The Hounds' Cannabis Capsule Guide with Flame-On's Recipe

[Weedhound]

So Mr Hound and I made some capsules tonight and we figured we'd do a little pictorial guide as to how we accomplish it. We want to give HUGE props to Flame-On for all his hard work and great knowledge for this capsule recipe.....we LOVE it!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

First, we start with some nice ganja (in this case SNL x NH), some coconut oil and a strainer. For this particular recipe I am using 20 grams of strained bud. It takes about 22-24 grams pre-strained but I end up with almost "powdered" bud to cook with.

Tip: Make sure your bud is nice and dry before you try to "strain" it or it will simply end up in a huge sticky mess in your strainer.

[Weedhound]

I try to keep the temp of my mixture between 200 and 250F for the capsules. I included several photos of how I check and monitor the temperatures during this process and I'm aware that not everyone can check their temps this way but it works well for us. I heat the oil, add the powder all on the high temp of my crockpot and then wait until the temp reaches approximately 225F before turning the heat to low. I check the temps quite often and stir about once an hour or so but with my crockpot the temps stay pretty much at about 230F with this method......as long as I leave the top on as much as possible and keep my fooling with it to a minimum.

[Weedhound]

As an add on.....I pretty much eyeball my coconut oil on a one to one basis with the powder.....perhaps a bit more on the oil side than the powder but nothing exact. ;)

[Weedhound]

We had issues with oil being too warm in the beginning and melting the capsules so I developed a "quick cool" method that I like to use to make sure that the mix is cool enough and also just to speed up the cooling process.

In this case I've cooked the mixture for 3 and 1/2 hours (at the correct temp) and then poured it into a different ceramic bowl. I then take a larger bowl and place some cold water and a few ice cubes in it and "float" the smaller bowl on it, stirring to help cool the mix. Doing this makes the mix cool enough to put in the capsules within about 10 minutes.

A tip....put your hot mixture into a new bowl instead of trying to cool in a "hot" ceramic bowl or cup or whatever it is you cook in. Ceramic or glass going from very hot to cold suddenly can crack and break.

[Weedhound]

The cooled mix, the empty capsules and the parts of the capsule making machine. I DEFINITELY recommend this little setup.

Amazon.com: Capsule Filling Machine 00 Size for Filling "00" Capsules Fill 24 Capsules in Less Than 2 Minutes - #CN19: Health & Personal Care (http://www.amazon.com/Capsule-Filling-Machine-Capsules-Minutes/dp/B000AD10LK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1203913426&sr=8-1)

[Weedhound]

He's got WAY more patience and eye for detail than I do so he makes the capsules and does a terrific job. :thumbsup:

He spoons in the mixture and spreads it with the card that comes with the capsule machine. There is also a little tool to help tamp down the mixture inside the capsules to make sure he gets them filled as completely as possible.

[Weedhound]

The smaller side holds the tops of the capsules so once the larger sides are filled he places the tops on and puts some pressure to the top to to make everything fit together....perfectly. He then takes the top back off.

The end result: 5 "sets" of 24 capsules.....120 total. Three is plenty for me.

[MVP]

I gotta say that I love the tutorial and all of the pics! Those that have not tried this due to fear of failure should be pleased with this guide. It hits the nail right on the head.

Great teamwork Mr Hound, four hands is quite often better than two... and that capsule thingee is great!

Happy Capping

MVP :stoned:

[Opie Yutts]

Darn you guys, I'm so jealous. I remember (many years back) from the few times I was able to get stoned from cooking, that it was an awesome stone. Nice and clean feeling, or something. Different and better in a lot of ways. More powerful too, than I could ever get from smoking, or at least it sure seemed that way.

Alright that's it. I'm done fooling around. I'm going to thoroughly read Flameon's capsule thread, then this one again, then do it damn it. Just harvested, why not. If the shit fits wear it. Think I'll half your recipe though just in case.

So, do you think I can get one of those machines at a drug store, or is it too much of a specialty-type thing? Empty capsules too? Where do you recommend I look for coconut oil? I suppose you could use regular butter too, or should I clarify it first? Got any tips for people who try it without the machine? For the first time in a long time I went bowling tonight with my family. 169, 172, 162. Is that OK? My 4-year-old beat my wife 2 out of 3.

[Opie Yutts]

MVP, please don't change your avatar for a while. It continues to get at least a little grin out of me every time I see it.

[Opie Yutts]

Do you guys recommend taking the capsules on an empty stomach or anything like that? Take extra vitamin C two days before? Keep one eye closed when swallowing? Anything? I'm just thinking that most medications seem to be more likely to do what they're supposed to if I take them on an empty stomach, or at least one with only a couple bites in it. Is this just me? My sister says she never noticed that. Is it more drawn out or anything, if you take the capsules on a full stomach? Sorry for all the questions, just excited about trying it I guess.

[Opie Yutts]

LOL - looking at the avatar again.

[Weedhound]

Hey you guys, glad you like the mini-tutorial. We were making them and it was Oscar night so we figured we'd go a little Hollywood. :D

Opie, I don't really know about the capsule machine as far as the drugstore or Wallyworld mostly because I live and die by Amazon.com. I don't have an idea how I survived before they were around because they are gods imo. Everything there I bought off Amazon....the machine, the capsules and the coconut oil. The only things I didn't get from them were the crockpot (Wallyworld) and the candy thermometer (local market.) Oh....and the weed, lol. :D I do know that you can buy the empty capsules at most health food stores.....we have in a pinch....and I'd guess you can get the coconut oil there as well, but that IS a guess.

[Weedhound]

Opie I agree with you vs your sis in regards to meds on an empty stomach. My personal feeling is that they work quicker and a little harder (depending on what the medicine is supposed to do) on an empty stomach than on a full one.

That being said....I don't worry too much whether my stomach is empty or not but if my stomach IS full I'll usually take an extra capsule to compensate. That seems to work fine for me and comes out about the same imo in the way I feel from the capsules. If you take them and wait a few hours before eating then the high seems less affected (it's already in your bloodstream) but I haven't really found food or a full stomach to affect things too much. I DO think they take a little longer to kick in on a full stomach so that may be a factor to some folks as well. Generally the capsules take between 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours to really start kicking in. ;)

I'm someone with a pretty iron stomach but I know from Flameons great thread that the pills sometimes can cause stomach upset in some folks so it probably wouldn't hurt to drink a glass of milk or have a few crackers or something along that line to keep that at bay if you happen to have a senstive tummy. I personally keep both eyes open when I swallow. :D

[MVP]

Opie,

Taking them on an empty stomach is more effective for me.

Also, if I take them shortly after a workout or strenuous work around the house, etc. it seems to speed absorption and give me a better kick...

And don't worry, the AV is staying for quite a while. It cracks me up a lot, I wish I could add music to it!

MVP :jointsmile:

[mobyone]

Can someone please measure 1 gram of powered bud and tell me how many teaspoons that is?

It's so strange because I've done this in the temperature range suggested and got very mild results. Then, I figured, what the hell, I'll just put it in the crockpot on high (which I know goes to 350F) for four hours and see what happens. This was pretty successful for me.

However, I think I'm still not getting the results I could be getting and here are two things I've found.

1) My oil is not turning dark green like everyone else's.
2) Using a 1:1 oil to weed ratio seems to give me a lot more oil than everyone else is using.

The pics in this tread make it seem like a paste and I don't have that. The last time I tried, when everything cooled, I had a layer of weed on the bottom and a layer of oil on the top, half and half. The oil was slightly green, but nowhere near the dark green I see in these pictures.

Also, It is interesting for me that you are measuring the temperature OF THE OIL and NOT the temperature of the crockpot.

So, you are saying that THE OIL needs to be at 230F? Is that correct? In my case, using my oven, the temp OF THE OVEN would have to be about 285F to get the oil to be 230F.

When you added the weed, did it sizzle? I've seen others say this and mine definitely doesn't sizzle.

[Weedhound]

Moby,

Thanks for stopping by because I think you've made several good points I'd like to comment on. Regarding temps: Mr Hound and I learned from our deep frying experiences to measure the temp of whatever is being cooked vs oven/cooker temperature because as you already know.....they don't match! What I want to accomplish is this: at LEAST two hours of the mixture itself cooked at a temp of 225F. This is what I believe is mostly likely the majority of problems rising from people trying the recipe and not getting good results. They are measuring the wrong temperature.....they should be measuring the mixture.....not the temp around it.

Obviously this is easier to do when you don't have to fool with things so often....opening doors or tops, changing air temps around, etc.... That's why Flameons slow cooker and a candy thermometer (available at any grocery store) work so wonderfully for me.

The weed does not sizzle when added....when I cooked at higher temps it did but my results were never anywhere near what I achieve with this method.

The "paste" develops partially from the cooking (it starts to become that consistency after about 2 hours) but it is also due to the fact that I have chilled the mixture and it's caused the coconut oil to thicken quite a bit as well. Those two things make the mix much easier to work with when putting in the capsules.

AND....that's also why I recommend that little machine. Opie asked if I had any tips for making the capsules WITHOUT the machine and the answer is no. I'm terrible at that kind of thing anyway but I know Flameon had some good ideas in his thread which I will post a link to shortly since his thread is the single greatest piece of work on cannabis capsules that I have ever had the pleasure to read. :thumbsup:

I personally measure my weed after straining it down instead of before. This may make a somewhat large difference if you are starting with a few grams with a huge stem or a bunch of seeds in them or whatever. It will make the amount of usable weed much less.

If you think you have too much oil, then just add less. Once everything is melted and mixed i like a few pockets of extra oil floating on the mixture when cooking. That's as far as I go in measuring oil amounts. NOT very scientific but it works for me. ;)

[Weedhound]

Original work and extensive thread from Flameon aka...THE MASTER

http://boards.cannabis.com/recipes/140616-cannabis-capsules-step-step-guide.html

[Opie Yutts]

mobyone,
I just saw this a few hours ago: GourmetSleuth - Gram Conversion Calculator (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm)

Weedhound,
Why 225? Everything else I've read, including vaporizing, said to cook at 350 or the weed might not get completely decarbeloxiwhatevered. Do you think it would ruin it to bring it to 350? Also do you worry about keeping the tip of the thermometer off the bottom of the bowl, like to suspend it in the mixture? Or does that matter?

[Weedhound]

Hi Opie,

I got the original recipe for cannabis caps from this thread. http://boards.cannabis.com/recipes/121748-cannabis-capsules-coconut-oil.html

I've tried this recipe....and variations of it (including Flameons recipe) probably about 25-30 times in the last few months, looking for something that would be easy, workable, and most of all consistent. The recipe I outlined above does that for me. When I cooked at 350-375F I got several signs that I was burning my weed (not the least of which was the fact that the high was about a 3-4 on a 10 scale whereas the ones I make now are about a 7) so that's why I love the lower temps. Above three hundred my weed smelled strongly of cooking, there was a pretty good amount of smoke and lots of sections of my mixture would turn a chocolate colored brown....ie..burned.

Ive checked the weed at different points when cooking including not leaving the thermometer in but checking temps once an hour by taking off the top and checking and I've pretty much gotten the same temps (and same results) as I do when just leaving the thermometer sitting there. My understanding of those thermometers is that they measure liquid heat....but don't quote me. ;) so I trust the results of them (so far.....:D)

My other two thughts on the low temp are that somewhere in that HUGE thread of Flame's he explains EXACTLY the whats and whys of the temperatures much better than I ever could. Lastly, when I got my mmj rec, the doctor gave me a recipe for cooking mj that she recommended........in a crockpot on low temps. ;)

[Weedhound]

And Moby,

Dont stress over a taplespoon or whatever.....throw in some weed....throw in some oil and go for it!! :thumbsup:

[Opie Yutts]

Pssst, I got the stuff man.

Yes it only took 7 phone calls to different health food stores and a 3 1/2 hr. drive total to two different stores to get all the stuff. No exaggeration. OK, deduct 10 minutes for a quick stop off at the hydro store for a light meter and tds meter. (Damn those truncheons, I'm pissed.) I know what you're saying. Amazon. Sorry, when I want something, for some reason I usually have to have it now. Well "have to" is of course too strong, but Amazon didn't have same evening shipping.

