Think of the most potent strains you've ever consumed like Girl Scout Cookies, Sour Diesel, White Widow, or Afghan — the experience must have been amazing, right? That's what we love so much about such potent strains, but smoke enough of them and you'll start wanting more.
Sometimes, you just need a bit more potency from your cannabis. In that case, you can try moon rocks and sun rocks. You may have already come across them in an upmarket dispensary — they look very enticing and come with a massive price tag. But did you know that these two products are some of the most potent cannabis products out there?
Learn all about sun rocks and moon rocks in this article below as we dive into what the names mean, how they are prepared, and what are the major differences between the two.
Moon rocks are the more popular of the two cannabis “rocks” and you may have already heard of them, but what exactly are they? Moon rocks are a cool mish-mash of cannabis products and are usually prepared in three layers, which makes them super potent. Due to this extremely high potency, moon rocks are often referred to as cannabis caviar.
These super cannabis products get their high potency thanks to a unique blend of three different types of cannabis products, in layers. The first of which is a cannabis flower — the same one you'd use to roll a joint with. However, most moonrock products choose high-potency strains because the goal is to produce a very high potency, but you can always pick less potent buds, depending on your goals.
Then, the buds are dipped in a cannabis concentrate, like cannabis oil or hashish. Since these cannabis concentrates are thick (like honey) and sticky, they act as a perfect glue between the first layer and the third layer, and their potency also helps make moon rocks become even more potent.
So, what's the final layer? It's kief, which is a powdery residue that's collected while grinding the buds. Even kief is quite potent as it is mostly made of resins with some flower particles, So, the concentrate-dipped buds are then rolled in kief — the result is a moonrock.
This process is also what gives moon rocks their name — they look like the surface of the moon, more or less — and of course, they take you to the moon with their high! But just how potent are these products? Moon rocks typically possess a THC content of up to 50% to 60% — that's more than the most potent cannabis buds you can find in a store.
Starbudz760, a California dispensary, first made them and they were popularized by the West Coast rapper Kurupt, who later even created his own variety of moon rocks by collaborating with Dr. Zodiak. Since then, moon rocks have seen many varieties, including those with zero THC, and have become quite popular in the community.
Smoking a moonrock isn't like consuming any other type of cannabis product. While smoking one may be similar to smoking regular buds, the high you get from a moonrock is long and intense, thanks to extremely high THC levels in it.
Since every individual's body and metabolism are different, the effects vary from person to person, depending on many factors like ingredients, tolerance, experience, state of mind, etc. So, if a complete newbie were to smoke a moonrock — not at all recommended — they'd experience a high that would quickly translate into greening out.
However, if you are an experienced cannabis user with regular to high tolerance, you will actually enjoy moon rocks. The high begins in the head and quickly moves to your entire body. The intense high is accompanied by a sense of euphoria, munchies, heightened senses, sociability, relaxation (often couch lock), and sometimes spacing out.
Like cannabis edibles, moon rocks are a slow burn and take some time to reach their peak, but once they do, the high can last anywhere from an hour to the next day, depending on the type of moonrock you consume.
Moon rocks are expensive, but you don't necessarily need to shell out that much cash to experience them. They are quite straightforward to prepare at home, too! Here is a short guide on making moon rocks at home.
The process starts with gathering the supplies, which are as follows:
Once you have all the ingredients, follow these steps to make moon rocks at home:
Protip: you want to dip the bud in kief but not in hash oil; the latter will make the bud too wet and it won't light properly.
Moon rocks are versatile, so you can roll them in a joint, use them in a pipe, or vape them, but we recommend using a bong — it offers the best experience.
For smoking a moon rock using a bong, place a small amount of regular cannabis flower under the moon rock piece so that it lights properly. You can also use a hemp wick if you don't want to adulterate the moon rock flavor with another bud.
If using a bong is not your jam, you can also grind the moon rock and roll it in a joint. Here, it is recommended that you use a scissor to cut it up nicely before using it in a grinder. The same applies to vaping it.
