you’ve got this!