How to use shatter
For the longest time, dry cannabis flowers were the household staple for marijuana enthusiasts, but now that legalization has increased the access to more concentrated forms of cannabinoids getting high has never been more exciting. The trouble is that there are so many different options out there, and most inexperienced consumers have no idea where to start or what all is needed to try marijuana concentrates. Luckily, there are several ways to use these types of cannabis products without a fancy smoking device, and here, you will find all the ways that shatter specifically can be used.
What is shatter?
Shatter is just one type of marijuana concentrate. It is made up of THC, CBD, and various other cannabinoids and is extracted using many different methods. This cannabis-derived product has a thick and hard consistency and will shatter like glass when disturbed.
1. Dabbing
What is dabbing? Dabbing describes the act of superheating a surface like a nail on a dab rig and using that heat to vaporize marijuana concentrates for being inhaled effectively. Dabbing generally requires a heating element like a torch and a smoking device like a dab rig.
How to dab shatter
Some dab rigs are combined with electronic heating elements that make using one as simple as loading it and pressing a button. However, most basic dab rigs will contain a nail or banger, a base with the chamber, and a removable stem. The nail or banger is heated usually with a butane torch until it reaches the ideal temperature to vaporize the dabs on contact. Once it is hot enough, a small amount of the shatter can be broken off and placed onto the heated surface and inhaled through the mouthpiece on the dab rig. Dabbing will only produce on hit at a time and must be reheated between each use.
2. Joints
What are the joints? Joints are a type of cannabis roll, that may contain any number of different elements, including marijuana, tobacco, and marijuana concentrates.
How to roll shatter into a joint
There are many unique ways that marijuana concentrates can be smoked in joints, but these are the two most common methods used.
Inside the joint
Break apart small crumb sized pieces of the shatter and sprinkle them on top of a fair amount of dry herb inside of a rolling paper. Add a top layer of dry cannabis, to keep the concentrate in the center and improve the burning of the marijuana concentrate. If you don’t want to break it into pieces than simply remove however much you’d like to add and use the heat from your fingers to heat it enough to manipulate the rock-hard concentrate until it can be rolled into a long snake type shape. This way a joint can be easily lined with the shatter with hardly any effort at all.
Outside of the joint
Since shatter is typically rock hard, it must first be heated before it can be applied to the outer paper of a joint, but once it cools the sticky concentrate will hold itself in place quite nicely. Use your fingers to roll a long snake like shape that is double the length of the joint that you would like to dress with it. Start at the bottom of the joint where the filter is located and press one end of the tube against the paper until it sticks into place. Now you can spin the joint and run the shatter tube in swirls along the outside of it.
3. Weed pipes
What are pipes? Pipes can come in all different shapes and sizes and are typically made of wood, glass, or metal materials. A pipe will contain a bowl to hold the cannabis, a chamber for the smoke to travel through from the bowl, and a mouthpiece. Some designs also include a carb, but one is not necessary to be considered a weed pipe.
How to use shatter in a pipe
It is not generally recommended to use shatter in a pipe because once the marijuana concentrate is heated, it will turn into a liquid and can clog up small chambers and airways. However, if you have no other options or just want to give this method of smoking a try, be sure to place only a few small pieces on top of a thickly packed bowl of dry herb. This will give the concentrate something to fuse to once it heats and keep it out of the stem of the device.
4. Bongs
What are bongs? Bongs are made in so many different shapes, designs, and sizes, that it is difficult to describe what a bong is, without knowing which type you’d like a description of. Bongs will typically have a large bottom chamber, a long and narrower top, a removable stem with bowl tip, and a wide-open mouthpiece. Some will require water, while others should be used dry.
How to use shatter in a bong
Just like with the weed pipe, smoking shatter through a bong will require a nice layer of dry cannabis in the bowl, before any shatter is added. Be careful only to add a few grain sized pieces, if you want to avoid clogging up your bong stem.
5. Vaporizer
What are vaporizers? Vaporizers are slightly more standard in the way that they function but come in several different designs that are separated into two distinct groups, including compact and tabletop models. A vaporizer can be loaded with marijuana concentrates and will apply the ideal amount of heat necessary to convert the cannabinoids and terpenes into vapor rather than combusting it into smoke.
How to vape shatter
Vaping is one of the healthiest, easiest, and most direct methods of ingestion. No matter which kind of vaporizer you have, the coils will do all the work for you. Simply fill the marijuana concentrate chamber with one or two small dabs of shatter and use the vape as it’s included instructions suggest.
Other marijuana concentrates that can be used the same way as shatter:
Crumble
Dried oils with a hard honeycomb like texture.
Distillate
Refined cannabinoid oil that is a liquid.
Crystalline
Pure cannabinoid crystals with a texture like sugar.
Rosin
Thick and sticky marijuana concentrate that has been extracted using heat and pressure.
Bubble hash
Whole trichomes and crystals that result in a texture like paste.
Budder
A creamy marijuana concentrate that can be spread just like regular margarine.
