Making Canna-Oil: Math Included

If you have ever tried to find a definitive answer to a dosage question on the internet, you were out of luck, until now that is. 

As a Medical Cannabis Partaker (and a busy parent) I need to know what my results are going to be before I make my oil. I also need to know that my results can be reproduced. But how do I do that with kief instead of bud was my dilemma.

I understand the typical ratios for bud to butter to use for baking. I didn't know how to measure and account for the dosage using kief, or how many pills to take instead of food. So I had a few questions that were nearly impossible to find consistent answers to. Not one source I checked out agreed with the next as to how much kief to use. There is apparently no Bud To Kief Ratio "rule of thumb" out there either, though I'm proposing one here.    

And I've done all the math.  It was confusing at first, but I've figured it out. There will be diagrams, or at least pictures. With all the guess work now gone we can happily medicate knowing our results should be the same every time and increasing our dosage as our tolerance increases will be easy as well.

The Bud to Butter Ratio

For making Canna Budder, or Canna Oil for baking or cooking you will get consistent results using these ratios.

My Cheat-sheet 

 Kief, which is basically the tiny resin particles that have fallen off the bud, weighs much less than bud. So 1oz. of bud is not equal to 1oz. of kief when it comes to strength of dosage! One ounce of kief would be much stronger.

That was the challenge! Sadly, every "weed authority" I searched online did not discuss the topic at all of how much kief to use instead of bud. Oh, there are more than a few kief recipes out there, just nobody but me is apparently looking for this exact information.

Except, this is exactly what is needed in the industry; a standard to use that will deliver the same results every time for edibles, tinctures, and other blends. Listening to The Cannabist has taught me that the industry in Calorado has (and still is) suffered lots of different growing pains,  inconsistency of product was one of those major issues!
About to give up, I finally found a reliable source! Big shout out to MFT. If you have never heard of them, please check them out. These bunch of guys might look rough, but they are a bunch of sweeties! Marijuana For Trauma in Oromocto, New Brunswick. A few good people there have been cooking with Cannabis for a long time and so the information was passed down to me verbally.

Here's the ratio I finally found and would like to propose that this become the...

Golden Ratio of Bud to Kief

1oz Bud  =  4g Kief

14g Bud  =  2g Kief  

7g Bud  =  1g Kief  

3.5g Bud  = 0.5g Kief 

Keeping to this ratio will generally give you the same results as the Bud to Butter Ratio above, all other things being equal, of course. Consistency is as important at home as it is from the edibles you purchase at your local or favourite dispensary.


Quick note about the kind of oil or fat you are using to absorb the cannabinoids while it is decarboxing. Butter, olive oil, coconut oil are all fats, but not all fats are the same. One might absorb less cannabiniods than another, even with all else the same. I'm not a scientist, but I know that this area needs research to take all the guess work out of making the most potent oil infusion. Until that happens take time to learn about what you are putting into your body.


Decarboxylating: Don't forget about it!

Decarb the kief the same as Bud; in oil or dry but make sure you cook it at no higher a temperature than 285'F, for no less than 30 minutes. This time around I personally used my Crockpot on low, than high, than low again. I used a candy thermometer to test the temp of the oil over the 5 hour process. It never when over 275'F. Important to note, a temp higher than 285'F will cause the THC to evaporate off, losing some of your high. So a lower temp, but a longer time should give you better results.There are lots of methods out there, find yourself a favourite and get to it; as long as it follows these general rules above for temp and time it should work.


Note: I've been informed that though adding lecithin to the process of infusing your chosen oil with Cannibis is a suggestion and not necessary, it does increase the potency. And a real quick Google search of Lecithin tells me there are varying qualities and sources of it to pay attention to when purchasing. 

The Big Math: How to know your dosage

The big complicated math...well not really. The trick is having the formula!
And I'm giving it to you right here.
As medical marijauna users managing a chronic condition know, it is important to know your dosages. We keep track of how much or how often we dose, so consistency, quality, and potency are imperative. 
To know what dosage your baked goods are when making cookies or brownies fill in the blanks as best you can. I realize, if your medicating illegally you might not have the ability to know what percent your bud's THC is, so you will have to guess. I think I've read that most street side weed is around the 15 -16%THC. At least it's a good ballpark figure to guesstimate with.

