{"id":46911,"date":"2019-08-12T20:43:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T20:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/what-is-shatter-and-how-do-you-hit-it\/"},"modified":"2019-08-12T20:43:54","modified_gmt":"2019-08-12T20:43:54","slug":"what-is-shatter-and-how-do-you-hit-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/culture\/what-is-shatter-and-how-do-you-hit-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Shatter and How Do You Hit It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shatter is a relative newcomer to the legal weed scene. It looks like glass, hits like a champ, and feels delightful (or so I\u2019m told). But what, exactly, is shatter? What makes it different from other waxes, hashes, or oils<\/u><\/a>? And most importantly, what\u2019s the best way to consume it?<\/p>\n

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How Shatter Is Made<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Shatter<\/u><\/a> is classified as an extract, so it\u2019s made from cannabis\u2019s extracted essential oils. Typically, this extraction is done with a hydrocarbon solvent such as butane, propane, or a mixture of the two. It can also be extracted with carbon dioxide, but not usually.<\/p>\n

Once extracted with hydrocarbons, the raw oil undergoes some cleaning. The resultant bubbling sludge gets whipped, stirred, then placed in vacuum ovens, which gently heat the extraction while sucking out residual hydrocarbons and properly disposing of them. <\/p>\n

Now that the extract has been cleaned of toxic solvents, it undergoes winterization<\/u><\/a>. Winterization is a fancy name for \u201cadding alcohol and filtering.\u201d Basically, ethanol (usually in a relatively pure form like Everclear) gets poured into the extract. The contents are stirred or shaken then placed in a freezer. Cooling causes extraneous lipids and hydrocarbons (from the initial extraction) to coagulate, or clot. The mixture is run through a filter (kind of like coffee) to catch the lumpy, buttery crud and to separate the undesired elements from the ethanol mix.<\/p>\n

Winterization is usually done three to five times<\/u><\/a> to ensure the final product contains as little extraneous plant material as possible. Once the filtering steps are done, the ethanol is gently cooked off or evaporated from the mix, leaving behind delicious THC for your dabbing pleasure.<\/p>\n

With shatter, the final product should be translucent, taking on the quality of amber-colored glass. At lower temperatures, this product can literally break apart into shards, hence the name shatter<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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How Is Shatter Different From Other Extracts?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Shatter doesn\u2019t offer anything special for the average toker. It comes in around the same potencies as other extracts or concentrates (70 to 90 percent THC). Where it usually differs is (1) cost and (2) ease of dabbing. <\/p>\n

Imagine cannabis extracts existing on a spectrum that moves from containing the most plant components <\/em>to containing the least plant components<\/em>. On one end of this spectrum, you\u2019ll find raw cannabis oil<\/u><\/a> \u2014 the thick, black, sativa-saturated syrup called Rick Simpson oil, Phoenix Tears, or FECO (full-extract cannabis oil). Raw oil is essentially the plant in viscous form, so of all the different forms of cannabis extracts, it contains the most of everything: cannabinoids, terpenes, etc. <\/p>\n

On the opposite end of the sectrum are isolates<\/u><\/a>. Isolates are pure THC or CBD crystals\/powders. They contain no terpenoids or other plant components. <\/p>\n

Gallery \u2014 The Art of the Dab<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n