Dear Cheri,
I made a batch of infused oil and it did not come as strong as I had hoped. My question is, can I re-infuse my infused oil with more cannabis to make it stronger?
Yes you can. Meaning you can add more cannabis and infuse your oil again to up the potency.
Ardent Cannabis, makers of my favorite cannabis cooking gadgets, the FX and Nova has an interesting article on their website where they put “infusion boosting” to the test, with both CBD and THC. Follow this link to read their lab test results.
In a nutshell, what they found was you definitely can boost your infusions, although you will lose a little bit on the second infusion. In other words, you won’t double your strength, but you can get close.
Starting with decarbed cannabis, let's say your original infusion contained 90 mgs of THC per ounce. Re-infusing it will not quite double the dose, so in this example, the boosted infusion might contain about 170 mgs. instead of 180.
The volume of oil (or butter or whatever is being infused) matters too. The less oil being infused, the more potency you will lose on the second infusion. This is because there is only so many cannabinoids you can pack into a tiny amount of oil without it becoming saturated (although the exact number is elusive to find). Nonetheless, the article at the Ardent website that shows the lab test results when Infusion Boosting is most enlightening.
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Hi, just discovered your website! I’m very excited . I’m new to making my own coconut canna oil. I have read several recipes as far as time and temperature settings. I want to prevent my thc from turning into cbn during the process. Do you recommend a temperature and time frame for coconut canna oil ? I made a batch using 240 temperature for 40 minutes decarb, then I cooked at 180 for 2 1/2 hours. So I think I over cooked because the effects make me very sleepy. I’m sure the strain matters, but just looking for a generalized recipe for future success. I would really appreciate an expert’s advice. Thanks in advance!
I do not have specific time and temperature recommendations. I usually use a slow cooker because I am able to set it forget it, I will usually go 3 hours or so once it is at temperature by this method. Otherwise I use the Ardent FX which is programmed for THC or CBD extraction (see https://cannabischeri.com/lifestyle/reviews/ardent-fx/ ).
However, you are correct when you said the effects have more to do with the strain. I think overcooking effects will be minimal unless you let it go a really long time, however, the effects of different strains can be more profound (see this article https://cannabischeri.com/mary-jane/learning/marijuana-terpenes-what-they-are-why-you-need-them-how-to-use-them/ ).
When it comes to CBN, I recall Ardent Cannabis (makers of the FX and the Nova) had some interesting articles on their blog, with lab tests, about this. I would have to search them out, but click to their website (link below) and search under CBN and I sure you can find them.
https://www.cannabischeri.com/likes/ardent-decarboxylator/
Hello Cheri, I have 6 gm of Blue Dream Sap i want to make strong MCT oil to drop under tongue.I had 2 bad experiences with eatables and am afraid to experiment. Read so many get confused and don’t want to use lecithin. I have a LEVO II and made salve with ABV and it works so I want drops so I can stop vaping. I live where our towns of Paradise and Magalia California burned down the stress is unbearable and I can no longer concentrate and comprehend what I have read and then the Covid CRAP.. Thank You, hope to hear from you soon,
I am not sure what the question is here? Follow the instructions on the Levo I guess? I am not a fan of this particular gadget as it severely limits the amount of cannabis you can use, so I am not up on the ins and outs of it. Make the oil as strong as you can, I recommend MCT coconut oil, and use sublingually.
Hi Cheri, I am new to cooking with cannabis. I have done a ton of research and then came upon your website. Thank you…thank you…thank you! Most informative and easy to understand for newbies site by far. I am using your dosing calculator worksheet and would like to know in Step 1 – should I be using the % of THC/CBD in my cannabis before or after decarb for the calculation. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words.
You would measure/estimate before. If you have a lab tested label, use the THC-A as that will convert to THC with decarbing. Otherwise you are estimating what you think it is, and I give ranges in the class.
Hello! I hope you can answer my question. About a 45 days ago I decarbed some flower and only used half of that to make oil. When I now used the other half in my mew Ardent infuser, there was very little strength. Should I have done the de carb process again first??
No once is enough. I am not sure what happened the second time, but it should have been the same.
