LĒVO vs. Magical Butter
- Reviews
- Cannabutter Digest
As recreational marijuana becomes legal in more states, many people are beginning to explore different ways of enjoying their herb. While smoking and vaping remain popular methods, many cannabis enthusiasts are turning toward edibles as an option that is healthier for their respiratory system. While most shops and dispensaries sell ready-made edibles, home baking is often favored by those who want more control over the potency of their edibles and don’t want preservatives or artificial colors and flavors.
However, home canna-bakers often struggle with finding a way to keep potency and flavor consistent. Fortunately, infusion machines are user-friendly devices that can make the process of producing homemade edibles more straightforward and efficient. Two companies that have cornered the market on infusion machines are LĒVO and Magical Butter. What are the differences between the machines these companies produce, and how do they stack up against each other when it comes to making magic butter and other infused goods? Let’s take a look.
What Does an Infusion Machine Do?
An infusion machine is a device that allows you to transfer the active ingredients in cannabis, or any other herb, into foods such as butters, oils, and even sweeteners such as honey and agave syrup. Traditionally, this has involved heating the weed with the carrier liquid at a low temperature in a saucepan, but this method often produces undesirable odors and a big mess. The infusion machines made by LĒVO and Magical Butter make this process more straightforward and mimimize odors. Still, there are significant differences in their capabilities that are worth considering.
Taking it Step by Step
When comparing two similar products, there are always several factors to consider. One of the most effective ways to know which infusion machine comes out on top is to examine the infusion process step-by-step and see how well each device handles each task. Let’s evaluate the magical butter machine with LĒVO by looking at these key steps, with respect to making magic butter and more!
Step One: Drying
Before you even begin the infusion process, you must ensure that your home grown flower is dry. This helps to reduce the chlorophyll content that can otherwise give your edibles a grassy flavor.
Drying your cannabis generally entails using a separate dehydrator or simply hanging the bud upside down and allowing it to dry out over time. If you purchase flower bud or shake from the dispensary, it is already dried and you can skip this step.
The Magical Butter machine does not have any features that assist in drying, likely because its design originates as a soymilk maker and is not uniquely crafted to create cannabis-infused products.
The LĒVO II and LĒVO Lux machines, on the other hand, both have drying features that reduce the moisture content of fresh marijuana by circulating warm air around it, thereby preparing your weed for activation and use.
Step Two: Decarboxylation
After the marijuana is dry, the next necessary step before the infusion process is decarboxylation, or “decarbing.” This process activates the cannabinoids that create the desired effects on the mind and body. This is a critical step when it comes to making any edible, infused oil or magical butter recipe.
The traditional way of doing this is to heat the cannabis at a low temperature in the oven. However, this can be problematic because oven times and temperatures can often be temperamental and fluctuate, leading to inconsistencies. Furthermore, the odor from the cannabis heating in the oven can be potent and unappealing to many people.
Fortunately, the LĒVO Lux, LĒVO C, and LĒVO II machines have an activation feature designed into them to easily decarb your weed to achieve optimal potency. The machines also accomplish the activation process in the same pod where the infusion occurs, so you don’t need to take any extra steps to ensure the weed is decarbed. The process is simple – set and forget. Once your cannabis is set to the activate cycle, you can walk away and return to it for use once it is finished decarbing!
On the other hand, the Magical Butter machine does not have a feature designed to decarb cannabis, so you will need to decarb your flower the old-fashioned way, in the oven, or otherwise use a LĒVO machine to do so more efficiently. Magical Butter sells additional accessories to decarb in your oven, so you have to spend more because it’s not included.
Step Three: Infusion
When using a Magical Butter machine, the infusion process is relatively straightforward. However, because it uses blades in the process, the flower ends up getting pulverized in the butter or oil. As a result, you must strain it – a time-consuming process that requires being done while the butter is still hot enough to be liquid. This process can be inconvenient, messy, and ineffective in removing all of the chlorophyll in the end product, which can impact the flavor of the magical butter recipe.
However, all three LĒVO machines accomplish the infusion process without blades. Instead, they use gentle stirring that does not grind up the cannabis and doesn’t introduce air into the infusion. This prevents aeration and will ultimately extend the shelf life of your infusion and improve the taste.
The process of infusion with a LĒVO machine is simple – add the butter or oil into the basin with the Power Pod where your activated weed is housed, and set the infusion time and temperature. LĒVO has even gone so far as to create a calculator to help you determine the best time and temperature for each infusion you desire to make. Think no further than consulting LĒVO’s calculator here. LĒVO allows you to choose the time and temperature down to the minute, whereas Magical Butter makes you choose from presets that can’t be edited.
Furthermore, the LĒVO II and LĒVO Lux machines do the filtering for you. These machines have a single button for easy infusion dispensing. With the LĒVO C, which is designed for large batches, you can dispense your home infusion by an easy pour, or store your infused goods directly within the removable basin. No extra accessories or upsells required, everything you need to infuse and strain is included in the box.
Step Four: Cleanup
Cleanup after home infusing is a part of the process. The bright side – this can be quick, easy and even effortless, depending on your home infusion device of choice.
Cleaning your magical butter machine can require a little extra elbow grease. Because some specific steps do not take place inside the magic butter machine itself, activating your cannabis requires additional accessories, resulting in additional mess. Additionally, the magic butter machine will need to be hand washed when the process is complete.
With the LĒVO machines, the whole operation takes place within the machine, so there is no need for spending extra money on funnels, strainers, gloves, or presses.. All the parts involved in the infusion are dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze!
Step Five: The Edibles
There is a noticeable difference between the end products made by the Magical Butter machine and those produced by the LĒVO machines. There are two distinct elements that kill shelf life – moisture and air. When Magical Butter blends the infusion around and aereates it, the shelf life for magical butter gummies and other edibles decrease considerably. Comparatively, LĒVO’s machine stirrers make 0 bubbles, providing smooth, cohesive and un-aerated infusions that drastically increase the shelf life of the edibles you make.
Additionally, as a result of the extra plant matter and chlorophyll that invariably end up in a Magical Butter infusion, your edibles have a higher chance of having a dirty, grassy taste. LĒVO’s Power Pods are carefully designed and patented to prevent cannabis buds from seeping into the infusion. As such, it ensures infusions are cohesive, as potent as planned and ensure your edible encompasses the taste of its recipe, not of the cannabis itself.
The Bottom Line
Overall, there is no question that the LĒVO machines make the infusion process far simpler and more effective than that of the Magical Butter machine. Plus, the end product from the LĒVO machines has a more neutral and, therefore, versatile flavor.
In conclusion, if you’re in the market to make magic butter, and looking for a machine that can deliver consistently good flavor and optimal potency in your edibles, LĒVO is the way to go.
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- LEVO vs. Ardent
- LEVO vs. HI Herbal Infuser
- LEVO C: How this Machine Makes Bigger, Better Batches of Magical Butter
