Today you will learn everything there is to know about decarboxylation. I’ve also included step by step instructions and two charts that are super easy to follow.
So let’s jump right in.
What is decarboxylation and why is it important?
Decarboxylation is the magic that makes cannabis a potent additive to food.
Simply put, it’s a chemical reaction that is achieved through heating up raw cannabis to a temperature at which it releases a carboxyl group and becomes psychoactive.
THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) is the active component in raw cannabis, and it’s not a psychoactive compound by default. It’s crucial to find a reputable dispensary or supplier that offers lab-tested and high-quality products to purchase THC-A flower.
Through decarboxylation, we’re essentially applying heat to plant material so that the THCA gets converted to THC, enabling us to get high.
Chemistry of decarboxylation
Cannabinoids in raw cannabis have an extra carboxyl ring in their molecular structure.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the two most prevalent: THC and CBD.
This extra carboxyl group gets removed in the process of decarboxylation due to the effect heat has on their chemical structure.
Once enough heat has been applied, the molecule will release a carboxyl group. That carboxyl group then gets replaced with a hydrogen molecule.
This process is pretty much the same for CBD. Both CBD and THC acids are carboxylic acids which tend to decompose directly when heated.
Only complex carboxylic acids decompose under the influence of heat alone.
Decarboxylation chart
As with any other chemical process, there are certain things that need to happen in order for chemical compounds to change their structure.
Decarbing is a process that involves both temperature and time, so it’s all about balancing the two.
Luckily for us, there is a chart for that.
This is called a decarboxylation chart and it allows you to see how you can reach the desired THC by baking the buds on a specific temperature for a set period of time.
As this chart was based on a strain that can reach a maximum of 15% THC, you can see that the easiest way to reach that amount is by baking cannabis in an oven for about 7 minutes at 300°F (148°C)—or for 20 minutes at 250°F (121°C).
How to decarb weed (in 6 steps)
So far, we’ve learned that decarboxylating cannabis is a needed step in making super-potent edibles and that cannabis can be decarbed in several ways, depending on the temperature and the time you bake it at.
We also found out that the easiest way to decarboxylate cannabis is to bake it at a relatively low temperature for about 30 minutes.
Now, here’s a step by step guide:
- Preheat the oven to 250℉. The light should turn off once the oven has reached the temperature.
- Break up your cannabis into small chunks. Don’t grind it, just break it into smaller bits and don’t leave any nugs out.
- Spread the cannabis on a piece of baking paper. Make sure there are no overlapping pieces of cannabis.
- Bake the cannabis at 250℉ for 25-30 minutes. Make sure not to open the oven too often. Decarbed cannabis should change its color from green to light brown.
- After 25-30 minutes, check your cannabis. It should be light to medium brown and should be very dry. If it’s not, put it back in the oven for an extra 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
- Remove cannabis from the baking sheet and let it cool for a while. Careful, it’s going to get very crumbly at this point.
If this sounds complicated, you can always get a decarb machine and skip all of the steps above, as the machine does everything for you in under an hour.
Now, once your cannabis has cooled down sufficiently, you can put it in a food processor and pulse until it’s thoroughly ground (like oregano).
If you’re going to use your decarbed weed in smoothies or drinks, you should continue grinding until you turn it into powder. For food, there is no need to do this.
Decarboxylation temperature chart
Decarboxylation temperature is probably the most important factor when decarbing different types of material.
As you can see in the image above, decarbing can be done in 3 different ways—the basic and most common way is by using an oven, but you can also do it in a hot water bath.
To decarb kief or hash in an oven, bake it for 10 minutes at 300°F (149°C). Have in mind that, at higher temperatures, kief and hash tend to decarb faster than dried flowers.
High CBD strains tend to decarb a bit slower than those with high THC content:
- Decarb high CBD strains by baking them for 15-25 minutes at 300°F (149°C)
- Decarb high THC strains by baking them for 10-15 minutes at 300°F (149°C)
Continue reading
It’s time to put decarboxylation to good use. You can do so by following these guides:
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Alex Trpkovich
Experienced cannabis content creator, writing about the latest cannabis news, stock market updates and cannabis culture.
Pop August 2, 2018 at 11:51 pm
Hi there, I am a beginner with making edibles, just needed a few tips... Last night I decarbed my weed in toaster oven. i chopped up a quarter (7 grams) and laid it out on tray, put into preheated toaster oven . I had originally planned to go for an hour at 120C, but by ten minutes had already turned medium golden brown. I (stupidly) panicked and opened door to reduce heat but shut quickly again. Left it another five minutes and got scared and took it out! Very dry but no black. Put it into coconut oil in slow cooker for five n a half hours, strained it left it overnight in fridge. I haven't tried it yet, just thought I should get info first?! I wanted to make chocolate. not sure on ratio. Also, Last time I decarbed in same for 30 minutes came out very green brown. Why such extreme difference in result. Toaster oven brand new. Thanks! 😻✌
Alex August 3, 2018 at 9:33 am
Hey Pop, So, what I got from your story is that since your oven was brand new maybe you simply aren't yet used to how it works since you were more familiar with the old one. Then again, it can be a lot of factors since some weed is more moist than other and it can take longer to decarb. It is a very weird process and results can vary... But it all comes down to this: you just need to keep the weed at this temperature for some time so that the THC-acid which, needs heat, turns to THC. 120C is a relatively high temperature so this process will usually happen after 10-15 min but just to make sure we like to recommend our readers to keep it inside a bit longer as nothing bad will really happen. As for the ratio, I would suggest keeping it low so that you can spread it out and this way you make sure you won't take too high of a dose. Enjoy your treats!
Neal March 21, 2020 at 1:54 pm
Nothing bad will happen if you leave your weed in the oven too long? Dude, the chart you used above clearly shows that THC content goes down after too long, extra time or heat destroys THC, you need precise times and temps or you lose potency
Rodney Metcalf May 4, 2020 at 12:40 am
You know where I can get those precise times and temps my friend? I'm doing some research before I do my first run. I bought a decarb box to calibrate my oven.
Adam May 8, 2020 at 10:06 pm
Just get sous vide. Thank me later.
Anon June 14, 2021 at 4:17 am
Buy a cheap oven thermometer or two, and place them in your oven.
Brian Yasterzemski July 11, 2021 at 4:21 am
I think it turns into ...cbn?? Im pretty sure it wasn't CBD...either way, anything other than the real goal is useless. Even though those can still be used to be converted into delta 8 and 10 which sucks anyway
Brian Yasterzemski July 11, 2021 at 4:23 am
Thc content burns when decarbed mistakenly too long and you're left with something. No bang for the hard work but still some health bennies I guess
Sniggabizzle November 8, 2021 at 11:33 pm
Longer decarbonization creates more cbn which equals more naps if u want more naps or want ur sleep better cook the shite out of your cannabis and it turns thca into THC then into cbn which is great nap/sleep
Nancy August 12, 2022 at 3:42 am
Hey maybe some one can help me with a ratio problem, have 60oz of melting chocolate wafers how much weed do I need to decarb.
Izzi August 13, 2022 at 2:15 pm
Thank you!
sniggabizzle November 8, 2021 at 11:35 pm
Damn auto correct longer carboxolization creates cbn
David May 17, 2020 at 2:27 am
I don’t think I Decarbed my rap fully before diluting in Mtc plus soy lecithin. Would it be advisable to reheat it as it is in its bottle in a water bath ?
Mike January 18, 2020 at 12:54 am
Because it is a toaster oven man its a smaller space the heat source is closer to the rack in the toaster oven than a normal oven... I think your better off just smoking it kid
Jorma May 16, 2020 at 10:56 am
15mg is 1.5% of 1g, fucking idiots
Stephen Evans May 29, 2020 at 6:19 pm
IKR?...Spot On!... decarbed is like .1% , im quite sure?
RR September 14, 2020 at 5:43 am
Looking in the mirror again?
tina wolf May 31, 2021 at 4:44 pm
No need to be an asshat. You didn't know until you were taught as well. I'm a grower Andi would never treat anyone lime that.
Darrell Davisson November 28, 2022 at 10:45 am
That was very nice of you to say. I especially liked the asshat part...
paulvzo November 21, 2020 at 2:54 am
I know this is an old question. Toaster oven temperatures are very unreliable per temp setting. They are fantasies. I just set my Oster oven at 250, and after ten minutes.....the envelope, please......it was 150 degrees (F). Checked with an IR thermometer. You will HAVE to use an oven thermometer to find the decarb temperature you want. The old fashioned dial kind are cheap.
Carolyn Mama November 30, 2020 at 1:30 am
Toaster Oven🥺 Too close to elements! Regular Oven MUCH more even with heat. Let it come to full heat for 5min before you put pot in. I leave it in for 30min too. I make topical canna budder.💚My man makes CBD oil.
Pinchow June 28, 2021 at 7:23 pm
Sexy
Bob October 26, 2021 at 12:07 am
If you plan to mix with oil or butter and use the crock pot, you can skip the toaster over altogether. Just let it go on low for about 8-12 hours. Then strain it and use in place of butter in any recipe
Tara Gilliland August 7, 2018 at 7:33 pm
I make salve in small batches. And I was given apx 1/2 lb of trim/shake. ( I live in oregon) what I would like to know is can I decarb all of it and put it in glass jars for later use and how long will it last in decarbed form in the glass and how long shelf life is for the salve.
Alex September 3, 2018 at 8:28 am
I would strongly suggest decarbing per batch, as I'm not quite sure how long decarbed weed can be potent.
ELRod January 20, 2020 at 3:17 am
Raw decarb potency lasted about 72 hours stored in a air tight container kept at room temp in the dark for me. On day four the drop in potency is very noticeable. I'm using Girl Scout Cookies one of my favorites and I was very disappointed by the shelf life. I didn't expect it to tank so quickly. I'm going to try what Cheech suggested below using unsalted butter as a base and freezing it for longer term storage.
Hg January 23, 2021 at 1:39 pm
No once Infused it's extremely hard to unbind the decarbed thc cuz it burns off an extra co2 atom so it can be stored with potency the same slowly diluting but infused in an oil it will stay in there forever they found. Thc on 2,000 year old pipe residue that still test a high of 8% thc and other cannabinoids
Cheech January 16, 2020 at 4:33 pm
Make large batch, and freeze your unsalted butter.
