What is Sauce and How to Know it’s the Real Deal
If you’re a fan of extracts and concentrates, you’ve definitely seen the recent developments in the world of Sauce. It’s everywhere from your Instagram feed to the shelves of your local dispensary. It’s usually extremely terpy, beautiful yet fluid and frequently expensive. But what is ‘sauce’ and how can you be sure the sauce you’re getting is the real deal? Follow along with our primer below and get up to date on all things sauce!
Typically sauce or terp sauce will be designated as such on the label using the acronym “HCFSE“. This stands for
High Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Extract
This would differ slightly from “HTFSE“ or High Terpene Full Spectrum Extract for reasons we will go into below but both are unofficial versions of sauce. What both share is the focus on full spectrum extractions. Full spectrum extracts are considered healthier and more medication as they contain potentially the full range of cannabinoids and terpenes that were present on the flower. Since we now know it is the terpenes which provide the variations in effects in strains themselves, containing the full spectrum of potential biomolecules is essential to preserving the variations between strain extracts.
If one were to describe sauce, they would typically note the various crystals suspended in light golden or yellow wetness. This would be a crude way of describing the separation between the crystals and terpenes. HCFSE includes small crystals and does not typically contain large chunks. These larger chunks are usually THCa and as such are not a full spectrum cannabinoid. To be considered a true HCFSE the THCa must test over 90%. HTFSE, on the other hand, is made only with cured or dry material with a total terpene content higher than 13%. Overall HTFSE should include at least 45-70% cannabinoid content overall. The only way to be sure of what’s in your sauce is to check lab testing results which many companies are slow to produce. Only by analyzing these results can you be sure as to the cannabinoid content and if what is being presented is actually what is being sold.
Another issue may be less scrupulous brands and companies making imitation sauce. This can be achieved by combining the isolated cannabinoids and high cannabinoid extracts such as THC crystals with additional natural or cannabis-derived terpenes. These products lack the full spectrum benefits of HCFSE or HTFSE and experts suggest anything over 40% terpene content to not only be unnatural but unpleasant to smoke.
Hopefully, with this info on Sauce, you can make more informed sauce decisions and be sure to pursue the best from your local extractors or dispensary!
