Finally, making quality cannabis concentrates is now in the realm of the ordinary home consumer. The Source by Extractcraft, provides a relatively easy to use machine that turns cannabis trim and flowers into small, personal use amounts of pure cannabis concentrate.
What can you do with the concentrates you make? Vape them, dab them, smoke them, use them for cooking or to make topicals. Depending on how and how long you process, you can make concentrates of various textures and viscosities from thick oil to thin shatter.
So how easy is the Source to use? Pretty darn easy. You mix cannabis and food grade alcohol into a tincture then place in the freezer to get ultra cold. The tincture gets poured into the Source’s crucible, the lid gets placed on, and once the machine is turned on, it creates a vacuum. This boils the alcohol at a lower temperature than usual. In about 2 hours your concentrate will be finished and the alcohol reclaimed for use in another batch. Expect each batch to yield between 2 to 4 grams of concentrate from about 1 ounce of cannabis (depending on strain and quality).
As easy as the basic process is, there are skills and techniques you can employ to improve your product. Get carried away with this and you might find yourself with a new hobby/obsession. You won’t be alone. There are active Extractcraft Facebook groups, one for cannabis users, the other for those making other types of botanical oils, where users share tips, tricks, and hacks. That’s right, The Source does more than make cannabis concentrates, it can make essential oils of all kinds. The Facebook groups provide a wealth of information and an enthusiastic networking opportunity with other extraction crafters, many of whom are so excited by the prospect of making their own concentrates, they are literally giddy while unpacking the box.
In addition, Extractcraft has put out a video of useful tricks and hacks themselves. Perhaps some of the functionality in the hacks will be built into future models and not require the hack, but for now the Source more than works well enough for me to enthusiastically recommend it.
This is a precision piece of equipment. Besides controls on the machine, a mobile app that works on Android or iOS mobile devices via Bluetooth, allows you to adjust time, temperature, and pressure. Normal mode, used for running a typical extraction, takes approximately 4 hours to complete a full run with minimal pump activity. Turbo mode doubles the processing speed.
But what about safety? We’ve all seen the horror stories of ill-informed concentrate makers blowing up their garages or homes. Alcohol is inherently flammable, however when the Source is used as instructed the unit is constructed to be completely safe and it has many safety precautions built in. The Source operates well below the ignition temperature of alcohol and it keeps it contained in a vacuum where no air is present.
While the machine is not cheap, if you are a big fan of concentrates and can get good deals on cannabis trim or flower, or if you grow your own, The Source will save you money in short order. I had one Facebook follower who saw the price tag, immediately said no way, then after thinking about it for a moment, realized she would save a bundle over the course of a year. On the other hand, if concentrates are something you rarely use, you can live without the Source.