Here's the breakdown in case someone's interested:

- $11.29 for 16 oz extra virgin coconut oil. This is supposedly on sale at about half, not sure.
- $13.39 for 500 empty gelatin capsules, size 00.
- $13.49 for 2 cents worth of plastic in the form of a capsule filler, holds 50.
- $5.99 for the accessory tamper. I found it interesting that this was sold as an option. Wouldn't not having it kinda defeat the whole purpose of the machine? Wouldn't it make the filler not so much of a filler, but more of a holder upper?
Total: $44.16, unless you want to include gas at 13 mpg, for a total of $144.16.

Did I get all the right stuff?

Weedhound, thank you for answering my questions and thanks so much for the guide, and getting me excited about the capsule thing. Flameon, thanks so much for the guide and getting Weedhound excited about the capsule thing. God, thanks so much for the bountiful harvest and getting everybody excited about the capsule thing.

[Weedhound]

Thats IT! You have the weed, crockpot, bowl (or whatever you cook in) and candy thermometer right? You are GOOD TO GO!!! :thumbsup:

And you really can do this with small amounts as well as large...I have done it in a coffee cup as Flame-on said many times with a couple grams and a couple spoonfuls of oil with good results.....watching temps etc because that's where I'll usually miss something. It takes quite a while to get the mix to the right temp to begin with.....about an hour or so in the crockpot so that's wasted time right there. And a smaller amount of weed and oil will tend to heat up more so you have to keep a closer eye than if you are heating more "total volume" at once.

I had tried using my crockpot before with Flame's original thread but did not have good results the first few times and looking back now I can easily see that I did things wrong both ways in cooking.....not getting the temps high enough (in my personal experience below 200 seems to stop the process) and cooking it at too high temp (above 275 with a definite loss of potency) so this is what I have found works the best and it involves checking temps fairly often and keeping them on track. For awhile I went back to the VERY first recipe I tried to make capsules with which involved a small saucepan and the same candy thermometer I use today. This was MUCH more time consuming but more exact (since I literally sat at the stove with the mixture for up to three hours ) so I feel fairly confident I've learned my share about cooking ganja at different temps. :D

Good luck Opie. Hope they are as enjoyable for you as they have been for us. ;)

You got burned on the tamping thing......ours came with it and the super cool custom card. :D

[Opie Yutts]

You got burned on the tamping thing......ours came with it and the super cool custom card.Oh yeah? Well you got burned since yours only holds 24 so there. Just kidding, I know I got burned and I expected it. For crying out loud I had to go to the upper floor of a damn mall to get the tamper. I pretty much know that's about the most expensive place I can get the stuff. Now I know where all the high school kids go after school instead of to practice a sport or something, or to a part time job God forbid. Is it just me, or are teenagers more rude than they used to be?

The deal is, I wouldn't really care if this stuff cost $4, $40, or $140.44. It's not like I have money to burn or anything, but the potential coolness factor greatly outweighs that little cost difference. Kinda like you know youâ??re going to end up with a digital ballast so you just go ahead and get one. Just think of the stealth involved. That alone is worth thousands in my book. Not to mention convenience, ease of dosage control, PPP, or power pack potential (unlike smoking). I hate it when you try and get nice and toasty for a movie or something, then after all your efforts the buzz is wearing off just as you're walking in the doors. Well here it is, problem solved. Just pop a couple 3 an hour before show time, and make sure your group has a designated driver. He can smoke across the street in the burger joint's parking lot before the show.

Sorry, I just took a couple rips and that tends to make me a little chatty. Long story short, I'm doing it man. Woo hoo! and stuff. I'm pretty excited. My last few attempts at cooking have been dismal failures at best, but for some reason I got a good feeling about this one. Maybe it's my trust in Weedhound. Pretty sure that must be it, that and Flameon.

I hope you're right about the low temperatures, because they're staying around 218. Been that way for about 1 3/4 hr. now. I failed to bring home a candy thermometer or a pepper mill, both of which I intended to buy. Completely spaced it. Damn stoner. The chef in that one link said that he has experimented and the pepper mill on fine setting is the best method. I do have a meat thermometer, which seems to be working fine. The only problem is that it only goes up to 220. I've overdriven it a little and can get 225 out of her, but I'm trying to keep everything around 220 so I know I'm not going way too hot or something. I'm a little worried that perhaps it's best to at least achieve boiling temp. Thoughts? I'm on low and keeping the lid cracked just slightly to achieve that temp. One word of advice though, for awhile I think the meat thermometer was measuring the temperature of the rim of the bowl instead of the weed solution. I propped it up off the bowl and got a different set of readings, about 6 or 8 degrees cooler I think.

Years back my wife knew what temperature was supposed to come from the low and high setting, but not anymore. She said that she did know however, that there is a nice digital model on sale at Costco. I asked her if she could bring it home tomorrow.

Now that I figured out how to stabilize at a good temperature, I was wondering what would happen if it slow cooked for 7 hours while I slept. The oil doesn't evaporate does it? The THC isn't going to go anywhere is it? As far as I know it could only make it better. Any thoughts on that one, anyone? I guess that will be more for next time for me since I'll go ahead and ride this one out. I'll let you know, and thanks again.

[Weedhound]

You Dog!! I'd LOVE one of those digital crockpots but am getting the big scowl from Mr Hound when I mention it. I think it's like you said though, eventually it will find it's way here. :)

My last batch (the one in the photos) I never went over 230F on them and they've come out quite well so I really think your temps are good.

Time wise....our pot doc seems to think that you really cannot overcook the thc if you stay on low temps. In the recipes she gave me the directions w/crockpot are on low for 3-4 hours. She took a pen and crossed that out.....wrote in 6+ hours by hand. Her words to us were......"the longer the better" so I imagine overnight would be ok but I've never honestly tried it. (Pssst...once I get a digital crockpot I will.....shhhhhh:D)

These really do solve the problem of getting stoned and then having your buzz wear off just when things get good or you are someplace where you simply cannot disappear and smoke a doobie quickly or something. That idea was what started my stumbling around with this method. After smoking both cigs and weed for many years my lungs are about gone and I REALLY needed a way to ingest the weed without smoking. And yes they are easy to carry and quite discreet.....I honestly like them better than cookies (less calories as well. :thumbsup:)

Ps....While the chef was able to get by a drug dog unnoticed I personally would consider that lucky and I myself would in NO WAY test a drug dog by having these pills on me and feeling they won't set off the dog. Maybe they will or maybe they won't but I have a LOT of faith in those dogs. Just my :twocents:

[Opie Yutts]

Those friggen dogs are amazing. I think the numbers for bloodhounds are something like 700 times more nerve endings in the nose than humans, and each nerve ending is 1000 times more sensitive. (Discovery channel) That guy was darn lucky IMO.

Alright, I'll be trying a couple capsules in 3 or 4 hours. They turned out fair for my first time. They only ended up about an average of 80% full, and I got 38 of them from 10.1 grams of destemmed and finely herb ground AK-47. For first-timers: don't push down as hard as it looks like Mr. Hound is pushing on his tamper. It looks like he's putting most of his weight on the thing, and you definitely don't want to do that. I didn't press real hard, and I still got the stuff squishing out the top of the capsules from pressing down too hard. It got all over everything in a thin layer and was about impossible to salvage, so I ended up wasting about 2 capsules-full total. In fact I understand now why the tamper is optional. I may not even use it next time. I spread the stuff with a rubber spatula, then the card. At that point I wish I would have went through each one with a chop stick or something instead of trying to do them all at once with the tamper. What happens if air get trapped in the bottom? It won't happen with dry powder, but with this stuff it seemed to happen a lot.

I was wondering if you do anything about the fact that when you put the small part of the capsule back on, it's empty and therefore wastes room in the capsule. You guys don't fill up that small part too do you? Well I just looked at your photo again, and it looks like yours are about 90-95% full, with some of them looking nearly completely full. How did you do that, unless you filled the little parts as well?

More first-timer advice: When you float your mixture in ice water as Weedhound does, be careful and stir often or constantly. I put mine in the water, then put about 15 empty caps in the machine, and by that time much of the goop had frozen to the bottom of the bowl. I heated it up a little, which ended up being a little too much, so I cooled it again and did the same damn thing, but not as bad. I hope freezing and thawing isn't going to adversely Affect the Effect. We shall see. If so, it will be like a crap shoot; the stuff in some of the pills was never frozen. Also don't worry so much about working fast like I did. I was afraid the stuff was going to solidify before I could get it in the caps, but it basically stays malleable even after cooling some. At least I hope it's supposed to since mine did.

What else, I know there was something. Uhhh, damn head, think. Oh yeah, I was wondering what you do about the oil all over the outside of the capsules, or did that only happen to me since I squished the stuff out, and all over the capsules. I ended up wiping them off individually with a paper towel, but they're still a little greasy. Also, 4 of mine got melted ends, on the bottom as they sat in the machine. After sitting a few hours they got nice and hard again (relatively), but they look like they got elephantiasis or something. Do you think this was because the goop was still too warm, or was it more likely that I had a little moisture in the tray since it didn't happen to the other 34?

As far as I know (except the freezing thing) everything turned out the way it was supposed to. I ended up with a very dark green, almost black paste. Looking real forward to a few hours from now. Have I said this yet?: Thank you.

[Weedhound]

Now you've got ME all excited like it was my first time too, lol. Be patient....give it PLENTY of time to really get good....about 2 hours it pretty well set and gets better from there.

The melted bottoms sounds like heat...we made the same mistake the first tiime we made capsules too and ended up melting the capsules all in the machine so we had to toss to the whole thing and buy a new one.

Yes it DOES take a while to cool....in fact too long which is why I started speeding the process up with the ice water.

I know from watching Mr Hound that he doesn't put any in the smaller capsules....just in the one side. He also LOVES his tamper thingie so I'll ask him about it when I can grab him. I don't have the slightest bit of patience in the world to sit there and fill all those little holes up.....I'd go crazy. i'm pretty sure he does wipe the pills off with a paper towel after he pops them out of the machine.

Update us with a "pill report" when you can. ;)

Ps...I don't think freezing would hurt things....they put leaves etc in ice water to make some kinds of hash don't they?

[MVP]

Freezing won't hurt them a bit. I have 20-some capsules in my freezer right now just waiting until after I get a new job.... then watch out!

[MVP]

Also I only fill the main capsule and then pop the top on it. If you try to fill both halves they will have too much inside when you compress them together to seal the capsule.

[Opie Yutts]

Double turds!!!

Don't you just hate it when you waste nearly a half oz to experiment with cooking and it's a complete waste? I know I do. I'm sick of it, as it is the story of my life. I wonder how many pounds of good bud I've wasted over the years, trying to get simple recipes to work for me. What the hell is wrong with me? Why will cooking not work for me anymore, while my few tries in college worked wonderfully?

I took 2 of my normal capsules and my one that only got half full, so I suppose that's about like two of Weedhound's. That was more than 2 hours ago and nothing has happened so far. That's pissing me off enough so that I just took 4 more. If that doesn't do at least a little something, I am never again doing anything else with weed except smoking. Or maybe I'll take the remaining 31 all at once and see if that does anything. It's not like I'm cooking with dirt weed here for crying out loud. The AK-47 nuggets were nice and sugar coated, and they are a one hitter for the vast majority.

Lord how I want to take a hit right now, but I'm waiting to make sure I don't confuse the two methods or something. Oh, here's something interesting. I do have a very slight minty weed type taste in my mouth. Maybe its' working now.

[Opie Yutts]

I do have a very slight minty weed type taste in my mouth. Maybe its' working now.

Nope, it's the burps from the 4 I just took.

[MVP]

Spaulding! You will have nothing and like it! (Ted Knight, Caddyshack. of course.... Turds! Double Turds!! )...

Dude, usually when they don't hit ya, it means that you didn't reach the right temp to cook them at and stuff. You might wanna make that 2-hour run to get an oven thermometer, candy thermometer, and a few other thermometers to get the oil to the right temp! Or send me your address and I'll stop by and do it for you. The offer is open until I get a job that is....

Sounds like you got all the right tools, and need to get the temps right, and maybe even cook it a bit longer? That is my :twocents:

[Opie Yutts]

Well you're probably right, but I cooked it for about 2 hours at 218, then 3 hours at 222. This is supposed to be within tolerable ranges. It's a pretty good thermometer, but I suppose it could have been mistaken.