The formula is:

 g x 1000 x THC% divided by #pieces = THC dose per piece.

So in Real life my last brownie batch I measured the dose like this:

4.09grams (bud) x 1000 = 4,090mgs

4090mg x 13.3%THC = 543.97mg

543.97mg divided by 24 pieces

= 22.66mgs per piece.

So my tolerance level for edibles right now is just over two doses, according to Colorado's term "Dose" which is 10mg (other States list a "dose" as 5 mg). Perhaps that is not a big deal to know now if you are not in a place where edibles are available, but it is good to know what constitutes a dose so you are aware and don't have to guess or even be in fear of over doing it. 

With the Kief in Coconut oil to put into pills the math got a little more complicated, because there were two different formulas I ended up needing to use. I can't describe this math. But I wrote it out nice and took a picture...

One last time, I'm not a scientist or professional anything. I'm a medical marijuana user. And I like to know what I'm putting in my body. I like consistency, I like predictability. I do not like to be in the position of being over medicated and suddenly incapable of getting my chores or errands done, or visa-versa, haven't medicated enough and in too much pain to be as active as I wish.                                                               This formula can be used to determine how much bud (or kief) to use for your right dosage, as well as say,  how many pieces to eat or divid the recipe into.                                                                                       

The bonus is, if you know how potent your cookies or brownies are you can wisely introduce a newbie with a low first dose of 3 or 5mg. There's nothing more sad than turning someone off Mother Natures best medicine by over dosing them on their first time like I did with my daughter...

but that's another story.

P.S. If you know for a fact that I am incorrect in this proposal that 28g of bud = 4g of kief, please comment below. I'm still learning and willing to be corrected.

I OD'd on THC

Well this is certainly not a topic I set out to write about, or experience. It's embarrassing to say the least! But I did over do it and I'm still alive and sane to talk about it. So, as per usual I'm using this experience to help educate those who are seeking information.

First off. I didn't die. Didn’t even come close! I didn't go crazy. I didn't try to hurt anyone, and I didn't run around my city, street, house or anywhere else talking nonsense or trying to jump off bridges. I didn't even need to go to the hospital. Whatever your preconceived notion is that could go wrong did not. All that did happen was I went to bed. Boring, eh? 

Here's everything I did wrong. 

The other night after work I made the family some banana bread. Most of the way through the process I decided this would be a great time to try using some of the AVB (already vaped bud) in some baking and then I could blog about it. With the batter ready I filled one large loaf pan and two small ones with normal batter. I added my finely ground AVB to the left over batter and made my own mini loaf. Alas, I was not my normal careful self. I got sloppy. 

I had assumed that AVB was not as strong as freshly

de-carbed bud. Correct, but WRONG!  The 1/8 cup (...Yes, I said cup!) of AVB I added was WAY too much for the TINY loaf pan I had. Oh, but it smelled heavenly! Here’s where I REALLY went wrong…I ate two pieces. It was a small loaf, I thought, one slice is like a half of a regular slice. No problem!  
Oh, yeah….then I had a half joint right after cuz that’s the habit I’ve gotten into each evening before bed. 

The result? By the time I got back home from our evening walk around the block it was rounding the hour from when I had eaten the AVB Banana Bread. I started to feel dizzy, had difficulty seeing straight and I just started to feel generally bad. This was when it dawned on me that I had eaten too much. I decided to put myself to bed right away. I was able to behave normally, nobody knew I had over done it at all nor was I mentally incapacitated. Though I did fall asleep pretty quickly. (It's taken my describing this twice to my husband for him to realize I wasn't just normal sick that night, I was over-dose sick).

Poor guy!

Normal bodily functions woke me twice in the middle of the night (unlike overdoing it with alcohol and literally pissing yourself in a drunken sleep). It was the middle of the night when I noticed my mouth really tasted bad! Like I had eaten an ashtray, all of it! Teeth brushing and mouthwash only lessened this nasty taste for a little while. It was like the taste was coming from the inside of me rather than from something I had put in my mouth. 

