tincture expert says 20 minute extraction is all you need

After a somewhat disappointing attempt at a tincture using 150 vodka (sublingual did nothing, had to swallow a couple ounces just to feel anything), I jumped online and sought out a high-proof ethanol. Ended up finding this cool little Mom&Pop distillery here in Maine that makes 200 proof food-grade ethanol out of organic corn. Guy who runs it was very helpful chatting online so I bought a quart. Anyway, he swears that 20 minutes is more than enough to extract the goodies in the trichomes (he actually said 10 minutes was fine, but do 20 if you want to really maximize). Anything longer is a waste and ends up extracting more chlorophyll. Also said shaking the mixture is not necessary. Recommended chilling everything in the freezer first if you want the purest tincture (as in least amount of "planty" color and taste without sacrificing the goodies you want in there--says it turns out a nice golden color rather than green).

Anybody else share this view or have experience with it?

He also said if you wanted it really concentrated, so just a few drops would suffice for a dose, you need to evaporate most of the alcohol and then mix the remaining stuff with MCT oil.

Thoughts and experiences with this? Thanks.

I have found that I prefer the taste after a longer extraction, but it definitely has some effect after 30 minutes or so, when I have been impatient. I usually use 190 proof.

It might be placebo, but I have felt that letting it sit for at least 2 days is the sweet spot.

I use the freezer method but I shake well because I double bag my unground decarbed bud to strain/filter and I want to make sure I strip as many trichomes as possible. Then I let bag drip dry before reducing by half. Never turns out "planty" but there are plenty of trichome husks in bottom of jar.

Rsawr said:

I have found that I prefer the taste after a longer extraction, but it definitely has some effect after 30 minutes or so, when I have been impatient. I usually use 190 proof.

It might be placebo, but I have felt that letting it sit for at least 2 days is the sweet spot.

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Taste? Hmmm...my experience so far with the 150 vodka is it's just like putting firewater under your tongue. First time I did it the tissue in that area of my mouth got all irritated for the rest of the day. Maybe I'm missing something...add honey?

quirk said:

I use the freezer method but I shake well because I double bag my unground decarbed bud to strain/filter and I want to make sure I strip as many trichomes as possible. Then I let bag drip dry before reducing by half. Never turns out "planty" but there are plenty of trichome husks in bottom of jar.

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Thanks for the tips and photos. Not sure I'd know a trichome husk if I saw one (like kief?), but that's a good sign I guess that you're getting extraction. To reduce do you just let the jar sit with the lid off at room temperature for a while? How do you administer your dose--and how much?

I have a feeling if I can get the hang of these tinctures it might be my go-to method. I cut out smoking years ago and vaping this year. Strictly edibles now but would like the fast onset and strong "head high" with less body for certain daytime situations.

You can certainly reduce by evaporation. I use the Source Turbo, on the right, to reduce and reclaim my Everclear. I consume 2 ml (40 drops)
of Indica tincture with .5 gram decarbed bud mixed in yogurt, nightly, for insomnia as well as the psychoactive effects. I can't speak to a
Sativa strain tincture but you don't want an Indica tinc if you have daytime situations. The slight hallucinogenic, paralytic sense of well being
starts kicking in at the 45 minute mark and keeps building to a deep dreamless slumber. Start with a low dose and work your way to your "sweet
spot." Too much and you can "green out." Good luck.

NewEnglandFarmer said:

Taste? Hmmm...my experience so far with the 150 vodka is it's just like putting firewater under your tongue. First time I did it the tissue in that area of my mouth got all irritated for the rest of the day. Maybe I'm missing something...add honey?

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I tend to take it as a shot and wait a little longer for the edible effect. I didnt like the chemical burn you mentioned, hah. And so making the grain alcohol taste like anything else is great. I happen to like bitter teas, so the herbal bitterness of decarbed weed helps me a ton! But that's just me and my opinion.

