Some Call it ‘AVB’, Others Call it ‘ABV’…

DID YOU KNOW: Vaporising your cannabis leaves a singed-yet-still-psychoactive byproduct? This means you can get TWICE AS HIGH from using a vaporiser, in comparison to smoking joints, bongs and spliffs. Wow!

As some of you may already know, when cannabis is run through a dry-herb vaporiser, the weed is left with a rather dried, brown-ish appearance. On the surface, the colour – and the fact that THC was clearly released in the vapour you inhaled – may give you an impression that exposure of the cannabis to heat in the vaporiser has completely degraded your weed, to the point where what’s left over can no longer produce a high.

If this was your initial impression, you would be flat out wrong. If your assumption had led you before to discard of your already-vaporised bud, that would be a tragedy. Turns out, your ‘Already Vaped Bud’ is powerful stuff, with a wide variety of applications – with the right knowledge, that is.

The Psychoactive Power of THC

- Advertisement -

Cannabis still contains potent, psychoactive cannabinoids; even after buds have been exposed to temperatures beyond 200°C. In fact, it is the process of heating up your bud which activates the psychoactive properties of THC-A, transforming it into THC. This is why we ‘light it up’ in the first place – to get high!

You simply cannot and will not get properly stoned by eating raw cannabis. The fresh, green buds you get from ‘Old Mate’ have not gone through the process of ‘decarboxylation’ before being exposed to heat.

Decarboxylation

The process of ‘decarboxylation’, or converting THC-A to THC, is very useful for preparing edibles and other cannabis products for medicinal and recreational purposes alike.

On a fundamental level, ‘AVB’ is the same thing as decarboxylated cannabis. This is why it is often said that vaporising your weed allows you to use it twice; once in the vapour, and twice in the leftover brown herb, which can produce psychoactive bliss in a variety of ways.

It’s important to note that vaporising your bud will extract a significant portion of the psychoactive “stuff” from your cannabis – the cannabinoid content of your weed will be reduced, even if some of the ‘good stuff’ remains. Still, unless your weed has been turning a very dark brown or black, the contents of your AVB will be more than enough to do something with.

Overheat your AVB, however, and your bud may end up turning to ash, which prevents the cannabis from ever being used again. If you keep your vaporiser within the ideal temperature range of 157–227°C, you should avoid running into that problem altogether. [2]

Once you have either vaporised your cannabis or placed it in the oven, you can eat it! Be warned, though: AVB doesn’t have the most appetising of tastes… If you wish to avoid being left with a bitter residue in your mouth, it’s recommended that you run your AVB through a simple water-curing method. [3]

Curing Your Already-Vaporised Cannabis

Curing eliminates the funky odour and taste often associated with AVB. [2] This process can take up to 4–7 days… which is time enough to stock up on AVB, until you have several grams or so to make it worthwhile. [1]

The curing process requires you to wrap your weed up in cheesecloth, as though it was a big teabag. Leave the AVB submerged in water for 4-7 days. Check it regularly so that murky water can be replaced with fresh water. Once it’s ready, drain the water and spread the cured weed evenly across a baking tray.

Preheat your oven to 90–95ºC (200ºF). Place the baking tray inside, and carefully mix the weed every half hour. After 2 hours, the weed should be dry and ready to add directly to food. [2] You can now set about making edibles without sacrificing the taste… if that’s something you care about.

Five Fantastic Ways to Use Your Decarboxylated Bud

Sounds great, right?

Well yeah, but not so fast. Just how are you going to consume it, huh? I mean, you could eat it out of the jar, but that’s a bit gross. So, what’ll it be?

1. Smoke It

Once cured, you could smoke your AVB in a joint, or just eat the stuff. It might even provide you with a high… but it’s usually pretty unsatisfying, at least in comparison to the *real deal*. Still, AVB can be a lifesaver in these instances; that joint you rolled from it may just hold you over until your next pickup…

2. AVB Capsules

‘Nuff said.

Seriously, though – you can pick up some empty capsules from your pharmacist and fill them yourself. I recommend you give this a go – caps are a fun way to dose, and they can get you surprisingly smacked. Especially with a little bit of liquid fat to wash it down – if your dietary requirements aren’t in opposition, try whole milk!

