Also known as Kosher Tangie, 24k Gold is a 60% indica-dominant hybrid that combines the legendary LA strain Kosher Kush with champion sativa Tangie to create something quite unique. Growing tall in its vegetative cycle and very stretchy in flower, this one will need an experienced hand when grown indoors. Most phenotypes will exhibit a sweet orange aroma from the Tangie along with the dark coloration of the Kosher Kush, and will offer a strong citrus flavor when smoked or vaped.
THC-A crystalline is a relative-newcomer to the world of cannabis concentrates that boasts incredible potency. Also known as THCA diamonds, concentrates of this variety sport up to 99.9% THC content, making them the strongest on the market at the moment. However, amongst all the hype and acclaim surrounding these products, a pair of questions often goes unanswered: what exactly are THC-A diamonds and where do they come from? If you, like many others, have been asking yourself the same thing, then you’ve come to the right place, as I am about to give you the lowdown on the concentrate that yields the highest high.
In a jar of sauce, diamonds are the crystalline structures that develop at the bottom of the container. Concentrate enthusiasts will be familiar with sauce carts, or vape cartridges loaded with terpene-heavy sauce. These cannabis diamonds may also refer to the crystalline structures left over after terp sauce has been removed from the initial sauce mixture. These diamonds are usually coated in residual sauce. Diamonds can also refer to pure crystalline THCA that have been isolated from refined oil.
The central difference between these types of diamonds is the context in which they’re extracted and further processed. Whether presented as a saucy, high-terpene extract, or packaged as isolated THCA, diamonds are always crystalline structures of pure THCA. Remember, these diamonds may be inaccurately referred to as pure THC, but in reality, they come in the pure THCA form.
The size and shape of diamonds don’t necessarily reflect the quality of input materials. The size and shape is influenced by temperature, moisture, chemical impurities, and solvents used in the extraction process.
Diamonds range in size from very small to large chunks. THCA is a pseudopolymorph, meaning it can crystallize into multiple forms, but only when acted upon by variables such as temperature, moisture, and chemical impurities. Sterols, lipids, and even terpenes can impurify and alter the course of crystallization.
Similar to the way chemical variables interfere with sugar crystallization to create molasses, terpenes and other intruding compounds disrupt THCA crystallization to varying degrees, which has an effect on the diamond’s structure. Unique terpene profiles, that are dependant on the cannabis variety that is being extracted, can alter the size and composition of the diamonds created in an unrefined cannabis extract. The final size and shape is also influenced by the interference of solvents that are used during the extraction process. However, different shapes and sizes don’t necessarily mean different levels of purity. A diamond’s physical attributes are more a record of its path to crystallization than an indicator of how pure the diamond is.
THCA is non-intoxicating on its own, but converts into the intoxicating THC when exposed to heat through decarboxylation. When THCA diamonds are vaporized through a dab rig, e-rig, or vaporizer, THCA decarboxylates into the active THC, which in turn binds with receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system to produce an intoxicating effect.
