Everything You Need To Know

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.

What Is Shake Weed?

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.

Ways to Utilize Weed Shake

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.

Smoking

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.

Tea

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.

Edibles

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

Tinctures

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.

Concentrates/Oils

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!

Salves

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.

Beverages

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.

Difference Between Shake and Flower

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.

Pros of Purchasing Shake Weed

Shake weed has plenty of benefits for a number of reasons. Here are some of the pros of purchasing shake weed.

• More Cost Effective: Shake is generally less expensive than traditional bud, making it a budget-friendly option for those who aren’t overly concerned with the plant’s appearance or the potential variability in effects.
• Versatile: Shake can be used for a variety of consumption options, such as smoking, recipes, or infusions like extracts and topicals.
• Reduces Waste: Shake is often discarded after the trimming and packaging process. Purchasing shake can help reduce waste in the cannabis industry.
• Differing Effects: Shake often contains multiple strains, making it difficult to determine the exact potency, terpene profile, or effects. As such, if you are not seeking strain-specific effects, shake might offer an intriguing experience by blending the effects of multiple strains.

Cons of Purchasing Shake Weed

Nevertheless, shake isn’t for everyone. Here are some potential cons of purchasing shake weed.

• Uglier Than Traditional Flower: Shake lacks the visual appeal of full buds, similar to how “imperfect” fruits and vegetables may look less appealing but still offer satisfactory or even superior effects.
• Unpredictable Effects:  The mix of strains within shake weed can be problematic, especially for medical patients who need specific compounds and effects. However, if you find shake from a single strain, this concern is minimized.

Key Takeaways

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth buying shake from a dispensary?

Yes, if you’re willing to sacrifice aesthetics, shake is a budget-friendly and potent option for cannabis users.

Does shake have less THC?

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.

What is the difference between shake and trim?

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.