What is 710? Flip the number upside down — it spells "OIL." That simple visual joke became the foundation for cannabis concentrate culture's unofficial holiday, celebrated every July 10. If 4/20 belongs to flower, 710 belongs to extracts: live rosin, diamonds, sauce, hash, and every form of cannabis oil in between. Here's the full story — where it came from, how it grew, and why it matters to anyone who takes concentrates seriously.
What Does 710 Mean in Cannabis Culture?
The origin is straightforward. Rotate 710 180 degrees and it reads "OIL" — a visual pun that spread through cannabis forums and online communities during the late 2000s and early 2010s as concentrates were gaining serious traction on the West Coast. Unlike 420, which centers on flower, 710 became shorthand specifically for cannabis oil and extract culture. When someone says they're "into 710," they mean concentrates — solventless, hydrocarbon, CO₂, all of it. The number eventually anchored itself to July 10, and an industry holiday was born.
Cannabis Concentrates Existed Long Before 710
The holiday is new. The concentrates aren't. Hashish has been produced across Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa for thousands of years — long before any modern extraction lab existed. Early producers already understood that the plant's resin held its most valuable compounds.
Traditional concentrate techniques included:
- Hand-rubbing fresh cannabis flowers to collect sticky resin
- Dry-sifting cured material through fine screens
- Pressing collected trichomes into blocks of hash
- Using heat and pressure to refine texture and extend preservation
These methods laid the foundation that modern extractors still reference. The science has evolved — the core principle hasn't.
How Modern Cannabis Extraction Actually Developed
The concentrate market shifted hard during the 1990s and early 2000s. As medical cannabis programs expanded — particularly in California — cultivators and extractors began developing techniques that could isolate cannabinoids and terpenes far more efficiently than traditional hash-making. The most influential development of that era was butane hash oil (BHO).
By running butane through cannabis plant material, extractors could dissolve cannabinoids and terpenes, then purge the solvent to produce dense, potent concentrate. Early BHO was inconsistent and the process carried real safety risks. Skilled operators refined their methods over time, producing cleaner, more consistent products — and the modern concentrate movement was underway.
Want to dig into specific extract types? The concentrates section breaks down everything from BHO to solventless in detail.
The Birth of Dabbing and Why It Changed Everything
Concentrate consumption took a defining turn when the dab emerged as the dominant ritual. Rather than adding concentrates to a joint or bowl, consumers began vaporizing small amounts on heated titanium or quartz surfaces using specialized rigs. The result was cleaner flavor, higher cannabinoid delivery, and a ritual that quickly became central to concentrate culture.
As the technology improved, so did the gear. Modern consumers now have access to:
- Quartz bangers
- Electronic dab rigs and precision e-rigs
- Temperature-controlled setups with infrared readers
- Portable concentrate vaporizers
- Nectar collectors and precision carb caps
These tools made concentrates more approachable without sacrificing the terpene integrity that low-temperature dabbing is built around.
Why the West Coast Led Concentrate Innovation
California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington became the epicenters of extraction culture — and it wasn't by accident. Mature medical markets, access to elite genetics, experienced cultivators, and rapid legalization created the conditions for serious extraction companies to develop and compete. As the field got more crowded, the focus shifted from raw potency to flavor, terpene preservation, and strain-specific extraction.
That shift permanently raised consumer expectations. THC percentage alone stopped being the selling point. Brands that could demonstrate craftsmanship — cold curing, fresh-frozen inputs, single-source genetics — started commanding serious attention.
From Shatter to Live Resin to Solventless: How the Product Lineup Evolved
Early concentrate shelves were dominated by shatter, wax, budder, and crumble. Then came one of the industry's most significant breakthroughs: live resin. By freezing cannabis immediately after harvest rather than drying it, producers preserved the volatile terpenes that traditional curing destroys. The resulting product delivered dramatically richer aroma and flavor — and the category exploded.
From there, the solventless movement gathered serious momentum. Producers returned to mechanical separation rather than hydrocarbon solvents, giving rise to:
- Ice water hash and bubble hash
- Dry sift
- Rosin and live rosin
Rosin — made with only heat and pressure — became one of the most celebrated innovations in modern cannabis. Many consumers and operators consider premium live rosin the highest expression of the plant, because it preserves the plant's full chemistry through purely mechanical processes. Today it commands some of the highest price points in legal markets. Browse current top-shelf concentrate products to see what's moving.
Brands That Defined 710 Culture
A handful of brands helped raise the bar for the entire category. 710 Labs became one of the most prominent examples — building its identity around small-batch production, premium genetics, cold curing, and educational transparency about extraction methods. That approach influenced how the industry talked about concentrates and what consumers began demanding. The emphasis on craftsmanship — single-source cultivation, terpene-forward products, honest production specs — pushed the conversation well beyond potency numbers.
Other brands followed suit, and the result was a concentrate market that increasingly rewarded quality over marketing. Check the brands directory for operators pushing that standard today.
How 710 Became an Official Cannabis Holiday
By the early 2010s, online cannabis communities had fully claimed 710 as their own. Dispensaries started building July 10 events around concentrate drops, dab competitions, hash tastings, and limited-edition releases. Social media accelerated everything — #710, #710Life, and #OilDay spread rapidly across Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube, pulling concentrate culture into the mainstream conversation. Today, July 10 sits alongside April 20 as one of the two biggest dates on the cannabis retail calendar, with extract brands dropping exclusive products and shops running their deepest concentrate discounts of the year.
The Full Range of Concentrates You'll Find Today
Modern concentrate culture is diverse enough that there's an entry point for every consumer. The current product lineup includes:
- Live resin and live rosin
- Badder, sugar, and sauce
- Diamonds (THCA crystalline)
- Crumble and shatter
- Hash rosin and full-melt hash
- Distillate and CO₂ oil
- Vape cartridges and disposable vaporizers
Each extraction method produces a distinct cannabinoid and terpene profile. The choice isn't just about potency — it's about the specific experience: flavor intensity, onset, texture, and how the product was made.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 710 in cannabis terms?
710 is the cannabis community's shorthand for concentrate culture. The number spells "OIL" when flipped upside down, and it's become both a term for cannabis oils and extracts and an annual holiday celebrated on July 10 — the concentrate equivalent of 4/20.
What's the difference between 420 and 710?
420 is a general cannabis holiday rooted in flower culture, tracing back to a group of California students in the early 1970s. 710 is newer and specific — it's dedicated entirely to cannabis concentrates and extracts: live rosin, hash, diamonds, sauce, vape oils, and every derivative of cannabis oil.
What are the most popular concentrates celebrated on 710?
The most prominent products in current 710 culture include live rosin, live resin, hash rosin, diamonds and sauce, and full-melt bubble hash. Solventless products — particularly premium live rosin — have become the prestige tier that serious concentrate consumers gravitate toward during 710 drops and events.
When did 710 become a cannabis holiday?
710 emerged as a recognizable cultural term in cannabis forums and online communities during the late 2000s and early 2010s, coinciding with the rise of modern BHO extraction and dabbing on the West Coast. It solidified into an annual holiday as dispensaries and brands began organizing July 10 sales and events, with social media accelerating its mainstream adoption through the mid-2010s.