FAQs and CBD Info
Where does our CBD Come from?
We Grow and Process our Own Hemp for our CBD Products
We are a fully licensed Hemp Grower and Producer in Massachusetts, and we have full control from seed selection, growing methods and inputs, in-house processing methods to extract CBD and other Cannabinoids from the plant, all product formulations, manufacturing and packaging takes place on our farm. We are a true 'seed to sale' vertically integrated craft operation. We use only organic inputs to grow our plants, we use solventless extraction methods to create our Full-Spectrum CBD oils, and we use all natural ingredients in all of our products. We operate on the cutting edge of quality in the CBD market.
The Basics of Hemp vs. Traditional Cannabis
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in abundance in certain strains, or varieties, of cannabis sativa categorized as Hemp by the USDA. The primary difference between Hemp and traditional cannabis is the amount of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which produces the 'high' effect in cannabis. Our Hemp is federally legal as described by the USDA with a limit of 0.3% or less THC at the time of harvest inspection. What that means to the consumer of hemp is that this trace amount of THC in our hemp flower, CBD Oils and Topicals is not enough to create a 'high', or psychoactive response.
Inspection and 3rd-Party Lab Product Testing
Our plants, extracts and finished products are inspected by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) for compliance to the current Federal and State Hemp policies, and we have partnered with local 3rd Party Laboratories, certified by the State's Cannabis Control Commission, to perform safety and potency testing throughout the growing and production processes. The seeds that we grow are from excellent breeders and are analyzed and approved as hemp before we start growing. Our fully-grown plants are inspected for compliance by MDAR before harvesting. Our finished hemp flower is fully inspected at our 3rd Party Lab partners for Heavy Metals, Pesticides, Mycotoxins, Cannabinoid Potency and Terpene profile (Full-Panel Testing). Our in-house extractions are again tested by our 3rd Party Lab partners, and then they complete a final round of 'Full-Panel' inspection of our finished products. The safety and potency of our products are proven with unbiased science.
What does Full-Spectrum CBD, Broad-Spectrum CBD and CBD Isolate mean?
All of our products are Full-Spectrum CBD. We extract everything the plant has to offer. What's the difference?
Full-Spectrum CBD: A full spectrum extract includes all of the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that are present in the plant. This combination is commonly referred to as the 'Entourage Effect' which describes how the different components of the plant work in conjunction with one another and is the best representation of what Mother Nature offered in the plant. While our products have a strength measurement in milligrams of CBD, they are also accompanied with additional major and minor cannabinoids like CBG, CBC, CBN, CBDV, CBT and minor traces of THC. This provides you with a very rich and valuable product. A full breakdown of the cannabinoid and terpene content of our products are available in the Certificates of Analysis (3rd Party Lab inspection reports) on our product pages.
Broad-Spectrum CBD: Similar to Full-Spectrum CBD, Broad-Spectrum CBD contains all of the cannabinoids and terpenes that were present in the plant, yet the THC component is removed. Using scientific methods like chromatography or solvent based distillation processes, the components of the extract are divided out and recombined after the THC is isolated and removed.
CBD Isolate: Just as the name implies, CBD isolate is derived from a full-plant extract ('mother oil' or 'crude') that flows through several distillation procedures and solvent extractions in order to achieve a +99% pure CBD isolate. This process requires a laboratory environment and several solvents that may include ethanol, hexane, pentane, propane, butane and different acids. The final material passes through vacuum purge ovens that should remove any and all residual solvents. Always ensure that the Certificates of Analysis (Lab reports) that include testing for Residual Solvents are current and apply to the batch of product you are receiving. Certificates of Analysis are valid for one year and are batch specific. CBD Isolate has become very popular for use by several CBD brands because of its ease of use in manufacturing, yet it does not have the additional medicinal components of a broad spectrum, or better yet, a full-spectrum product.
How do we Extract our Full-Spectrum CBD?
We use all solventless methods to extract from our CBD flower. Our methods of extraction simply use one or more of the following processes depending on the starting material and end product.
Ice Water Extraction: Commonly referred to as 'Bubble Hash', we soak and agitate our trichome-rich hemp flower in very cold ice water which breaks off the heads of the trichomes which are collected and sorted with very fine mesh filtering bags (trichomes are the round 'crystals' you see when looking at a mature cannabis flower. The trichomes are where all of the cannabinoids and terpenes are contained in the entire plant). Once these trichome heads are collected, we use a freeze dryer to remove all of the remaining water which leaves us with a very clean and pure ice water hashish. Depending on the end product we wish to create, we will either start with dried and cured hemp flower or fresh-frozen hemp flower.
Dry-Sift Separation: Dry sifting is the basis of the ancient craft of making hashish. Similar to Ice Water Extraction, the goal is to separate the heads of the trichomes from the flower and 'sugar-leaf'. We sift quality dry plant material through several very fine mesh screens that separate the fine heads of the trichomes from the remaining plant material. We then sort the very fine material, or kief, further to separate the trichomes. Again, the trichome is what appears to be the 'crystal' when looking at a mature cannabis flower. All of the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant are contained in the trichomes.
Heat and Pressure: We use a Rosin Press which uses heat and pressure to extract the full-spectrum oils from the trichomes. We introduce either our dried and cured hemp flower, ice water hash extract or dry-sift hash extract into our rosin press. The starting material is placed in a very fine micron bag, the bag is placed in the rosin press, heat is applied to the starting material which 'melts' the oils from the trichomes, and pressure is applied to allow the oils to escape from the starting material. This leaves us with a very clean and natural extract without the use of any harmful solvents.
Have some additional questions? Please Contact Us and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.