Much like hard candy, the way to make clear shatter is to leave it alone during the extraction process. Agitation is what causes THC molecules to cloud and turn into a buddery or crumbly consistency. Shatter is first refined using butane.
Physical agitation, temperature changes and moisture can all cause a translucent oil to change into an opaque wax. The agitation causes the THCA, which is a solid, to precipitate from the rest of the oil and crystallize.
Although moisture can account for why your shatter may have buttered up, there are plenty of other explanations, including agitation. Physical agitation could be done early on in the extraction process when the oil was scraped, making your shatter more prone to buttering.
Your once light-yellow or honey-colored concentrates will degrade into a darker amber or rust color, indicating that the cannabinoids are changing and the terpenes are evaporating out. Speaking of evaporating, concentrates go through what is known as nucleation as they degrade.
When stored in a warm cabinet or kept close to computers and electronics, the shatter will start to get murky or cloudy. While this does not mean the concentrate is bad and cannot be used, it does mean that it's losing potency quickly.
Shatter is hard like hard candy; wax is, well, waxy. This also means that shatter can be a little harder to measure and handle, while wax is relatively easy to break apart into small portions. As a side note, however, shatter can be heated so it is easier to pull off a small serving.
This happens for several reasons and cannot be attributed to a single causation. Strains with higher lipid content in the trichome heads, in other words a more dense waxy cuticle layer surrounding the bulbous head of the trichomes, tend to sugar up more when made to shatter.
Shatter is as hard as glass, while wax and crumble are softer and more malleable. Technically, crumble is a type of wax that's drier and feels like feta cheese. Some people claim waxes are “tastier” than shatter because they're heated at lower temperatures.
Top-quality shatter is nearly transparent. It should not be dark in color. Always choose a clearer product because it signifies a higher quality. A good shatter has a rich aroma as well.
The single largest consideration in creating the stable, glass-like shatter consistency is the moisture content of the input material. The material should be 8% water content or lower. Dry material makes achieving our goal consistency easier and repeatable.
Mission Vision Shatter is an all-new Voyager-sized toy that transforms into a mostly screen-accurate Harrier Jet. Like her enemy wavemate Bumblebee, Shatter features a slide viewer-like gimmick (activated with a dial molded on her right waist), which can be viewed on both robot and jet modes.
The color can sometimes be determined from the flower the concentrate is being extracted from. A darker flower may result in a darker shatter. You should never turn up at a dispensary and dismiss a product due to color, especially if you're told the clearer it is, the purer it is.
Crumble and wax are the two most potent types of concentrate, with up to 90% THC. If you want to get the strongest possible concentrate, you want to go with crumble or wax.
You can use less shatter than flower to achieve your desired effects. While one gram may last one person a few weeks, it may be used up faster by someone else.
When smoked or heated, shatter is often stronger but releases a weaker aroma than wax, even though wax offers the same medicinal benefits. The soft state also makes wax less stable than shatter, so it breaks down more quickly and must be used sooner, but it can be used in different ways more easily.
Dab Wax is similar to Shatter, although usually slightly less potent with more impurities and it is softer and not transparent.
Resin is naturally occurring and can smoked a variety of different ways, but is the least potent of the bunch. Shatter is typically the most potent, but requires a high skill level to produce. Wax features the same high THC levels as shatter, but has a difference consistency and appearance.
Sugar Wax. Sugar wax is made similarly to shatter; it is made through the process of butane extraction. It looks just like you would imagine brown sugar to look, i.e. shiny, slightly sticky, and crumbly. Sugar wax is often made using cannabis strains that are prone to retaining water, as this creates the best result.
Whether you are storing your shatter for a week or a few weeks, you'll want to store your packaged shatter in a cool, dark, dry place. If you live in a warm climate, consider keeping your shatter in a refrigerator to protect it.
Cannabis concentrates are much more potent because it's the 'concentrated' version of flower. Often referred to as 'extracts' or 'dabs', concentrates come in various forms, such as shatter, wax, live resin, and distillate or oil, and can be dabbed with a dab rig, or vaporized in a dab pen or cannabis vaporizer.
Darker concentrates also provide a more grounded body high; unlike the high from clear and extremely concentrated THC (which tends to be a very cerebral and energetic). While effects vary from strain to strain, dark color tends to come either because of the type processing or because the plant itself was dark.
Shatter is a visually striking cannabis concentrate with a clear, glass-like consistency. Unlike other soft, malleable concentrates, shatter maintains a firmer texture that requires a user to “shatter” or “pull and snap” to break off small pieces for consumption.