Chris February 1, 2020 at 2:29 am
use a vacuum sealer bag suck out the air then freeze it. Make smaller bags, so you only take out 1 batch at a time, making a butter/oil may be better, and you still vac it then freeze it. You could also try making some off the treated cooled weed into tinctures, and keep it in a mason jar. Keep in dark place. If you don't have really good spirits try Activated charcoal filter on raw booze a few time or just add it to a mason jar and let it sit for a week or two shaking daily. It will take out crap taste. What you want is NO TASTE. Wine/beer supply place have tiny little bottles of flavorants, so you could clean spirit then mix in weed, wait then take that tincture and add the proper amount of water and a bottle of mix to make a kick butt Grand Marnier. Make mixed drinks with that!. I never have made weed stuff, but I have done the flavors, and years ago I had made 2 bottles of the Grand Marnier. Just do not leave this in a regular liqueur cabinet. It is for special people only, and never for kids.
It’s me Dave June 9, 2020 at 2:26 am
Like the activated charcoal tip.. another good one is molecular sieves. They’re usually to ‘dry’ chemicals for reactions but they work great to raise the proof of grain ( since for whatever reason at least where I’m at the state stores can only sell ya —- i think it’s 140 proof or 70% alcohol... the sieves pull the h2o out and bump it up to NEAR 200proof ) Also don’t forget the soy licitin
Jeff Massey November 10, 2021 at 4:28 pm
You can bring any commercial alcohol to near 100 percent by adding pure, un-iodized table salt and either mixed on a stirrer with a stir bar or shake continuously for several minutes. The excess water in the alcohol will be absorbed by the salt while alcohol will not absorb NaCl. Let it settle for an hour and salt water will settle to the bottom with pure alcohol on top. There will be a clear definition of the two different chemicals allowing you to either decant or siphon the alcohol off first leaving the salt water behind. Any brand alcohol will work. The lower the proof, the more salt is needed.
Olger December 11, 2021 at 8:28 pm
Dave's not here man.
Tiff on Bass April 2, 2020 at 1:17 am
Trim & shake are not the same, in case anyone wonders. Trim is the stuff, like stems, that contains a much lower potency than the buds. Shake is the stuff that falls off of trimmed weed. It includes broken buds, and the the wonderful hairs and crystals that make you feel oh so good. Sometimes the shake can be stronger than the buds from which it fell.
Christina ELDER December 20, 2020 at 3:51 am
For a skin salve - you want to keep the lower cannabinoids, so DON"T heat or de-carb it - don't turn it into thc, keep it thc-a...let it soak (magic butter machine) for a day or two for best results.
Pop August 10, 2018 at 6:26 am
Thanks for your reply! I'm going in for another round! I live in Australia and it's not legal here so if you want edibles you gotta make them yourself! I'm determined to get this right! I will try to be more specific with my questions this time! (I just read my last question and couldn't even understand it lol!) I will try your advice tonight and maybe lower temp, so like 20mins at 105c? Also, what colour should the weed be? I keep hearing conflicting info, done a golden brown others say dark green... Thanks 😸
Alex September 3, 2018 at 8:25 am
Тhe color of the weed sometimes really depends on the strain. There's really no rules when going about this, it's just what you feel works best for you... It's not an exact science you know :D anyway, I hope everything worked out for you!
Pat November 7, 2018 at 6:38 pm
I kept a qp of decarbed in a plastic bag for a month with no negative effects.
Victoria McComber October 25, 2020 at 9:38 pm
Nice! I was wondering if I decarb how long I can keep it for later on to makes salves
K2zeppelin33 January 28, 2020 at 7:51 pm
This is my tried and true recipe for Canna-peanut-butter, for over 20years now. Your not cooking the buds and straining them you are gonna use everything from every process. I use 1/2 Oz. Of premium cannabis. Usually use a little more than 1/2 a jar of 🥜 peanut butter, use enough coconut oil and almond milk to simmer The buds and not burn them to the bottom of the pot.(However watery you make your coconut oil and milk, at the end; you’ll have to add that much more peanut butter, to thicken it up, weakening each dose). First, you want to decarboxylate your buds, no hotter than 220-230 Fahrenheit; for no longer than 45minutes. Do not grind the buds!! Next, in a pot, Bring coconut oil and almond milk ( I add almond milk instead of water) to a simmer no hotter than 220-280. Once your oils is at a simmer/hot, break your decarb’d buds into your oil and let ingredients simmer/marry for 30minutes to 1 hour (you may have to add almond milk from time to time to keep from burning your bud) mix in your 🥜 peanut butter without straining anything (while hot in the pot). Always Add as much honey to your batch as you desire. You can mix cinnamon, marshmallows, chocolate, etc....add these ingredients while still cooking in the pot! Cook and let the ingredients marry for while. Last, put into container or jars let cool then pop in refrigerator and enjoy a spoonful or more!!! Take PRN, or a tablespoon 1-2x’s day, ENJOY!!! Always be responsible and careful, use at own risk!!!
Don June 24, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Yes darker weeds with a lot of purple mostly Indica's will generally not turn golden brown. Pay attention to the bud size if it's about half the size as it was before your Decarbed. 25mins to 40mins no longer. Also important make sure your bud pieces are around the same size, this helps for a even decarb!
Chef novato March 15, 2021 at 12:57 am
Hi, I'm new to making edibles, I have a question, nobody talks about How many oz can you decarb in sous vide? I have seen that lag ente puts 2 to 4 oz, but can you put more? tnks
Pop August 10, 2018 at 6:29 am
Oh by the way, I have two thermometers going on my oven now so the temperature is being monitored closely! One is a digital meat thermometer and the other an oven thermometer. They work brilliantly together lol!
Deborah villalobos September 2, 2018 at 9:56 pm
I am making cannabutter first time. I'm in a great deal of pain when standing. I was on my feet too long got anxious and the next thing I noticed I put my kief in my butter before decarbing it. What now Please help
WitchDoc September 3, 2018 at 10:18 pm
You can activate it through cooking, baking , saute. Etc. mind your temps and time and you will be fine. The magic will still happen and all the medicinal terpenes are still present.
Andrew Joseph Shienkaruk. JR. January 16, 2020 at 5:31 am
Very good info, how long can you store detox. Herb. And in a cool place I guess
Robin September 15, 2018 at 9:46 pm
I did a water wash to make my cannabis oil taste better. I didn't dry it completely thinking it was going to dry in the oven when I decarbed it. It's on 215, been in there for over an hours and its still wet. have I ruined it? Do I leave it in longer to dry and then decarb? Yikes, I can't find my answer anywhere.
Alex September 17, 2018 at 8:20 am
Hey Robin! I know I'm a bit too late, but I hope you didn't dump the whole batch! I don't think you ruined it. Water is ok, plants growing outside often get water all over them because of rainfall. This is no big issue. Keep it in the oven and it will decarb and dry out. Everything should be fine.
Acey May 17, 2020 at 7:24 pm
I don't think Robin was concerned about a live plant getting water on it. They were concerned with leaving the herb in the oven at that temperature for such a long time- they made WATER HASH, meaning the herb they were baking was wet. IF the herb does not need to be dry in order for the decarb to happen, then they could have taken it out after the same amount of time that is recommended for dry herb, even though it still may have been wet. IF it DOES need to be dry in order to decarb then they need to leave it in the oven for the recommended time PLUS the time it takes to dry, accepting the fact that they may loose potency by doing so. The question was about whether or not they needed to make that sacrifice for the decarb, or if they could just take it out after the recommended time even though it may be still wet.
Sonofmagni September 21, 2020 at 7:13 pm
You should be aware that if the weed is still wet then it never got above 212f.
mariko September 15, 2018 at 10:53 pm
hi! Im wondering if you can get the thc out with hot water if u decarb it first? thank u :)
Alex September 17, 2018 at 8:18 am
Hi Mariko! Unfortunately, THC isn't water-soluble. There are ways to infuse water with THC, but those require industrial-grade machines for infusion. The next best thing would be weed tea, which is a fantastic way to take your medicine without having to smoke or drink.
inhale_vegetables October 11, 2018 at 11:13 am
>The next best thing would be weed tea, which is a fantastic way to take your medicine without having to smoke or drink. Please stop drinking so much tea, Alex.
Conspiracy March 16, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Good morning, I have been making my oils for a lil over a year now and this is the first time I fell asleep describing the weed, it was in there for 7hrs at 200........ is it toast.?? I’m just so confused there is no way to know I put it in my coconut oil and now it’s going in my instant pot but I’m scared
Conspiracy March 16, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Decarbing*
Bj April 22, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Crisco shortening has 3.5 saturated fat so is the shortening good I’m gonna try making cookies from scratch in an hour I wish I could up load a live video so you can tell me what I’m doing wrong
Lennette Marquez September 20, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Hi there... I plan to decarb about 7 grams for a dessert. So after breaking up and putting in the oven for 25-30 minutes, I’m going to kind of “simmer” it into evaporated milk for about an hour - that’s how I planned to infuse my desert - THEN it needs to be baked for about another 40 minutes. Will all of this heat after decarbibg affect the thc in any way? I’m making a custard... any other suggestions?
Alex September 21, 2018 at 8:18 am
Hey Lennette, That sounds about right to me. I'm not sure about mixing it with evaporated milk, I never heard of that. Maybe you should try using cannabis-infused butter instead? The additional heat afterward won't affect the cannabinoids in the infused material as long as it doesn't start evaporating, so try to keep the temp as low as possible.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 7:31 pm
Will not propery infuse into milk. Not enough fat for full infusion. You can take your decarbed material and grind to a fine powder. Next take the ground cannapowder and mix it thoroughly into the dry ingredients of your recipe. Next just follow the recipe to its completion and enjoy.
Cookie December 21, 2019 at 5:46 pm
The recipe I saw stated to use sweetened Condensed milk - not evaporated milk which looks similar. I intend to make infused caramel bites
Kris March 26, 2020 at 3:32 am
I want to do that! Can you share your caramel bite recipe? It would make my girlfriend so happy!! I want very much to make her happy.
mskitowhawk January 18, 2020 at 3:12 am
If Lennette Marquez is making a custard, there will be no dry material except for sugar. But, custard should be as smooth as silk and the cannapowder will not be suitable. It would be better if Lennette used a concentrated liquid for her custard. I would add some Simpson oil by cutting it in with the sweetener used in her custard. If using honey, heat the honey gently and add the concentrate. When concentrate has mixed in with the honey or sugar, add the rest of the liquids. Bottom line is to use a liquid or tar like extractive and incorporate it in the sweetener in order to get the extract to become cohesive in the ingredient it will dissolve in before adding the rest of the custard ingredients.
Sara Myers April 25, 2020 at 6:45 pm
I made caramels with cannabutter and it was amazing!
