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/