Ask a Budtender: What Is 710 and How Can I Join the Party?

Question: I heard that July 10, or “710,” is a cannabis holiday that’s coming up. What exactly is 710 for? I overheard some folks talking about it at the dispensary, and the budtender said that many of their concentrates would be on sale. To be honest, I don’t even know how to use cannabis concentrates! Will you explain more about 710 and how I can celebrate it? 

Cannabis Coach Haley’s Answer: You’ve absolutely got the right idea, and I’d be glad to tell you more. You’re not alone—710 is a new thing to a lot of people!

July 10, or 7/10, is sometimes called “Dab Day” or “Oil Day” and celebrates cannabis concentrates. Just like 420 is a celebration of overall cannabis consumption and freedom, 710 celebrates a specific type of product: cannabis concentrates. Cannabis concentrates include a wide variety of products, and many people turn to cannabis concentrates because they can really pack a punch and deliver effects FAST. Personally, dabbing is my concentrate consumption method of choice.

Cannabis concentrates as a group typically have a THC percentage of 60% or more, and because of this high THC percentage, they tend to be marketed to “experienced consumers.” However, don’t let any of that scare you away from diving in—even if you’re new to cannabis! Cannabis concentrates are a great way to experience the beneficial properties of the cannabis plant in a clean, fast way.

Why ‘710’?

Dabbing is when you inhale the vapor of a cannabis concentrate. Think of it this way: When you take a hit off of a cannabis vape pen, the cannabis concentrate inside the cartridge is heated until it’s vaporized and inhaled. If you’ve ever used a cannabis vape from the dispensary, this is technically a form of dabbing!

Traditionally, though, dabbing is done with a dab rig and a torch, and this is where the 7/10 holiday comes from. Why “710,” you ask? Internet legends tell us it’s because 710 spells “OIL” when viewed upside down. Many people refer to cannabis concentrates as “oil” or “butane hash oil.” Therefore, that’s where the holiday gets its name.

Other folks will tell you the origin story of 710 began because many people were dabbing their concentrates at 710 degrees Fahrenheit and 710 was the “temperature of the average dab” at the time. Whatever the historical reason for picking this date, it’s stuck, and now it’s a reason to give hash-heads and dabbers a holiday of our own: July 10.

Celebrate 710 With Cannabis Concentrates

If you’re wanting to dive into the cannabis concentrate scene, there are many ways you can dip your toes into this world. On your dispensary menu, the cannabis concentrates section usually lists products like hash, live resin, wax, shatter, and crumble. Sounds like a lot to remember, right? Don’t stress too much — we’ll cover the basics of these concentrates so you feel like an expert the next time you walk into your local dispensary! 

Hash

Hash is made from kief, the sparkly trichome dust which commonly collects at the bottom of grinders or cannabis containers. Hash is made by compressing keif using heat to create a tight but potent block of cannabis goodness. Alternatively, some hash is made using the ice water extraction method pioneered by the famous Frenchy Cannoli. 

Live Resin

Live resin is at the top of concentrate food chain. It is created by performing the extraction process before the cannabis plant has been dried or cured. The end product is a flash frozen cannabis concentrate that preserves the terpenes and cannabinoids that make live resin incredibly flavourful.

Shatter

Shatter is a variety of cannabis with a hard glass-like appearance and texture. Shatter tends to be higher on the potency scale than most other concentrates but it comes at the cost of losing a lot of it’s flavor profile. Some varieties of shatter known as ‘snap and pull’ have a bit of elasticity to them. This makes them perfect for twisting around blunts or joints to give them an extra potent punch.

Wax

Wax is the general term for soft concentrates such as budder, badder, crumble, or honeycomb. Wax concentrates can handle incredibly high temperatures making them perfect for dab-rig set ups.

Honeycomb/Crumble

Honeycomb, also called crumble wax or simply crumble, gets its name from the honeycomb-like appearance of its larger chunks. When handled or touched however, the honeycomb shape quickly breaks into a dry-powdery substance which is where the ‘crumble’ nickname comes from. Its powdery texture allows it to be used in a number of different ways. Its versatility plus its strong flavor profile have made honeycomb concentrates a favorite of many in the cannabis community. 

Traditional Dabbing vs. Electronic Dabbing

Traditionally, dabbing is done with a glass rig and butane blow torch. You turn the torch on, heat up a glass nail until it’s red hot, wait 30 seconds to 1 minute for the glass nail to cool just a bit, and then drop the cannabis concentrate onto the nail and inhale the vapor. You’ve just done your first dab!

If you’re not into using torches, then you can dab with an electronic dab rig, which is a great way to heat up cannabis concentrates to an exact temperature and then inhale the vapor. Personally, I have an “e-nail,” which is basically a coil that heats up your glass nail for you so that you don’t have to use a torch. I just type in the temperature I want and it heats up my rig to exactly that temperature within seconds. Many other electronic dabbers are available on the market now too.

Side note: I find that 710 degrees Fahrenheit is an INCREDIBLY hot dab temperature, but everyone’s different. I like to dab my concentrates at 520 degrees, but if you’re just starting out and want to celebrate the 710 holiday for the first time, you might like a low-temp dab around 450 degrees.

The culture of dabbing has become really nuanced over the past five years. Where we once used to just scorch the nail as hot as we could and take the hottest dabs possible, we’re now realizing that you can dial in the temperature and really taste a lot more flavor with lower-temp dabs.

Do You Prefer Flower?

If this doesn’t sound like your vibe, I’ve got one last thing that might interest you this 710. If you’re someone who usually smokes flower but want to take things to the next level: Try adding some kief to the top of your bowl. Kief is a cannabis concentrate too, and there’s really no learning curve!

Get out your grinder, open the bottom chamber where the kief collects, and sprinkle all of that potent kief-y goodness on top of your bowl. Another option: If you buy “wax” or “crumble” at the dispensary but you don’t want to dab, you can use the wax as a “bowl topper” by placing some on top of your bud and smoking it as you regularly would. Just be careful when you light it, as a little goes a long way!

If you see “moonrocks” on your dispensary menu, that might be another fun product for you to explore this 710. It’s essentially one big weed nug that’s been dipped in concentrated cannabis oil and rolled in kief so that it has many layers of cannabis and is known for offering a really intense body high. This is a great way to dip your toes into the world of cannabis concentrates without having to bust out your torch.  

IYKYK (If You Know, You Know)

Now that you know a little about 710, I hope you can find some awesome deals at your dispensary and enjoy some cannabis concentrates. Whether you’re adding some kief to the top of your bowl or taking your first dab, I wish you a very happy 710!