There is a time in every cannabis user’s life when they feel that inner urge to step up their weed game.
This is where shatter comes in.
As one of the purest form of cannabis concentrate, shatter can pack several times as much THC as your regular flowers. In fact, most marijuana shatter strains clock in at around 80% of THC.
Conclusions?
A much stronger high and a more efficient therapeutic experience.
Shatter is all the rage right now, but those new to different marijuana products may have difficulties figuring out how to consume it.
If you’re wondering how to use shatter, this article is for you.
But before we go over the most popular ways to do it, let’s elaborate on the basic definition of shatter.
What Exactly is Shatter?
Shatter is the cleanest of all BHO (butane hash oil) extraction forms. It also has the highest concentration of cannabinoids, which compromises its terpene profile a little bit, but the extra punch is totally worth it.
Shatter comes with brittle, glass-like texture and a snap-and-pull consistency. In other words, shatter feels like taffy candy being pulled extremely tight before snapping. It usually has a golden to bright amber color.
This isn’t the easiest material to work with. In fact, shatter doesn’t leave much room for experiments when it comes to different consumption methods.
Below, we discuss the 3 most popular ways to use shatter.
3 Most Popular Ways to Use Shatter
Shatter can be either smoked or vaporized. This section will help you choose the most suitable method for your 4:20 preferences.
1. In a Joint
Mark our words, this is one of the easiest ways to use shatter for concentrate newbies. All you have to do is crumble the shatter on top of your weed — alternatively, you can pull a portion of your shatter and place it lengthwise — and roll it in a joint.
This method is called “the baby steps towards the shatter” because it allows you to see if you even need that extra fuel in your weed.
As for the downsides, smoking shatter in a joint is a pretty wasteful process, as it burns the greater portion of it during the smoking process. Given this, we recommend this method only for starters or when you have no equipment to vaporize or dab your shater with.
2. In a Vaporizer
There are two types of vaporizers you can come across — desktop and portable.
As much as we admire the power and efficiency of desktop units, they don’t work well with concentrates, and as you may guess, shatter is no exception.
But, once you try vaping your concentrate in a portable vaporizer — or “vape pen” — you’ll understand why people are so crazy about this way of using shatter.
The greatest perk of having a vape pen is that you can revel in the full flavor of the shatter without combusting the material. Your concentrate will slowly melt under the temp range of your unit, releasing its precious cannabinoids and terpenes.
Aside from the highly palatable experience, vaping is the healthiest way to use shatter because unlike smoking, it doesn’t release harmful carcinogens to your lungs.
A portable vaporizer can cost anywhere between $30 and $200 depending on the brand, the quality of material, and specific features the unit comes with. These pocketable devices can be taken literally everywhere and you can charge them on the fly, which gives you extra mobility.
The obvious downside to using a vaporizer is the initial cost. Of course, you can buy a mediocre vape pen for $30, but it won’t serve you for a long time, let alone the inferior heating elements that compromise the overall vaping experience.
We’d say that $100 is a minimum price to get a good, concentrate-compatible vaporizer.
3. In a Dab Rig
A dab rig is a more sophisticated and niche term for a glass pipe dedicated to flash-vaporizing cannabis concentrates. It resembles the shape of a bong and comes with a vertical chamber and a mouthpiece with a hole.
This hole is where you stick a small nail. The nail is typically made of metal or glass, which may be reminiscent of an old-school method of smoking hash — a “knife hit.”
Once the nail becomes red — you can heat it with a butane torch or an electronic feature in e-nails — you take a metal dabber (usually made of quartz or titanium), pick a small piece of your shatter, and the transfer it onto the nail.
This will cause immediate combustion of the shatter, releasing a thick cloud of smoke which you can inhale through the rig.
The optimal temperature of the heated surface ranges between 550 and 750 degrees Fahrenhite.
More often than not, there will be extra oil on the nail after you dab the shatter.
At this point, you’re probably wondering how to use shatter without wasting a single bit of it.
Well, you can either blast the nail again or just wait until a clog begins to form.
Once the clog forms in your rig, immerse the device in alcohol and bring the substance to a boil. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate, scrape up the remaining material, and dab it again.
Easy? Yes.
Cost-effective? You bet!
Cheap? Well, it depends on the model. Some high-tech dab rigs can cost up to even $50,000 but these are extreme price tags reserved exclusively for the most savor cannaisseurs. Most of the time, you can get a decent dab rig for as little as $50.
Final Thoughts on Different Ways to Use Shatter
As you can see, there aren’t many ways to use shatter. When consuming this concentrate, you can either smoke it or vaporize it in a vape pen or dab rig — the decision boils down to your personal preferences and whether you plan to use it medicinally or recreationally.
Whichever of these methods you choose, keep in mind that shatter is the most potent weed concentrate of all. We suggest that you approach it with baby steps and don’t enter a dabbing rampage the moment you take the first hit. In fact, it’s best to refrain from taking a second dab for the next 10 or 15 minutes.
Dabbing is not a competition, nor is it a smart way to impress your buddies. You want to be a responsible user, not a stereotypical stoner.
Have you ever used shatter? What’s your favorite way to blast it?