[MVP]

What did you use to measure the temps? I thought I read that you didn't have a thermometer to sick into the oil, or an oven thermometer to leave in the crockpot...

[Weedhound]

How many capsules did your ten grams make? Sounds like you did everything right to me. The temp thing makes me paranoid seriously but honestly......Opie it should work.
Are you taking on empty or full stomach?

Well wtf did you do in college that you arent doing now?

[MVP]

Other than the meat thingee...

[Weedhound]

Candy thermometer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_thermometer)

Says here you can use either one.....I wonder if he just needs to wait a touch longer.....

[Weedhound]

38 pills from 10 grams....sounds about right or more per pill than mine. 6 pills would kick my ass big time.....

[MVP]

Wanna bet if he posts more tonight? Hard to say but I hope they put the smack down on him.

Six would have me on the couch spending hours looking for the remote and hollering at my GF to bring me munchies!!! :D

[Weedhound]

lol, I was just wondering about him posting myself. They would certainly do me to in to sleepytown. ;)

[MVP]

And after an hour on the couch I would pour myself into bed and watch the TV melt before the Sandman grabbed me...

[Weedhound]

It IS pretty quiet in from his corner.....:D

[Opie Yutts]

What did you use to measure the temps? I thought I read that you didn't have a thermometer to sick into the oil, or an oven thermometer to leave in the crockpot...

Not exactly, I said I forgot to get a candy thermometer, so I was using a meat thermometer. I believe the metal probe measures temperatures all the way up to the dial, so that's why I propped the part by the dial up off the bowl. The bottom 1/4-3/8 inch was submerged in oil, and that's the only thing the thermometer was touching.

Anyway, after getting 6 in me it worked a little. I got about as stoned as if I took one hit. Let's see 6 divided by 38, that's about 1.6 grams as opposed to smoking .01 gram to do the same thing. I think I'll keep smoking.

I was wondering, this method either works or it doesn't right? I mean it won't partially work. The THC either gets activated or it doesn't, right? Or is this thinking wrong and it is possible to have the THC get activated only somewhat?

[Opie Yutts]

How many capsules did your ten grams make? Sounds like you did everything right to me. The temp thing makes me paranoid seriously but honestly......Opie it should work.
Are you taking on empty or full stomach?

Well wtf did you do in college that you arent doing now?

10.1 grams after destemming, finely grinding, and picking out any detectable chunks of stem. That made 38.

Yes, empty stomach except for 6 cashews.

In college we fried ours in oil on the burner then put the mixture into cookies.

[Opie Yutts]

Candy thermometer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_thermometer)

Says here you can use either one.....I wonder if he just needs to wait a touch longer.....

Longer than 5 hours? That's after it got to 218.

[Opie Yutts]

Part of the deal may be my high tolerance for everything. It's not from stuff in my system, it's been that way from birth. I usually have to take double of anything to get half the normal effect. But if that's true, why did it work for me sometimes?

I'm going to go take 8 right now. I'll let you know.

[Weedhound]

Actually I HAVE found it to "partially work" which is why I spent so much time at the stove figuring out my temps. It's definitely by trial and error on my part that I've worked these temps out so carefully. They ARE what makes the difference to me.
It's also why I literally sat with this mixture in a sauce pan for 3 and 1/2 hours one day to make sure the temp stayed correct....temp is ALL. But like the post i put up there the meat thermometer should work for you. The dark green paste part sounds perfect......unless you didn't get it hot enough and that's the only thing i can think of. If you think it will work better.....heat some up to 350 and try that.....maybe people are very individual in what works for them. I ended up trying them all one by one. Some at 350. They were ok.....some at 375....not as strong......tried at 350 and cooked longer.....no improvement and in fact, not quite as strong again. So then try at 300....better results. 300 for longer.....about the same. Than 250F.... over and over and OVER until I got to this recipe.

Each of these occurances lessened the strength of the capsules for me. Temp under 200, temp over 280-ish, too short a cooking time, using different kinds of oil (i was using olive oil for awhile) and a few other things i can't think of right now. None of them VOIDED the recipe.....but they all weakened it......sometimes considerably but quite seriously you should even be able to eat some RAW ganja and feel SOMETHING from it imo.

Opie for god sake.....I'm going to come over there and pop you. Take two grams in a coffee cup, some oil, a thermometer and do some tests. Find out what works the best for you. I tried Flames recipe....it was ok (five to six tabs to get me to where three do now) but it was denitely a trial and error thing. I've cooked at higher temps (375%) lower temps, cooked it for 15 mins, 1/2 hour, and different lengths of time up to my 4 hours and this is the most consistent and powerful capsule recipe I have.

What ARE we going to do with you?? :wtf:

[Weedhound]

Dont suppose there is any way to heat those same capsules up hotter......use the same mix....the answer has to be hotter in your case......not lower.......you're at the edge of low already.

[Opie Yutts]

Gotcha, more experimenting. No problem, if I can just find where I put my other grow. Alright I guess it would be worth wasting a few ounces if I can get this figured out. If these 8 continue to not work, I'll see if I can find a candy thermometer somewhere later today. I want this to work damn it. What do you suggest that I keep my next temperature at? I was thinking maybe try it at 280 or 310, somewhere in there.

I too was thinking about reheating the stuff. Don't know how hard it is to peel the capsules off the weed, or maybe I could just cook the whole darn mess. Thoughts?

[Opie Yutts]

My wife kept telling me that crock pots are designed to work with some liquid in them. I tried to find anything that indicated you put water in your slow cooker, but I failed. Same thing with Flameon's thread. Am I an idiot and I should have had water surrounding my cooking bowl. And, would that make a difference anyway if the mixture gets to the right temperature?

[Weedhound]

Opie I've never put water in.....just the bowl setup you see there. I'd try between 250-275 next and try maybe 2-3 hours total. The longest I've done is 4 hours with correct temps.

Honestly no real thoughts about heating things up in the capsules..that would be my problem as well.

I can say this definitely works but it took a lot of tweaking. Have you tried the very first recipe with the little pan? That really gave me my start. But it's pretty rare that i make some and feel NOTHING.....even if I mess up my temps somewhat.

[bluebird]

I hate to butt in, but I've read the entire thread, and I just wanted to answer Opie's last question.

NO. Do NOT put water in there around your bowl. Once the temperature reaches 212* Farenheit, the water will boil and the temperature will not go higher than that since the pressure caused by the temperature is being relieved through boiling. This is why chefs put custards into ramekins and then surround the ramekins with water; the water keeps it at a constant temperature and cooks it more evenly. It will stunt your temperature climb at around 212, which you do not want since Weedhound said you were already at the lower end of temps.

(Anyway, I'm looking into possibly trying this sometime soon, once I get more bud and a capsule machine. :-) )

[mobyone]

Opie,

Empty your pills and cook it again. If you can't get a good temperature reading in the crockpot, put it in the oven around 285F. I have found that the temperature of the oil and the temperature of the oven/crockpot are not the same.

The problem is that you are cooking at too low a temperature. If you are cooking at say 230F, the actual oil temp is probably more like 180F, which is not enough. Also, if you are cooking 1/2 cup or more, you will need EVEN MORE TEMP in the stove.

I can't tell you exactly why, but more oil means less temp of the oil. For example, you put two teaspoons of oil in one bowl and you put 1/2 cup of oil in the other bowl, both in the stove a the same time at 250F. The smaller bowl's oil will be at 200F and the larger bowl's oil will be at 170F. (Just example temps.)

You must measure the OIL temperature and keep it between 225 and 250. If you can't measure it, just add 50 degrees F and you'll probably be ok. So, if you want the oil at 250F, set your oven to 300F.

I did some trial and error and I can now get a great high 3 times using a less than a teaspoon of mids. Using your high end weed, you should have better luck than me!

MORE HEAT!

Good luck.

[Flameon]

Hi Weedhound

Just got back from a weeks vacation, and dropped in to find all kinds of fantastic recipes and tutorials have appeared on the site.
Superb job, and excellent pictures. :thumbsup:
Now both Mr & Mrs Hound have 'green fingers/thumbs' (literally lol).
p.s. many thanks for the name-check - you're too kind.

Hi again opie, I hope you've had more success with the potency.
I couldn't agree more with weedhound about the temperature ranges, it's one of the most critical aspects of the process, but always seems to vary slightly from person to person depending on the kit they're using. A little trial and error with smaller quantities is probably the best advice I can give, once you've nailed the setting on your crock pot, just go for it.

Hey WH, I think we must use the same measuring system, 3 caps of my latest batch is good for a level 8 experience. lol


Flameon had some good ideas in his thread which I will post a link to shortly since his thread is the single greatest piece of work on cannabis capsules that I have ever had the pleasure to read. :thumbsup:
Do you think using this quote as my sig would be a little too much? :D

p.s. Great work moby, can't tell you how pleased I am to hear you've cracked a system that's working for you! :thumbsup:

[mobyone]

p.s. Great work moby, can't tell you how pleased I am to hear you've cracked a system that's working for you! :thumbsup:

Thanks so much for your help. :D I still feel that I can improve the results a bit, but I'd say I'm 80% of the way there. I'm using #1 caps which are 1/2 the size of the 00 caps and I take 4 to get a really really good result. Someday I'll try 6 and see what happens, but I'm actually a bit nervous about that. LOL I'm quite amazed at how long it lasts. I also love that it comes on so slow and natural so you have time to adjust. With a vaporizer, I get to that point in like 5 minutes and can't deal with other people and situations.

[Weedhound]

Flame,

Glad you approve as you are the one I owe the most to about these capsules. :)

PS.....How can the truth be over the top? I'd be honored if you want to use that quote. :thumbsup:

[Opie Yutts]

Flameon,
I say go for it with the quote, but I would reduce the size one notch maybe, so it's not so blaring and blatant. If you make a one sentence post, the signature will take over as the first thing to be read.

mobyone,
Thank you for trying to help, but I was measuring the oil temperature, nothing else.

Anyone,
8 seemed to work for me, but nothing like I was expecting and hoping for. I watched the entire first disk of Lost, and I said I aint moving for nothing. I'd say it was more of a body stone than a thinking or creative stone. Not quite what I was expecting. Wait, I already said that.

[Weedhound]

Hmmm....shouldn't need 8....that's quite the body stone. I'd say adjust temps.....try mobyones suggestion about the oven perhaps with a few of the pills....

Keep truckin'!!

[mobyone]

mobyone,
Thank you for trying to help, but I was measuring the oil temperature, nothing else.


Just try more heat man, what do you have to lose? The first time I was successful, it was because I thought I had ruined a gram+ of weed and said "F IT, I'm just putting it in the crockpot on high for four hours." This was after cooking for 3 hours on lower heat in the oven. I observed the crockpot temp going to 350 and hovering around 300. This means my oil was 250+ and you only hit 222. More heat.

[Opie Yutts]

Got it. I'll try again.

[Weedhound]

You're almost there Opie....you just need to tweak a little and find what temp is right for you. Big body stone that comes on real slow and hangs on forever? That's what happens to me when I don't cook it enough.

[maxsuperdanks]

Bro, when making the capsules, you've got to decarboxylify your herb, this turns the THCA into THC and makes it absorbable into your blood stream.

Bake the oil in your oven at exactly 325 for 5 or so minutes (get a cheap oven thermometer to make sure) then put the shit back in the capsules.


I pray this works for you.

[Weedhound]

Certainly worth trying max, thanks for the tip ;)

[maxsuperdanks]

Certainly, it makes me sad when someone tries something and it doesn't work out like they'd hoped. That weed wants to be smoked/ingested/whatever to make people happy lol.

I'm just helping everyone (weed, and consumer of it) be happy!

haha

[Opie Yutts]

max, good attitude, and thanks. If my little hick town has a candy thermometer, I'll be getting one today.

[maxsuperdanks]

Lemme know how it goes man!

Best of luck.

[Opie Yutts]

OK folks, thanks to everybody who's trying to help me get this working. I am probably going to try again today with my new candy/deep fry thermometer. After researching a little I've found the two are interchangeable. I'll probably try to get the oil to about 280 and see what happens. Also, longer time, maybe 8 hours?

Don't know why I didn't think of it before: Why can't we use our laser thermometers to measure the oil temp? Wouldn't this be the absolute best way? I guess I'll use both and compare.

