Last Updated on October 23, 2020 by Maxwell Harris
Decarboxylate your cannabis. If you’ve thought about making your favorite cannabis recipe, So how is it done?
Decarbing your cannabis allows you to convert the THCA found in your dried buds and trim to THC.
Heated cannabis does wonders in achieving the desired psychoactive effect with THC. So, if you’ve thought about making your favorite cannabis recipe, you should decarboxylate your cannabis first. Decarboxylated cannabis can enhance of delicious cannabis-infused recipes. So how is it done? This will examine everything you need to know about the decarboxylation process so that you can get the best experience out of your cannabis.
What is Decarboxylation?
Decarboxylation can simply be described as the activation process of your weed. It is more of a chemical process that involves breaking the cannabis into its smaller compounds to release the hidden sedative effects. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound found in cannabis responsible for the “high,” feeling.
Unfortunately, fresh cannabis buds cannot produce this compound, so you need to heat it to break down the components and bring out its medicinal formats and other benefits. Some people prefer their weed dried, but drying is not yet enough to break down these compounds to cause the desired psychoactive effects. Decarboxylation is the only process that will convert more THCA into the psychoactive effects or cause sedation. Of course, if you don’t want to get sedated, you can eat your cannabis fresh or dry it instead.
When to Decarb Cannabis
There is no specific time to decarb your weed. If you feel like you want to get high and enjoy your weed better, then that’s the perfect time to decarb. But then you can think or the best decarboxylation time as before making your infused oils drinks or foods. You can also do this before adding the concentrates to your drinks and other edibles. So, if you feel like trying some delicious weed recipes, know that it’s the time to do some decarboxylation process.
Can You Decarboxylate CBD?
Fresh cannabis does not contain enough CBD, and you’ll only get its acid form, which is less bioavailable. If you need to benefit from the CBDA real benefit of CBD, you should heat your cannabis by baking, smoking, dabbing, or vaporization. It will take you a few hours to achieve a full decarboxylation process that releases full CBD. This means you don’t have to just pass it through heat, and that’s all. Some people simply put some drops in a hot cup of coffee, and that’s all. Well, others don’t like getting high and prefer their CBD this way. However, for those who want to get high, this heating period is not long enough to produce quality, and you will not get the desired results.
How to Decarb Weed
From the above statements, decarboxylation is the only way that can help you achieve high-quality edibles and get the desired psychoactive feeling. So, how do you do it? Here is a step by step guide to help you out.
Preheat your oven up to 115°C (240°F.) Prepare your weed for the process by breaking it into small chunks and have a lightly ground cannabis. Don’t grind it too much, as a finely ground weed is not necessary.
The next step is to line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and place your broken-up or ground cannabis on the baking sheet. Finally, bake your cannabis at the temperature stated above for about 20 to 30 minutes. The resulting product will be medium brown and very dry.
If you don’t achieve the color, you can put it back for 5 minutes, but be careful not to let it dry. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Put it in your food processor and pulse for a thorough grinding.
Depending on what you’re going to enjoy your cannabis with, you can grind finely, coarsely, or leave it as it is. Your cannabis will be ready, and you can use it to make different recipes.
Directions for Decarbing Cannabis Oil
For decarbing cannabis oil, you can use a hot water bath or oil to achieve a high-quality product. Below is a simple process that will guide you on this.
Heat a large cooking oil bath to boil and place a small heat-proof container with cannabis oil inside. Heat the cooking oil slowly under the temperature of 115°C (240°F.) You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. As your cannabis oil continues heating, you can stir it to break up the forming bubbles. When you notice that the bubble forming process is slowing down, your cannabis oil will be ready to be removed from the heat. You can also leave it on until the bubbles stop forming. This will help you achieve a stronger sedative effect.
As you can see, there are many processes for decarbing cannabis. You can choose your preferred method depending on what you find easy. It is also important to try different processes until you find one that works well for you.
Recipes Using Decarboxylated Cannabis
There is an endless list of recipes you can make with your cannabis or CBD oil. You don’t have to take your weed that way if you can be creative enough to come up with something delicious and easier to consume. Take a look at these recipes and see the one that suits you best.
- Cannabutter
- Protein shakes & smoothies
- Kief infused with cocoa
- Cannamilk
- Cannabis-infused tea
- Cannabis almond milk
- Cannaflour
Regardless of the method you choose for your decarboxylation, everything is going to come out perfectly, and no method is hard. The most important thing to put an eye on during the process is the heat. Using the oven remains the basic and most common way, but don’t shy away from trying different methods, including a hot water bath to see how your weed comes out.
Help! I put my weed in coconut oil without decarboxilating it…can I declare it still?