What is 'Solventless' anyway?
Chad checks on a Solventless extraction batch post-wash while Carson releases the trichome-rich water.
Amid summer’s blistering heat, we at Retreats have something for you that’s cooler than cool. We have added our ultra-pure, solventless cannabis concentrates to the Retreats gummy line.
In short, “solventless” means our cannabis infusion is created by separating the oils from the plant using only ice water and agitation. After the grand opening of our WVA Solventless lab in 2020, we set our eyes on Solventless Retreats for 2021.
Enjoy Solventless Retreats in your favorite recipe, Classic or Vegan, both with assorted flavors.
No longer limited to WVA’s dabbable products, solventless concentrates are now featured in Classic and Vegan Retreats packs! We are honored to offer our first runs of Solventless Retreats in collaboration with Rogue Farmer. Enjoy concentrates from Rogue’s delectable strains options like Banana Mac and Melonbred in edible form.
Just how does this ice water process work, you ask? Let’s shake it down for you…
Extraction Methods Compared
When you see “solventless” on the label of a cannabis extract, it means chemical solvents -- such as ethanol, or hydrocarbons like butane and propane -- have not been used in the process.
Solventless products are technically considered concentrates, not extracts. That’s because a mechanical process, rather than a chemical process, is used to separate the concentrated cannabinoids.
This is the main distinction between the methods.
The majority of our extraction demand stems from a method using solvents to dissolve cannabinoids and other active ingredients into a solution. [To understand this method, think of the common solution, saltwater. When you boil off all the water, you’re left with salt.] WVA uses a similar process to extract most of our cannabis oil.
Chad Bishop in the main Willamette Valley Alchemy lab working with solvents. This is where most of our edible infusions are created.
It’s All Abut the Trichomes
Most of the active ingredients in cannabis are found in the trichomes -- tiny, crystalline hairs covering the surface of the flowers and leaves. Like fruit on a tree, ripe trichomes will fall off easily when the plant is shaken. And here at Retreats, we love ripe fruit!
Extracting Trichomes without Solvents
Sifting is a process that will be familiar to you if you have ever used a flower grinder with a kief collector in the bottom. In your grinder, trichomes simply fall off as the plant material is shredded. In our lab, we tumble the plant material over a micron screen to collect the kief.
The other is a little…cooler. Our Solventless extraction team uses ice water to freeze the trichomes. We then shake them off into the water.
Here the team stirs the flower and ice water. Lots of physical work goes into solventless extraction.
We love to see that beautiful purple foam!
Next, water is then strained through a series of fine mesh bags known as “Bubble Bags,” so-called because the resulting concentrate will bubble when melted.
As we strain the water, we use a few different sizes of mesh to separate the varying trichome sizes and qualities.
The strained trichomes are dried and then pressed with heat to produce a hash oil known as rosin.
Strained and ready for drying.
Here’s a look after it’s freeze dried.
Pressing is the last step before testing. It’s like fresh pressed juice.
So why go to all this trouble to produce concentrates when WVA already produces award-winning extracts?
The Solventless label speaks to the purists of our community. We appreciate simplicity, especially when we're enjoying the finer things in life. At Willamette Valley Alchemy, it's important to us to offer something for every cannabis enthusiast.
Some of the Willamette Valley Alchemy team enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Regardless of Method, All Extracts Must Pass Testing
All cannabis products on the market, regardless of how they are processed, are tested by a third-party lab for potency, pesticides and residual solvents before they can be released for sale. So remember, when you see Solventless this simply lets you know the product’s technique of extraction.
We are so excited to share Solventless Retreats with you! If you get your hands on some, we’d love to know about your experience. Connect here or by visiting our Instagram @Retreats_wva. Stay cool out there!
