We often get the question of ‘how can I used vape bud’. Well, today our guest writer and good friend Jamie is here to share how he made ABV tincture and his wild experience with it. This is hilarious, fascinating, and our first ever guest post. We hope you enjoy it!
Okay so I’m a bit of a fanatic when it comes to using weed in different ways and as a long time user of flower vapes (Pax 3 and Xmax V3 pro) I’ve always had a bit of vaped bud left in a jar for use later. Might as much get as much benefit out of it as possible!
On the /r/UKtrees subreddit a few months ago I read one users experience of making a tincture out of this and how it absolutely blew him away. After some research I found a method I was happy with and away we went.
This recipe is super simple and I’ll try and keep it that way. If you know what this is already and don’t need an explanation of how to make ABV tincture then skip to the instructions down below (scroll till you see the psychedelic image of a guy in bed).
What is ABV and what is ABV Tincture?
ABV stands for ‘already been vaped’. The idea is that even though you’ve vaporised the shit out that bud there’s still a whole load of THC locked away in the plant that is much harder to get to. But don’t you worry, we’re gonna get it.
Similarly there’s AVB that pops up occasionally which is short for ‘already vaped bud’ so pretty much exactly the same.
A tincture, at least from what I’ve seen, is a small amount of liquid that you generally drop under your tongue. ABV tincture therefore is a way to drop a few drops under your tongue and get medicated. The liquid in this case is a very high percentage alcohol which started at around 250ml and reduced to around 20ml max.
Ultimately it’s not just a way to get super stoned, which it is good for. Edibles, especially oils and tinctures are a convenient way for many people to enjoy cannabis. Not everyone wants to be inhaling things and I understand that, and equally edibles have a different effect, much more of a ‘body high’.
Is ABV Tincture Strong?
If, like me, you don’t act responsibly and try a little more than you should then you are going to get the highest you’ve ever been in your life (probably). Honestly I don’t intend to recreate that experience and urge you to try a little bit and work up.
So I’d finished making this abv tincture and before putting it in its cute little bottle I thought I’d try a spoon of it
When I have the tincture I try and keep it under my tongue for as long as possible. Sublingual absorption is the best way to get these things in usually. It burns a lot though being such high content alcohol.
Field Report:
1550 – Had spoon one – Not too much to report on this, can’t say I felt too much
1620 – Had spoon two – This did a little bit. I’m chill, I’m enjoying myself, life is good
1730 – Had spoon three – There’s no question about it this is where I fucked up.
I know better than to fall into the old ‘these edibles ain’t kicked in yet lets have more’ trap yet I threw myself into its terrifying clutches all the same. A life lesson to take from it I suppose…
1830 – I’m playing God of War on the PS5, for this past half hour I’ve been having the occasional super vivid flash of images of people I’d seen on the tv, which was really strange. I gave my dog her dinner and feeling a bit of a hot moment coming on I popped upstairs to briefly lie down, calmly lie in bed and surrender to the universe. As you do. Everything is FINE.
1900 – Okay. Oh my god – Time for a shower. Popped a space documentary on my ipad which amazed briefly and then I swapped it for Bill Burr. Couldn’t quite engage despite losing my shit laughing a few times.
It was here I made my golden discovery for when you’re too high: The cold. Just like you see Wim Hof talking about the cold forces a response in you where you’re brought into a more present state of mind. The cold shower gives me the power to go back to bed.
I come to the conclusion here that I’ve gone way overboard and that edibles really are crazy strong.
1920 – Ever the expert of retconning my own thoughts, on the 10 second walk from the bathroom to my bed I came to the full realisation that I’d (supposedly) been taking my mind off having a panic attack and that the only thing left was to have one.
1921 – It was amazing really, stunning efficiency. I flew straight past panic attack city to the classic and time old valley of absolute certainty that I was about to die in about 30 seconds. As I walk from my bed to the top of the stairs I consider the regret of what’s happen in my final few moments, I think of my family members, my mum, my sister. Oh my god this is it
Also 1921 – As my foot hit the top step I thought to myself I should probably just go outside and cool down instead. Pretty big 180 there mate.