Image Credit - Udonno
Sun rocks are quite similar to moon rocks — or that's what you'd think when you look at the names of both these products. The only similarity between sun rocks and moon rocks is that both are made up of three layers of different cannabis products, and that's about it.
The closer you look at sun rocks, the more you'll realize how different they are from moon rocks. For starters, sun rocks are made from entirely different products that are more mature and sophisticated (read: expensive) compared to moon rocks. And if you thought moon rocks are potent, sun rocks are even more so — sun rocks possess a THC content of up to 80%!
Sun rocks use cannabis buds as the base or the first layer, but unlike moon rocks, the buds used here must be of OG origin, i.e., top-shelf quality buds. Of course, OG buds are expensive but they are worth the extra dollars you pay for them.
The second layer of this super cannabis product is oil, but you can't just use any concentrate oil as you could with moon rocks. Instead, you need to use cannabis oil that's prepared using a solventless extraction method. This is because solvent-based extraction methods often leave residues in the oil, which can not only hamper the effects but can also harm your lungs.
The third layer of sun rocks is organic kief, and even this kief has to be from an OG cannabis strain. Again, organic OG kief is expensive but it is also much more potent than regular kief and will complement the first two layers of sun rocks.
Sun rocks are incredibly potent, so it's important to keep safety in mind when consuming them. This product should only be consumed by experienced cannabis users, no one else.
Consuming sun rock may just change your life, or at least how you look at cannabis. Sun rocks are extremely potent cannabis products made up of top-quality products and the best of them can have as much as 80% THC!
Such a high concentration of THC is going to produce some unparalleled effects, but it's important to remember that your experience may vary from your friend's as all bodies are unique and many factors come into play when experiencing a high.
For the most part, sun rocks are known to produce some terrific mental effects that create a rush in your body and mind. If you are experienced enough, a sun rock's high is very intense but still predictable, and you'll also enjoy the rich flavor that it possesses. But if you're anything but an experienced user, sun rocks will overwhelm you and can lead to a bad trip.
You think you can handle sun rocks and want to try some for yourself, but you don't want to spend a lot of money on them, what can you do? Prepare them at home! Considering how easy it is to make sun rocks at home, it's a surprise that these sticky nuggets can produce such intense highs.
The process begins by gathering the supplies, which are as follows:
Once you have gathered the supplies, follow these steps to make sun rocks at home:
If you love cannabis as much as we do, you must experience the high from a sun rock at least once in your life, but this product is not for everyone. It should be reserved for experienced users who know what they are getting into.
If you are one of them, you can try using them, but still, a conservative approach is recommended for the first time. Again, you can use sun rocks in a joint or a vape, but a bong is recommended for the best experience.
For this, you need to first break down a sun rock using a scissor or your fingers. Next, use a hemp wick as a base under the sun rock and place it on the glass piece. Also, avoid using a butane lighter to light the rock when inhaling.
It goes without saying but make sure you don't have anything planned for the entire day. Sun rock's high is intense and can last for an entire day.
Moon rocks and sun rocks offer an out-of-this-world experience when you smoke them, but they do have a few dissimilarities that may help you decide which one you should try first. Although we recommend trying both, let's take a look at some of the major differences between moon rocks and sun rocks.
Moon rocks are called moon rocks because of how they look, thanks to the thick layer of kief that hides the cannabis flower underneath. If the moon rock is properly prepared, you will find it difficult to say if an actual cannabis bud is used as a base until you start tearing it apart. And these rocks do look formidable.
On the other hand, sun rocks look unassuming from a distance; they look like regular cannabis flowers. But take a closer look and you'll realize they are completely covered in resin and cannabis oil. Fortunately, this unassuming look allows you to determine the quality of the product, but don't go for looks as sun rocks, as unassuming they may appear to be, are way more potent than moon rocks.
