Dear Cheri,
I made a batch of infused oil and it did not come as strong as I had hoped. My question is, can I re-infuse my infused oil with more cannabis to make it stronger?
Yes you can. Meaning you can add more cannabis and infuse your oil again to up the potency.
Ardent Cannabis, makers of my favorite cannabis cooking gadgets, the FX and Nova has an interesting article on their website where they put “infusion boosting” to the test, with both CBD and THC. Follow this link to read their lab test results.
In a nutshell, what they found was you definitely can boost your infusions, although you will lose a little bit on the second infusion. In other words, you won’t double your strength, but you can get close.
Starting with decarbed cannabis, let's say your original infusion contained 90 mgs of THC per ounce. Re-infusing it will not quite double the dose, so in this example, the boosted infusion might contain about 170 mgs. instead of 180.
The volume of oil (or butter or whatever is being infused) matters too. The less oil being infused, the more potency you will lose on the second infusion. This is because there is only so many cannabinoids you can pack into a tiny amount of oil without it becoming saturated (although the exact number is elusive to find). Nonetheless, the article at the Ardent website that shows the lab test results when Infusion Boosting is most enlightening.
Hi, just discovered your website! I’m very excited . I’m new to making my own coconut canna oil. I have read several recipes as far as time and temperature settings. I want to prevent my thc from turning into cbn during the process. Do you recommend a temperature and time frame for coconut canna oil ? I made a batch using 240 temperature for 40 minutes decarb, then I cooked at 180 for 2 1/2 hours. So I think I over cooked because the effects make me very sleepy. I’m sure the strain matters, but just looking for a generalized recipe for future success. I would really appreciate an expert’s advice. Thanks in advance!
I do not have specific time and temperature recommendations. I usually use a slow cooker because I am able to set it forget it, I will usually go 3 hours or so once it is at temperature by this method. Otherwise I use the Ardent FX which is programmed for THC or CBD extraction (see https://cannabischeri.com/lifestyle/reviews/ardent-fx/ ).
However, you are correct when you said the effects have more to do with the strain. I think overcooking effects will be minimal unless you let it go a really long time, however, the effects of different strains can be more profound (see this article https://cannabischeri.com/mary-jane/learning/marijuana-terpenes-what-they-are-why-you-need-them-how-to-use-them/ ).
When it comes to CBN, I recall Ardent Cannabis (makers of the FX and the Nova) had some interesting articles on their blog, with lab tests, about this. I would have to search them out, but click to their website (link below) and search under CBN and I sure you can find them.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/likes/ardent-decarboxylator/
Hello Cheri, I have 6 gm of Blue Dream Sap i want to make strong MCT oil to drop under tongue.I had 2 bad experiences with eatables and am afraid to experiment. Read so many get confused and don’t want to use lecithin. I have a LEVO II and made salve with ABV and it works so I want drops so I can stop vaping. I live where our towns of Paradise and Magalia California burned down the stress is unbearable and I can no longer concentrate and comprehend what I have read and then the Covid CRAP.. Thank You, hope to hear from you soon,
I am not sure what the question is here? Follow the instructions on the Levo I guess? I am not a fan of this particular gadget as it severely limits the amount of cannabis you can use, so I am not up on the ins and outs of it. Make the oil as strong as you can, I recommend MCT coconut oil, and use sublingually.
Hi Cheri, I am new to cooking with cannabis. I have done a ton of research and then came upon your website. Thank you…thank you…thank you! Most informative and easy to understand for newbies site by far. I am using your dosing calculator worksheet and would like to know in Step 1 – should I be using the % of THC/CBD in my cannabis before or after decarb for the calculation. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words.
You would measure/estimate before. If you have a lab tested label, use the THC-A as that will convert to THC with decarbing. Otherwise you are estimating what you think it is, and I give ranges in the class.
Hello! I hope you can answer my question. About a 45 days ago I decarbed some flower and only used half of that to make oil. When I now used the other half in my mew Ardent infuser, there was very little strength. Should I have done the de carb process again first??
No once is enough. I am not sure what happened the second time, but it should have been the same.
Is there a baseline amt of thc to use as a guide to calculate potency. I don’t have a dispensary tage
Baseline for who? With what kind of cannabis? Everyone’s needs are different, but you can learn to cook for what you personally need. Check out this article for details
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-much-marijuana-for-a-stick-of-butter/
if im infusing my old oil can i add more fresh coconut oil to it or will it spoil it .regards noeln
You can add more and it will be fine, assuming the old oil is not too old. Luckily, coconut oil has one of the longest shelf lives, but if the first oil is really old, I would not.
I used 14G =1/2 ounce of weed decarbed it in my Nova then I infused it in 1/2 cup=4 fluid oz of MCT oil. After straining and pressing the oil out of the weed it gave me roughly 2.5 fluid oz (less than 1/3 of a cup. how do I calculate the loss of oil for potency? no one ever talks about loosing so much oil during the infusion. the oil saturated remainder weed can be used still so it won’t go to waist I guess.
You notice the loss a lot more when infusing small amounts like that. Calculate on what you have after infusing (in other words when it asks amount to be infused, enter what you end up with after straining). I notice some cannabis strains seem to absorb more than others, so it is hard to be consistent and know that each bath will be. I always add more than what I hope to end up with though, so for instance, if I want a cup of oil, I will start the infusion with 1 1/4 cups so that I know I will get enough back.