Why Make Marijuana Edibles with Shake?

January 3, 2018

Marijuana Leaf Trim — Photo by: OpenRangeStock/Shutterstock

Marijuana Shake Pile — Photo by: Doug Shutter

There’s a lot of jargon associated with cannabis, which can cause a fair amount of confusion for those who are just starting out. If you’re just looking to make some tasty marijuana edibles without spending a lot of cash, you’re going to come across cannabutter and oil recipes that use “shake” or “trim.” You may be wondering what these terms mean, and how they differ from regular old marijuana buds. It’s an excellent question that deserves an answer!

What Is Shake?

Shake is what happens when a batch of buds is regularly handled. Currently, the most common place to find shake is in dispensaries that keep their stock in large jars. When budtenders open up these containers and pick out nugs to show and tell about, some marijuana material is dislodged in the process. Little bits of nugs break off during handling and collect in the bottom of each jar. That’s shake. It’s often sold on its own, but it’s also prime material for pre-rolled joints.

The main downside of shake is that it’s more likely to contain a certain amount of stems and sometimes fan leaves. When making cannabutter, this hardly matters. You’ll be straining your final product anyway, so a few extra bits of plant matter won’t have a negative impact on your infusion.

All things considered, shake is just smaller bits of buds. The same quality factors that determine the potency of the bud will determine how good the shake is that comes from it.

One issue with trim is that it tends to be drier than the buds it came from. This is due to its smaller size, greater surface area, and the fact that it only accumulates over time. But again, this only matters when you’re trying to roll it up in a joint. In an edible, you won’t notice the difference!

What Is Trim?

Trim is the inferior of these two pot by-products. While shake is simply little bits of bud, trim is the leftover stuff that’s removed from the buds before they’re packaged. It includes some of the fan leaves that happen to have trichomes on them, which is why it can be packaged and sold to consumers. It will definitely get you high, but you’ll have to endure the possibly undesirable experience by smoking quite a lot of it.

For edibles, trim is not recommended due to its excessively “plant-y” flavor, which can really ruin a marijuana edible. It is also significantly less potent than shake, which means you’d have to use even more in your butter or oil recipes.

The Bottom Line

Shake is the way to go when you need a cost-effective alternative to full buds for your marijuana edibles. Since it’s just the leftovers of a bag or jar of bud, it has plenty of trichomes and cannabinoids. Trim, on the other hand, has much less to offer in terms of potency, and therefore it comes with a host of undesirable side effects that just don’t make for a good marijuana edible experience.

Article by: Spencer Grey