[Weedhound]

Oh please do compare. I'd love to know that. Opie, here is what I would do if I were you and if you have the weed .....start some take it up to 280F.....after 2 hours take out enough for one dose....after 4 hours take some again etc.....Let me say I have NEVER cooked mine for 8 hours so while I have only heard good things about cooking longer I can't swear to them with my life. ;)

[Opie Yutts]

That's right, as I type this I am taking bong hits, baking for capsules and making firecrackers. Well I guess I really should be ingesting all 3.

So far the the temps have been about 12 degrees cooler when measured with the laser thermometer. However, I can't get the whole bulb submerged. I'm up to, I don't know whatever that picture shows.

I've never made firecrackers before, and I have to do a little improvising. I'm using crackers and nutella and almond butter (more fat). Hope they do something. Should be about done. I split up 10 grams for capsules and baking.

[Weedhound]

I think MVP has the cooking thing down better than I do. My cookies put people to sleep. ;)

[Weedhound]

So Opie....what time are we supposed to meet at your place for the party? :D

[Opie Yutts]

WH, that's a good idea about taking some out at different times. If I can only remember to do so. I'm not really expecting much, but I just ate 2 of my version of firecrackers. Talk about taste, my oh my. The nutella one tasted like ass, and almond butter one tasted like finely aged butt cheese. I don't think I could have got them down without washing them like pills. I used roughly 5 grams for 5 cracker sandwiches and 1 little cookie sandwich.

Laser thermometer is reading 12-15 degrees F lower than candy thermometer. Party at my house, when is good for everyone?

[Weedhound]

Doesn't really have to be exact either.....meh...2hrs-ish. Yeah, the taste sucks to me....one reason I like the capsules.

[mobyone]

Alright Opie, the suspense is killing me....

[Non]

Bro, when making the capsules, you've got to decarboxylify your herb, this turns the THCA into THC and makes it absorbable into your blood stream.

Bake the oil in your oven at exactly 325 for 5 or so minutes (get a cheap oven thermometer to make sure) then put the shit back in the capsules.


I pray this works for you.

hm well, Im not sure if the weed will decarboxylate if it's still wet. I thought the point of decarbing was to dry it out completely.

[zebulon]

Can fresh weed be used for this recipe??

[Weedhound]

Zeb I have read that you can use fresh weed but I must say I've never tried it myself.....it just plain sounds wrong to me......:D

[Non]

so would these directions also work for making the oil you need to make magic brownies?

[Weedhound]

I'm sorry Non but I don't honestly know because I've never tried it.

[vileoxidation]

hm well, Im not sure if the weed will decarboxylate if it's still wet. I thought the point of decarbing was to dry it out completely.

Decarbing is just a way to get rid of carboxyl groups (because they decrease potency), which in turn dries it out because it is releasing water and CO2. It can be wet and still undergo the reaction needed for decarboxylation, because the only catalyst is high levels of heat.

Decarboxylation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decarboxylation)

[WhiteWindica]

I really love this guide, thanks a lot because it sure as hell gave me more direction of what to do, I'm a really visual person lol. And now I finally know how to work that capsule machine too, double :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[ruizder]

k so reading on both hounds and Flameons forums i decided to go and try this myself. Unfortunately when i bought my crock pot from hamilton beach the digital temp only goes to 180 F:( i really need someones input on any good digital crock pots that go above 230F so that the carboxyl groups bonds break. Any suggestions i would greatly appreciate

[Weedhound]

Wow that's a true bummer.....are you sure? That seems like an awfully low temp even for a crockpot.

Before I used a crockpot I used to cook the stuff in small saucepan and keep an eye on temps with the same candy thermometer I use in the crock pot One BIG tip....DONT walk away while it's cooking.....I've burned a good amount of very nice bud in my day doing that.

i honestly think if you buy a crockpot with low/medium/high settings you should be good.
you might also try putting the stuff in a regular oven at lower temps as well.

[ruizder]

Wow that's a true bummer.....are you sure? That seems like an awfully low temp even for a crockpot.

Before I used a crockpot I used to cook the stuff in small saucepan and keep an eye on temps with the same candy thermometer I use in the crock pot One BIG tip....DONT walk away while it's cooking.....I've burned a good amount of very nice bud in my day doing that.

i honestly think if you buy a crockpot with low/medium/high settings you should be good.
you might also try putting the stuff in a regular oven at lower temps as well.

Thanks for the advice W.Hound, it has been real frustrating trying to find a digital crock pot so that once i get the technique of it i can just let it sit their. this hamilton beach product was a piece of crap even their high temp( just tested reaches no more then 180)
Hound do you know of any digital crock pots that you were going to go after? which one r u using currently?
thanks and appreciate everything again

[Weedhound]

I'm using a regular crockpot (Rival Brand....I think it's a 4 quart with just high and low settings) and it works fine as long as I don't mess with things too much while it's cooking. I keep tabs on temps with a candy thermometer and have to change temps every once in awhile (high to low or whatever) but in general no real problems with it

The only digitial crockpots I saw for sale were super fancy and about $150.....and I just couldn't squeeze it past Mr Hound. :D

[Opie Yutts]

Well I'm a bit disappointed. My wife said she had her eye on a digital crock pot, but when she decided to bring it home, I found that it really isn't digital that I can tell. However it does look like a great deal better than what we had before. More adjustments and options. Both are Rival brand.

A crock pot that doesn't go above 180? Are you sure? I though all crock pots at least got to 220.

If anyone is interested in my second attempt at making capsules, they sucked worse than the first attempt. The first batch at least gave me a pretty good body stone if I took 6 or 8 of them. The second batch does absolutely nothing. Here's what I did different:

- more oil, a little too much probably. You can see in my picture that the weed is completely submerged, where as with WH's picture you can see that there are only a couple pockets of oil.
- cooked at about 265 instead of 205.
- cooked for about 10 hr. instead 4 or so.

So, which is the problem? I really doubt that more time decreases potency. THC cannot disappear. Anyone?

I guess I need to approach this like a scientist instead of a stoner trying to get stoned. I think from now on I will measure temperature only with the laser thermometer, and do experiments. Perhaps I'll start with an oil temp of 230, then take some out after 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 hours, and see what differences there are. I will post results if I discover anything significant.

[Weedhound]

I'm still thinking you need to kick up the temp. Try 300F for a short period of time. It's not working for vilo either.....:(

I used to cook it in a little saucepan with coconut oil at 325 for 15 mins and like I said I got a pretty good buzz. Worth a try with gram.........??

[vileoxidation]

So just sautee it like that and then eat it? We're thinking about trying a few more times with just a gram, so we may do this.

[Weedhound]

Yep....I would cool it and put it into capsules but you don't need to.....you can just chill it till it's hard.

Lemmie dig up that old thread.......cooks it differently than the way I do now and this was the way I used to do my capsules before I worked out Flame's recipe.

[Weedhound]

http://boards.cannabis.com/recipes/121748-cannabis-capsules-coconut-oil.html I used this recipe for a couple months with pretty decent success. Think I detailed the first few times I did it so there may some good tips there. ;)

Good luck.....hope you guys hit the lucky number. :D

[vileoxidation]

Alright, I think we'll give it another go. I hope I can convince him...or just do it while he's at work... :thumbsup:

Thanks for finding that thread for me, Weedhound! :)

[ruizder]

Ok so sorry for the time i was away became extremely busy! i want to thank W hound for input and advice.
So after doing alot more research this is what i found out.
I called rival and al clad as well as hamilton beach every one of their higher class digital crock pots go UP TOO 214 F except al clad the 150$ us dollar slow cooker which i believe he said either 230 or 240 F.
Anyways i said fuck it and i used my old slow cooker to cook the oil.
The first run i did which was for three hours and i didnt do as well as i want to he crock pot went up too 225F on high which i thought eh was not bad. this second time which i just made today pics below it went up to 285 strange but nice and saved alot of money i measured "experimentally" One teaspoon of coconut oil
with one gram of finely ground bud i placed a small aluminum lid inside crock pot in which i poured the oil then after it reached 260F which was in a minute or less i then added the bud and stirred i checked it every hour for two hours so twice and then i left it while i went to run an errand. its total time was 4 hours 30 mins so for look like the acid form of THCA has lost its carboxyl molecule and bonded nicely with the fatty acid chains. i will try them tomorrow and let u guys know. :thumbsup:

PS unfortunately 1 gram and 1 teaspoon only got me 6 capsule :(
PSS yoki if you have any doubts i suggest u call the manufacture of any slow cooker u wish to purchase and double check their temp range :stoned:

[ruizder]

Opie my bad for referring u as to yoki, was thinking of someone else lol anyways THC has a boiling point of 392 F which is when its liquid/solid form turns into vapor. Double check with wikipedia. An oil that is full in saturated fats such as coconut oil has a smoke point of 350F so u typically dont want to go past that temp or their will be no point in throwing the oil in with the bud

[Weedhound]

Let us know how it does for you ruiz ;)

[ruizder]

After trying 2 caps this morning i was feeling pretty good. not as strong as i wanted it but it was alright when i popped two more 1 hour after taking the first. then i really started to feel it. it lasted for around two hours. im wondering if it lost some potency because of the high temps and the long cooking i may try flameons technique and cook for 2 hours at low setting. W hound and input when u tried flameons method?

[Weedhound]

That's what I use these days and a crockpot....my mixture temps will get up to about 260F if I use a larger amount (lately I've been whipping up 20ish grams of weed at a time) but when I cooked small amounts I found that you really have to watch carefully or the temps WILL climb too high. ;)

I think the temps that work best for me are between 220-250F for about 3 hours.

[ruizder]

Thanks for the input W. Hound, im gonna try to put it on the low setting and leave it for around two hour and take some put then leave the rest for 3 and compare. my concern was that when it was at such high temps it smelt strongly, like i was baking cookies. and if u notice the color of the bud, it was more of a darkish brown then a green like other examples :apachecopter:

[thatiger]

oh and if you don't have a pill capping mAchine i found thAt using a paper plate works by poking holes in with a pen and the oo pills should fit right in. Oh and flip the plate upside down on a flat surface and the pills should go in flush. I like it because its cheaper . But I also bought the pill machine LOL but I didnt buy all the parts for it so I came up with this idea.

[greyphilosophy]

An alternative to this recipe is to make it without using coconut oil at all. Just place your finely ground material (leaf, stem, harsh buds) in a baking pan and bake it at 225 degrees. The magic number for temp is 218, anything higher than 265 and you're vaporizing away the good stuff, and anything lower the carboxyl group won't break away. After about 15 min its done, pull it out of the oven and put it into caps. Easy eh?

[Weedhound]

Now when you do this grey what does the leaf look like? Brown? Still green?

[greyphilosophy]

It's about 30% brown leaf. The leaves were hanging from the plant during the drying process, which causes some of the green ones to brown on the ends of the leaf. Also during the flowering process some of the leaves turn color from green to yellow to brown.

The brown ones look like kief after being ground, and I can attest from experience that they still work. After grinding all the leaf and small stem together in a coffee grinder the mixture is a light green color.

I have a few friends who when hurting for a bowl have broken open a capsule and smoked it. They reported great effect, which surprises me because I know it was only made from trim :rastasmoke:

[greyphilosophy]

One more note, I haven't noticed any change in potency due to duration of cooking time. When I have wet leaf which doesn't cut well I will put it in the oven for 15-20 min at 225 degrees to dry it, grind it further with the coffee grinder, and then bake it again for 15 min. I've been stoned a few times doing this and lost track of time. Came back after about 45 min and the batch was still good. You can tell by the little burp you get after swallowing them :)

[Weedhound]

I've been told to cook things as long as overnight.......but have only gone as far as 8 hours myself and found no improvement after about 4 hours of cooking. I DID find four to work better than 3 hours but not five to work better than 4. :D

[Weedhound]

Wow it's been awhile since I've posted and the only reason I am is because I now disagree with the last statement I made there......after trying several times I find that the longer the cooking time the more potent things DO get. I believe the longest we have let things cook is about 15 hours......resulting potency was GREAT!!

[Shovelhandle]

I'm gonna try this stuff. I have caps already, just need the coconut oil. Only problem is the ol hates the smell of pot cooking (and she can yell) so I'll do the crock pot thing in the garage or something.