Jeffrey Cron September 21, 2018 at 4:51 pm
Is decarbing your flower necessary if you are making a salve or lotion since you are not going for the “high” that thc gives. Are there benefits from THCA?
Alex September 24, 2018 at 8:28 am
Hey Jeffrey, I'm pretty sure you do not need to decarb it if you don't want THCA to turn to THC. However, you do need to activate other cannabinoids such as CBD for making medical lotions and such. There is research being done in regards to the medical effects of THCA, but we just barely scraped the surface. So far, there are reported anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-emetic and anti-proliferative properties in THCA, however further research is needed on that topic.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 7:32 pm
Yes, decarb b4 making your balms. Any topical.
Question? October 7, 2018 at 12:03 am
Alex, Does concentrate's syringes or shatter need to be decarboxylation before making edibles?
Alex October 8, 2018 at 10:31 am
Hey there, I would advise against using shatter or any type of BHO for making edibles as excess butane can be dangerous. Concentrates made via alcohol extraction can be used without decarbing.
Question? October 10, 2018 at 10:39 pm
Much appreciated for making that clear. Thanks
Josh October 9, 2018 at 10:01 pm
Is it ok to decarb only a gram or two?
Alex October 10, 2018 at 8:55 am
Yes
cheef March 15, 2021 at 1:00 am
Hi, I'm new to making edibles, I have a question, nobody talks about How many oz can you decarb in sous vide? I have seen that lag ente puts 2 to 4 oz, but can you put more? tnks
Khrys October 11, 2018 at 3:08 am
I am decarbing for the first time and I am using a toaster oven. I want to use a half but I need to know what temp should I set it to, and how long should it be in the oven?
Alex October 12, 2018 at 8:58 am
I dont know, I've never decarbed weed with a toaster. Why don't you just throw it in the oven?
Taco Tuesday October 13, 2018 at 4:16 am
In many parts of the world people don't own ovens. Just not part of the culture
Alex October 15, 2018 at 8:42 am
Then I suggest they promptly get them!
paul February 19, 2019 at 2:43 am
i suggest you figure out how your toaster oven works. sounds a lil more plausible then billions of people purchasing expensive appliances they have no access to :) you know, when you think about it
Cascade Guy October 27, 2019 at 6:04 am
Cardboard box + aluminum foil + sheet of glass = oven. All over the world, in use as we type.
Beau June 21, 2020 at 2:14 pm
Yeah but in our part of the world many have a gas grill. Set one burner on low and awayyy you go! Doesn’t stink up the house, either.
P Mars January 27, 2020 at 6:17 am
I always use a toaster oven. I decrease recommended temps by 10-20% depending on model and age of oven, and increase the time by 10-20% depending on moisture in the flowers. Good luck!
Chris October 12, 2018 at 12:43 am
I don't understand the logic behind all of this. When we vape weed, we have to exceed a certain temperature to release all the cannabinoids. Those temperatures are beyond 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, when we want to make edibles, why not just heat up the ground up a flower in an oil with a high smoking point for a couple of minutes? Why do we need to decarb for hours at lower temperatures? Also, why put the herb in the oven when you end up infusing oil or butter for brownies etc. anyway? This extra step doesn't add up to me. Heat is heat so it shouldn't matter whether the herb is exposed to eat in oil/butter or in the oven.
Alex October 12, 2018 at 9:00 am
Hey dude, we didn't invent this, we're just saying how people have been doing it for years. If you don't want to decarb, by all means dont do it... However, there is some science behind it. Through gradual warming, the cannabinoids are supposedly easily released into the solvent after you've decarbed the weed. Also, you are giving time for the THC-acid to turn into THC and increase the contents of THC in the herb you're using.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 7:51 pm
Decarbing is to take THCa and convert it to THC which activates the molecules in the cannabis for its intended affect when ingested in ways that don't involve smoking. The same applies with the CBDa molecules. Without the activation you gain some nutritional value but no medicinal affects whatsoever...no high. Smoking the dry, cured flowers is in affect decarboxylating the herb as it is smoked. The same with vaping but every different cannabinoid will have a different temp that it starts off-gassing the cbd or cbg or thc or any/all the others. It will decarb itself as it gets close to being offgassed into the vapor you inhale. A good vape can adjust temp for that reason. My Davinci vaporizer is able to be programed to start at a user specified temp for whatever cannabinoid you wish and self adjust up in temp as you choose to gain better, more targeted treatment of health issues. Go learn about this subject and better treat your ailments. If it's just for the high you don't need the temp adjusting one bit. Just set temp as high as possible up to just below a temp that makes the vapor hot and tastes like crap. Adjust temp down just below that. Enjoy the flavor and its high. Just know that you are really subconsciously medicating for what your body knows it needs to be well balanced, healthy and happy. Seriously. Kinda like a pregnant womans cravings. That is how her body gets her to ingest the nutrients the fetus needs for proper development.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 7:54 pm
Dude, is for activating the components within in order for the psychoactive qualities to be readily available to the body benefit. Has nothing to do with better infusion into your distillate at all.
Bj April 22, 2020 at 12:49 pm
😂
Jonas Richardson June 24, 2021 at 3:12 am
Hi how you doing alex I was trying to make cannabis ice cream and was going to decarboxylate the flower by dropping an 8th in to 3cups of grapeseed oil at 293f for 8 hours will i have a potent product wanted to ask before i do it thanks
Jacob October 18, 2018 at 5:25 am
Wouldn’t you have to inhale the steam off the pan? Seriously though- if you are vaping you are releasing a vapor (hence the clever name) containing terpenes and tch/cbd which you then inhale. You’re describing a condensate process which I dont think is worth the yield.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 7:58 pm
And you would be wrong. Might I suggest that the science has been in for a long time. It is an off-gassing process similar to an oceans water rising as it evaporates and ultimately forming clouds. If the cannabinoids were to condensate, they would never rise up, they would settle to the bottom of the reservoir that holds it.
paul February 19, 2019 at 2:45 am
brother, beyond a certain threshold thc evaporates. that means "turns to a gas." we dont want it to do this, we want it to remain solid but activate. like you said, heating the sweet baby peen out of it vapes it. youd have an oven full of thc gas and some thc-free bud. hence the medium temps.
Rudi August 1, 2019 at 2:44 pm
It should work that way too. I have made waffles several times using the following absurdly simple procedure: 1. finely grind your weed 2. mix it with oatmeal and water to get a suitable dough consistency 2b. optional step: add some lecithin. Theoretically it should improve resorption. But I did not notice a difference with or without the lecithin. 3. bake each waffle in a waffle iron for about 5 to 10 minutes Voilà! Downsides: - The smell while baking will be very noticeable. - It is essential the waffles can thoroughly dry after baking (several days in the open air). They WILL mold if put in a closed container before *completely* dried. - the taste is somewhat unusual ;-) - you must calculate the required amount of weed correctly. And start cautiously determining how much of a waffle you need for the desired effect.
Bj April 22, 2020 at 12:48 pm
😂
Carmon October 22, 2020 at 12:20 pm
I just put my ground up weed in the cookie batter and cook for the recommended time. Works every time!:)
Lars October 18, 2021 at 6:42 pm
works better if you do it right.
Herman Rivera November 19, 2020 at 11:30 pm
If you eat your weed raw it will not get you high you need to heat it up to convert it to a product that will get you high .. then when you heat it you could eat it and then it will get you high. but it taste crumbly burnt you need to infuse it into something that taste good. in order to get THC you have to separate it from plant matter THC is hidrophobic it dont disolve in plain water it needs fats or oils to attach to thats why butter , coconut oil or some heavy fat milk is used.
Alex Bugnion October 21, 2018 at 10:04 am
Which method gives a better yield of THC, the oven method or the hot water method? I'm also worried about the cooking weed smell that would come from the oven method. Thanks!
Alex October 26, 2018 at 2:14 pm
The oven method is the best one I am aware of, however I also heard of people decarbing in foldable toasters.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:01 pm
And you would be wrong. Might I suggest that the science has been in for a long time. It is an off-gassing process similar to an oceans water rising as it evaporates and ultimately forming clouds. If the cannabinoids were to condensate, they would never rise up, they would settle to the bottom of the reservoir that holds it.it is not the method that matters. It is the temps put on the cannabis and the time involved to reach peak potency while avoiding it passing its peak and declining. Too hot and/or too long is BAD.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:03 pm
Offgassing and condensating are essentially opposites. I'm just saying...✌
WILMA KELLER October 22, 2018 at 3:44 pm
can the weed still be used for medicinal purposes if it was put in the freezer shortly after harvesting? What if the weed dried out in the sun, will it still be usable?
Alex October 26, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Yes and yes!
Martin October 22, 2018 at 6:32 pm
I made Rick Simpson oil from an ounce and everclear but it went to tar quickly and only saw 200 for a few minutes. I don’t think it is that potent. Can I save it on a hot plate or oven ? It’s already thick.
Alex October 26, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Yes you can, just be aware of the alcohol evaporating on the hot plate. It's very dangerous and can easily light up. I strongly recommend you do that outside
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:19 pm
Better yet, purchase the proper equipment for making your oils. And I don't mean a crockpot or rice cooker. Go to ExtractCraft's website and expand your horizons. I get 50+ grams of extremely potent hi-grade organic medicinal cannabis oils from every pound of flower that I process. Well worth the investment and it is a closed system so it is much safer than a crockpot approach to might blow up if your not doing it in a well ventilated safe manner. Also will be much more potent oil and you will recover as much as 85% of your distillate when done properly unlike the crockpot approach thusly saving a lot of cash. Buy the good stuff that is organic, foodgrade rated for a healthier product. I use XFB Pure Grain Alcohol. Comes in 190 & 200 proof. Is made from pure cane sugar, is fda rated as food grade and pharmaceutical grade. Is also Kosher so that those of a jewish nature to be allowed to consume it as needed. Costs about $107.00 on amazon per gallon so it is expensive compared to that Everclear crap but in the closed system that is irrelevant. 2 gallons is now just over one gallon after three years of making hundreds of grams of quality oil. It paid for itself in just one batch of oils. I would do this no other way ever again.
Lindsay October 25, 2018 at 4:44 pm
making gummies for the first time. How many grams do you recommend decarbing? I'm using an average strain.
Alex October 26, 2018 at 2:11 pm
Do a small batch at first. I recommend a quarter ounce, which is about 7.5 grams.
MARY SMITH October 27, 2018 at 10:46 pm
I had some seedy weed, I've decarbed, and grinded it into a powder. Can I use the ground seeds in a brownie mix, do the seeds have any thc after decarbing?
