Strain Review: Fireside Shatter

Now onto the fun part; taking the dab!

Upon opening the packaging I experienced the only disappointment I had with this product (besides the price); the shatter itself does not come wrapped in a piece of parchment paper and is instead placed loose in a sturdy but small plastic container. This wouldn’t be a problem if the shatter came out easily all in one piece, but as good shatter often is, this shatter had a slight stickiness that caused it to stick to the inside of the container. A stressful struggle ensued where I fought to get every last speck out and onto a piece of parchment paper for storage but no matter how hard I tried I could never get all of it out. After some frustration I decided to come back to the remnants left in the container (a sizable portion in and of itself) and focus on the bountiful pieces I managed to successfully procure.

Packaging (2 / 5)

Beauty! Sheer beauty! When you are assessing BHO shatter one of the best ways to gauge quality is the clarity or lack of cloudiness. Place the shatter on a magazine and see how clear and pure your concentrates actually are. Fireside X shatter knocks it out of the park with this; producing shatter that is a dark amber in colour and very clear and pure. 

Cure (5 / 5)

Fireside X Shatter is a full spectrum concentrate made from whole buds and not trim. The quality is clear to see, taste and feel. Full spectrum cannabis products are wonderful for their full array of terpenes and cannabinoids and make for increased flavour and effects both physically and cerebrally. The strains for this run of shatter were: Wappa, Glueberry & OG Kush making this a very indica heavy experience with just enough OG Kush to keep an even keel, or so I thought. 

I dug right in and carved out a piece of shatter equal in size to a piece of rice with my dab tool; a modern day dental appliance repurposed for recreational use. With my double flame blow torch I heated up the quartz banger of my dab rig until it was glowing red hot (you don’t have to dab this dramatically but it can be quite fun, safety first always!), ensuring that any remnants from my last use of the piece wouldn’t flavour or tarnish my first experience in this wonderful new world of Wappa, Glueberry and OG Kush. Time to get busy.

Once the banger had cooled down to an appropriate temperature (I like around 500F/260C and yes there is no shame in using a laser aided temp gun to get your dab just right) I slowly and bravely lowered my dab into the banger and rotated the tool in my fingers as I dabbed the shatter against the side of the hot banger, turning the solid oil into bubbly liquid before it eventually turned to vapor and was drawn through the water percolator in my rig. Once all of the oil was off of the tool I placed my sword down and put a carb cap on the banger to maximize the volume of the toke. Delicious notes of skunky Wappa filled my palette only to be overwhelmed in turn by flavour of fruit and clove (caryophyllene). The flavour and aroma of this shatter is complex and very satisfying. 

Flavour (4 / 5)

Aroma (4 / 5)

It tastes really, really good. But goodness is it ever strong. Clocking in at 71% it feels more like a million once the extra benefits of full spectrum shatter are factored in. The first dab had me smiling pleasantly, contemplating the flavour. The second was also delicious, and especially smooth. The third absolutely grabbed me, like an eagle snatching a fish out of the water and throwing that dabbed fish onto a couch where he may rest for the remainder of his days.

The effects came slowly in waves but once the whole party of cannabinoids had arrived I was locked on my couch with a great big smile on my face. Brace for impact ladies and gentlemen because this one will hit you like a tonne of bricks. 

Effects (5 / 5)

I usually write my reviews in one night however after extensive testing on the first night I was not able to do so, resorting to a second night of testing with the PAX Vaporizer. The PAX is a great way to get a controlled and safe first experience of concentrates without the extra pieces and blow torches needed for dab rigs. Check this Wappa of a product out at The Hunny Pot location nearest you and enjoy!