[Rock.Steady]

Shov,
good to see u man.
hey, i made my first batch last weekend.
as to odors...
when i had it on 'low' it was about 220-225, and did NOT smell, and i even had the cover venting to keep the temps down.

i will also say this, once, i opened to stir and temp dropped below 200, i switched to "hi" because i was worried about the temp, then i forgot and came back to 250 and an odor. i immediately lowered settign, opened crock and fanned to cool faster.

i think thats 1 possible cause for the mild effects of my cannacaps.
also, i had the ratio wrong, (couldnt remember) but i used 1 TBSP instead of 1.5 teaspoons, with 1.8g of ground powder.
took 3 the other night and had a 'mild' effect.
i will likely try to make them again,,,soon.:pimp:

-edit-
i also plan on 'upping' the weed/butter ratio.
i may try to double it, or close to double, and i will increase simmer time.

[HappyKamper]

well i've been trying to make these pills about 5-6 times now, and i think i've got it. the first time i used my crockpot, and it ran just too hot, even on low the whole house smelled like vaped weed, and the potency was zero.
i then switched to my trusty toaster oven, but now i was gun shy and afraid to get it up to a proper temp, and while the pills had an effect they were still weak. (temps were between 180-200F). last night i reread this entire post, and decided to kick up the heat a bit to about the 220-230F range, trying this with about 1.5g of mid grade regs baked for 5 hours, and made 8 pills. i took all 8, and with in a couple of hours i was cross eyed. success at last! next time though i think i'll only take 4 of them, because 8 put me out, although when i woke up i was still pretty high, and i slept for 4 hours. WOW!
Thanx WH and Flame your guide and a little trail and error has lead me to a new clean way to enjoy my buzz.

[Weedhound]

You know what's interesting is my personal thought of it all is that everyone is a little bit different and so it doesn't surprise me that something that works for one person doesn't work for someone else. I FIRMLY believe that SOMEWHERE between 200 and 350 is the right temp for everyone. I've spoken to a few few folks that like the results better when cooked about about 325 so I wouldln't hesitate to try hotter temps IF the lower ones don't seem to do it for you.

[jebus2029]

I've made these a few times and have always been successful. I use a crocpot that has a keepwarm, low and high setting. In the past I have always gone back and forth between low and high every 2 or 3 hours for about 12 hours. When on high I get a strong cooking smell, but the pills have never been weak. This time I am keeping it on low. I had it on high for about 5 minutes and noticed the smell so I switched it back. Also when on low I see just a few simmer bubbles coming up through the mix. When on high there are more but it doesn't look like it is boiling or anything. Do you want a good little simmer going? or are just a few sporadic bubbles ok? When on low I can only smell the cooking smell when I am close to the pot. Do most people keep their crocpots on low or high setting? I'm doing this as a little trial and error but I don't really want to waste an 1/8 if I don't need to. Any feedback would be awesome. Thanks.

[jebus2029]

Also, from what I have seen keeping the pills in the freezer degrades the quality quickly. After a month or two in the freezer mine always seem to not get me high, just stupid, and I get a horrible headache. I'm going to keep these in the fridge and see if that is better for them. I have decided against any sort of long term storage.

[Weedhound]

That's interesting......I've never heard of freezing trichomes causing harm to their potency; I've made hash with ice water and weed so maybe the problem is in the coconut oil (or clarified butter)and the freezing. I've always kept mine in the fridge until use, but have heard of people freezing them with no ill effect. Just can't comment as I've never tried it myself.

Jebus, I do get some minor bubbling after a few hours but once I get the temp where I want it (about 225F) mine will pretty much stay there alll night so I couldn't really tell you how much it bubbles.......but nothing like a furious boiling or anything. And the room does smell a bit by morning after so many hours of cooking.

Right now we are working on a green dragon recipe that uses glycerine instead of alcohol (vegetable glycerine) The problem is a two month project so it will be awhile before we'll know if that recipe works.

[jebus2029]

One last thing. In the past the plant materials has always ended up blackish. With the oil a brownish green. This time it appears to be more green in color for both the oil and plant material. I'm hoping this is a good sign. Not that it isn't hot enough. I think I also put in too much oil this time. There is a good layer of oil over the plant matter. I've always had that before but never like this. I think I ended up with 6 tsp to 3.5g I know it is heavy but I like the feel of them like this. One is very mellow and has a nice calming effect. 2 get me high and any more than that get me blazed for hours. I took 5 when I went to see the Dark Knight and was good the whole movie. Even though they kicked in about 45 minutes before it started. When I watched it again a week later it was like watching it for the first time. I was so blazed the first time I didn't follow the movie too well.

[Weedhound]

ha ha, I LOVE my capsules!! There seems to be some folks out there though, for whom it doesn't seem to work but I love being able to pack a few capsules and go STONE where I couldn't before. :D

[jebus2029]

Well I tried them and I think they turned out ok. I took a full one and one half filled with the last few drops. I was feeling it at about an hour and a half. Took 2 small hits at 2 hours and I'm stoned. Might be a little weak but I did get 27.5 from 3.5g so they are kind of diluted. Two full ones would probably be good or a few more to be ripped. I'm going to say keeping my crockpot on low was a success, but next time I will make 2 different batches and test both temp settings to see which is the best.

So I just read what I wrote and deleted 3 paragraphs from this. Trust me you didn't want to bother reading it. Yeah, these things are working.

[greyphilosophy]

Anyone else tried just heating the material to 225 in an oven and putting it in capsules? I have only had one bad batch of capsules ever, and that was because the temp didn't get high enough, but I have never used oil to make them.

[Weedhound]

I've never thought about doing that grey, but if anyone else tries it, let us know how it worked for you.

Jebus.....lol, glad they're working for you.

[ky1956]

I guess this should be in a raw weed thread, but so many of the descriptions in this thread match my own experiences that this seems like the place to post them.
My experiments have worked best with the following similar conditions-
weed as dry as it can get,
I usually do this in the morning about an hour after eating a breakfast of an egg cooked in real butter and a slice of "real"buttered toast.
I also usually mix my weed in a cup of Activia yogurt, the kind that contains active bacterias and contains fat, and my usual dosage is a slightly rounded 1/2 teaspoon of weed. I have never experimented with heating it in oil but I can appreciate how the fat is more easily absorbed. Unscientifically I believe that by eating my weed with fat an hour after breakfast, that my digestive juices very active and go right to work when the yogurt and weed hit my stomach. The first effects I feel are a relaxing sensation behind my eyes hat usually begins about 15min. after ingesting. Then as others described it take 1-2hrs for the full effects to be felt. Then it last 3-4hrs at full strength with lingering effects for twice that long.

[Weedhound]

Ever try cooking it? I'm not saying your way is wrong but most people (myself included) just dont get very buzzed from raw weed unless you smoke or vape it. If it works for you, that's great. I ate a couple of grams one day (long ago grasshopper) and got a mild buzz but the high wasn't worth the work. That fat part may help though. No stomach upset or do you generally have a tough stomach?

[ky1956]

I do cook with it and have become a big tincture fan in last year. Yes, I too have always had a cast iron stomach. No major tummy ache, a few times a little indigestion but I've had worse from beer and brats.
If I were going for the big buzz I would use some cooking method for my delivery system, or a big dose of tincture. At this point in my life I am not a very heavy smoker so perhaps my low tolerance is a factor. And you can't beat the simplicity of preparation. As stated I usually eat this in the AM and I use this method more as a sedative continuous buzz, then a Friday night (or Tuesday morning) let's explore the inner realms, type of experience. Smoking with eating raw weed amplifies the high of each delivery method. And like many first time smokers I wasn't sure what to expect and only felt a little buzz my first time, but it seemed worth experimenting with.

The discovery of the very dry pot has seemed to be the big key for me.
I have also discovered that smoking the first half of a joint, then eating the second half will give me the dual high of smoking and eating, as the smoke levels off and mellows, you started getting that heavy head and body buzz that comes from oral consumption. I know it sounds gross, but it works for me.
I have enjoyed your thread and flameon's and hope to do some experimenting soon. I'll post my results.

[Weedhound]

Please do.......is there a chance we could get you to share your tincture recipe with us? We recently have started trying tinctures as well but as the hubby and I are both old time alkies we had to find a recipe without alcohol extraction so she suggested vegetable glycerine.

How do you make yours?

[lunarose]

WH, I like to take my stems and trims place it in a jar with Lemon Extract (Smart and Final) which is something like 93% I let it sit in a dark cupboard a week or so then strain it into a glass 13x8 cake pan and leave it outside to evaporate and then after scrapping up what's left and mix it into my cap mixture before I cook it.

[Weedhound]

Luna, how does that work for you? What do you strain with, coffee filter? Cheesecloth? I'd love more specifics about tinctures since we attempting them ourselves. So far what we had is some half-revegged Master Kush buds (dried) that we strained with a regulaar cooking strainer, filled 2/3 full (loosely) with this mix and added vegetable glycerine to within 1 and 1/2 inches from top of quart jar. Our cannabis doc told us to wait at least two months, but to agitate the bottle daily which we have been doing. Is this at all close to what you are accomplishing extraction wise? We started the mixture on 01/12/09 and the stuff seems extremely thick and gooey. Any comments about that.....good and bad...appreciated.

[H3rbalove]

Hello to all..... So Ive read all thirty pgs. of Flames thread and now yours weedhound. I made some yesterday and haven't tried yet, sure hope to get some great results. I'm kinda worried i won't though as i just became a member of cannabis.com and can now view the pics and see that what i got is diff than what i've now seen in pictures. oh well you live and you learn. Thanks for all info so far and I'll soon be checkin back w/ these results and then many more.

[ky1956]

I have used both the soak and wait method and Master Wu's recipe with great success. I understand the desire to not touch alcohol (I didn't drink for 16 yrs). But with a well made tincture the alcohol is just a medium for the intoxicant, not the intoxicant itself.
Let us know how your glycerin experiments go and I'll post when I get some coconut oil. Should I be able to get that at a health food store? My local grocery doesn't carry it.

[ky1956]

WH have you ever tried nuking the oil and the weed?

[Weedhound]

I never have tried nuking the weed......mostly because I read somewhere that it destroys the trichomes but I can't tell you if the statement is true.......just that I read it somewhere so never did it.

The oil I nuke for about a minute to get it to liquid state so I can add the powder.....that's the only nuking that occurs. :D

You can get coconut oil at your local health food store (unless you live way in the sticks) or even online. I get mine from Amazon.com.

Good luck....and thanks for the tincture tips. :)

[jebus2029]

Does anyone have specific measurements for oil to herb ratio? I tend to make mine with 3.5g of herb to about 6 tsp of oil. This usually results in a mix of about 50/50 herb to oil when I put it into the capsules. I fill the caps halfway with the cooled but still liquid oil by using a small measuring cup with a pouring lip. Then I use a knife to scoop up and put a small bit of herb in at a time until the cap is full. With the large amount of oil I don't have to compress it any to get the air out. Also because I do it this way I waste almost nothing. Just what is left in the coffee cup I use. Plus I don't get the caps covered in oil unless my hand shakes when I pour. It take a little extra time but I think it is worth it since I don't have greasy caps and they don't stick together when they solidify.

Would anyone have recommendations on how to improve this. I didn't get very in depth but I gave a basic outline of how I do it. I usually have to take a couple of these for them to work, but I also get about 25-28 caps so I'd say I get about 9 good doses. I can also just take one or 2 to get nice and mellow without getting totally blazed. I'm not really sure if I conserve herb this way though. I can make the eigth I used last about a week by smoking it. With this I will take about 3 pills and then smoke all day on top of it. For the amount of herb used it just doesn't seem to be as potent as I would expect. Although I do feel the effects for most of the day.

[jebus2029]

Also I let it cook over night on low temp. I usually mix it every hour-hour and a half for the first couple of hours then go to bed. When I get up I take the coffee cup out of the crocpot. Strain the mix and let cool. Could I be burning off THC by letting it cook for a good 8 or 9 hours without mixing? I'm going to buy a candy therm and a over therm so I can monitor the temps. I don't get a weed smell unless I put the crocpot on the high setting. Also I have let it cook over night on the high setting and they have worked just fine although I had a steady weed smell.

