If you’ve ever been to a cannabis dispensary, it’s likely that you have seen or heard about shake weed. While it’s clear that shake is a fairly common product, what it is and what you do with it may not be so clear. Luckily, we’ve got some answers.
Shake weed is a term for the small pieces of cannabis flower that break off from larger buds, typically found at the bottom of a container or bag. It typically includes small buds, bits of leaves, kief, and tiny stems that accumulate during the trimming and packaging process.
Dispensary shake typically contains several strains, meaning the effects aren’t as predictable as normal flower. However, some dispensaries do sell single strain shake, so it’s possible to reap the benefits without the unpredictability.
Generally, shake is also less aesthetically pleasing than traditional bud. However, it’s also typically more affordable and versatile, offering a wide variety of benefits for consumers nevertheless.
Shake is very versatile, and many cannabis consumers look forward to giving new life to the little bits at the bottom of their stash. Aside from preventing unnecessary waste, learning to utilize leftover cannabis trimmings instead of just throwing them away helps you get more bang for your buck. Keep in mind that if you want to reap the benefits of the shake’s cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.), you will first need to decarboxylate it.
While most people aren’t rolling up cannabis trimmings, it isn’t uncommon for people to smoke their shake. In fact, some folks specifically purchase bags of shake, which is drastically cheaper than top-shelf flower, from dispensaries. Shake is generally considered a lower quality product, but it still has lots of phytonutrients to offer.
Making cannabis-infused tea is a great way to utilize shake. Simply add your desired amount of shake to the water when preparing your favorite tea and allow it to steep for several hours before straining the plant material. Add sweetener, lemon, or any other additives that you prefer as usual.
Cannabis shake can and is commonly utilized to make a wide variety of edibles. We recommend using your shake to make cannabutter or cannaflour, which can be substituted for standard butter, oil, and flour respectively in a wide variety of recipes. Remember, when making homemade cannabis edibles from whole plant material, you must first decarboxylate the cannabis to activate the cannabinoids.
READ MORE: Cannabis Coconut Oil Recipe
Shake is also a very affordable and effective way of making your own cannabis tinctures at home. Tinctures have been made and consumed by various cultures for centuries and are great for microdosing or medicating due to their precise doses. Green Dragon tinctures are one of the most common in the cannabis space.
Shake’s decent concentration of cannabinoids makes it a great candidate for use in the production of cannabis concentrates and oils. Various extraction methods can be used to turn cannabis shake into concentrates like shatter, wax, rosin, and a variety of oils. Shake can be utilized to make Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) and full-extraction cannabis 0il (FECO).
Bonus Tip: If you create a Green Dragon tincture, you can utilize it to make FECO at home in an Instant Pot with ease!
Use your shake to create a topical product such as a cream or salve. A simple salve base can easily be made at home utilizing the recipe found here and then added to your favorite existing cream or lotion or to an ingredient such as beeswax to create a thick salve. To customize the topical infusion to your preferences, you can also add other ingredients such as vitamin E and/or essential oils.
Want to spice up your favorite beverage? You can add shake to water, vodka, or anything in between (just remember to decarb and finely grind the shake first). Check out some simple instructions for making cannabis-infused milk, vodka, juice, and coffee in this post—just substitute the trim for shake.
While shake and flower are closely related, they are not the same. These two cannabis plant products have key differences.
Dispensary shake is everything that falls off of the main buds during the trimming and packaging process. “Flower,” however, typically refers to the buds that are trimmed off the cannabis product. Nevertheless, flower can also be used as a general term to refer to cannabis plant products in general.
Shake weed has plenty of benefits for a number of reasons. Here are some of the pros of purchasing shake weed.
Nevertheless, shake isn’t for everyone. Here are some potential cons of purchasing shake weed.
Cannabis shake is a diverse, semi-potent, and affordable cannabis product that can be used to make a variety of infusions. Or to keep things simple and quick, just smoke it! The quality of your shake might differ from time to time, but you should always be able to find a use for it. If you’re interested in using your shake—either alone or in one of the products suggested in this post—to medicate, talk to a medical cannabis doctor in your state to determine the best treatment plan.
Yes, if you’re willing to sacrifice aesthetics, shake is a budget-friendly and potent option for cannabis users.
No, shake doesn’t naturally have less THC than traditional bud. It can have more or less cannabinoid or terpene content and may contain multiple strains, which makes it challenging to determine exact THC dosage.
Cannabis trim is the bulk of leaves and bud bits intentionally cut off a grown cannabis plant after it’s been harvested. Shake, however, is all of the loose trichomes that fall off packaged cannabis flower and gather at the bottom of the container it’s in.
This article was most recently updated July 3, 2024.
I’ve never thought to steep it like a cold brew !!!
Thc doesn’t bond with water. don’t waste product on tea and another drink that doesn’t have saturated fats or a solvent. If you want tea you have to turn it into a butter or coconut oil and then add it to the tea.
This information has been very useful and informative for myself as I am a breast cancer patient. I have started smoking cannabis due to the way I feel after chemo. Thank you
Best medicine in the world for most of its patients. However it is ridiculously priced at the dispensaries in Spfld,Ohio. If they would lower prices everyone would have reasons to try Medical marijuana.
Where can you purchase shake. Wanna make cookies , Brownies. Need and good recipe for butter.
Can l use older shake to make tincture for pain and do l have to decarb
Ain’t nuthin’ wrong with shake! I like to roll joints so not only does it save me money but also the grinding step. Wouldn’t say it’s any less potent though. If it’s available, I take that shake!
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