What to Look for in a Cannabis Oil Cartridge

Not all cannabis products are created equal. At Avitas, we’re striving to create that better world, we put our heart and soul into our cannabis oil and work with world-class manufacturers to bring you the purest cartridges possible. But what if you can’t find your tried and true Avitas friend? We got you. Here are a few ways to help figure out what may be worth a try.

Why Many Added Flavors Are Not Your Friend

You’ve probably seen them. Cotton candy, raspberry, mint, and rose, there are flavors on flavors available in all sorts of cartridges, and they may sound pretty tasty. However, you might want to do your research and think twice before picking up a flavored vape pen. Many manufacturers add any number of ingredients back into the oil at the end to achieve those flavors. This dilutes the cannabis oil and potentially dampens the entourage effect of vaping. These added ingredients can include synthetic terpenes, natural terpenes, cannabis-derived terpenes, artificial aldehydes/fruity flavors, or other artificial flavors. Most of these elements are fine on their own, but when heated, some can become carcinogenic and ultimately dangerous to your health. Read more about this phenomenon here.

That’s why we use a handcrafted, full spectrum, proprietary method that extracts the cannabis terpenes from each batch of flower at the very beginning of the oil-making procedure. At the end of the process, we remove the things that don’t taste good like chlorophyll and plant waxes and carefully hand-blend the full spectrum of terpenes back into the oil batch. The result is a pure, finished oil that smells, tastes, and feels like the actual flower it came from without any nasty or surprising additives.

Cut Out Cutting Agents

When you’re looking for a good cartridge, double check the ingredients, and ask about the extraction methods. Remember that extracts and distillates are not the same (if a distillate is in liquid form, most likely there’s a cutting agent involved). Common cutting agents include propylene glycol (PG), polyethylene glycol (PEG), vegetable glycerin (VG), and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). Cutting agents aren’t necessarily harmful in and of themselves, but again, the trouble comes when these cutting agents are heated. Recent studies have shown that many cutting agents convert into toxic compounds when heated at vaping temperatures. (finish with: something like – ask your budtender for more information about the…something…about the oils to try or the available oils, something- sorry, not much help on this line)

That Pure Golden Goodness

At Avitas we use CO2 extraction methods and only use six ingredients in our oil. Six! They include pure carbon dioxide (delivered and stored in pressurized tanks), food-grade ethanol (another term for highly pure Everclear™), purified reverse-osmosis water, solid CO2 (carbon dioxide), and, of course, organically grown cannabis. That’s it. We don’t use cutting agents, we never add anything to increase vapor plume or increase THC uptake, and we never use any flavors other than the full spectrum of terpenes extracted from the cannabis plant.

So when you’re on the hunt for a new product, do your research beforehand, steer away from flavors, and ask your budtender specific questions about cutting agents, ingredients, and extraction processes. They’re there to help and are usually really excited to share their knowledge. And remember, if your local store doesn’t carry our cartridges, you can always ask them to start stocking Avitas. We’re proud of our oil and love helping people discover new ways to feel good.  If you have any more questions, drop us a comment or contact us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.