Alex October 29, 2018 at 10:00 am
Yeah sure the seeds shouldn't do any harm, but I'm not sure if they have any value after decarbing...
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:26 pm
That will cause you tastebuds to not want to eat it. Remove the seeds, then decarb. The seeds are high in cannabinoids but have minimal thc if any at all. Most seeds, if tested will be less than .03% thc. But if left uncooked, are wonderfully nutritious. Go buy a bag of Hemphearts,,,
Oobarsten November 5, 2018 at 1:46 am
I'm about to try this recipe from Bong Appetit. (it's a very short vid) https://youtu.be/AD3QNMgqgkU I think this would be nice with my tea and it seems very simple for my first infusing/cooking try. Everyone in the comments keeps saying to decarb first before doing the process. Isn't the 2 hrs of heating in the water decarbing? Also any other suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!!
Alex November 5, 2018 at 9:51 am
I dont know anything about decarbing in water. Decarbing is done to transform the THCA into THC. It happens when heat is applied, and best done over time. I don't know if that would work with a tea, I guess it would but don't hold me for my word lol
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:27 pm
Depending on temps, yes but decarbing b4 using in a recipe is always prefered.
Rex Butt November 7, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Do you have to cook the decarbed weed into oil? Or is the decarbed weed good to be thrown on... Idk cereal? I thought thc needed to bond with lipids for our liver to digest them.
Alex November 8, 2018 at 2:55 pm
You don't have to cook it. Decarbed weed can sit for a while in your fridge, or just a bag. I prefer to use it for making weed butter, which I later use for making edibles.
mccoy pace November 15, 2018 at 6:23 pm
so back in 2003 my brother was going to college in pendleton, he had a few buddies that had box vapes and turned the ash which is that brown color and breaks away by the touch and turned that into edibles. they were the best and strongest i have ever had. so i decided to buy a vape and do the same. so since its already been kinda decarbed do i do it for less time or just move on to making the butter
Alex November 19, 2018 at 9:30 am
I don't know anything about using weed you already vaped. I never tried it and none of the people I know probably haven't either. From a scientific/cooking standpoint, I guess you can use vaped weed without additional decarbing because it's being processed by heat in the vaporizer. If you're gonna do this, do it with a few grams at first, make a couple edibles, and let us know. We'd be interested to know and try for ourselves.
Shannon January 10, 2020 at 4:36 pm
It's a "thing" called AVP (Aready Vaped Product). I infuse it in to butter or coconut oil all the time. It works great. It may not be as full strength as decarbing weed and using it but it still has THC you can pull out and in to the butter. You are wasting your weed if you throw your AVP out!
Steve January 29, 2019 at 9:24 pm
I have decarbed my ABV & used w/o decarb. Results varied as did my pseudo scientific methods. I also decarb in the oven a bit, always to compare my AVB strength. My anecdotal experience is thus. Buckle up a bit lengthy. I came back to MMJ after 30+ years regular use almost daily 8 months , daily since so total 18 months (ish). The kicker is I did my first grow which allowed me to "experiment" as such my tolerance is for shite. My edible journey is such...I vaped from day one. Even that is too harsh on my lungs IMO. As such I began with eating just small amounts of RAW ABV at first my wife and I could only tolerate 2 hits from our PAX2 maybe so each load in vape maybe > .025 gr ABV and if I ingested that with a handful of walnuts I was off for 6-10 hrs. Soon .15 or so was fine and lasted 6 + hrs mostly. But I digress, now my dose is about 1.6 - 1.8 plus vape a few PAX's and I can get to sleep with warm glow prior for couple hours. But my decarb has changed much, I have done Steamer vac pac'd, Pressure cooker Low Pressure, Boiled, Toaster oven, Oven, currently Oven with Mason jars Da BOMB no / low smell keep most terps bud even stays a bit moist if you start thaT way... FYI if using Mason Jar I have read & when I remember l burp them some gas build up. But I forget a lot! Usually vaping away to make ABV for more edibles. Anyway I have never fel much pressure after 20 -30 mintues at 250 ish Fahrenheit I only do an 1/8 to 1/4 at a time lest I screw up its small batch! I never use unless end product light brown, tied w bit of green et. al. So my results have been to date ASAIK there has been no great method for me. To clarify with increase in my tolerance and experiments it's difficult to say w/o a lab which I don't have access to. It seems that my GD tinctures are less powerful than at first, may very well just be my tolerance. Most likely it is (SIGH) tolerance. Anyway I have infused oil, made GD Tinctures several gallons by using everclear, recently tried oil infusion with coconut. Hahaha that when I learned I have an allergy to weed! Hopefully only via touch. My best decarb was only of my earliest and that was decarbed ABV now I only used PAx 2 at that time and as soon as it tasted close to the burnt popcorn load fresh. That was toaster oven & I swore I burnt it all, but that tincture kicked ass! I know this is an old thread but I so wonder about effective decarb I have considered those little decarb home use things. I just don't think the risk is worth finding out I have been doing near perfect decarb. Effect to me seems so subjective as does how much you feel a hit of serious herb and are floored, yet the remainders are going for another round. The "science" or charts on the web have temps under hexane extraction or whatever vernacular. I am a tech dude not a scientist or physics major. So extraction, decarb, infusions, tinctures ad nauseum for DIY and even commercial products there is little exact with the extractions as exception. But aside from rosin press I think that not a healthy option for me anyway. I love this plant I have lots of old people health issues and have been on pain meds for decades. They have stolen a good chunk of my sole, w / MMJ I have reduced and soon hope to be off. So I am not sure if this aids anyone, I do think the original article was quite good & I have read a lot of them. I think this site listed the boil times & though my vac pac steamed and boiled worked they did not brown as much as the oven. I just finished and 1/8 in the oven so maybe couple days I will test longer in pressure cooker I think that's like 220f just a little hotter and I don't have to deal with evaporation. PS sorry for lack of some punctuation arthritis makes it not worth the pain later
confused July 31, 2019 at 2:43 am
OK, I'm not understanding all these abbreviations and lingo you are using. confused
Alex Trpkovich July 31, 2019 at 9:12 am
Which abbreviations? The only 3 are in regards to CBD (Cannabidiol) THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinol-acid).
William Gill July 12, 2019 at 2:05 am
I tried using vaped weed and was surprised how potent it still was. Maybe not as good as the weed decarbed in those little ovens made just for decarbing, and it smells like shit. But I could vape till I had a couple grams and then just ate it mixed with yogurt.
Nelson Camerino November 16, 2018 at 8:49 am
Omg I’m reading this blog and it’s confusing me. I’ve been doing this for years real simple take and ounce of weed dry it to almost dust take 48 ounces of oil ( regular cheap cooking oil) heat the oil to 250F add weed when bubbles are close to stopping in about 35min shut off cover and let cool but oil is ready to use dosage is a teaspoon can be used topically or orally in food I infuse everything peanut butter, grilled cheese, pour on the bread of a sub... This is full active relieves pain stress depression etc.. use this oil as in any recipe that calls for oil Good luck explaining this Alex
Alex November 19, 2018 at 9:32 am
OK, but how does this have anything to do with decarboxylation? You're talking about oil and this is an article explaining how to decarb weed lol
Ryan February 19, 2020 at 2:48 am
You can decarb by grinding bud and placing directly in butter, for 45 minutes on medium low heat. Stir frequently. Makes potent butter you can use immediately.
David Mitchell February 29, 2020 at 12:00 am
I agree. I use the butter method and find no need to carb.
Chito September 22, 2021 at 10:46 pm
Nelson's post is relevant to decarboxylation because he described another way to decarb: by heating in oil instead of in an oven. His method extracts the THC into the oil during decarb, so he "kills two birds with one stone."
Cameron November 17, 2018 at 3:39 am
Hello! By Decarbing, how much of the potential THC are you unlocking? Say 1g at 15% has the max potential to yeild 150mg thc in liquid butter How much would transfer pre and post decarboxylation?! Thank you for your article!
Alex November 19, 2018 at 9:34 am
I'm not sure. I think some licensed producers in Canada have information about this written on the packaging.
Audie November 18, 2018 at 3:11 am
If my goal is just to get really high as many times as I can with a quarter oz, should I just smoke it, or will it go farther or get me higher another way? Cost vs effectiveness matters to me.
Alex November 19, 2018 at 10:10 am
I'm not really sure. I would assume that edibles are the most cost-effective way to get high as they keep you high for hours at a time, even if you have a high tolerance. But, edibles take about an hour, sometimes longer, to kick in. That's why I'd supplement them with another form of ingestion, preferably vaping because it's the least detrimental to health.
Rhonda faye November 19, 2018 at 3:27 am
Waiting on answer for mccoy pace's question.
Alex November 19, 2018 at 9:33 am
it's there, go check it out :)
Ailee November 19, 2018 at 7:44 pm
What is the easiest way to "infuse olive oil with.......decarbed weed"??
Alex November 20, 2018 at 10:09 am
Here's a simple cannabis oil recipe! However, this recipe uses normal, not decarbed weed. You'll need: 10-15 grams of weed, 1 cup of olive oil, cheesecloth, double-boiler or slow cooker. 1. Grind the weed just a bit, or just break it down with hands, but it shouldn't be ground to powder. 2. Combine the ground weed and oil in the double-boiler or slow cooker. 3. Heat the two together on low or warm for a few hours. Slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours, stir occasionally. Double-boiler on low for at least 7-8, stir occasionally. 4. Oil temp should not exceed 245°F (115°C) 5. Thoroughly strain the oil. Do NOT squeeze the cheesecloth, this will only add chlorophyll. Store it in a glass container in the refrigerator if possible. That way you can have it for at least 2 months.
Alex November 20, 2018 at 10:11 am
I guess you could do the same thing with decarbed weed, but the problem with decarbed weed is that it is almost like dust and you won't be able to strain it properly through the cheesecloth. You will have a lot of chlorophyll in the oil and it will most likely taste really poor.
Neil November 29, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Hey Alex, My question is, should you decarb. weed that has been cured already, ie. dispensaries ?
Alex November 29, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Absolutely. Those are 2 completely different processes. Curing is just the process of making it more smoke-able, while decarbing is activating the weed's inner potential.
Neil November 29, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Sorry if this question has been duplicated. Alex, the question I have is, should properly cured weed be decarbed ?
Alex November 29, 2018 at 3:21 pm
If you plan on making edibles with it, yes. If you're just gonna smoke it, no. Decarbing is done to activate the THC which isn't activated yet. The THCa breaks up and leaves THC behind at a certain temperature. When you smoke weed, you achieve that temperature (and higher) simply by smoking - the cherry is crazy hot, way hotter than the temp needed for decarbing. I hope that makes sense.
