Understanding how to calibrate your dosages can be one of the most confusing aspects of learning how to cook with cannabis. Some folks feel even more perplexed about following online recipes because everybody responds differently to different potency levels.
Recognizing Your Dosage Needs
When following a recipe, you may need to increase or decrease the dosage according to your needs. Depending on your constitution and tolerance levels, you may feel overwhelmed by five mg of THC or underwhelmed by fifty mg. While most people lie somewhere between these two, learning your ideal dosage will entail increasing your dosage levels slowly over time until you find what works best for you.
This trial-and-error method requires a bit of patience. However, by following a few helpful guidelines, you will soon find the dosage that gives you the results you are looking for. Once you know your ideal dosage, making effective edibles becomes much easier.
Decarbing Your Flower
Grinding Your Herb
Coarsely grinding or crumbling up your cannabis will enable a more thorough infusion into the butter or oil you are using for your edibles. As long as you refrain from grinding your product too finely, LĒVO pod’s will prevent any plant particles from ending up in your butter at the end of the process. LĒVO’s pod will also do all the straining for you so you can toss the cheesecloth!
Adding More Weed
LĒVO II and LĒVO Lux machines come with a power pod that can hold roughly up to eight grams of marijuana. If this amount is insufficient for you, you can purchase a second pod that will allow you to double the potency of your infusions. You need not jump from infusing eight grams to sixteen right away! Simply add a bit extra to your second pod with each batch you make, so you can determine how much is right for you without going overboard.
Changing the Time and Temperature of Your Infusion
Some people find that their edibles are not as potent as they would like because they are not infusing their cannabis for the correct amount of time or at the right temperature. Sometimes this is due to impatience, which we totally understand. However, “lower and slower” is usually the way to go. LĒVO machines can infuse for up to ten hours. Longer infusion times lead to more potent edibles.
You should also note that different carriers have different optimal infusion times and temperatures. Cannabutter Digest’s potency calculator can help you understand how best to heat and time your infusions.
Adding More Infused Carrier to Your Recipe
If you are making something like salad dressing or pasta sauce, adding a bit more infused butter or oil can’t hurt and will increase the potency of your recipe as well as the richness of the flavor.
Infusing with More Potent Marijuana
Not all strains of marijuana are equally strong. Infusing with more potent cannabis will make your edibles stronger. You will get out what you put in. When looking for weed with higher levels of cannabinoids, be sure to purchase from a source you trust. Remember that stronger-smelling pot does not necessarily equate to a more powerful high.
Augmenting with Concentrates
- Decarboxylated kief
- Hash
- Hash oil
- Distillate
- Tincture
Simply stir them into your recipe and see how much more pleasurable your high becomes.
Layering Infused Ingredients
While infused butter is the best-known ingredient for baking with cannabis, you can increase the potency of your recipes by infusing other ingredients as well. LĒVO machines, such as the LĒVO C, allow you to infuse weed into a wide variety of cooking materials, such as:
For example, layering homemade cupcakes with cannabutter, infused milk, and infused agave can give you a delicious and powerful high. With so many infused ingredients, the possibilities are endless.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are using cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes, understanding your dosing needs is key. LĒVO’s automated infusion machines can take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation, making the process more precise, streamlined, and fun.