Crumble, sometimes called crumble wax or honeycomb wax, is a cannabis extract identified by its malleable texture that falls apart, or “crumbles,” when handled.

Unlike other weed concentrates, such as shatter, wax, budder, resin, or cannabis oils, crumble is quite versatile. Not limited to dabbing only, you can easily add it to joints, blunts, or spliffs, or sprinkle crumble over the top of marijuana buds in a bowl or pipe.

The dry, fragmented, and crumbly texture that gives this concentrate its name results from its unique production technique, which involves processing at lower temperatures for a much longer period of time than other concentrates.

While its crumbly consistency can make it harder to handle than concentrates like shatter or budder, crumble wax has a reputation for giving consumers an especially potent and tasty experience.

More about crumble

Crumble is an extract, a form of cannabis concentrate produced using a solvent such as butane or CO2 in combination with heat and pressure. But unlike other concentrates, which are generally more viscous, this one is — you guessed it — dry and crumbly. In fact, it is one of the driest extracts on the market.

Brands make crumble using either dried and cured cannabis flowers, or fresh flowers that are quickly frozen at an extremely low temperature. In this case, the end product is technically classified as a type of live resin.

Crumble wax is generally light yellow in color. It typically has the consistency of dry crumbs, but can also have a honeycomb structure that easily falls apart into its more distinctive crumbly texture. Over time, it tends to change color, going from light yellow to amber.

Because it’s so crumbly and falls apart so easily, crumble wax can be a bit more difficult to handle than other extracts and concentrates. But its unique solvent purging process may leave intact a very high proportion of the original terpenes and other key compounds such as THC, producing effects that can be ultra flavorful and potent.

How to dab crumble and other cannabis concentrates

Dabbing is by far the most popular way to consume concentrates and extracts. Because concentrates are more potent than flower, dabbing is known for producing a much stronger range of effects. Additionally, because dabbing uses high temperatures to vaporize cannabis rather than burning it, the flavors and aromas you get from this method tend to be much cleaner and more robust. 

Dabbing crumble follows the exact same process as any other concentrate: heat the nail, scoop some crumble onto it, and inhale the vapor. The key difference with crumble is that it’s much better to use a spoon-shaped dabber as opposed to a flat-tipped dabber. This makes it easier to scoop the crumble out of its container and get it onto the nail without any crumbles falling off.

You can also use any vape pen that allows you to dab actual globs of concentrate and doesn’t restrict you to using cartridges only.

How to smoke crumble

Versatility is one of this concentrate’s biggest benefits, and there are several simple ways to consume crumble. In addition to dabbing it like any other marijuana concentrate, you can also easily incorporate it into other smoking techniques.

One option is to add it to joints, blunts, or spliffs. Make sure your extract is broken down into relatively small crumbles, then fill your rolling paper or wrapper with flower and sprinkle your crumble evenly across the top of the flower. Finish rolling, spark up, and smoke your crumble-enhanced joint, blunt, or spliff the same way you always do. The flower/crumble combination contains much more THC than flower alone, producing significantly heightened effects.

You can also smoke crumble out of a bong or pipe. Simply pack the bowl with flower, top it off with a bit of crumble, apply heat, and get ready for liftoff.

What Is Cannabis Wax?

Cannabis wax has a softer and more opaque hue than shatter. Wax has a more crystallized form due to the agitation experienced after extraction in post-processing. The final product has a texture resembling candle wax. Consumers will also notice that wax has a creamier consistency that’s easier to work with and load onto a dab rig or pen.

How Cannabis Shatter and Wax Are Made

Manufacturers typically use light hydrocarbon extraction to produce butane BHO products like BHO shatter and BHO wax. Both shatter and wax use similar methods of extraction with a few variances that lead to a different consistency and texture. In closed-loop equipment, butane is pushed through the starting material to separate cannabis resin from buds, stems, or leaves.

During extraction, temperature changes lead to different concentrate forms. For example, shatter is made using higher temperatures during the butane extraction process, while wax uses lower temperatures that don’t allow the wax to harden. When making wax, the product is agitated to produce a crumbly extract, unlike shatter that is not agitated.

Slight differences in production cause huge molecular variability in the final product’s consistency. Without agitation, shatter’s molecules are stacked neatly in rows on top of the other. This molecular alignment allows shatter to have a transparent appearance and glass-like characteristics. Disrupting or agitating the molecules, on the other hand, creates irregular and opaque structures that result in marijuana wax.

Agitation during the production process can be achieved in multiple ways. Extraction technicians can raise the temperature during the extraction process, or choose to whip the oil and place it under a vacuum oven at the same temperature. These techniques disturb the molecules, which starts the process of nucleation and leads to a non-translucent wax extract.

How to Buy High-Quality BHO Shatter and Wax

Buying high-quality BHO shatter and wax is one of the most important parts of having a positive dabbing experience. An important first step is purchasing products from legal shops that have completed third-party lab testing to ensure consumers have a pure and potent concentrate. Third-party testing should validate that there are no residual solvents left in your BHO products. However, understanding where the concentrate originated and how it was produced is equally, if not more important. 

Many users and manufacturers report that shatter has a longer shelf life than wax. Because shatter has a more stable form, this concentrate can last longer before breaking down compared to the creamier and brittle wax. Storing concentrates in a cool, dry, and dark place ensures they don’t degrade prematurely.