The next morning I got up for work, but still felt horrid. Nauseated actually. I got ready anyway, but standing looking at the door to leave was as far as I could get. It was my own fault I felt like this and I deserved to feel this way for being so stupid. But the people at work did not deserve to have me bale on them cuz I was stupid….I called in anyway and was pretty much in tears as I told the supervisor I couldn’t leave the house for fear of throwing up. The deed done, I stripped off my uniform and fell back into bed, make-up on and all. That’s where I remained for several hours, slipping in and out of sleep and often wondering if I should run for the toilet; was this going to be the time I finally threw up? I never did, but the feeling persisted for the better part of two days. And the taste that lingered contributed to the nausea. 

For those who don't understand, and may think I'm exaggerating, or may think I didn't actually over dose, let’s recap…. I literally used more AVB in a small 1/3 sized loaf pan than I should have for a whole recipe. That's nearly 8 times more than I should have eaten in one sitting. 

Things that happened when I over dosed on THC:

1. I got dizzy
2. I had trouble seeing well (This strain of bud that I used is known to counter the eye pressure of glaucoma. I figure this explains my vision problems)
3. I fell deeply asleep.
4. I was nauseated and had little desire to eat for about 48 hours.

What did NOT happen when I over dosed on THC:

1. I did not die
2. I did not fall into a drug induced coma, preventing me from waking to my own bodily needs
3. I didn’t attempt suicide (or attempt self propelled flight)
4. I did not lose my sanity. 

I did throw out the rest of my medicated banana bread though. Just the smell of it made me sick. And the thought of attempting to bake with AVB is not as exciting as it once was. I’m still saving it mind you. I can’t bring myself to throw it out though. Its extremely economical to save it and use it on an edible fire cracker or something. It’s like free THC! You use it once to medicate, save it and use it again with just almost as much benefit.

Just heed my warning, as non-life threatening as OD’ing on THC is, it’s not necessarily pleasant. That goes for smoked, vaped, or eaten. Though I think it’s easier to over do it with edibles for two reasons, it takes so long to kick in, and unless you do the actual math you don’t know how much medicine you’re eating. So, please! Be aware of what you eat. 'Measure twice, cut once' are my fathers wise words that could apply here just as easily as they do to most of life's little odd jobs. 

So tread lightly friends, and be diligent with measuring out your medicines, especially with edibles! But know too, in case you do hit a snag like I did, this too shall pass and you will live!

What I'll be doing from now on is using a method more like this...

AVB Weed Recipes. 

              Happy medicating.

(P.s. Thanks Chef Luigi for making this great video!)

Edibles: Getting Baked, While Baking

After my successful experience a few weeks ago with my first edible, a gift of Peanut CannaButter Cookies from a friend, I strongly expressed to Sensei that I had to do that again! So we planned for a couple weeks and saved our money. Then Sensei made the purchase of a full Ounce which we went halfsies on so we could bake. Sensei choose to make the butter, already having had experience with it. I was given the Cannabutter and baked cookies at my place the following day. We each choose a recipe for me to bake and split. This is what happened that day.

The Cannabutter was made by Sensei, and from the description it was done differently this time compared to the other times Sensei made it. This time the Crock-pot method was employed, for 24 hrs. I found out from Sensei that the finished product turned out stronger than the usual stove top method. Of course, why Sensei had to change things to make them more potent when this was my first bake I’m not sure, but whatev’s. I can limit my intake knowing it is stronger.

The first thing I did when I got home was scrap a very small amount off the top of the Cannabutter and stir it into my coffee. Then I discovered I misjudged how many chocolate chips I had and ended up running to the store for a big bag. While out I noticed the butter was starting to take effect as I began to feel a slight warming in my abdomen. I recalled this feeling from the first time. It was a light effect given how little I had ingested, it just made me feel a slight euphoria. I was nervous that I was out when I started to feel it, but I was able to drive home to begin the baking process again without any trouble.

Sensei choose the first recipe for The Best Cannabis Chocolate-Chip Cookies found on EMarijuanaRecipes.com. I have to say, the butter mixture stank really strong so incense was burned to counter the smell. Thank you Sensei for making the butter at your place! Baking with Cannabutter I learned that one should always use glass, or metal baking implements so as not to have wood or plastic infused with the smell. So glad I read and heeded that information before taking on this endeavour. 

