Shake, or shake weed, is basically just small bits and pieces of cannabis flower that have broken off and fallen into the bottom of the jar or container that it’s stored in. The best way to think of it is like crumbs at the bottom of a bag of chips. In terms of quality, shake can vary drastically.
A lot of medical and recreational dispensaries sell shake weed at discounted prices, but more often than not, this is just a hodgepodge from several different strains of flower that are thrown together. If you see something labeled “premium harvest shake,” however, this often implies that the shake has come from a single strain.
What is the difference between trim and shake?
One of the biggest mistakes people make is confusing shake with trim. Trim is the bits and pieces of buds that are cut off during the trimming process. In other words, it is mostly just waste material. Shake, on the other hand, is bits and pieces that are broken off from the actual nugs. In some cases, shake can actually be very high quality and can contain potent THC levels.
How do I use shake weed?
Just like any other form of cannabis flower, shake can be smoked, vaped, or made into edibles. Since most shake is often a mixture of various strains and sold as kind of a waste material, a lot of people prefer to use it for edibles rather than smoking it. Whatever the case is, buying shake weed can certainly save you a few dollars on your next trip to the dispensary!
Can I use shake to make edibles?
All you need is cannabis in the form of shake, an oven set to 240 degrees, some parchment paper, a baking tray and aluminum foil. You don’t need expensive decarboxylation machines to activate cannabis. Decarboxylation can be done in your own kitchen by baking the dry plant material in an oven at a low temperature for a certain period of time.
What is decarboxylation?
Decarboxylation is the first and most important step to infusing foods with cannabis. The two main factors for decarboxylation are heat and time. Drying and curing cannabis over time will cause a partial decarboxylation to occur, but cooking with cannabis requires THC and CBD to be activated through decarboxylation. If you were to eat raw cannabis shake and trim, it’s very unlikely that you will feel the effects of THC. Raw cannabis contains very little or no THC or CBD until it’s activated through smoking or decarboxylation.
How can I use shake to create edibles?
You should keep the oven temperatures as close as possible to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an oven thermometer to double check the temperature within your oven to make sure it’s the right heat. The temperature on your dial may not represent the actual temperature within the oven. Heat is needed to decarboxylate but extreme temperatures can destroy the THC and CBD contained in cannabis.
Line a flat baking sheet or baking pan with parchment paper. Spread your coarsely ground cannabis evenly over the baking sheet or pan so the heat distributes evenly. Do not grind the cannabis into a fine powder. Doing this will put more plant material into the medium that you’re using. Make sure the baking sheet or pan is the correct size so there is little or no empty space on the pan when you spread out your parchment paper. Cover with foil, and then bake the cannabis at 240 degrees fahrenheit for 40 minutes. Let it cool, and then it’s ready to infuse!
How long should I decarb shake to make edibles?
The recommendation for THCA to THC decarboxylation is to bake the flower at 240 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. The recommendation for CBDA to CBD decarboxylation is to bake the flower at 240 degrees fahrenheit for 60 to 90 minutes. Use a THC or CBD calculator and enter your numbers, keep track of these numbers, and always label your final product so you’re aware of how much you’re taking per dose.
