If you love cannabis, you’ve probably heard of shatter. Shatter is a form of cannabis extract that has become so popular in Canada in recent years. It offers some advantages, like retaining much of the cannabis’s flavors and THC content.
The end product is usually pure and glass-like, and often consumed via dabbing or vaping. It is stiff, somewhat translucent, and looks fragile. Perhaps the appearance alone attracts so many people to try shatter.
The potency of shatter is a real deal. And considering how popular it is right now in Canada, everyone is advised to be careful when consuming it. Nevertheless, there is no denying that shatter offers so many things that cannabis enthusiasts want, and a lot of people are even making it themselves.
But how do you make shatter? Is it even possible to make it yourself? Actually, yes you can. There are also several methods you can use to extract the resinous trichomes from the cannabis plant
Before you start making your own shatter
The purest and most potent shatter should look like either a piece of glass or bees’ wax. If you see shatter that looks like that, you’ll know it’s probably of good quality. When making shatter or any cannabis concentrate, there are some things you need to consider: material quality, extraction parameters, and post-processing parameters.
Making shatter at home could also be dangerous, depending on what recipe you’re using. Butane, for example, which is a popular method to extract the trichomes of cannabis, is flammable and explosive. So you should consider all the methods that you can use and determine which one is the best for you. There are several ways of making shatter, some are safer, while others are quicker. However, I don’t think any beginner should try this method, as there is a safer alternative that I am going to tell you below.
Concentrate extraction methods
Now let’s talk about some concentrate extraction methods that we can use. The methods we know today can be categorized into two: solvent-based and solventless. Solvent-based methods use solvents like CO2, ethanol, and butane to dissolve the cannabinoids and terpenes from the cannabis plant.
Solventless extraction methods are very popular nowadays and popular among home users. These methods don’t need harsh solvents, instead, they use solventless extraction techniques with fine mesh screens, or heat and pressure.
Each extraction method offers its own pros and cons, but for shatter, there is a method that I can recommend you use: creating shatter from kief. This process is simple, safe, and quick, and the best thing is that it is solventless. So you don’t have to deal with dangerous solvents to get your shatter.
Using kief to create your shatter
Using kief to create shatter is probably the best method you can use that is safe, quick, and efficient. Making shatter from kief is many Canadians’ popular method. What you need are kief – use enough to fill a quarter-size piece of parchment paper, a hair straightener, oven mitts, and parchment paper or wax paper.
First, pour the kief you have onto the parchment paper. Keep everything in place, square shape if possible. Next, fold the paper tightly around the hash in squares. You can also use tape to keep the paper folder around the kief tightly. Use scissors, to cut off any excess paper hanging off of the square shape. Make sure the parchment paper covers every inch of your kief, not less or more. Finish it by wrapping that square of kief in another sheet of parchment paper.
Now it’s time to use the hair straightener. Turn it on the lowest setting possible and let it heat up for up to 2 minutes. Next, clamp your hair straightener over the square kief, and press down as hard as you can. One hand is clamping the hair straightener shut, and the other is pressing down the top part of the hair straightener to squeeze the kief more. Hold it for about 10 seconds. Be careful to not burn yourself, this is why you need the oven mitts.
After you’re done, take out the parchment paper containing the kief from the hair straightener. Unfold the paper, and you’ll see a honey-colored substance on the edges of the square kief. That substance Is shatter and ready to be used.
But hold that thought, for now, you should see more kief in your parchment paper, right? So fold a new sheet of paper around the remaining kief and repeat the steps again until you get enough shatter or use all your kief. Now the last step is to enjoy your fresh shatter as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Shatter is potent and fun for many cannabis enthusiasts. I hope the guide above is easy enough to follow so Canadians can finally be able to enjoy their very own shatter. And the best thing is that you don’t have to worry about the dangerous effects of some solvents used in some extraction methods. If you can’t see yourself doing this, you can always shop at your favorite dispensary.