Up until about half past 9 things were pretty intense. It all seemed to come in waves of intensity and then relief. India Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was on at some point and I still thought it was totally shit. But I will forever appreciate it for giving me something easy to focus on.
Fell asleep around the normal time, slept heavily. Was still fairly stoned when I woke up. Pretty tired from all that panic.
Yeah ABV tincture is strong.
Perhaps if I’d mixed those 3 teaspoons into something and slowed the absorption then it would have been okay. I should have had less though.
What do you need to make ABV Tincture?
- One bottle of food grade ethanol Very important: Do not buy Isopropyl alcohol it is dangerous. This is the one I bought just to be safe.
- As much ABV as possible (I probably had a ½ oz / 14g)
- To be honest I wouldn’t use less than 7g, maybe even 1g could get 3 or 4 finished teaspoons out of it
- A mason jar – like this
- A sieve
- Tincture bottles like these Not necessary but by far the best place to store it
Should I Water Cure ABV?
(Update August 2023: Totally recommend this now, it’s still tastes awful but just not oh so horrendous)
Water curing ABV is a straightforward process that takes a bit longer but is worth the extra time. By water curing your ABV you can eliminate many unpleasant flavours while retaining the active ingredients.
This is how I did it
- Prepare the ABV: Place the ABV inside a coffee filter and twist it closed, securing it with a twist tie or similar item.
- Soak in Water: Place the secured coffee filter in a mason jar filled with water. Gently shake the jar every day or as needed.
- Monitor the Water’s Colour: As the ABV soaks, you’ll notice the water becoming brown and murky. This is a sign that it’s time to change the water. Repeat this process over a week, even over a few hours some difference is had.
- Drain and Dry: Carefully remove the parcel, making sure not to rip the coffee filter. Drain it and let it dry for a bit.
To be honest you could just dump it in the jar and strain it with a sieve if you don’t have a coffee filter or something like a cheese cloth
How do you make ABV Tincture?
I’m not suggesting you do this of course, it’s all for informational purposes. If you did try it then I’m super sure it would be with medically licenced stuff.
The general idea here is that we’ll use high strength alcohol to extract what we want, filter out the remaining plant, and then warm the liquid up for a bit so the alcohol evaporates leaving us with a small amount of strong tincture.
- Dump all your vaped bud into the mason jar
- Pour the alcohol slowly so that it has a chance to sink down to the bottom. Do this until it covers the ABV and then add a little more so that there’s enough room for the material to float around when you shake it.
- For refence when I did it I probably had 40% of the mason jar filled with ABV , and then by the time I’d poured it in the liquid went half way up.
- Put the lid on, give it a shake until you’re happy it’s all thoroughly mixed in.
- Put it in the freezer for between 7 and 14 days. Shaking a few times a day.
- When you can’t wait any longer take it out of the freezer and pour the mixture through a sieve into something that will be okay to get heated up, like a Pyrex jug.
- Leave it on the side for half an hour at least so that it warms up and starts reducing
- Important: Don’t have any flames near this it’s extremely flammable
- As long as you don’t have a gas stove then put a pan with water in it on a hob. Sit the mason jar carefully into the pan and then slowly heat the water.
- If you have a gas stove then just get a pan or bowl of hot water from the kettle and then sit the jar in it. It will take longer but it’s less dangerous that way.
- Ultimately it would reduce if you left it for a few days at room temperature
- Keep stirring away at it, I did this for about an hour. The more it reduces the stronger it gets.
- Mine went from about 250ml to around 20ml
- Voila! You have your tincture. I used a syringe to put mine in a little bottle.
And that’s it you have a tincture which is potent, easy to use, and will stay good to use for at least a year.
Be careful though, things can get pretty intense…