Neil November 29, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Also, is decarbed weed smokable, or does the chemical reaction already take place because of the heat produced.
Alex November 29, 2018 at 3:31 pm
It is smokable, but why would you do that? The chemical reaction activates the THC in the flower, it doesn't leave the flower. Once you ingest the flower or you extract THC and then ingest it, it will make you high.
John December 1, 2018 at 4:23 pm
A good way to keep an even temperature is to use a oven stone. It keeps temps from fluctuating too much.
Kristen December 7, 2018 at 12:24 pm
I have quite a bit of already finely ground weed (almost has a kief like consistency) that I’d like to use for edibles. What is the best way to decarb it to infuse in butter?
Alex December 7, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Well, the best way would be the one I've written here. Just instead of a cloth strain use a micron bag because if it's almost like kief then it might seep through the cloth.
Chris B December 19, 2018 at 3:00 pm
I have a simple question that I was surprised to not see already asked: I am using a sealed silicone box with an inserted oven thermometer (bought from Magical Butter) to decarb my supply. I plan to preheat the oven to 250F and decarb for 25 minutes. Should I wait until the internal temperature in the box reaches the target temperature before starting my timer, or should I start the timer when I put the box in the oven? Thank you.
Alex December 20, 2018 at 9:28 am
Start the timer when you reach the temperature you desire. So if you're baking for 25min at 250F you start minute one when the oven is at 250 and you put in the broken down weed.
Cindy December 19, 2018 at 10:06 pm
I have a butter maker and I put my oz in and added the prior batch to it. Probably too much but that first batch is a little stronger THC. While squeezing out the liquid it held back a lot of butter. Can you tell me how to extract more of the butter out of the processed cannabis
Alex December 20, 2018 at 9:29 am
you can make some sort of makeshift press by squeezing it between two bowls or something of similar sort that will keep the butter once it is squeezed out
Dustin December 24, 2018 at 10:39 am
The best thing that I personally have found is once you have the mix in a cheesecloth or strainer, you take a half to a full cup of hot almost boiling water and pour it over the top. It will separate the butter from the bud and will collect in the bowl. Also the water will do 2 things; 1 it will make sure you get all the butter. 2 the water will separate at the bottom of the bowl and also any setament that slipped through will collect there. The THC connects to the fat in the butter, so water will not effect it at all. Hope this helps.
Alex December 24, 2018 at 10:41 am
This actually may be the best way to do it. By pressing and squeezing the cheesecloth strongly you will also get a lot of the chlorophyll out and that's the stuff you don't want because it gives the butter a funky taste...
Hempress Angell January 26, 2020 at 9:42 pm
You can also add your squeezed plant matter to water, simmer it a couple minutes and cool completely (ie in a fridge). If you used a fat that is solid ar room temp or lower (ie. Butter or coconut fat), it will harden on top of the water and your plant matter will sink to the bottom. I've also made AMAZING tincture by tincting the plant matter from making budder in Alcool, sometimes adding in some unbuddered plant material. There's just something about the fat/alcohol combo that Jack's the efficiency of phat drop tincture!
Chris B December 20, 2018 at 7:03 pm
While I appreciate the reply, I don't think you understood my question. "I am using a sealed silicone box with an inserted oven thermometer to decarb my supply. I plan to preheat the oven to 250F and decarb for 25 minutes. Should I wait until the internal temperature in the box reaches the target temperature before starting my timer?" It took over 15 minutes for the inside of the box, and therefore my product, to reach 250F after putting it into the pre-heated oven. I decided to wait until the temp in the box was reached and then left it for another 20 minutes, which is the low end of the time range shown in the graph above. In all, the box was in the oven for probably over 40 minutes.
Alex December 21, 2018 at 10:08 am
oh I'm sorry, I totally misunderstood. So yeah, the weed is supposed to be exposed to the 250F temperature for nearly 20 min right, no matter in which dish you keep it whether it's on a plate or a metal pan or a silicon box. I hope that helps.
Benjamin Williams January 10, 2019 at 2:23 pm
U probably have some bomb ass edibles bro. Fistbump!
Alex January 10, 2019 at 2:24 pm
Oh you know it haha
Kerri April 9, 2021 at 12:53 am
Yes you should wait until the thermometer reads the temp you desire before putting your weed in and starting the timer. The point is to do 20-30 minutes on a steady temp. So yes, don't start the timer till you are at the desired temp
Josh December 22, 2018 at 10:48 pm
Thanks for info!
Alex December 24, 2018 at 9:37 am
You are very welcome :)
Lisa December 25, 2018 at 10:30 am
Hey there! I'm wondering- once the bud has been decarbed, is it necessary to use it right away (finish making oil/ tincture etc) or can it safely be stored for any amount of time, and then finish making final product at a later date without losing any of the potency? (Day/week etc) Thanks for all the wonderful info!
Alex December 25, 2018 at 10:32 am
Hi! You don't have to use it right away. Store it in a ziploc bag and I've heard people saying it holds potency for up to 8 weeks.
Alex Leon December 25, 2018 at 8:13 pm
Hey, I was wondering something. I have kids, and I was wondering how bad the smell would be if we decarb in the oven? Would the smell effect the kids? Should I wait until they are at school or in bed?
Alex December 26, 2018 at 9:41 am
It's not the smell that gets people high, it's the cannabinoids in the weed. When you decarb you don't release those in the air, you just activate them to their full potential. Your kids should be good around the oven, it's up to you whether to save them from the smell or not, but the smell itself won't do a thing.
Randy December 30, 2018 at 6:09 pm
How to decarb with a Hot oil bath? Some articles say not to submerger weed in oil to decarb it. I want to decarb BHO but don't have access to an oven.
Alex December 31, 2018 at 10:06 am
just toss the BHO in a dish which you will be able to scrape it out from, such as a glass dish or some type of bow. Put it in a pot filled with water. Bring the water to a boil. Leave it in there for at least an hour. I strongly suggest you look up videos on youtube as it is much more descriptive and easier to follow when it comes to complex things such as hot oil baths and stuff.
Portland’s Mrs. M December 31, 2018 at 6:18 pm
Hello, thank you for the great article! Do you have any suggestions for those decarbing an already very dry product? For example, I have 28g of very dry Blue Dream. Do I need to adjust your method at all? Also, if a strain is tested at 19% THC, how can I know the % after decarbing? Is there a way to estimate what % THC will be in butter? Thank you!
Alex January 3, 2019 at 12:59 pm
There isn't anything that makes me happier than when someone like my writing and finds it to be a great read. Thank you for that. As for your problem, there aren't any differences. I would strongly suggest that you don't break up the weed too much before putting it in the oven if it is already too dry. If you break down too much it will become ashy and hard to work with.
Ron Brown January 8, 2019 at 2:36 pm
Hi! I used to make cannabudder all the time using my Magical Butter machine after the decarb. I used to decarb in a small Pyrex dish at 250* for 30 mins. Everything worked as expected. I’ve recently moved to a house that has an electric oven as opposed to the natural gas I used to have. Since moving, I’ve tried to make 3 batches of butter. All the same process, all the same way, except for the different stove. And it just doesn’t work. I could eat the whole batch and feel nothing. Does it maybe take longer in an electric oven for some reason? I’m stumped. I’ve calibrated the stove, it gets to temp, but somethkngvis ovbiously different. Any idea as to what could be the problem?
Alex January 8, 2019 at 2:43 pm
Hi Ron, I honestly have no idea what could be going wrong. Are you using the same weed as before? Maybe try keeping it a bit longer in the over. I really have no clue what could be going wrong because it's a rather simple process. You heat up the oven to 250F, once it reaches that temperature, toss in the dish and weed, pull it out in about 25-30 minutes. I suggest that you separate a little bit of weed, and not make butter from it, but just try it and see if you get high after the decarboxylation. Try the decarbed weed with something on the side because it will taste ashy, maybe it's not even getting decarbed due to something weird...
Mike January 27, 2020 at 7:02 am
Hi there! I fully understood that ideally you would decarbing your cannabis before! Adding it to the butter. I now face the situation that i read some blogs in which it was said: you can decarbe in an oven before or you straight put it into the butter water bath. The difference would be just the taste. So i skipped the decarbing part with the oven but went straight into the butter making process - i let it simmer for 3h. What can i now expect to get? Weed flavoured butter without thc? Or would the 3h cooking work as decarbing step aswell? Thanks!!
The One September 6, 2019 at 9:26 pm
Get an oven thermometer and check the oven temp. The setting should match the thermometer. If it doesn't then you may need to set the oven hotter or run longer.
Jo January 10, 2019 at 2:57 pm
Hello, thank you for your article. I am having a devil of a time finding out how to decarb tp maximize the CBD rather than the THC in homegrown. I have no idea what strains these are or how potent they are, but I want to maximize the cbd and whatever thc is left is fine, but we're not looking to get high, just relaxed. Would I just decarb a little longer? Any suggestions or ideas ?
Alex January 10, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Hi, from what I've read, CBD and THC get decarboxylated at the same time because this reaction happens at a certain temperature, and then a carboxyl group and CO2 (carbon dioxide) get released. Preheat your oven to 230° F and bake the cannabis for up to 40 minutes, stirring every 10. This way you'll get to keep more terpenes than decarbing for a shorter time at a higher temperature. That should do the trick. The only thing you could do to maximize your CBD intake that way is to go for strains with higher CBD content. Good luck!
Bob January 11, 2019 at 9:22 am
Hello great article, just had a quick question. The decarb graph suggests that you should decarb the weed for 7min at 300F, however every other reference in the article and comments was to do it for 25min at 250F. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to do it at 300 instead of 250 or is there a benefit to decarbing at a lower temperature like conserving terpens?
Alex January 11, 2019 at 9:41 am
Hi, decarbing at lower temps preserves terpenes, as you said yourself. So, if you care about the taste go with lower temps
Dave January 15, 2019 at 10:12 pm
Hi Alex, I just made my first batch of brownies. I followed a recipe on youtube. The way he decarbed the flower is by making a tea bag out of cheese cloth. He put the weed 3.5g chopped up in the cheese cloth ,twisted and tied. Dropped that into a 8oz masson jar with coconut oil. Into a pot of boiling water for 2 hours.After it cools a bit ,remove the bag and squeeze. I used a garlic press to get every bit out. Anyway the brownies came out awesome i guess. I tried to dose them at 50mgs each. My question is would i benefit from decarbing , the oven method , then putting that bud in the tea bag , in the oil and boiling for the 2hours?Wondering If i can get more potency that way. Thanks in advance....
