I used to prefer distillate over solventless, especially in gummies. A lot of the solventless gummies I tried had a strong weed/rosin taste that overpowered the actual flavor of the gummy, so distillate felt cleaner and easier to enjoy at the time. Back then I was more of a smoker, so I’d usually just grab a pre-roll anyway.
That perspective changed after a conversation I had with someone at a cannabis event. She told me she couldn’t consume products made with distillate extracted using ethanol because she would consistently get an unpleasant head high and migraines afterward. At the time I figured it was just something unique to her body chemistry.
Then later on I had pneumonia and stopped smoking completely for a while after an ER visit. I switched heavily to edibles instead, mostly taking gummies at night to help sleep. That’s when I started noticing the exact same thing she described. The next morning I’d wake up with this lingering, uncomfortable head high that honestly felt similar to a hangover. It wouldn’t fully wear off until later in the afternoon.
Once I switched over to solventless products, the experience felt completely different for me. The effects felt smoother, more enjoyable, and more natural overall. I slept better, woke up feeling clearer, and didn’t have that lingering “off” feeling the next day. Even though solventless products were usually more expensive, the overall experience felt worth it to me whether it was a gummy or a beverage.
Over time I also found brands where the rosin flavor was much more subtle and balanced, and eventually I actually started appreciating some of those flavor notes.
That experience is a big reason why I decided to use solventless ice water hash in my own beverage formulation for Bongos instead of jumping straight to distillate just because most beverage brands use it. I wanted to genuinely enjoy the experience myself, not just formulate around cost or trends.
Curious if anyone else here has experienced something similar with distillate vs solventless? Which do you prefer in drinks or edibles?
I added a couple pics of our Biscotti strain food-grade rosin, courtesy of our master solventless extractor, with photo credit to Mr. Bond420.