   

The Cannabutter melted very easily with very little heat, and mixed well with the two sugars and eggs. The dry ingredients were added to the wet, then the add ins. We choose to use both Chocolate chips and Nuts. I had on hand Pecans, so used them. Once the raw dough was made I found there to be a lot of chocolate chips. So many that at times I had to remove a chip or two for them to remain formed into balls. In order to keep a consistency in the size of the finished product I used a small scoop to pick up the dough. I hand roll them nice and round and baked an even amount to be able to divide them evenly. I was able to get 80 chocolate chip cookies from one cup of Cannabutter. 

  

I wanted to try them but could not until my oldest Son left the house, which I discovered he needed to at 1:15pm to catch a bus. The second he left I ate two cookies. Ten minutes later my son returned needing a ride as the bus had been missed! I was still ok enough to drive, so I did, without feeling any effects before I was home. 

As a side note, my son did wonder what the heck I was making when he got up. Dark green butter with a smell like that will tip anyone off, and there’s no way of hiding what it is. So I admitted that I was making pot cookies for a friend who offered to pay me to do it. I commented how baking and taking this friend cookies over the last few months had paid off and allowed me to do this for them. ‘Oh, and Mom could get arrested for this, so don’t say anything’….I’m hoping he bought it. (2 1/2 months later, I have told my son I'm legal and eventually found out he had no idea I was using at this point-whew!)

Back to my baking. By 2:24pm I was GONE! I had kids scheduled to arrive home from school in about an hour and I still had to finish making the second batch of cookies. These ones I was told to pick. So I found an Cannabis Compost Oatmeal Cookie recipe from Good and Baked website. Given that I was good and baked myself by this time I found the recipe hard to follow. It was not layed out in step by step instructions. I somehow managed to focus enough for short periods of time that I was able to finish mixing this batch. No pictures this time though. The add ins I used were Raisins, Cranberries, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. I don't know how they taste yet. So we shall see if I made a good stoned decision. It was torture baking them. I was feeling slightly paranoid and wanted to go to my room, but I was stuck making the last of the cookies and cleaning up after myself so none of my hungry children would come in from school and eat any not realizing what they were! So I stuck it out and waited 16 minutes as each batch cooked. This type of cookie was bigger due to the fact that they are made of lumpy oats, so we only got a total of 32 cookies out of this half pound. They sure look good though.

To describe my state after eating the two cookies I would have to say more stoned then I’ve ever been so far. While making and waiting for the last of the cookies to bake I was hippy dancing in the kitchen. I don’t know how else to describe it. If you see any of the old clips from the original Woodstock and see the girls dancing in long flowing skirts, headbands, and sunglasses….that was pretty much me. Nothing but the music existed in those moments, and minutes between oven and cookie change overs. AS soon as I finished washing up and bagging the cookies to hide in my room until I could count again and split them up I was next in my room hiding from my family. I was present, and then I was somewhere else, then here again, then elsewhere. I was able to communicate with people again 6 hours after the edibles took effect. But the half life of the stuff was still present. I was extremely relaxed for much of the night. I slept wonderfully! Didn’t wake up once, an unusual thing for me. This morning I no longer feel the half life but I do feel more laid back than usual and still more apt to dance to music. I did nothing in a rush today. 

I asked Sensei about the strength and taste of the cookies, given they have way more experience with edibles than I do. I was congratulated. The cookies tasted very good I was told, and the weed butter taste is minimal given how strong they are. Four cookies made Sensei’s eyes completely red and gave a very strong body high. This coming from someone who has had five years experience with Cannabis! I think the crock-pot method will be the method of choice from now on!

Then Sensei says, ‘if i didn’t have to go back to work tonight, i would eat a couple more and watch a movie. You can get to a certain high on edibles where it becomes psychedelic.’ 

this is NOT the real Sensei

Well! There’s another bucket list item! I’ll have to try that another day, when I don’t have to work for a couple days. 

Hippy Crack Cookies

So my first experience with edibles has finally happened and I couldn’t be happier with the result!

A quick explanation as to how I managed to get my first cookies.