Alex January 16, 2019 at 10:11 am
Hey Dave, I'm not really familiar with that method as I've always decarbed inside of an oven. I really wouldn't know, but I do know that my way makes the brownies potent enough so I don't even experiment that much with other ways.
Diamond January 18, 2019 at 1:47 am
I keep trying to find an answer for this question I have and it’s surprisingly difficult to get. If you decarb the weed and then make the canna butter, does the decarb process reduce the scent of the canna butter? Does it smell stronger than the canna butter? What’s the best way to reduce smell if it doesn’t?
Alex January 18, 2019 at 9:34 am
From my experience, at the point where you get the weed in the cheesecloth and start squeezing and straining it that's where most of they poor taste comes from. Thats because chlorophyll is also butter-soluble and the more you squeeze the cheesecloth, the more chlorophyll leaves the mix and goes into the butter. I don't really know a way to reduce the smell of cannabutter effectively.
Rick January 19, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Like several previous comments, I do not want the smell of decarbing weed in my house as not everyone in my household would appreciate it. I use a toaster oven in my garage I bought at a garage sale exclusively for this purpose. Be sure to preheat as advised in this article. Your toaster oven may heat way too quick and expose your weed at too high temp during the preheating phase causing burning weed. I allow it to preheat then wait for 5 - 10 min before adding weed. I prefer lower temp for longer time periods. I then infuse into coconut oil on the side burner of my BBQ but could also use camp stove - again in my garage since this also creates an odour. I use lots of water (at least 3 to 1) and continually add more during process. The boiling water basically acts as a substrate for heating the oil. Since boiling water cannot go higher than 212 degrees there is no worry about overheating oil. After boiling for 4 to 6 hour, I strain through cheese cloth into a mason jar. I stretch the cheese cloth over the mouth of the jar with an elastic allowing a bit of a pocket for the plant material. I gently squeeze the plant material once with the back of a spoon. Most of THC is infused in the oil and you will only add unpleasant weed taste into your oil by squeezing further. The oil and water instantly separate. Allow to cool and then put in fridge. The coconut oil will solidify on top of the water. I use a screw driver to poke two holes in the solid oil so I can drain off the water. My friend insists as other commentators have, that there is no need to decarb if infusing into coconut oil since you will be exposing it to high temp at which time it will be decarbing. Although I see the logic and he seems to have success, I prefer to slowly release the THC via the oven method and then infuse. You will find as many different methods as you find websites with decarbing / infusing instructions. I would suggest you find a method that works for you and stick with it. I make cookies with the coconut oil and very much enjoy the buzz as opposed to smoking.
Patrick R Shane January 25, 2019 at 3:20 am
Hello! - My Q & Comment is that First, - I have several Oz's of Quality, 'Grand Daddy Purple' Kief. Second, _ I experimented by adding the Kief to MCT Oil, then keeping it in a 250 Degree, Pre-Heated Gas Range for One Hour. - (Without 'Decarbing'!) Third, - After cooling, we can take 5ml (or one teaspoon), and get VERY Relaxed or Sleep like a Log afterward, - (and very soon at that!) - Not so much of a 'High', but it is Potent! Four, - Any comments or answers on this method? - (Maybe a New Discovery!)
Alex January 25, 2019 at 10:01 am
I have only one question: How do I get my hands on "several Oz’s of Quality, ‘Grand Daddy Purple’ Kief.", because I would very much like to!
Patrick Shane January 26, 2019 at 1:58 am
Hi Alex, - Thanks for your quick reply! I have this amount of Kief because I created a 'Kief Collector', that will tumble our leftover Trim,(from our tasty buds, and the yield is amazing! - Approx. -3 - 4 Ozs of Kief from the trimmings of 4 -5 lbs of finished Medicine) (I'd very much love to sell the idea to someone who would put them into production, like HydroFarm, and make a few bucks on it) I live about an hours drive North of San Francisco, so if you're nearby, I could get you some of this wonderful medicine to check out. Still tho, I am curious about my Original Question/ Statement: How does this method seem to work w/o Decarbing? - Have I discovered a New Idea? - (You can send a private email to the same address as below if you'd like) - Thanks, Pat
David Walker December 19, 2019 at 3:45 pm
Hi Patrick, I am reading the blog to get an answer to the same question. It seems to me to be more efficient all the way around to put the flower in oil in a mason jar first and then decarb in oven or boiling water. How is this method working for you?
Krystal January 26, 2019 at 6:54 pm
If your flower has a THC content of about 30% what would be you suggested temp and cook time to maximize potentcy?
Alex January 28, 2019 at 1:17 pm
Around 20-25 minutes at 250F
Lori Knutson January 29, 2019 at 7:50 pm
I have made butter before, my question is can i use decarbed weed in cookies without making it into butter first?
Alex January 30, 2019 at 9:55 am
yes, but it will give your cookies the taste of weed significantly more than butter.
Draemus February 3, 2019 at 1:50 pm
Just one question for you that I can’t find an answer to anywhere else for some reason; is it necessary to decarb your bud when making cannabutter since you need heat to make the butter in the first place? Would it not decarb at the same time as it’s simmering in the butter?
Alex February 4, 2019 at 9:29 am
I don't believe so, I think the decarbing process is necessary every time before you plan on cooking things with it, even if it's going to be heat processed again afterward. It won't hurt to decarb it so why even stress about it you know?
JKat33 November 27, 2020 at 5:26 pm
I'm glad you said that - "it won't hurt to decarb it". That's what I've been looking for. The last batch I made was pretty weak and I'm trying to make stronger brownies but I'm really scared about decarbing too much. Could that be what happened last time? (Although it was only an 1/8th in a whole brownie package last time.) So the formula I followed from youtube, I baked a 1/4oz at 235 for about 50 min, then put it in a mason jar with butter. Boiled mason jar in water about 45 min. Then put it in the fridge (because yesterday was Thanksgiving and there was just too much going on). If I make my brownies now, without anymore prep, and regardless of taste, do you think my weed still has potency? (I'll worry about taste once I'm more comfortable with the decarbing process.)
Concetto February 10, 2019 at 9:33 pm
Hello! Article was super informative and I enjoy the charts for reference. Do you have experience with the magical butter 2e machine? It has a setting for 220f and can go anywhere from 1-8 hours. I see everyone say to decarb prior to using the machine without really saying why. My question is, if the machine has a 220f setting and keeps the heat there, can I add my raw buds into my refined coconut oil and decarb inside the oil, inside the machine? It seems like it would work
Alex February 11, 2019 at 9:30 am
I don't have any experience with that machine. I just use the oven, but I've heard people using all sorts of things, such as toasters, so it wouldn't surprise me that you can use that machine as well.
Johno September 12, 2022 at 11:15 pm
Yes you can no problems.
Oakle February 13, 2019 at 9:28 pm
Hi, Alex and Patrick Alex, thanks for the advice. I was going crazy with so much disinformation. And I read a really long article about the myths of decarb and by the end,they were just trying to sell their product to use for decarb, and saying it was a myth that you can use an oven!! Sheesh Anyway thanks for the super easy,informative instructions. Worked great for making vapes. Also Patrick, I would love to check out your invention, sounds awesome and a great way to maximize every bit! I mean it’s only fun to make finger hash the first day you’ve ever trimmed, after that not so much.
Carrie February 24, 2019 at 3:08 pm
Hi there. I would like to make a topical cream with a 94% CBD crystalline that we use at work. Does that have to be decarbed?
The One September 6, 2019 at 8:16 pm
Yes you should. The crystals are actually CBDa and should be decarbed for topical or oral applications. Take your crystals and dissolve in the oil you want to use. I like the hard coconut oil myself. Then heat the oil in a Pyrex container on an electric hot plate. (NO OPEN FLAMES) Use a candy thermometer clipped to the side and down in the oil to monitor oil temperature. Heat to 252 degrees for 25-45 minutes or until bubbles stop. Put the oil in the fridge to make it a solid again. Apply as needed.
Lou ford March 4, 2019 at 7:08 pm
Hi please cud u tell me if decarbed weed can be stored and if so does it lose any potency of the thc? Thanks in advance :)
Alex March 5, 2019 at 10:01 am
yes, you can keep it stored in a dry, cold and dark place. No, it doesn't lose potency.
matty March 7, 2019 at 6:06 am
Just here to point out that decarbing does not just produce carbon dioxide gas it also produces hydrogen gas the H does not stay behind like in your picture.
bill Valocchi March 7, 2019 at 4:31 pm
So I am making mct thc tincture... Should I decarb before I start extraction. Will extract via slow cooker. . 8 to 9 hrs in slow cooker on low about 180 to 200 farenheith
Alex March 7, 2019 at 4:31 pm
Yes, you should
Dave March 11, 2019 at 6:01 am
Hi Alex, I just decarbed half an ounce in a tray in the oven. Because most of the literature on the web is in Fahrenheit and I’m Aussie (using Celsius) I think I fucked up. I had my oven sitting at 300 degrees Fahrenheit when I put in the weed in but it rose to 320 degrees over 22mins before I realised that I was cooking it too high. Have I fucked it up?
Alex March 11, 2019 at 9:35 am
I guess you wont know until you try it, but I think you should be alright
Dalton March 11, 2019 at 1:25 pm
I recently broke a cartridge and was told I I had to decarb the oil before using it to make edibles. How do you decarb the oil in cartridges?
Dave March 11, 2019 at 9:26 pm
Hi Alex, Good news! It is totally fine. But very much a long-lasting heavy body high. It also doesn’t smell or taste much like weed at all - perhaps the terpenes were the first to vaporise? Thanks for your reply.
Lex March 11, 2019 at 10:18 pm
Decarb question regarding CBD hemp flower - I have some dried flower that has a nice THCa content and was planning on smoking it, but I read that smoking it will heat it at too high of a temp to convert to THC...is that correct? If so, would I be able to decarb in the oven and then make tea, to get the potency of the THC? Thanks in advance!
Jim lahey April 21, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Well I just burned the fuck out of my bubble doing this. 250 is waaaayyyy too hot
Alex April 22, 2019 at 8:54 am
Did you do Fahrenheit or Celsius? :D
Vicky Tisbert April 27, 2019 at 12:20 am
Hi I just messed up royally I didn't put in oven to reverb added it in oil before I realized it will it still come out good for edibles an how long should I let it cool on low heat???
Laurel April 28, 2019 at 4:40 pm
No one has answered this question for me: is it necessary to make canna butter or oil or can we just use the decarboxylated product in edibles?
