If you want a long-lasting, hard-hitting high with just a small amount of weed, shatter is the way to go. It’s among the purest types of cannabis concentrates, boasting up to a whopping 90 percent concentrations of THC. In terms of appearance, shatter sports an amber color, glass-like transparency, and candy-like consistency. It’s brittle and easily breaks when dropped from a low height – hence the name.

So, here comes the question. How on earth do you even toke this ultra-potent form of weed? Sadly, it is not as straightforward as packing it into a joint and blazing it up. Even worse, if done incorrectly, you will only end up wasting some precious shatter in the process. But there are ways about it. Below, we talk about how to smoke shatter for a devastating high.

How to Smoke Shatter: Everything You Need to Know

A dab rig offers a tried-and-true way of consuming shatter. But what if you don’t have a rig on hand? Fortunately for cannabis enthusiasts, there are other reliable ways to enjoy this super-potent concentrate. That is, instead of a rig, you can use a bong, pipe, joint, or even a vape pen.

cannabis oil concentrate shatter
Piece of cannabis oil concentrate aka shatter

The method you should choose largely depends on your needs, preferences, and smoking experience. If it sounds confusing, don’t worry. We’re here to help you figure out the best and most enjoyable way to smoke shatter, whether it’s with or without a rig.

Option 1: How to Smoke Shatter with a Rig

Using a dab rig or an oil rig is by far the most popular way to smoke shatter. In case you don’t know, a rig is designed to vaporize dabs or marijuana concentrates, heating them to exceedingly high temperatures. It’s essentially a glass pipe that resembles a bong, except for the addition of a dab nail. Made from borosilicate glass, ceramic, quartz, or titanium, the nail is where the shatter is placed and heated with a blow torch. This whole process is otherwise known as dabbing.

Procedure:

  1. Break a tiny portion off the shatter. About the size of a bead will do. Place it on your dab tool. Set aside.
  2. Turn on your blow torch. Carefully aim the flame at the nail. Typically, you should wait until the nail starts turning red.
  3. Turn off the torch once the nail is sufficiently hot. Be extra careful not to accidentally touch it. Allow the nail to cool down – about 45 seconds for quartz ones, and around 10 seconds for titanium ones.
  4. Slide the dome over the nail.
  5. Grab your dabber and apply the piece of shatter onto the baked nail. Begin breathing in the resulting cloud. Rotate the dabber tip so you can transfer every bit of concentrate onto the nail, preventing wastage.
  6. Cover the shatter with a carb cap to improve the airflow. Finish inhaling the vapor.
  7. Exhale, sit back, and relax.

Option 2: How to Smoke Shatter with a Bong

A bong is the next best thing if you don’t have a dab rig. In essence, a bong is a water pipe and a filtration device used for smoking cannabis buds. It purifies the smoke of burnt marijuana by letting it pass through water before being inhaled, resulting in cleaner, smoother, and more powerful hits. One intense rip, in fact, is more than enough to send you flying high. As a bonus, bongs are also versatile and come in a wide range of designs and styles.

Procedure:

  1. Ready your preferred marijuana flowers. Break up the nug coarsely into smaller bits. Use an herb grinder if you have one, but bare hands will do.
  2. Pack the bowl until it’s half full.
  3. Sprinkle a few crumbs of shatter on top of the bud.
  4. Continue packing the bowl with the ground-up plant matter. Make sure not to pack too tightly, which can restrict airflow.
  5. Blaze up the bowl and inhale slowly and deeply. Enjoy.

Option 3: How to Smoke Shatter with a Pipe

A pipe is a compact, handheld device used for smoking cannabis. Generally, it’s made of borosilicate glass and comes in various sizes, shapes, and even designs. It’s sometimes called a “bowl.” But technically, the bowl pertains to the basin-like part of the pipe that holds the plant material.

Pipes offer a straightforward way of smoking pot. You can’t use it solely for shatter, though. That’s because it will just stick to the glass when heated. Instead, you will have to sprinkle the shatter bits on top of the herb. This practice of mixing marijuana flowers with concentrates is more commonly known as “twaxing.”

Procedure:

  1. Grab a small amount of cannabis buds. Grind it into coarse bits using a grinder. Alternatively, you can also use a pair of scissors or even your hands.
  2. Pack the weed into the bowl until it’s halfway full. Again, make sure not to overpack.
  3. Scatter a few pieces of shatter on top of the plant matter.
  4. Fill the remainder of the bowl with ganja.
  5. Blaze up the pipe and take a hit. Enjoy.

Option 4: How to Smoke Shatter with a Joint

If you’re a beginner and still don’t have any smoking paraphernalia, consider smoking shatter using a joint. But if you’re new to concentrates (or cannabis in general), you will definitely have to proceed with caution. Remember, shatter is extremely potent, so start with just a tiny amount.

Like the previous methods, you will also have to combine shatter with the dried herbs. Don’t even attempt to use shatter by itself. It will only end up sticking to the paper, which means that you won’t be able to harness its psychoactive effects.

Procedure:

  1. Grind the plant matter coarsely.
  2. Ready your rolling paper.
  3. Make a crutch or filter. Place it on one end of the paper, with a small portion of it jutting out.
  4. Distribute the ground-up weed evenly across the paper. Arrange the material depending on your desired shape.
  5. Consider breaking the shatter into small pieces. Sprinkle some of in on top of the bud before rolling. Just make sure that the shatter is away from the ends of the stick.
  6. There’s another way of twaxing a joint if you want to make things more exciting. Start by rolling your shatter into a snake, the way you would with modeling clay or Play-Doh. Once done, it should resemble a long, thin rod. You can place it on top of your cannabis before closing the joint. Alternatively, you can coil it outside the sealed jay.
  7. Light up that doobie slowly and evenly to create a cherry – or to keep it actively burning.
  8. Once the cherry is going strong, take one or two slow, measured drags. Enjoy.

Option 5: How to Smoke Shatter with a Vape Pen

Shatter is so flexible that it can even be smoked using a vape pen. While convenient, there are a few caveats to keep in mind.

For one, not all models are designed to vaporize cannabis concentrates. So, make sure to opt for a concentrates vape pen, and to carefully read the product manual and specs. After that, you would have to tweak multiple settings. This step alone already tends to have a steep learning curve. Not to mention, producing a high-quality vapor may also require tons of practice. For this reason, using a vape pen is not the most efficient approach for beginners.

So, opt for vape pens only as a last resort. If you’re still learning how to smoke shatter, a joint, pipe, or a bong is still the most recommended. But once you understand the nitty-gritty of operating vape pens, everything else should be a breeze.

Procedure:

  1. Open the chamber of the vape pen.
  2. Place a small chunk of shatter on the coil.
  3. Press the button while the chamber is still open, allowing the shatter to melt down a bit. Make sure that it is not burning.
  4. Close the chamber. Replace the lid of the vape pen.
  5. Hold the button on the unit while inhaling the vapor. In most cases, you’ll need to hold the button for the entire duration of the session. Draw slowly and evenly for smooth vapor.
  6. Sit back and enjoy.
melted cannabis shatter
Melted cannabis oil concentrate aka shatter held on a dabbing tool

Smoke Shatter for a Mind-Blowing High

Cannabis concentrates, due to their sky-high THC levels, are taking the 420 community by storm. There are many types to choose from, but shatter is among the most popular. It’s highly versatile and convenient to use, making it a fantastic choice for users who want to sample concentrates, as well as those who simply want to spice up their toking experience. And if smoked correctly – with or without a rig – this powerhouse will deliver a mind-shattering high with just an infinitesimal amount. Reaching seventh heaven has never been this easy.