Interested in taking your knowledge of cannabis and the different ways of consuming it to another level? How about learning how to smoke shatter? If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place.
Don’t sweat if you’re used to smoking joints or taking hits from a bong. Smoking shatter isn’t rocket science and learning it is really fast. We don’t want to waste your precious time, so let’s start!
But First, What are Concentrates?
What concentrates are is a topic that deserves a separate article, which luckily, you can find in this guide “Cannabis Concentrates Guide: How to Consume and Make Them.”
As for a quick overview, concentrates are extracted cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc) and terpenes from marijuana plants. These molecules are the prize of cannabis enthusiasts and are responsible for the plant’s psychoactive effects.
Given they hold higher chemical profiles, concentrates are a lot more potent than your average strain and come in many forms. You can find them as BHO, hash, live resin, crumble, wax, THC distillate and more.
But here we’re going to focus on shatter, that is, the best practices of how to smoke shatter. If you’re interested in a detailed overview of how shatter is made, check out this article “What is Shatter, How to Smoke it and More.”
Do You Love Deals? Enter Now and Save!
How to Smoke Shatter
While there’s no right or wrong when it comes to smoking shatter, some methods are a lot better in giving you an optimal experience. Let’s breakdown each of them down.
1. Adding Shatter to Your Flowers
Keep things simple by adding your shatter to a joint or a bowl by placing it on top of your flower of choice. Here’s a tip, roll your shatter into a snake and lay it out on your bed of flowers while rolling a joint. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Or kick it up a notch and turn that joint of yours into a piece of art with a “Twax”. This is done by taking your shatter and rolling it into a little snake like you would with some play-doh. Then proceed to roll the snake around the outside of the joint in a spiraling fashion. You can roll it outside the tip or from one end to the other. The choice is yours!
And if you want to get fancy, roll the joint in kief and morph it into a Moonrocket!
2. Vaporizing or Vaping
Let’s get this straight. When you dab, you create vape or smoke. The outcome depends on the heating temperature you’re applying to your shatter. Vaporizing with pens, on the other hand, does not produce any smoke. Well, for the most part.
Find a more detailed breakdown of how vaporizing can and can’t produce smoke in this article “The Differences Between Conduction and Convection Vapes.”
Vaporizer pens are massively popular. Their portability, discreetness, and overall health benefits have long-time joint and pipe smokers making the change. They also come in a range of shapes and styles. There are dry herb vapes, extract vapes, tabletop vapes and dual function vapes (takes both flower and extracts) that all come with different heating styles.
If you’re stuck on deciding, the Yocan Evolve Plus XL is great for smoking shatter on the go.
3. Dabbing
For dabbing shatter, you’ll need a glass-like bong called a “rig”. The rig will have a bowl that’s called a “nail”. The nail is heated through either a built-in electric device or an external butane torch. Once the nail is heated, a pick will be used to “dab” your shatter so the chamber is filled with vapor. Find a deeper breakdown of the tools and steps in this article “How to Use a Dab Rig Without Wasting Your Concentrate.”
How to NOT Smoke Shatter
Before taking the plunge, here’s a quick glance at the do’s and don’ts.
Do: For dabbing shatter, wait at least 10 minutes after your first dab before taking another. You’ll typically feel an effect immediately, but the climax won’t be reached until after 10 minutes.
Check Out Our Menu of Shatter, Hash, Live Resin and THC Distillate
Don’t do the Hot-Knife Method: Hot knifing is the risky method of heating two butter knives on a coil stove top until they’re red hot. When the knives are ready, you sandwich your shatter between them until it slowly combusts with smoke, which you then inhale. Yeah. Don’t try this at home.
Do: Protect your cannabis extracts from degrading by storing them efficiently in durable silicone containers, so they’re safe and dry. That way you can take the containers anywhere you need to go.
Don’t do the Electric Car Lighter Method: If you value your life, don’t do this method. This requires a car lighter and a vehicle. The first step is to heat the electric car lighter until it glows red hot. Next, place the top half of a plastic bottle over the lighter and dab a bit of shatter onto the hot coil until it produces smoke. Then inhale. Yes, don’t do this.
Do: Check out our massive selection of cannabis concentrates!
Don’t: Rush into or be pressured into it. As mentioned before, shatter, or concentrates for that matter, isn’t for everyone. Just educate yourself, like you’re doing now, and read up as much as you can.
Is Smoking Shatter the Right Choice?
Okay, we’ve given you the different methods of how to smoke shatter, along with extra tips. Now, here are some extra things to consider if consuming is the right decision.
Know Your Tolerance
Shatter is one of the most potent concentrates around, so don’t overstep your comfort zone when starting. Also, higher and higher tolerance levels with occasional use is a real thing with cannabis, so use responsibly.
Know How Your Shatter is Made
Think about the safety risks associated with how your shatter is extracted. Usually, shatter is extracted using butane oil products, so make sure the manufacturer follows strict guidelines in filtering harmful chemicals. You don’t want an amateur chemist making your shatter, that’s for sure. Easier said than done, of course.
Know Your Why
Does smoking shatter serve any useful purpose? It can be health or recreational-related. Keep in mind the why behind your decision to smoke shatter, as that will help you make decisions as to the consumption method of choice and the amount you need to smoke. This study provides an in-depth glance at what concentrates provide for many.