I have a friend who I haven’t seen in quite some time. About a month before Christmas I told her I was looking at trying Cannabis for the first time. Two weeks ago I sent her a quick private message on Facebook to say I’ve been enjoying my new found appreciation for this herb and sent her the link to this blog. A coffee date was quickly made after that. Forward to my coffee date earlier this week. As my friend came to our table with her coffee she surprised me by pulling a bag of four peanut butter cookies out of her purse and gave them to me in honour or my new found extra curricular activity. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was so excited! At least twice during our 3 hour coffee date I stopped talking, grinned and said, “Eeeee! I have cookies!” 

The cookies, I was told, were made using that crystal that my catcher is for on my grinder. Also known as Hippy Crack. (A new term!) She explained that the flavour of the peanut butter tends to hide the pungent flavour of the weed a bit better than others. Oh, I wish I had thought to take a picture of them, for posterity. They didn’t look any different then regular peanut butter cookies, but they smelled different! 

First thing I did when I left was head straight to Sensei! Upon seeing me I was asked how my coffee date went. I’m pretty sure I was grinning from ear to ear. I opened my purse and simply said, “THIS good!” to expose my cookies. I did offer to share, and gave Sensei two. I almost regret that now. But not completely. Because Sensei is my guide of sorts on this journey. My helper so I don’t do everything wrong, go too fast, or go over board. I’m very glad that I have a person who is willing to support me in this way. I’ve already made my share of mistakes in spite of Sensei’s guidance, which made it all the more important for me to listen this time when it came to trying my first edible. So Sensei tried them first and gave me the go ahead to have both cookies at once, instead of the half I would have tried without the guidance, which would have lead to an uneventful and disappointing experience I'm sure. 

All stupidly scientific like I decided to take notes of the experience. I’m such a nerd, I know. But don’t worry that mood didn’t last long.

One things for sure. I was VERY glad to have cookies to partake of because there was no frackin’ way I wanted to go outside in a blizzard for a puff of my last joint. Given my desire to have at least two evenings a week when I can have a puff I would not have been a happy camper if I couldn't get my midweek dose last night. 

8:19pm the cookies were both eaten and digesting. I read articles on Facebook and watched Veronica Mars.

By 9:14pm I was feeling a slight buzz in my head but nothing noticeable that would speak “Body High” to me. 

9:29pm Heart rate increased, and at times it seemed to pound. I was able to have a normal but short exchange of words with my older daughter who was in the room with me, though I don’t remember what it was about now. Shortly after 9:40pm I was leaning back on the couch and listening to Yaybahar on Youtube. I must have replayed that 7 minute video about 8 times. Simply hypnotic and relaxing! Except, I think there were certain parts of the music that actually made my heart race more. I didn’t like that part. 

9:45pm Sensei was texting; asking if I was feeling anything yet. Looking back at my responses I can tell that the more time that past the more high I was getting. But at the time I couldn't tell. The onset of this body high was definitely

different than a head high. Now I know why Sensei could not describe the difference to me. But let me try using various things I texted during and since last nights experience.

  ‘The onset was gentle and gradual. As time past I sunk deeper in’….'I love the body high way better! Relaxing! Plus heightened senses! Interesting combination.’
…’Body High for the win!’, ‘and the sex is completely different!’ 

Regarding that last topic, I just can’t ignore it, but there is no way I’m about to describe it in too much detail either! The head high has me at orgasm quick and easy. Very little is needed to bring it on if I don’t control it, which I can do now. The body high result is a stronger, more intense experience of all the senses. Kissing, touching, and every aspect of love making resulted in a far more passionate, and physically heighten experience than I have had before or ever thought imaginable. I experienced every sensation, every motion, and every moment with an insatiable desire to experience even more. I also remember it all.

Sleep was deep and restful. By morning I still felt the lingering head buzz and I wasn't too interested in getting out of bed as my body still felt heavily relaxed. 

This needs to be my main method of taking in Cannabis! It just has to! I can eat it in front of the kids and function as normal. Then I am able to excuse myself to bed when the high begins to creep in without anyone being the wiser. It’s ideal for me given how hard it is to hide the smell of smoke at least twice a week. Also I have to come in the house high, with no grace period like an edible gives. It might be a few weeks before I can actually get around to making my first actual batch of something. So I’ve got time to educate myself and choose the best option, as well as where to hide said food item where the kids will not get into it! Hmmm, Chocolate something perhaps! 

Give me your best suggestions. I’m needing all the help I can get!