I feel like I need to make 10 batches of the same herb with all different variables. I can never tell if mine are living up to their potential or not. I've made about 6 batches over the past year and they have all worked but some better than others. As far as I could tell that was just the quality of the herb coming through. I just don't feel like I'm knocked out of my zord unless I eat a bunch. In which case I am consuming a lot of it. Each pill comes out to about .13g and a bowl is usually what? .2g? .3g? just seems strange that I would need to eat about .4-.5g to have it work. Then again it last forever when I do that. Arggg!! I need to stop trying to figure out which works better and just enjoy whatever method I choose.

[H3rbalove]

So i tried my 'batch' last night. I definitely felt nice and relaxed! Had a great stone for 6-7 hours before i went to bed. I don't think that I got it to the potential concentrate but definitely close. I cooked in crock pot for a couple hours and them tested them on my brother and they didn't kick in for him so i re-cooked in oven on 240 for two hours and that did the trick(mostly). Can't wait for next batch! Thanks soo much weedhound and ofcourse flameon as well. I'll keep posting my results and once i get what works best i'll post the process i use. This is my first time w/ edibles or concentrates but it won't be last......

[ky1956]

jebus2029 -I can never tell if mine are living up to their potential or not. I've made about 6 batches over the past year and they have all worked but some better than others. As far as I could tell that was just the quality of the herb coming through.
This is an important consideration for anyone experimenting with edibles. I too have found myself questioning the results of my experiments without factoring in the variances in strength of the weed I used. The better the quality of herb the better the qualities of the tincture or baked good. Concentrated low-mid grade weed has a concentrated low-mid grade buzz, while concentrated high end weed has the concentrated cerebral effects of really good smoke.
Both have their utility, but too often people think that cooking with herb will magically improve it's qualities, but I think magnification might be a better descriptor.
Currently I have 2 bottles of tincture working that I stared in early December. One consist of 180ml of Everclear and 1/2 ounce of not that exciting commercial pot. The other is about 50ml of Everclear and 3 grams of very high end weed. Even at 3-4 time the dosage the low end weed only gets me very sedated while a 1/4-1/3 that amount of the high end stuff gets pretty trippy.
It's always relative to what you start with.

[Weedhound]

I started using these capsules for a couple of reasons. One was to ease my lungs and capsules vs cookies was to ease my weight. I've always cooked with good weed (grown at home) so the only real variable I faced was different strains......all good weed however.

Personally I love them and the fact that I can pack a few and pop them almost anywhere discreetly. But I also have to attest that I use MUCH LESS weed now than I did when I was smoking. Yes, I miss that instant "ahhhhhhhh" you get with smoking or vaping but at least I feel I make that up in better lung health. There are drawbacks to every method you choose. (Mostly smoking.....vaping is less harmful but I don't think it's completely harmless either.....it'll make a difference on my lungs that I can TELL the next day if I vape or smoke) The other point of course is how long the high lasts.....I'd be smoking several grams ALL DAY LONG to keep up to a dose of capsules. And of course, discretion goes right out the window with smoking. There are simply too many places where you just can't smoke. Cookies are easier (discretion-wise) but capsules are the easiest of all in that department imo.

Before capsules I went to cookies and was eating at LEAST 4-5 day with up to two grams in each cookie (20gms strained bud plus 1/2 box cookie mix=10 cookies) so I was using HUGE amounts at that time so discovering the capsules has saved us an ENOURMOUS amount of weed since 20 grams will now last at least a week vs baking cookies with same amount every two or three days.

I personally still think you get "more bang for your buck" with capsules. But ky is right.....it all starts with the type of weed you use and it's quality. ;)

[lunarose]

WH, I use a regular metal sieve to strain since it goes into my capsule mix the little bits are no big deal. I have heard heat helps speed the process so I'll put my jar in a paper bag and then place it in the oven with the light left on (the oven gets around 85F just with the light). I've tried the tincture on its own and mixed with the caps it does straighten the caps as a stand alone it seemed kind of weak but then I make it with stems and trim. I end up with about a tablespoon after I evaporate the alcohol off from about a quart full.

[H3rbalove]

So I'm going to try again, I have my coconut oil heating as i type this. I was also thinking of making fire crackers but have seen so many different ways and recipes:confused: So i was wondering if anyone here has had success and can direct me to a thread or site which they had desired results. I'll post with my experience/pill report later tonight. Definitely gonna use less oil this time as i think that's why my last batch of caps seemed a lil weaker than described in the thread. Wish me luck....

H3rb!!

[Weedhound]

Best of luck. Hope they work for you. :)

[lunarose]

I have yet to get good enough results making firecrackers to make it worth it. What works better is to buy one of those cookie dough rolls that you slice and bake. After you slice mix about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of the dried and ground up week into the dough and bake.

[H3rbalove]

Well i'm about to pull it out of oven! This time my mix looks much more like that in weedhounds tutorial. I've had it right about 220-230 for around 3 hours or so now. I'm soooo excited. my first batch did it but not as good as i think this'll be.
Luna-- Thanks for the cookie dough idea. Sounds wonderful I can't believe i didn't think of that. Well I better get this goin, YAY!! I feel like I'm fifteen again about to smoke for the first time:jointsmile:. be back soon with the tales of my adventure:)

H3rb!!

[H3rbalove]

So the last time i checked temp before i removed them the temp said 248, it had been about 45 min since i had checked it. Sure hope i didn't vape em. I think my house would smell very bad/good if i had though and it doesn't so i think i'm in the clear.
H3rb!!

[Weedhound]

Well H3rb? Report? Good? Bad? Zero? Enquiring minds need to know!! :D

[H3rbalove]

So I really did intend to write in last night with a rport on my exp. but was way too glued to the couch in la-la land. Me and my girl watched alice in wonderland, Her favorite movie, and that was just the begining. I know a twenty five year old male watching Alice in Wonderland must sound odd but try it on caps and i swear you'll understand!! The colors were so vibrant. So this time was deffinately better than last. Super body stone!!. Will post my variation of this method later when i have more time. THANK YOU WEEDHOUND.
Luna- Trying the cookie dough today, I'll let you know how it goes. Do you usually cook at regular temps as directed on packaging???? Have a wonderful day, I'll check back soon.

[Weedhound]

I think a 25 year old man watching Alice in Wonderland on a Saturday night just about sums these capsules right up. :D

[H3rbalove]

Yeah I don't smoke tooo much so i hadn't been THAT high in a while. By the way I ate two caps, and that was PLENTY. Now I understand why MJ is said to ba a hallucinogenic. Not that I actually hallucinated but my senses were def heightened and if i'd eaten more(say four) It's poss I may have. They really helped w/ my pain as I didn't have to take a percocet all afternoon/evening and my foot was hurting bad to begin with.
Backstory>> I broke my foot bad a year and a half ago and have had two surgeries and now have deformities and chronic pain. I'm prescribed percocet 15 mg pills for pain but would rather use MJ. I normally smoke during evening for pain and use percs for daytime @ work so i maybe smoke 5-6 times a week, low tolerance >> I wish every state would legalize for med use. Till then I can't legally possess or cultivate. :( Anyone using recipe for pain relief I'd suggest taking just one pill for several hours pain relief. well, I'm rambling, Gotta go buy cookie dough!! Thanks again for the thread WH.

[greyphilosophy]

While I agree higher quality in will be higher quality out I get the most bang for my buck with decarboxylated trim. I get the trim for free from a friend of mine who grows. Even if you use bud though its still cheaper than marinol and way more effective.

[lunarose]

The Wizard of OZ is also a good capsule movie(G) I rarely smoke now. With the cookie dough I mix in the ground weed in well and bake it at around 275 which is less then recommended so that I can bake them longer about 30 minutes.

[H3rbalove]

Thanks luna. I ended up just using a lil brownie mix out of some brownies i was making(reg brownies) and emptied out and mixed two caps worth of coco cannabis oil stuff and brownie mix into a single cup cake/muffin pan and BAM i'm still feelin it now pretty heavy. cooked @ 290 for 15-20 min. You should try. I got the effects of the caps w/ the taste of brownie!!! Now that I started cooking w/ herbs i don't think I'll ever stop. Oh and I found out that Nevada(where I live) has indeed legalized Bud for med use. So I'm def sighning up for that as soon as I'm off work comp and i get my settlement check from them:) Well gotta go, I'm gonna watch my favorite movie tonight. Fear and Loathing in Las vegas!!!!!!!
peace to all.
HERB!!

[H3rbalove]

HIGH to all. So I have a quick question question. Has any of you used hash in this rec. and haf good results?? Or do you have any other hash edibles you can suggest. I've read flames cap recipe using hash and i've had success with herb but still want to hear someone testify to good results and give the method that worked for them. Thanks in advance for any input.

HERB!!


TODAY'S FORECAST: THICK FOG!!! :stoned:

[Weedhound]

Never tried hash myself H3rb.....but if you do let us know how it went. :)

[lunarose]

I did try adding some hash I got at the club to a batch of caps 2oz of bud with 4 grams of hash it didn't really make a difference it could be that there wasn't enough.

[trucolorado]

need some help. i 've tried this recipe 4 or 5 times with no luck and i'm pretty j-j-jaded.

i can think of a few things that might be altering my success...

i live at an altitude of about 6000 feet above sea level(something tells me this is it).
i have a super metabolism. i can eat just about anything i want and stay at 120 pounds.
i must be cooking stupid. i've never made a successful edible space treat.

with a half gram of ground bud and a 1 tsp of coconut oil i've tried 1.5 hours at 90c. 2 hours at 140c(cooked it out probably).1 hour at 100c(barely worked). each time i ate the entire amount.
i'm about to try 3 hours at 100c.
my main question is...how would high altitude affect the whole deal.

[Weedhound]

I really don't know to be honest. Really wouldn't have a clue. I know there is something about cooking in higher altitudes...but I don't know what it is. Anyone?

[lunarose]

You need to bake things longer in high alts. I cook mine at 240F which is about 115c so maybe try it at a little higher temp and try cooking it about 4 hours.

[Weedhound]

Thanks luna!! I remember reading something about cooking differently in higher altitudes but not the details. Thanks again luna!! Ps I tried to rep you but apprently have recently. :)

[ky1956]

WH any reports on your glycerin tincture attempts?

Just curious

[Weedhound]

Yes, thanks for reminding me ky.

I did NOT consider the vegetable glycerine "green dragon" to be a success. The stuff was extremely thick, tasted REALLY nasty; took a while to kick in and in the end all it did was make me sleepy.. NO buzz of any sort......just very tired feeling and it DID put me to sleep.

We WON'T be making it again. But definitely if anyone else tries it with success please post your experiences!! Maybe we missed something along the way.

PS....We let our stuff age for about 7 weeks. That's part of the issue but inthe endwe were rather disappointed with the results; especially after all the wait time.

[lunarose]

WH, I have a friend who grew up in NM and moved to Fargo and we were just talking about the change in baking times(G) That's too bad about your tincture experiments the one thing I was wondering about is that the glycerin/or alcohol extracts the THC but it really doesn't decarboxylate the THC in an active state plus there is no fat to help the absorption.

[Weedhound]

Well I was reading up on that luna......my main problem is that we won't use alcohol based products because we are both recovering alkies.....both hubby and me and while people swear the alcoohol evaporates I'm just not willing to chance it. If my body ever got the idea that ANY sort of booze was around I'm honestly terrified of what could happen. I am a born drunk and if/when alcohol enters my body forgert it. it's almost killed me twice so never again with booze..

The other issue was the butane extraction. With my cancer in remission; im not about to play around with this kind of stuff.........so that's where the glycerine came in. Safe, etc...and I found the recipe in several places throughout the web so others HAD tried it before.

However, I also read something about decarboxylation and HEAT.....which supposedly dsecreases the amount of time you have to wait for decarb to occur. So about a week before we used it I took the entire thing (ugh) and put in the crockpot and heated it to 180F for an hour. In the end; none of it made any difference......I still consider the experiment NOT successful.....but am open to suggestions for another (very safe) vehicle to try it again.

