Shatter, budder, and wax, oh my! Concentrates have exploded in popularity in recent years, but the insular culture surrounding them can make it difficult to break into the world of extracts. That’s why we enlisted the help of our favorite Tampa marijuana dispensary to answer the question: what is shatter?
What is Shatter? Concentrates Explained
Shatter is a type of cannabis concentrate. Specifically, it exists under the umbrella of butane hash oil, or “BHO.” Several other types of concentrates, including wax, budder, sugar, and more also fall into this category.
In simplest terms, a concentrate consists of all the “goodies” in cannabis without any of the “filler.” Extractors craft concentrates by washing flower with a solvent (in the case of shatter, butane). The solvent absorbs organic compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes while leaving the majority of plant matter behind.
Finally, extractors purge the leftover solvent out of the mixture. The end product is a cannabis concentrate – nearly pure cannabinoids and terpenes, with a whopping THC content ranging from 70 to 90 percent. That’s in stark contrast to cannabis flower, where even the most potent strains max out at 30 percent THC.
What Makes Shatter Unique?
Shatter, wax, live resin, budder – new concentrate variants seem to pop up daily. If shatter is just one of these endless types of concentrates, what makes it different?
Shatter’s distinctive texture sets it apart from other kinds of extracts. Sure, high-grade shatter shares the same golden hue as other premium concentrates. And like wax, budder, and more, it may take on a translucent appearance.
But its texture is completely unique. It appears as a brittle, hard slab, allowing users to break off small pieces at a time for single servings. Shatter derives this texture from how extractors create it. Instead of whipping the concentrate while it’s hot – which creates a more buttery or flaky texture – extractors leave shatter to cool slowly. That results in the glassy, peanut-brittle texture from which this extract derives its name.
How to Use Shatter
While breaking shatter up and mixing it with some flower into a joint, bowl, or blunt, this isn’t normally the way things are done. Instead, shatter demands one of the most in-depth tools for its consumption: a dab rig.
Dab tools are specialized vaporizer bongs. Instead of a typical bowl, dab rigs have a surface made of metal or glass, called a “nail.” To use a dab rig, heat the nail with a creme brulee torch. Then, apply a small amount, or a “dab” (see what they did there?) of concentrate to the nail and inhale the vapor through the rig’s mouthpiece.
Why Choose Shatter – We Ask This Tampa Marijuana Dispensary
Think you want to try some shatter now that you have a better understanding of cannabis concentrates? Stop by this Tampa marijuana dispensary and browse their selection. With a broad inventory spanning all types of concentrates, it’s easy to see why countless cannabis connoisseurs have already paid them a visit.