Luka April 30, 2019 at 8:29 am
Hi Laurel, you can use the decarbed product as it is, but the reason why we usually recommend cannabutter is because it's easier to work with.
Jonathan May 9, 2019 at 6:44 pm
HI I decarbed one once of cured 2yr old week was fine to smoke and had psychoactive affects, at 240 deg for 50 min. Ground it, and added 10 oz of organic mct oil, put all into crockpot for 23hours, and finished tincture has a burned smell and not any psychoactive affects. Any thoughts what to change next time?
N November 28, 2019 at 7:06 am
Maybe your oven was hotter than it was actually set at. I usually set my oven at 225, but my thermometer will say 250. I usually decarb for 32 minutes to play it safe. Also my rule of thumb is for every quarter ounce I use 5.5 tablespoons. Also 1/2 teaspoon of liquid sunflower lecithin for 8 ounces of oil. I also prefer organic coconut oil.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:31 pm
Because you did it wrong. Go to a good cannabis website and learn to properly do this. Not difficult at all but can easily be done wrong resulting in what you got.
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:35 pm
I am a licensed medicinal cannabis grower and processor for disabled vets issues and have been cooking with cannabis for over a decade now. I made the same type of mistakes you did in the beginning. If it is worth doing, then do it properly and to the best of your ability and that means doing your educational homework 1st. This will save you time, money and cannabis indeed. There are also some really good cannabis cookbooks out there now. Even on amazon.
Conor May 11, 2019 at 2:24 pm
I’ve read I do and don’t need to decarb for vaping home made rosin because most pens don’t get hot enough to convert it. If it’s a waist of time I won’t but idk who’s correct?
Gordon Lent December 18, 2019 at 8:40 pm
You don't. Live rosin is pressed out of fresh undried and possibly frozen buds. Temp should be around 302 and a ton of pressure in pressing inside parchment paper for about six seconds. You will need to scrape the sosin off the paper and collect it all up. The pressed buds can be reused in making a low grade oil, tincture, edibles, topicals or...use your imagination and enjoy!
Stephanie July 5, 2019 at 12:38 am
I decarbed at my usual time/temp for an alcohol tincture. I didn't account for a new oven, and I didn't decarb long/hot enough apparently. I only found out after trying my tincture (in Everclear). It has been recommended to me that I reheat in a water bath and top off if I feel too much alcohol was cooked off. I have searched the ends of the internet and I can't find a good method to do this when it is already in alcohol (what time/temp is needed). I'd hate to waste $150 of weed, do you have any recommendations for saving this tincture?
Dan July 25, 2019 at 5:07 pm
I ground up my product before reading instructions. Anything I need to do different? Shorter bake time or anything like that?
Neil August 6, 2019 at 5:09 am
I just want to thank you for posting this info. I bought some cannabis when canada legalized it, but I've since learned that I can't smoke without coughing uncontrollably. I'm feeling optimistic about edibles though. I just finished decarbing my first experimental batch (a half gram, finely ground) at 230F for 40 minutes. If I didn't mess anything up, that should be 60mg of THC in 6oz of chocolate fudge. I just put the decarbed bud into the fudge because I didn't want to mess around with infusing oil thanks again for posting such clear instructions. I'm super excited to see how this turns out. I had a small taste and I'm already feeling some pleasant mild effects
The One September 6, 2019 at 6:23 pm
I prefer to make tincture. I do a very cold grain alcohol wash of the buds and strain through a coffee filter. I do two to three washes like this and put the alcohol in my counter-top still and boil off most of the alcohol but reclaim the very expensive grain alcohol to use over again with only about a 15% loss of alcohol. Once the still is cooled off, I remove the oil from the bottom of the still with a large syringe and place in a beaker sitting on my scale zeroed out. I have a hot plate with a stirring bar but any hot plate with a temp control will do. I then add the amount of coconut oil needed to dilute the cannabis oil as a carrier oil for proper digestion/absorption. I put a candy thermometer into the oil and heat on the hotplate at 252 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbles stop forming. This drives all the alcohol away and decarbs the oil completely, while leaving the lovely terpenes and flavinoids intact. Very potent oil. Enjoy but.. Be careful! ;-)
David Pope November 11, 2019 at 12:01 am
I want to make oil that is NOT decarbed. I extract at 76C and depending on the batch size it can take 4-6 hours(at 76C) until all alcohol is recaptured/evaporated. Your chart states that at 80C there is little to no decarboxylation after 1 hour for flower or hash(but no figures for oil). I have found another study that shows a chart pretty much the same as yours. One could deduce (from the charts) that at 80C decarb will not occur no matter how long the time frame is. This just doesn't seem logical to me. The reason for my inquiry is quite simple. For those who inhale their medicine, one would assume that if they inhale oil, they would want to inhale oil that is NOT decarbed so that decarbing occurs at combustion....not during extraction. The same logic goes for flower....who would decarb their flower before combustion?....no one. So I have two questions for you. 1- At 80C how long does it take for full decarb to occur? (your chart doesnt go past one hour) I am guessing you dont have an answer to this as I have exhausted all avenues trying to answer this question.....but maybe you can pull a rabbit out of the hat for me here. 2- If oil has already been decarbed through the extraction process, does it lose any of its beneficial properties when decarbed a second time at point of combustion? This is a question I cant even get a close answer to....yet.
Cyrus November 18, 2019 at 8:19 pm
From how i understand it THC vapourises at 180c.so i prefer the low and slow method of decarboxilating.i set the oven at its lowest setting (gas oven).then i just give it 15 mins and then just keep checking every 5 mins till it feels dry.go above 180c and you will lose all the thc.
Liz November 24, 2019 at 3:22 am
Grate article. Thanks. So I am medical grower and have a lot of "sugar trim" very small pieces of trim sifted off the buds ( I hope that makes sense) I want to make some oil for both eating and salve. since the herb is very small, almost ground, should I heat for a shorter amount of time? Also I have both high CBD and High THC strains. is the Decarb process the same? thx
Jack December 9, 2019 at 3:05 pm
What about CBG?
Andy December 21, 2019 at 1:28 am
It’s not an exact science!!! amm, yes it is actually an exact science, that’s who discovered how to do it correctly - SCIENTISTS zipperhead
Noni January 5, 2020 at 9:33 pm
Lots of fabulous information, thanks! I have an oil infusing machine, that I use to make my oils for ingestion. I set the machine for 2hours @ 200 C, my questions is....Do you need to decarb or will the process I use decarb.
Gabriel Bélanger January 9, 2020 at 4:12 pm
Where is the data from the chart coming from? Which experiment?
Nawnie January 18, 2020 at 2:52 pm
You could put it in a crock pot or double boiler for a few hours at 212 f + will take longer but works fine.
Judy January 18, 2020 at 4:57 pm
Hi I decarbed some frozen cuttings- turned out really well. Now I covered with cc oil and have the jars in a crock pot to cook for 6 hrs. Is this really necessary, or can you just infuse the cc oil by letting the decarbed weed sit in the oil for a few weeks. I plan on using this for topical applications
Robbin January 26, 2020 at 6:08 am
Hey im new to the edible part im try to make some canhoney I'm using 3.5 gram of keif and 3.5 grams of bud I decarb them both at 250F for 20 min at the same time I'm using local honey 16oz to 7 grams of decarb bud/keif I have it in a slow cooker at 140F and it has been in there for an hour and a half can anyone give me tips or tricks if i do this again.
Coz January 27, 2020 at 4:23 pm
New Mexico medicinal cannabis program enrollee speaking... My oven won't get lower than 350 degrees, so I plan on using an over bag in a pot of boiling water. The boiling method says 212 degrees for 2-4 hours... well, I'm at 4,300 in altitude and water boils at a constant 204 degrees up here. Will it still decarb? How much longer should I take to account for this? I'm using cheap ass brick weed, but it is surprisingly potent. I'm trying to make an edible oil since the stuff at the dispensary is all made with sugar and I'm diabetic. Plus, for what I paid for four ounces of Mexican Brick would buy me less than a month's worth of "tiki juice..."
JP sMMMMOVE February 17, 2020 at 9:19 pm
I decarb and then grind and keep in a mason jar. It does not get less potent even after a year in cupboard being opened twice a day for my morning and evening weed smoothies. I toss it in soups, tea, smoothies, etc. Works great and putting it in AFTER cooking food keeps the taste from being horrible. So for instance I will mix it in a potaotos au gratin or the like, I will not put the decarb weed in until after the baking is done. This keeps the weed flavor from overstepping every other taste in the whatever dish you are making.
Matt February 23, 2020 at 2:23 pm
Hi iam looking to make some THC vape juice, i have sen lots of videos decarb the weed in the oven first then place the weed in a jar with some PG and put it in a pan of hot water for about 3 hrs to in fuse. Do i need to decarb in the oven first if i heat it in the pan of water? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbzgkev9LM0 https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/decarboxylation-101-sous-vide
chef March 15, 2021 at 1:01 am
Hi, I'm new to making edibles, I have a question, nobody talks about How many oz can you decarb in sous vide? I have seen that lag ente puts 2 to 4 oz, but can you put more? tnks
Ash March 9, 2020 at 1:32 pm
Hi, I followed a recipe online to make Green Dragon, which didn’t call for decarbing the flower before extracting in alcohol. How can I safely decarb the tincture that I have now? Can I use a water bath? If so, for how long and at what temp? I’m afraid to catch the tincture on fire. I’m also assuming this would change the potency of the tincture since the volume will decrease. Can you please help!?
Cassandra April 1, 2020 at 7:06 am
Hi Guys Can I Decarboxylate my raw plant material just to activate the CBD for a topical salve as I don't know what strain of plant my husband is growing? I tried researching it but it is all so confusing and thought I should rather ask. I purely want the benefits of CBD in my salve I don't like the psychoactive feeling of THC. Looking forward to your response. Any recipe is welcome.