[H3rbalove]

WH- I actually just tried making the butane extract like a week and a half ago...
What I did was use a pen(like a reg plastic writing pen) rather than a pvc pipe as I saw most in the methods i found researching this process via the web. I took all of the guts out of the pen, stuffed a metal screen in the writing tip and re-inserted it. Then from the back end of the pen I took great bud, and some hash for good measure, and packed it very very tightly. i used the ink tube from inside the pen to pack it after every couple pinches i put in so it was very tight. Then i burnt a hole in the 'cap' to push butane through and put it back on pen. I used like a third of a gram of hash and prob a lil less or equal of green and got a nice small amount of H-oil. After i shot the butane though into a bowl till it turned from gold to clear i put that bowl into another bowl, kinda like a double boiler w/ pans, just warm tap water brings the butane to boiling point. after ten min or so it was just a residue(hash oil). i used a knife tip to scrape it up and a lighter to make it drip onto bowls of bud. I Also smoked it straight off of tin foil and it kinda made me feel like a heroin head until the buzz kicked in. It was great, but i'm a sort of a light weight these days. There's my experience. wow that was long. I almost forgot when I tried it right after making it, it tasted bad of butane and really hurt my lungs but the next day it was better and it stopped tasting bad completely after like three days so maybe i didn't 'Double Boil' long enough. but after the taste went away and i stopped minding smoking off foil it was a great high.

H3RB!!

[H3rbalove]

BTW one big ol fat hit that i would hold in woulg give me a nice mellow high for like 4-5 hours. But I only smoke a few times a week so I'm a light weight.

[lunarose]

WH, Would acetne be less toxic then the butane? I don't blame you for want to avoid the alcohol. Would isopropl acohol be a problem?

[Weedhound]

Well I have heard of old drunks talking about drinking the stuff when desperate (sterno was another "choice of champions") but I'm not comfortable with and afraid of some sort of reaction.

I love my capsules; they are discreet, great buzz; can be packed in the purse or whatever and last for a long time.

I truly think there is some sort of heat involved that we skipped as far as heating the weed to a low temp BEFORE adding the glycerine. One thing I DID like about the glycerine; it's water soluble.

[MacMerdin]

OK. I have made about 7 bunk batches now and am about to give up. I've tried cooking the oil and monitoring the temperature the whole time, I've tried putting it into a boiling water bath in a jar (ala cannabrex). I'm using virgin coconut oil.

I ordered cannabrex but it hasn't arrived yet.

Could I just be someone who is immune to this?

My last batch was with 1.7 grams of kief and I just took 6 about 2 hours ago and yet again...nothing. :mad:

[Weedhound]

What is cannabrex?

[MacMerdin]

Cannabrex Nutriceutical (http://cannabrex.com/home.htm) :thumbsup:

[Weedhound]

VERY interesting. I've never heard of it. Let us know how it works once you have tried it please.

[MacMerdin]

I will.

[Weedhound]

I will. THanks.....always looking for new ideas here . :)

[Weedhound]

http://boards.cannabis.com/recipes/121748-cannabis-capsules-coconut-oil.html

Mac this is the recipe I used to use before the recipe i use now. Personally the slow cooker makes miuch better capsules imo but not everyone is the same. This might be a recipe you may want to try; something different also.

good luck. :)

[MacMerdin]

Thanks weedhound.

I finally got it to work. :thumbsup:

I emptied a batch that was from an extraction and cooked the oil to 325 and turned it off. First time was a boiling water bath and I took 3 and nothing happened. Now, I took one and I'm feeling good now. I think I've found my temperature.

Thanks a bunch. I like this. ;)

BTW, I received my cannabrex today and will let you know how it goes next batch.

[MacMerdin]

Update on Cannabrex.

I highly recommend it for those who seem to be immune to the coconut/vegetable oil recipes (like I seem to be). Their oil is caprylic/capric triglycerides which metabolize better (at least for me). It is seen as a carbohydrate instead of a fat by the body which gets metabolized better.

p.s. I am in no way affiliated with Cannabrex.

[pyratskull]

Update on Cannabrex.

I highly recommend it for those who seem to be immune to the coconut/vegetable oil recipes (like I seem to be). Their oil is caprylic/capric triglycerides which metabolize better (at least for me). It is seen as a carbohydrate instead of a fat by the body which gets metabolized better.

p.s. I am in no way affiliated with Cannabrex.

Did you just follow the cannabrex user guide? or just use their supplies in combination with a slow cooker?

Its basically mixing the THC with their supplied oil in their "Decarboxylation" chamber (aka a glass jar with a lid) and then putting that in water, bringing it to a boil and then putting it on medium/low for 30 minutes.

I kinda think that the jar idea idea is a good plan, kinda creating just one more barrier to trap the THC in. I'm thinking of just ordering the refills cannabrex offers and then just using my own supplies for the other stuff (ie capsule machine, capsules, spatula, "Decarboxylation" chamber).

[umpnum14]

Weed please don't be pissed at me for multiple post. I asked the following question in Flames post and forgot that you had started this thread. If i really shouldn't have double posted let me know and ill delete the one in flames thread In regards to the 750-800 post that was in flames thread.
Thx


Hey I have a question that I would love to be answered by Weedhound or Flame if I am so lucky as to hear from him
I have spent many hours reading almost all some 750-800 post (I have missed about 100 or so). In regards to using crock pots.
Early on in the thread there was some discussion about when using crock pots an alternative to simply placing the coffee cup in the center of the crock pot was to place water in the crock pot and place the coffee cup in water.
Flame moved away from this because of the fact many were having an issue with what was later discovered was the temp not getting high enough.
My 1st question
For some one willing to monitor the temp and willing to cycle the temp back and forth between high and low to keep the temp around 225 for at least 4-6 hrs. Cant it be used?
In regards to the process from what i have read in this thread Are the following critical items that would ruin a batch?
1. Temp must be maintained above the temp to melt the trichromes and bond the THC to the oil but below the vape temp which would effect its potency.
2. Time is dependent on temp. Basically if what I understand is correct. High temp means short cook time and low cook temp means longer cook times.
3. Grinding the weed. The better its grinned the better chance for couch lock. Basically i want to expose as much surface area of the weed as possible to the oil. If all you have is a basic 3 stage grinder is that enough if you grind the shit out of it? i mean grind the shit out it.
4. The weed. Its a vital ingredient why wouldn't the quality matter?
In regards to using ABV let me ask a general question before I get into a specific. We all know that you cant just eat weed alone and get high. The THC has to be activated or released via heat /alcohol. Does the some hold true for AB V Could someone just swallow ABV and get the same effects as cooking with it.

[Weedhound]

Hi Umpum,
Actually I'm not going to be much help here but I'll share what I have tried and what works best for me. I must say I've never tried Cannabrex but I will give it a try; always looking for improvements.

As I mentioned in a previous post; There is (probably tons) of different ways to cook cannabis. I used to use the recipe that sickpup45 used (post # 166) but it took alot more weed to get to the same place that 4-5 capsules do n ow. And I've been using capsules for years.......don't really smoke anymore PLUS I think slow cooking overnight has had the best result for me.
(in crockpot....temps approx 225F.)

[Weedhound]

1. I have done this method and it worked fine......just the standing there with it was a real pain in the ass. Should work though.

2 Temp to use for cooking is different according to....well....everyone but the 220F overnighs best for me and no burning of the thc...which DID happen when I used sickpup's recipe.

3. Never tried with vaped weed but a friend of mine did and said it worked great
We grind it down with a metal cooking strainer. I've never tried grinding out more than that so can't say if it would help more.

4. For me, higher temps but shorter cooking time did not work out as well for me as the slow cook method and in the finished product.

[Weedhound]

I'm sorry but I don't know what ABV is. Could you fill me in?

[umpnum14]

I'm sorry but I don't know what ABV is. Could you fill me in?
Sorry weedhound I vape and spend a bit of time in the vape borads. ABV is "Already been vaped" weed
Thanks so much for ur help. I just got my Coconut oil from GNC. My caps should be in today. I just jot to find a freaking thermometer at the store thats not a meat thermometer. I cant wait to try. In regards to to slow cook method I am guessing that its the best option as well. What could it hurt to cook the extra time if the thc isnt being lost.
Thanks again Weed Ill post my results soon

[umpnum14]

Weed In regards to the ABV question. If I understand right one of the reasons the u cant just swallow weed is the thc has to be activated by heat. Well when you vape weed you certainly add a little heat so doesnt logic state that since a got some empty capsules, a quick cap filler some abv I could just fill them up and take them? just a thought

[Weedhound]

We dont vape so cant answer yay or nay there; sorry. Anyone else tried it and if so your experiences?? ump, if you try it yourselff can you let us know how it went for you? Thanks for the new ideas. :)

[lunarose]

Hi, I haven't tried it but I have heard that you need something like the oil for you to be able to fully absorb the THC.

[cannabrex]

Did you just follow the cannabrex user guide? or just use their supplies in combination with a slow cooker?

Its basically mixing the THC with their supplied oil in their "Decarboxylation" chamber (aka a glass jar with a lid) and then putting that in water, bringing it to a boil and then putting it on medium/low for 30 minutes.

I kinda think that the jar idea idea is a good plan, kinda creating just one more barrier to trap the THC in. I'm thinking of just ordering the refills cannabrex offers and then just using my own supplies for the other stuff (ie capsule machine, capsules, spatula, "Decarboxylation" chamber).

MacMerdin:
Thanks for trying it out, and we are glad you are benefitting from the system.

pyratskull:
You can just get the refills if you already have the other equipment. But if you don't- it is a pretty good deal...

If anyone has any questions . . . I am around . . .

[umpnum14]

We dont vape so cant answer yay or nay there; sorry. Anyone else tried it and if so your experiences?? ump, if you try it yourselff can you let us know how it went for you? Thanks for the new ideas. :)

Ill be trying it this weekend:thumbsup::thumbsup: ill let you know soon. In regards to the oil yes the thc has to bond with it (the reason margarine doesnt work) but thats with bud before the thc has been activated/released. (edjucated(grin) guess) Ill do it if it works ill fill you in abd start a new thread on it and post the link to it. Thanks again weed.

[Rock.Steady]

my turn to contribute:D

have now tried this 4 times.

the combination which works best so far was the latest.

-1.5g of keef
-3.5g of prime nug (white widow) (3 stage ground, see below)
-3.5 teaspoons clarified butter
-crockpot, low setting, lid vented 3/4 in and small towel on top.
-temps approx 220-250F
-approx 20-24 hrs simmer
-yield, 20 caps.


I use what I call a 3-stage grinding process.
I have a standard grinder w keef screen that i use first.
I have a compact, no-screen, single chamber grinder that I re-grind the first batch with.
I then take that and put it in a tea strainer and hand grind it thru the screen with a tablespoon.
This leaves me with a thimble-worth of tiny sticks which i toss out.
This also leaves me with a finely ground powder almost the same grit/texture as the keef I then combine with it and mix well before adding to the clarified butter.

unbiased and objective reviews are difficult for me personally due to my daily smoking intake, LOL. But, when I took 2 I had a nice buzz for most of the night.
Personally, I use them as maintenance. 1 with breakfast, 1 with lunch, with occassional trips outside with my 1-hitter. When I go home, I smoke most of the night. Basically, I've been pleased with my days:thumbsup:
I gave 2 to a friend and he said they lasted for 5 hours and were fantastic when taken together. Then he asked for more:D
I guess that means they are pretty good.:smokin:

I do plan on making another larger batch after I get another batch o nugz:pimp:

[umpnum14]

I just put my batch on a few seconds ago. Did a small batch let you know how it turns out. As much as I preach thermometers I went without becuase i couldnt find one. Report back soon

[umpnum14]

Just took 3 00 Caps. of 1gram mixture Keif and Mid bud. to 1 teaspoon of Coconut oil. Batch made 7 caps w/o using the material strained out.(Im thinking of letting that dry out and then vapeing it, at the minimum Ill get a tasty hit. Ill let u know soon:pimp: I just have to not vape for the next 2 hours:cool:

[umpnum14]

:(:( nuff said? Ill go tomorrow and get the thermometer and try again
. Now to vape the coconut herb.

[Rock.Steady]

seems to me your events happened too fast.

you need to simmer many (3+++)hours, unless i missed somethin in your posts, it doesnt seem like you did.
my best results have been simmered overnight+

[umpnum14]

No I let it cook for 4 hours back and forth between high for a few hours then low. I went out and bought a thermometer toady. Im trying a single dose batch now. 1/2 teaspoon to .5 gram herb. Crockpot is warminig up now. Ill report back later tonight. :pimp:

[umpnum14]

Im getting ready to pull of this batch now. It has cooked now for 6 hours on high (approx 200F)

[Weedhound]

and? Anything?