Is there a baseline amt of thc to use as a guide to calculate potency. I don’t have a dispensary tage
Baseline for who? With what kind of cannabis? Everyone’s needs are different, but you can learn to cook for what you personally need. Check out this article for details
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/how-much-marijuana-for-a-stick-of-butter/
if im infusing my old oil can i add more fresh coconut oil to it or will it spoil it .regards noeln
You can add more and it will be fine, assuming the old oil is not too old. Luckily, coconut oil has one of the longest shelf lives, but if the first oil is really old, I would not.
I used 14G =1/2 ounce of weed decarbed it in my Nova then I infused it in 1/2 cup=4 fluid oz of MCT oil. After straining and pressing the oil out of the weed it gave me roughly 2.5 fluid oz (less than 1/3 of a cup. how do I calculate the loss of oil for potency? no one ever talks about loosing so much oil during the infusion. the oil saturated remainder weed can be used still so it won’t go to waist I guess.
You notice the loss a lot more when infusing small amounts like that. Calculate on what you have after infusing (in other words when it asks amount to be infused, enter what you end up with after straining). I notice some cannabis strains seem to absorb more than others, so it is hard to be consistent and know that each bath will be. I always add more than what I hope to end up with though, so for instance, if I want a cup of oil, I will start the infusion with 1 1/4 cups so that I know I will get enough back.
Hello Cheri. I am having trouble with my gummy’s I can’t get the canna oil to incorporate. My gummy’s have layers of oil I try to peel off and use in chocolate. Any suggestions on incorporating the oil
Gummies can be tricky without insider tips and knowledge. That is why I created an entire online course around them Please see
https://cannademy.com/complete-guide-to-cannabis-gummies/
Dear Cheri,
I have already decarbed and infused. The result turned out well but is stronger than I would like. Can I just add more coconut oil to increase the batch or does it need to be infused into the batch? I am using the Active Guy Gear Infuser. Thanks in advance for any insight you may have.
You can just add more oil no need to infuse. However, if it were me, I would keep it strong, use less of it in your recipes and if you need more oil for whatever you are making, add it then. If you haven’t already check out my free dosing class at Cannademy.com or even better I have dosage calculators for $5.00 that do that math for you. But either of those classes will show you how to use it and adjust. Good luck!
Just discovered you site. Love it. I process for cbda so I do not decarb. To get the highest percent possible I process 2 or even 3 times in the same oil. I use a Brew Zilla and 3 gal of mct oil to start with and process at 80 degrees for 36hrs. Then strain, then add enough oil to bring back to 3 gal and add additional flower and process for 36 hrs again. and repeat, and have tested. The last time I processed the cbda tested at 460mgs per oz and cbd at 411mgs per oz. ( with only 1 processing the cbda was only 125 mg per oz. ) To raise the cbd potency I use distillate. To keep from wasting the oil left in the flower I bought a 6 ton shop press for $125.00 and pressed the used flower. I pressed 1 and 1/2 quarts of oil that would have been tossed from that flower. More than paid for itself. It equaled to about $1000 that I would have lost at $100.00 per 4oz bottle. LOL I shudder to think of how much I have tossed out over the last 5 yrs.
That was an awesome video. Short and to the point and educational. Thx for sharing!
Thank you so much for the kind words.
Cherie: Do you have any clue as to whether the Ardent silicone sleeve prevent the gummies from hardening? It does wonders to mason jars so I’m not doing that again.
Thanks for the discussion about a second infusion. I looked at Ardent’s website and it doesn’t look like much of a loss.
No, it shouldn’t. What do you mean it does wonders to Mason Jars? I don’t understand.
Can I do this with cannasugar too. I infused 20grams to 5 cups sugar and wish to increase it’s potency. I already have another 20 grams decarbed and soaking in 190 proof everclear.
While I have not personally tried it, I see no reason why you couldn’t.
Dear Cheri
I was curious. Does decarbing and infusing get all or most of the thc? If after decarbing and infusing, can the same flower be used to infuse again? Is it worth the effort?
It gets most if you have done it correctly but some will be left. Personally, I did not find it to be enough to make it worthwhile and the second infusing of the same material just tends to add more of the flavor you don’t want and not enough of what you do want.