If you want to make potent marijuana edibles or other cannabis-infused products, you first need to decarb your weed. Decarbing refers to decarboxylation, a process where you slowly heat buds of marijuana to activate the THC, generally for use in cannabis butter and other kinds of edibles. The process takes around 30-45 minutes and has numerous benefits.
Decarboxylation happens naturally when you smoke or vape your weed as you heat it to such high temperatures to activate the THC. However, for things like cannabis oils, edibles, and topicals, weed must first be decarbed in order for it to be effective. Here’s a guide on how to decarb your weed and everything you need to know about decarboxylation.
Why Decarb Your Weed?
In simple terms, decarboxylation is a process of heating up weed in order to activate THC- the potent, psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis. Initially, marijuana is full of THCA, a beneficial but non-psychoactive cannabinoid. In order to get the desired intoxicating effects of THC, it must be heated to a certain point in order to effectively convert THCA into THC.
Usually, you don’t need to worry about decarboxylation. When you smoke or vaporize weed, the product is heated up to a point where the THC is activated and you’re able to inhale it. However, with many users now looking to make other products such as THC edibles, it’s useful to know how to decarb your weed.
In most cases, people decarboxylate their weed in order to make cannabis butter or cannabis oils. You slowly heat buds of weed in order to activate the THC and cook it into products so that, when consumed, you get the effects of THC. You can also use decarboxylated weed to make other products such as cannabis tincture or topicals.
Should You Grind Your Weed Before Decarbing?
Before you start to decarb your weed, you’ll need to do a little bit of preparation. You can use any kind of strain you want, and you’ll also need a baking tray with parchment paper. A common question many people have is whether you should grind your weed before decarbing.
You can decarboxylate your weed whether you grind it or not. However, generally, grinding marijuana before decarboxylation isn’t necessary. Grinding weed can often result in your product getting lost easier. What’s more, finer pieces will heat up quicker and may get burned if you’re not careful.
The best approach is to break your weed up into buds without making them too small. It’s easy to place these on a baking tray and heat them up without them burning. It’s also easy to shake them to make sure they’re heated evenly. After you’ve finished decarboxylating your weed, you can grind it as much as you like for use in cannabis butter and other products.
How to Decarb Your Weed
Once you have your weed prepared, it’s time to decarb your weed. Decarboxylation takes only a few steps and usually takes less than an hour. Start by covering a baking tray and covering it in parchment paper. Spread your marijuana buds across the tray evenly, leaving space in between them.
Place your baking tray in an oven preheated to around 220°F (105°C). You’ll want to keep your oven at this low heat in order to decarboxylate your weed without burning it or ruining the cannabinoids. Shake the tray every now and then to turn the buds over and allow them to decarboxylate evenly.
Give your weed around 30-45 minutes to decarboxylate. After this, take it out of the oven and you now have a nice bath of decarboxylated weed. You can store this away or prepare it for use in cannabis-infused products.
What to Do With Your Decarboxylated Weed
The most popular way to use decarboxylated weed is to make cannabis butter. You do this by melting butter in a saucepan along with boiling water (usually around a cup of butter and water for every 7-10 grams of weed you use) at a moderate heat. You can then grind up your decarboxylated weed and add it to the mixture. Apply a low heat (around 160ºF – 180ºF) and allow it to simmer for around 2-3 hours before straining the mixture and refrigerating it.
You can also follow a similar process to make cannabis oil by cooking your decarboxylated weed into coconut oil or another form of cooking oil. This is another way to make a cannabis-infused fat which you can add to various meals and recipes to create potent cannabis edibles.
You can infuse cannabis butter or oil into practically any kind of food. Most commonly, people use them to make baked goods such as tasty marijuana brownies and cookies. Alternatively, you can look online to find out how to make cannabis-infused products such as cannabis tinctures or topicals.
Best Weed to Decarb
When it comes to decarboxylating weed, you can use any strain you like. The same process applies to any kind of weed and which strain you should choose really depends on your personal preference. BudExpressNow.ca has all kinds of marijuana strains to choose from, all available for delivery in Canada.
Indica strains are the best strains to use if you prefer to get a physically relaxing high. They’re fantastic for relieving stress and pain while also providing soothing, euphoric effects for both your body and mind.
Sativa strains are known for their uplifting and energizing qualities. If you want to create edibles that make you alert, focused, and highly creative, then you should choose one of these. They’re also great at counteracting symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
Hybrid strains contain both indica and sativa genetics. As such, these are some of the most versatile cannabis strains on the market and give you effects that can be beneficial at any time of the day.
Conclusion
Nowadays, it’s easy to buy edibles online and you may not even want to create your own. However, once you know how to decarb your weed, you might want to try it out. You can decarb any strain you want and make all kinds of potent cannabis-infused drinks and foods. It’s a great project for any marijuana lover and easy enough for anyone to do.
