THC-Infused Olive Oil

THC-Infused Olive oil is one of the most versatile infusions in a cannabis kitchen. Olive oil can be used for sweet or savory dishes, as well as eaten plain on bread. Contrary to butter, Olive oil is pure fat with no water content, allowing for a better infusion of flavors, since most off flavors are water soluble. It also remains the same, texturally after infusion whereas butter will never return to its original state after melting.

Infusing your own olive oil is really easy as long as you trust the process. Follow the instructions carefully. Do not over infuse, as you will begin converting the THC into other non-psychoactive cannabinoids such as CBN. Assuming a decent quality starting flower at around 20% THC, this recipe will yield a strong olive oil, around 25-30mg per tablespoon.

There is an advanced method for producing a cleaner flavor infusion that is easy enough to do if you have the materials. In a French Press coffee maker, place the buds and pour over water, allow to steep for up to 2 days, changing the water repeatedly as it appears dirty. This will release many undesirable plant materials into the water, resulting in a cleaner tasting infusion later. Gently press the buds in the French press when done and lay out to dry until ready to decarb. Alternatively, use a salad spinner to get out the extra moisture. Extra care has to be taken using this method to avoid mold development if the buds are left wet too long or over-saturated buds in the decarb process which will mess up your timing and can lead to under processed buds.

A Note About Using Concentrates

When using concentrated cannabis products such as hash, rosin, resin or others, it is important to understand the state of decarboxylation your cannabis is in. Some concentrates are already decarbed such as rosin, THC-distillate or RSO oil. On the other hand, many hash and live resins are not. To decarb these, follow the same procedure as for flower. The main difference is that you will use much less concentrate. Use about 1 gram of concentrate for 3.5 grams of flower.

If you have RSO or any oil based concentrate, you can simply mix into the olive oil, no need to heat.

Ingredients

• 3.5g Cannabis or 1g Concentrate

• 1 cup Olive Oil

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Tools

• Cheesecloth

• Fine Mesh Strainer

• Large Mason Jar

• Saucepan

Instructions

1. Decarb your cannabis as instructed below

2. In a large Mason jar, combine the cannabis flower and olive oil and close the top tightly.

3. Fill the bottom of a sufficiently sized saucepan with water and add the Mason jar, making sure the water doesn’t reach the top of the jar or the pan.

4. Heat over a gentle boil for 2.5 to 3 hours, don’t let the water boil more than a simmer.

5. During the process, make sure the water doesn’t completely boil away, refill as necessary.

6. Once finished, carefully remove the jar from the water (it’s hot) and allow to cool on a rack until you can handle it.

7. Pour through a cheesecloth lined strainer, gently pressing the flower to extract any excess oil. Be careful not to press to hard as this will add unwanted plant materials to the oil.

8. Store in a cool, dark place.

Decarbing Cannabis

There are lots of ways to decarb cannabis, from the traditional oven method to sous vide. In addition to requiring special equipment, the sous vide method takes more time since it uses a lower temp of boiling water, but produces a more efficient decarboxylation of the flower.

You can also use specialized equipment such as the Ardent FX, Levo II, Butter Brewer, or other decarbing and infusing machines. These take out a lot of the guess work and make the process almost automatic. They also have the capability to infuse your olive oil, milk, liquor or whatever medium you choose. However, these machines cost money and are not for every household. Before investing in one of these machines, it’s a good idea to try it the traditional way and see if you even want homemade edibles often enough to warrant the purchase. There are lots of options at different price points.

Traditional Method

• Preheat the oven to 200° or 230°

• Place cannabis buds on a cookie sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil, trying to close all gaps with the foil

• Put the cookie sheet in the oven for 50 mins at 200° or 25 mins at 230°

• Take out and allow to cool completely before uncovering the buds

Sous Vide Method

• Vacuum seal your cannabis

• Immerse your cooker in a large enough container of water and set the temp to 200°

• Place your sealed cannabis in the water and allow to decarb for 50 minutes

• Allow the cannabis to cool before opening