[umpnum14]

Unfortunatly no. :-( I let it cook long enough. I only used 5ml or 1/2 teaspoon of oil to .5 grams of finely almost powder ganja. I put that in a tea candle tin in the crockpot and monitored the temp Are for as I can tell it never got above. 210. I then took the oil let it cool and placed in the fridge to harden. Them took it back out a few min later cut it up into pieces and placed that into the capsules. (Oil weed and all) It made two full caps. Took them both and nothing. I am guessing the crockpot isnt getting the oil hot enough to extract the thc. Once I figure out the right temp Il try it again using the small amount method untill i succeed.

[ky1956]

4. The weed. Its a vital ingredient why wouldn't the quality matter?


The quality you start with will have a tremendous effect on the end results.



We all know that you cant just eat weed alone and get high. The THC has to be activated or released via heat /alcohol.

I am assuming that we all know because they told us so.


I have heard this same line since I started smoking in 1970 and just my own opinion on the matter is that once upon a time the weed was so less potent than it is today that eating it raw was a waste of time and herb but that today's weed is so much stronger that raw consumption is a viable alternative.

While I do not believe that raw consumption is as efficient as eating foods made with fats (canna butter/oil) that have had thc diffused into them.
It is a form of delivery that I find quite enjoyable. Similar to many peoples first few smoking experiences it took a few times before I learned to recognize the high and assorted factors that contribute to success.

1) Just like tinctures and capsules, the drier the weed I start with the better the results.

2) Like other edibles it helps to have my stomach as empty as possible when I consume raw weed.

3) If I don't supplement it with smoking the very pleasant but subtle effects can last for several hours with very little if any crash as compared to smoking.
A great way to keep a low key, functional buzz going when I am around non smoking relatives at holidays.

4) My favorite method of delivery is to stir raw (cleaned of all stems and seeds) weed in to a small cup of yogurt and eat it as part of a morning of wake and bake. I walk the dog to some woods about 1/2 mile from my house and can usually feel something starting to happen within 15-20 minutes and full effects at 1.5-2 hrs. Smoking at this point allows each delivery method to really complement each other.



The THC has to be activated or released via heat /alcohol.

Could you please explain activated THC? If we all know this, how exactly does it work? It was my own inability to explain this concept and a fair amount of personal experimentation that led to believe that they don't know what they are talking about because they have never tried it.

[umpnum14]

OK Im on my last attempt at this with a Crock-pot. My two previous attempts were with larger crockpots and using different containers to hold the oil/herb mix. This time i went to wal-mart and bought a 2 qt classic rival crock-pot for $10. I also bought a glass shot glass. I took it home plugged it in and placed it on high and placed a teaspoon of oil in the shot glass and placed that in the center of the cooker for an hour (lid on) I came back an hour later and checked the temp and it was over 230 so i put it back down to low and it is maintaining at 220. After an the oil was at 220 for a few min I placed about 1.3 grams of flour consistency herbs in the oil. It looks thicker this time but i dont know if thats the shap of the glass or simply the mix. Anyway I used 2.3 grams to make the 1.3 grams of powder and had .7 left over that i can use in my vape to get a decent buzz.
So ok its 2:30 my time and ill be going to work soon. I should be home around 10:30. Shouldn't 8 hrs at 220 be sufficient to make this succeed? Or should I just let it keep cooking till tomorrow? Or is this too much time? WH help!!!
220 what is the approximate slow cook time?
Thanks:pimp:

[GoldenBoy812]

Yes, thanks for reminding me ky.

I did NOT consider the vegetable glycerine "green dragon" to be a success. The stuff was extremely thick, tasted REALLY nasty; took a while to kick in and in the end all it did was make me sleepy.. NO buzz of any sort......just very tired feeling and it DID put me to sleep.

We WON'T be making it again. But definitely if anyone else tries it with success please post your experiences!! Maybe we missed something along the way.

PS....We let our stuff age for about 7 weeks. That's part of the issue but inthe endwe were rather disappointed with the results; especially after all the wait time.

Did the green dragon with everclear and an electric stove, in a controlled manner. Nothing!, well, i did get a little buzzed by the everclear, but as far as im concerned, you have to wait the whole "two weeks" for it to fully transfer.

I am really interested in this capsule idea, especially with the Weedhound seal of approval!

PS. Is the little Chihuahua the ruler of the dogs?:rastasmoke:

[lunarose]

GoldenBoy, I use trim and stems when I make my greendragon extraction and alone it is weak I am not sure if it is because I use trim and stems or what so after I evaporate all the alcohol I add it to may ground bud and oil mix before cooking it.

[jebus2029]

4) My favorite method of delivery is to stir raw (cleaned of all stems and seeds) weed in to a small cup of yogurt and eat it as part of a morning of wake and bake.

How much do you use when doing this? Do you have to eat larger amounts than if you cooked with it? I've heard of people making smoothies too, but it always called for copious amounts of bud. Along with seeds and fresh fan leaves. So I think that recipe was more for the larger scale grower.

[jebus2029]

New question about temps. I got a metal over thermometer that stands up on the bottom of my crock pot. When on the high setting it is 300 degrees, low is 250, and the keep warm setting is 225. Can I trust this to be an accurate reading of the temperature of the oil, which would be in a cup? Also if this is accurate would I be better off keeping it on the low setting as I have been. Or putting it to either of the other settings. I get great results so far, but havent experimented any yet to tweak my recipe. Any advise about ideal temps would be awesome :)

[ky1956]

How much do you use when doing this? Do you have to eat larger amounts than if you cooked with it? I've heard of people making smoothies too, but it always called for copious amounts of bud. Along with seeds and fresh fan leaves. So I think that recipe was more for the larger scale grower.

Sorry I have been slow to respond. I use about 1/2 a gram of the best that I can afford. The buzz is different, more body than head, but smoking about 1hr+ after ingesting lets each technique compliment each other in a big way.

Use the driest weed you have or use the Master Wu technique to dry out the pot before eating it. I think it works best first thing in the morning because that is when my stomach has less in it.

[Weedhound]

just to let you guys know i think it helps TONS during my treatment regimen. no irritating the lungs and great effect.....portable but they can get leaky in hot conditions.

[ohaiwill]

I HAVE to bump this thread. First of all, a HUGE thanks to flame and the hound family for experimenting so much with the capsule recipe.

I've been reading both threads on capsules for the past several days, just trying to gather information. Once I pick up a thermometer, I'm going to try it for myself.

What I've gathered up:
-put 1.5 teaspoons of coconut oil into a coffe mug
-put mug into crock pot, set on high
-grind up 1.5g of dro as fine as i can
-put bud into mug
-once temp reaches 225, switch to low
-let simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring every hour

I'm planning on letting it fully cool, because I believe posters in flame's thread said it has a play-doh like consistency, which to me seems a lot easier to deal with than pouring a messy oil into tiny capsules.


I also saw this on another site, but haven't tried it. If anyone wants to give it a go, let us know how it goes!



1/8th oz herb. (I used shwag the first time)
4oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
32 Empty Gelatin Pill Sleeves. (Get them online, or just go to the store and buy some cheap ginko biloba pills.)
....that's it!

Now the fun part begins.

1. Put your herb in a blender for 2 minutes, till it is powder. Add a few tablespoons of water if it is super dry.
2. Move all herb into another container, use glass, it makes the process a lot easier. Then place in freezer overnight.
3. Remove from freezer, and in same container add your olive oil slowly! Add a little bit, then stir, a little bit more, stir, but stop when you have exceded saturation point (when it starts to look more like a soup than a mixture).
4. Place in microwave for two minutes. (covered! I made that mistake)
5. Remove from microwave, stir vigorously, to help break up any particulates or clumps.
6. Place back into microwave for another minute.
7. Remove, you want it to be thick...almost like a tar. If it is still runny...zap it again. But DO NOT LET IT SMOKE! If it smokes, it's burning your WEED)
8. Stir, till it is even. It should at this point be a dark amber, but NOT black!
9. Line up your empty pills, inside your filler. ( I bought 1000 empty gel caps online size 000 with a filler, for 15 dollars. If you do not have a filler, this is going to be harder. Look at step Z at the bottom of my post.)
10. Take a spoonfull of your mix, then place it over the filler. Next use a playing card(clean) to evenly smear over your empty pill containers, so they are all evenly filled. Repeat till all pills are filled, then place tops on pills.
11. Repeat process till all thc mix is used.
12. Place pills in freezer for One day.( you can do this for just a few hours if you want.)
13. Clean up....thats it!
14. The fun begins! Just like cannabutter, you have to be weary of your tollerance. I'm a medium heavy smoker, and 2 pills of this from schwag, kept me high for almost 9 hours.)
15. Take one pill your first time. It will take about an hour and a half to kick in. If you do not get your desired effect, take ONE more pill. But be sure not to drive anyplace. This will knock you on your ass. Seriously, the only time i have ever been this high, is when I smoked my amsterdam hash.
16. Place pills back in freezer, or in the fridge. I like the fridge, because it doesn't take as long to digest.
17. That's it! They will keep for a long time, I've started makin these all the time now, instead of actually smoking. I only smoke when I want to be high for an hour. These pills should be used for weekend use only people. They are very strong.
18. NOW GO HAVE SOME FUN!!! YOU WILL BE AS HIGH AS ALL HELL...BUT YOU WON'T HAVE COTTONMOUTH!

Z. For those of you whom do not have a pill filler, this is what you will have to do. Take your tar mix, and add about 1oz oil. Place in microwave for 20 seconds. Mix, till smooth and workable. It should be about as thin as the oil was to begin with. Then use an eye dropped to place into your empty pills. Place caps on, and put it in the freezer. That's it. It's really simple!)

[ohaiwill]

Also, I live with parents who don't know of me smoking, and I'd like to keep it that way. My plan is to do this experiment in my basement bathroom at 10 or 11 at night. I'd really rather not stare at a crock pot until 3 or 4 in the morning, so I was wondering if I could do this in my room. I was thinking about putting it under my desk on my carpet, but I'm not sure how safe this is, and how hot it'll get. Any advice?

[jebus2029]

I'd be careful. Sometimes the smell is a lot stronger than you think it is. I know when I make mine it never really smells all that strong, but my roommate will tell me that I'm stinking up the whole house. You just don't notice it when you are standing right over it. Try to make you crockpot air tight. Mine has a large band that stretches over the top to keep it on tight, and I put a piece of duct tape over the air hole in the lid. Taping up the hole also keeps mine a little less than 10 degrees warmer. Good luck making yours.

[jebus2029]

I also have a question about long cook times. I always let mine go over night for a total of 10-12 hours. They turn out great, but I have heard oxidation occurs when you cook it for long periods exposed to fresh air. This causes the THC to break down and be less potent.

Does anyone have any factual evidence of this? I've looked but can't find anything. I heard about this on this forum under one of the glycerine tincture threads.

So I was thinking I could just cook it in a mason or bell jar with the lid on but not screwed tight so hot air can escape and fresh air can't get in.

I usually stir my mix every hour or so for the first 4 hours then go to sleep for the rest. Instead I could tighten the lid for a few seconds and shake it, or I could just skip stirring it up. I think not stirring would result in hot spots though and some herb could be damaged. Although if that was the case then letting it cook while I slept would be detrimental to it.

Any advise on these things would be greatly appreciated :) I'd love to try something new and suddenly have my caps super potent!

[umpnum14]

We dont vape so cant answer yay or nay there; sorry. Anyone else tried it and if so your experiences?? ump, if you try it yourselff can you let us know how it went for you? Thanks for the new ideas. :)

Ok Weed dont know if your still following but i finally got around to trying it but I did a big batch 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup vaped bud. Simmered on low for over 24 hrs. It came out smelling good but looking nasty. Capped up 12 and took 8 (I still have over (1/3 cup left) and OMFG to think that there is this much medicinal left in abv. Ill never toss it out again. I have nothing to compare it to in regards to using fresh bud but it defiantly works as pain relief. Im gonna give a few to friends and ask them to try them. ;)

[jebus2029]

So did you ever take the rest of that duff oil? I'm smoking a big fattie of duff cause I ran out of herb. Not even getting a decent buzz :sadcrying