Natt April 1, 2020 at 11:02 am
Hi. I'm used to decarboxylation with moist bud. The stuff I have now is bone dry from the supplier and I'm wondering if that means I should decarboxylation for less time as itbhas no moisture at all. Thanks in advance
brawlpup April 4, 2020 at 11:31 pm
No point in decarboxylating consumable cannabis, You decarb so that thc can pass through carbon dioxide blocking that happens to allow carbon dioxide to leave the blood and the lungs and not go back into the blood and lungs, this prevents catboxylated thc to be blocked and is why you dry and cure cannabis and burn it which serves to decarb the thc,
JibJab April 15, 2020 at 10:51 pm
Hey there guys, Newbie here :) I was wondering if I could decarb in and insta pot? The weed would be in a food vacuum sealed. Could this work? Here are the temps. "Instant Pot also has three slow-cooker heat settings (not counting warm): less (180˚F to 190˚F), normal (190˚F to 200˚F), and more (200˚F to 210˚F)." Whats your thoughts? Thanks
Jim April 16, 2020 at 3:21 pm
Hi could someone tell us how to being seeds and what would we need to get them grow pls help us
Alana May 19, 2020 at 3:25 pm
Hi, I always used regular electric oven to decarboxylate my hemp. 250F for 30min worked great. Now I have a new oven, which is convection oven which works by circulating hot air constantly. I did 250F for 30min and it came out way too dry and almost burned. So I put an aluminum baking sheet over a pan of flower to minimize air circulation on the product to maybe not dry it as bad, I also lowered the time to 20min and flower came out half decarbed (according to lab test). Convection ovens cook 20-25% faster in general. Any advise on what I should try next? 300F at 10-15min to minimize exposure to dry hot air? I can’t have product come out dusty as I need it strained later and I don’t want a clogged filter. Thanks in advance
Mark June 3, 2020 at 2:48 am
Guys ...just use an air fryer...heaps easy
Eric June 8, 2020 at 10:55 am
Sooo I understand the decarb process but if I’m going for single daily dose. How much decarbed flower should I start with? My plans were to take it and dump it into an avocado seed hole in order to have the lipid transport for max absorption and bioavailability. I just need a starting point 1 tsp, 1 tbsp? I know it depends on how good the flower is that I have but I don’t have the intention of being high for days on end, or for thirty seconds.
Rendon July 17, 2020 at 10:01 pm
Why is it not a good idea to grind weed before decarboxylation?
G August 28, 2020 at 2:10 pm
if hte pieces are too small they will burn on the outside before the entire mass is heated enough to do the job. There needs to be sufficient mass to allow the material to warm up slowly so that it is more evenly heated and more material is effected.
mr.overproblems August 12, 2020 at 9:56 pm
I have an oven that has minimum 320f or 160c temperature. Is there a way to decarb my weed without burning it to waste with this oven?
Ana Stanojevic August 13, 2020 at 3:21 pm
I think you can bake it for 4-5 minutes at 325 degrees, but it depends on the oven. Maybe you'll need to take it out after 2-3 minutes, you need to see yourself. When the smell gets strong, don't wait any longer. Hope it works OK!
G August 28, 2020 at 2:07 pm
its funny how every single person who leaves a comment thinks they are either asking a community that will help them or think they know what they are talking about. Even the author is just parroting information that you can find in dozens of places around the web. Exactly the same thing the comments section is doing.
Freddy October 2, 2020 at 9:51 pm
Place wet trim in oven @250 for 30 min Boil in pot for four hours with unsalted butter. Skim off butter into jars when cooling I use mason jar of trimming per lb of butter. Then make cookies with it or use as butter. 1 tsp of this butter usually gives a good four hour high.
simone October 30, 2020 at 1:23 pm
i have just bought a machine that decarbs the weed, but im new to all this and have no idea how long to do it (7g of weed) and at what temp to do it. any ideas? thanks
Steve April 2, 2022 at 10:13 pm
I have better success at lower temperature 200 for hour... That simmer in coconut oil for an hour.. The advantage of coconut oil is it's highest in saturated fat and stay solid at room temperature.. although I refrigerate the finished product..
Shelley January 14, 2021 at 6:36 pm
I bought some shake but it came fine grinded ..... what temperature and for how long do I put in the oven to decarboxylate it for?
Daniel Dumile February 3, 2021 at 3:38 am
I went off the chart for my high CBD coconut oil, 245 for 60 minutes. I'm getting conflicting info from the rest of the articles and from the comment section, all other info points to 3o min decarb. Which is correct?
Steph April 3, 2021 at 5:52 am
I have brick reggie. What should the over be set at? Plus how long will I bake it? I want to make thc sugar and butter
Gray Ghost May 3, 2021 at 10:48 pm
I have been looking into making a tincture. I grow my own weed in small quantities for personal use which means I don't have much left over between grows and don't want to waste it. I understand oven temp to be 245 (on average) for 30 minutes using Amnesia Haze autoflower having 15-23% thc to carboxylate. What is the ratio of everclear to be used with rough ground buds/keif and what is the smallest recommended quantity for creating a tincture?
Patrick May 14, 2021 at 6:09 am
The two charts are very different, and then his instructions are different than the two charts! Then he says if it’s too difficult, get a magic butter machine! Magic butter machines do not Decarb! What is this? Where is there any useful information here?
Jeffery Barkley July 13, 2021 at 10:50 pm
I have been decarbing and eating cannabis for medical use for over a year. Here is the method I use: I take an ounce or more of dried cannabis and break it apart to remove any large stems then grind it to a fine powder. I put that powder into a sealer jar, put the top on, and put it in my toaster oven for 35min at 225f. When the time is up, I let it cool as is, then remove the lid for use. The sealer jar is awesome because I live in an apartment where any smell would be a problem. If any THC or other cannabinoids are vaporized during the time in the oven, they are reabsorbed into the powder as it cools. I use it in an unconventional way. I use a 1/2 teaspoon to measure out the amount I'm comfortable with and put it into a dessert spoon. I take another spoon and ladle a small amount of coconut oil onto the powder to wet it. Take the spoonful into your mouth and take a big swig of fresh water to wash it down. It goes down really easily and you get all the cannabinoids in the weed, with none thrown away. There is little taste left in your mouth. I tried making gummies for a while, but all the hassle of straining the weed out of the coconut oil and then throwing away material that I KNEW still had some cannabinoids in it lead me to change methods. Thank you for the excellent tutorial and chart (I hadn't made it for a while and wanted to refresh my memory about times and temperatures).
Jeff Barkley July 13, 2021 at 10:58 pm
I almost forgot to mention to be careful with edibles. It is NOT the same as vaping or smoking it. When you eat it, it goes through your liver and is converted again, this time from THC to 11 Hydroxy THC. This form is able to move through the blood/brain barrier 5 times easier than Delta 9 THC. What this means is don't consume edibles to get the same high and body stone you get from smoking or vaping. By the time you reach the amount that gives you the body stone, you are going to be freaking out from the 5 times stronger psychoactive effects. Trust me. I've done this and it wasn't pleasant :).
mitch July 31, 2021 at 6:43 pm
thc and turpines vaporize {turn to gas} and are lost to the atmosphere at 350 f. a small amount is lost getting to 350. in natural state, thc is Slowly de carbing at a steady rate. at a slower rate, the thc is oxidizing, with a half life of 8 minutes. all decarbed thc exposed to oxygen will lose half the molecules of thc exposed in 8 minutes. 8 minutes later, half of what is left is now oxidized. so.... if 100g was so exposed, in 8 minutes there would be 50g... 8 minutes later 25g..another 8 min,down to 12.5g.... the mass remains the same, but the percentage of active component is decreased. heat greatly speeds this process. both the decarbing AND the oxidation. the more heat, the faster BOTH happen. we are looking for a favorable combination of both temp and time, seeking to maximize decarbing AND minimize oxidation. these variables are in the chart in this article where we are posting. options to increase efficiency must include reaching desired temp as swiftly as possible; cooling as low temp as possible as soon as possible after process is complete; using measures to exclude as much oxygen as possible both during and after process. all decarbing techniques are methods for addressing one or more of these variables. if cooking with the product, the process of decarbing and oxidation is extended.
Kuda August 20, 2021 at 6:53 am
I would like to find out if you can decarb dry low grade weed in the oven and if so what method should I use? Used to just grind it and put in on butter and use the water bath method without the oven process, the result always varied in terms of potency of the edible bit I fou d that the longer the edibles stayed the more potent they became. So anyone with experience in dealing with dry weed please help.
Ima communist September 27, 2021 at 9:16 pm
Decarbonizing is a bunch of bullshit. Put your bud in some hot butter and cookit overnight. I tried your decarbonizing method and now I have a 2 lb pile of shit.
Bliss Branch December 20, 2021 at 8:16 pm
This is the first time I’m using the slow oven method. In the past I’ve heated oil in a pan until almost smoking, crumbled the weed in for a few second and then thrown in a tortilla, piece of bread or rice for a short time. That will keep me high for hours. So it must be doing the job to some degree. Curious how this oven method will compare.
Steve April 2, 2022 at 10:08 pm
does Delta 8 sprayed flower have to be decarbed..? Is it necessary to simmer the Delta 8 for hours to infuse it into the coconut butter lake Delta 9 ? The Delta 8 is not in the flower but sprayed on the flower.. unless I'm cooking them both together,. Is the decarb step and the cooking step necessary?
Michael nocito April 3, 2022 at 11:27 pm
I suck at decarbing. I kept over and under doing it: Finally I broke down and bought a decarber on Amazon. Sweet baby Jesus was this much better. Set the temp and Perfect every time. I paid about $100 for it and I know I wasted more than that in product trying to do it in the oven. I also recommend the butter molds. They have nice dosage lines that they mold into your butter (or coconut oil) Here’s the decarberer I went with. There’s a handful all about the same size and function. https://amzn.to/367wm80
Max Jerry June 6, 2022 at 8:08 am
I have a friend who had taken herbal medicine and a diet plan from Nze Njoku Herbal Home on google to treat Arthritis and High Blood Pressure and for some years now he looks normal. From severe pain always a sick guy Now he looks so healthy and enjoying normal productive life😊 Praise God
Pete October 27, 2022 at 11:49 pm
Hi guys My method of de-carbing is to place as much leaf and tip into an old pillow case, put it in a crock pot with a kilo of butter, then fill it up with boiling water Put the crockpot on low giving it the occasional stir for two or three days Then squeeze it out into a big bowl, put it in the fridge to solidify and bake simple sugar cookies with the butter All my friends keep asking for more, works a treat
Joe M November 12, 2022 at 6:00 am
Source for charts and tables? Someone claimed to point at a more hand drawn version (but looked the same to me) and said it was from the 90's. Where someone used a hotplate, not an oven or water bath, etc. Not that I trust them as they quoted an invalid maximum with images of their test report right there (claimed max 12.2% from a toaster oven, but their result said 17.1% for an 18-19% input). Yeah, smell might be worse without their tool, but I don't have $200 to spend on it. Searching online I found a 2016 paper that had some decarb results from a vacuum oven, so not the same as people at home would see from aiming for the same temps and times. They said it was to avoid the negative effects of light and oxygen degrading the THC into CBN (for instance).