3. Add Your AVB Directly to a Tasty Treat

You may be able to mask the taste with your food choices. Consider peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut spread – these are good foundations.

Yoghurt, ice cream and milkshakes are also worth your consideration, if you aren’t allergic to dairy or have other major disagreements with eating it. The texture and consistency of AVB makes the bud feel like ‘Cookies and Cream’ in your mouth – and the dairy does a wonderful job of masking the taste.

You could even sprinkle it onto your pasta like oregano, or grind it up with your coffee beans for an extra buzz.

4. Bake With AVB: Into Cannabis Butter (or Cannabis Coconut Oil)

Turning your AVB into canna-butter is a longstanding popular choice; it makes baking with cannabis a breeze! Your already-vaporised cannabis is very handy for the purposes of discreetly producing your own edible cannabis treats; you won’t even need to chuck your bud in the oven!

Recipes for cannabis edibles typically involve butter. If you are vegan, feel free to substitute any mention of butter here with coconut oil. Obviously, the longer you spend saving up AVB, the more potent your cannabis edibles will be!

Once you’ve reached this stage, you can go right ahead and infuse your AVB with your butter. Heat a saucepan to a simmer with your butter, an equal amount of water, and the vaporised weed.

From here, the infusing process is usually most effective after being left on low heat for 2–4 hours; however, it can be left longer, if desired. Just make sure it simmers and doesn’t boil, as this will absolutely degrade the cannabinoid potency. [2]

Also, be mindful; this process has the potential to create a strong smell in your kitchen.

When you are finished simmering, strain the mixture through some kind of sieve or cheesecloth. This will remove the lumps from the mixture. Ideally, you want the plant matter to be mostly removed from or absorbed into the infusion. Leave the bowl of cannabis-infused butter to cool, then place it in your fridge overnight.

On the following day, a hardened layer of butter should have formed on top of the water. Scrape this layer off and add it to the sweet or savoury recipe of your choosing.

Follow these instructions correctly to infuse a strong high with your cooking, lasting between 4 to 8 hours! You can make practically anything you set your mind to with canna-butter… but if it’s your first time, why not try a simple recipe, like Space Brownies?

5. Tinctures

Tinctures are a precise and highly inconspicuous method of consuming cannabinoids. Tinctures have been rising in popularity, over the years. These days, you can administer concentrated cannabis oil right under your tongue with a dropper bottle. As such, tinctures have found widespread acceptance within medicinal applications. Believe it or not, your already-vaporised cannabis can be used to produce your own DIY tinctures.

For as long as your concentrate is psychoactive, holding 2–3 drops under your tongue for 30 seconds will bring on effects within 15 minutes, reliably lasting for a couple of hours. [2] To make your own tincture from your leftover weed, you’ll need to find an alcohol that’s at least 90 proof, then add your weed to it and leave it to steep. Every once in a while, shake it gently. You can leave this concoction for a few hours or a few days; the longer you leave it, the more potent it will become. After a few days (at most), strain the mixture through a cheesecloth, sieve, or some other fine mesh. Then, store it in a dark bottle – in a cool place, out of direct sunlight. Your own DIY drops could be every bit as wonderful and high-impact as quality cannabis oils. At any rate, making your own tinctures will allow you to experience the benefits of your cannabinoids in a whole new way. A Final Word Whatever you choose to do with your AVB, it’s worth acknowledging that there are significant differences between smoking cannabis, vaporising cannabis and consuming it in the context of other administrative methods. Not only may the sensations vary; the instant high you receive from vaporisation will often be quite different from consuming AVB in the ways we have described, as they may take a while to kick in. So, be sure to exercise some caution. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article – and we’d love to hear about your AVB inventions in the comments. Thanks for all of those on the /r/AVB/ and /r/ABV/ subreddit/s, who I took a lot of these photos from!

Sources

[1] https://www.maximumyield.com/already-vaped-weed-learning-your-avbs/2/5208

[2] https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-making-the-most-of-your-already-vaped-bud-n1069

[3] https://vapesinthehood.com/things-to-do-with-your-vaped-weed/

[4] https://reddit.com/r/avb/

[5] https://reddit.com/r/abv/

[6]