Moon rocks are made of three cannabis products, but the choice depends entirely on the producer. They may use a flower from the Himalayas, an oil made locally, and kief from an African strain. As long as the three components are present, it's a moon rock, and this can make it a bit confusing when purchasing a moon rock — you don't know what you are getting into in terms of the flavors and type of high.
On the other hand, sun rocks are pretty one-dimensional — you know exactly what you are getting into — since they are made from a single strain. The flower, the concentrate, and the kief are produced from the same OG strain, so the flavors will not vary much but the high, while being similar to that of the OG bud, will be much more intense.
The biggest distinguishing factor between moon rocks and sun rocks is their potency. Moon rocks have a potency of up to 50%, with very few of them edging towards 60% if you're lucky. On the other hand, sun rocks' potency levels start at 60% and can go all the way up to 80% regularly.
Think of it this way: smoking a moon rock is similar to smoking the most potent cannabis buds out there with a bit more oomph — it will get you high for the entire day. And even intermediate users can experience a moon rock without greening out.
On the other hand, sun rocks should be approached with caution even by experienced users. Sun rocks produce a high that is far more intense than the most potent cannabis buds and can even overwhelm the most experienced users if they are not prepared for it.
The answer to this question is quite subjective as it all depends on what you are looking for. For what it's worth, sun rocks tend to be of better quality than moon rocks since they are prepared from top-shelf cannabis products, but if a moon rock is also prepared from high-quality products, there won't be a major quality difference between the two.
Only you can decide what is best for you: moon rock or sun rock. If you are an intermediate cannabis user, you should consider starting with moon rocks. But if you are an experienced user who wants the best of the best, nothing beats sun rocks.
We get a lot of questions about sun rocks and moon rocks, so here are a few FAQs answered.
Moon rocks and sun rocks are caviar products and demand a premium over other cannabis products. You'll only find these products in upmarket cannabis dispensaries, and when you do find them, expect to pay at least $100 for eight of them. Here, sun rocks will be even more expensive than moon rocks, considering they are made with specific OG ingredients.
Moon rocks and sun rocks are fast-acting, and while moon rocks are a slow burn, you will start feeling their effects the moment you take your first toke. They are called slow burns because they take some time to reach their peak. On the other hand, sun rocks will hit you like a bus within a few minutes.
It also depends on your method of consumption and your tolerance. Some users may experience the full effects within a minute whereas others may experience it after an hour. So, don't just go smoking two moon rocks if it hasn't hit you yet — it will hit you soon enough.
Yes, moon rocks and sun rocks are risky products to consume. They won't risk your life like cocaine or meth may — cannabis is completely safe for the human body — but it's your mind you need to worry about when consuming moon rocks and sun rocks.
Both these products are ridiculously potent, so there is always a risk of a bad trip or greening out. You won't go to the ER, but if you are not ready for them, they can make your day a lot worse with feelings of intense anxiety, paranoia, fear, extreme couch lock, faster heart rate, etc.
This is why it is recommended that only experienced users consume sun rocks and intermediate users consume moon rocks. If you are not ready for the high these products produce, you will be overwhelmed and this risk is simply not worth it as these products' high lasts a lot longer.
Don't let the risk of greening out scare you, you can still smoke sun and moon rocks if you know what you are getting into, have enough experience of smoking the most potent cannabis products, and keep a few things in mind, such as the following:
Moon rocks and sun rocks are three-layered cannabis products made with a flower as the base, cannabis oil as a binding agent, and kief as the final coating. But the major difference lies in the type of ingredients used. Moon rocks can be made from any cannabis strain, but sun rocks are exclusively made from OG strains, and even the three layers must come from the same strain.
Despite the differences, sun rocks and moon rocks are quite potent with THC levels up to 80% and 60%, respectively. So, caution is advised when consuming both these products, and beginners should strictly stay away from them no matter how enticing they look. However intermediate users can still experience a moon rock without greening out, and sun rocks are solely for experienced users with a knack of getting as high as imaginable.
