How to Make Your Cannabis Edibles More Potent

Eating edible cannabis products is an enjoyable experience for many reasons. They are delicious, the high lasts longer than smoking, and they tend to be more powerful in potency. However, some people feel disappointed when their homemade edibles fail to deliver the sensation they are seeking. We’re here to help!

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

One mistake people make when they are new to baking with bud is that they do not decarboxylate their weed effectively. This process activates the psychoactive form of THC by adding gentle heat. You can do this by placing your cannabis flower in the oven at a low temperature, but some ovens are too unstable to decarb effectively. Additionally, decarboxylation of your cannabis can really heat up, and stink up your house. Using a LĒVO machine can simplify the decarboxylation process as well as drastically reduce the smell!

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

Depending on what you are making, you may be able to add more infused butter or oil to your recipe. Some recipes direct you to add uninfused butter as well as infused butter, but this may not be necessary if you are looking for more potency. Replace the uninfused fat with its infused counterpart and you will surely notice a difference in potency and effect.

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

Concentrated cannabis products can add a great deal of potency to your recipes. Some options include, but are not limited to:

• 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:

• Honey
• Agave
• Syrup
• Milk
• Cream
• MCT oil
• Ghee

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

If you have felt frustrated with your recent attempts at making homemade edibles, do not despair. Experimenting with the above options is a fun way of learning the most effective means of cooking with cannabis. And once you find your ideal dosage, you may find that you can eat less for your desired effect. 

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.