Rsawr said:

I tend to take it as a shot and wait a little longer for the edible effect. I didnt like the chemical burn you mentioned, hah. And so making the grain alcohol taste like anything else is great. I happen to like bitter teas, so the herbal bitterness of decarbed weed helps me a ton! But that's just me and my opinion.

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The problem I believe you're having is in the decarb. I vape at low temps up to 355f then use the kuff. It is extremely strong, but I will be making some tincture from trim this week. It should be in the alcohol longer. Even without heat, from fresh herb you can get around 65% conversion. The heat is not even really a necessity. How much material did you use for the first batch?

GrOwThMoNgeR said:

The problem I believe you're having is in the decarb. I vape at low temps up to 355f then use the kuff. It is extremely strong, but I will be making some tincture from trim this week. It should be in the alcohol longer. Even without heat, from fresh herb you can get around 65% conversion. The heat is not even really a necessity. How much material did you use for the first batch?

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Also you should evaporate all the alcohol when using under the tongue. It can irritate even without the alcohol too. This happens when you can get alot of green material in the bottom. Easiest way to prevent is use a really good small filter.

GrOwThMoNgeR said:

The problem I believe you're having is in the decarb. I vape at low temps up to 355f then use the kuff. It is extremely strong, but I will be making some tincture from trim this week. It should be in the alcohol longer. Even without heat, from fresh herb you can get around 65% conversion. The heat is not even really a necessity. How much material did you use for the first batch?

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I don't have problems! I was just saying that you can get an effect after 30 minutes, but I like the taste after 2 days! I decarb with my ardent nova. I am super happy with my results, but I was trying to help the poor OP with something that made it taste nicer to me.

Just made a tincture with the 200 proof ethanol last night. Following the distiller's advice ("Mr. Tincture"), I threw everything in the freezer overnight then soaked 14g of decarbed flower and 1g of regular flower in 1 cup of liquid for 20 minutes. I poured it through a strainer and discarded the flower.

The tincture is remarkably clear and sort of a golden color, not green at all. It was midnight by the time I finished, so will do a test tonight. By my calculations a teaspoon should have roughly 45g of THC, although that's just a ballpark since I don't know exactly what percentage of THC was extracted.

I'll say this for the alcohol--based on the smell, which is extremely mild and "clean" like expensive Vodka, this appears to be an extremely high-grade product.

you're right about the golden color on the shorter soak for sure! I had a buncha decarb so I did a 30 minute only. Wanna compare it to the 2 day high, since you guys got me thinking about it again hah. Left pic is 30 minutes, right is probably more like a week since I just let it sit in the jar until I strain it to use.

Mr. T says the golden color is because only trichomes are dissolved into solution when flower is frozen, chlorophyll stays locked in plant tissue. Also says after 20 min. You've extracted as many compounds from the trichs as you ever will.

boil down to rso sludge then reconstitute with lower % alcohol that way its easier to ingest. use 190+ proof for making rso then put that into a shot glass of a much lower alcohol

I do cryo-ethanol extraction to make my meds using an EtOH-pro for solvent recovery and post-processing.
I freeze the alcohol and flower for a day @-30degF in my freezer and then do a 30-minute first wash.
This will be the cleanest/tastiest oil and makes the best product.
Basically, the colder the material is kept during the wash the longer the wash time before you begin to strip chlorophyll.
I decarb my rosin if I'm going to use it as an edible, decarbing the flower before extraction usually results in a more runny oil.

Bite the bullet and get an ardent fx I didn’t know how much weed and hash I was wasting in the oven....no lie 7g in my ardent fox feels like an oz in the oven....bro all u need to do is look up master woos green dragon on Google follow it to the T and u will make shit so strong all you’ll need is 1ml ...for every 3.5g of bud use 2fluid oz of high proof ever clear works best iv found (190 proof).....decarb your weed if u wana dons the oven grind your shit into saw dust lay it out evenly on tin foil pre heat your oven to 325f throw it in quick and bake for 5 min pull out and imidiatly dump into a jar of everclear and shake the shit out of it for 5 min....then simmer it down by Submerging you’re glass jar in a pot of water keep a thermometer in the jar with your green dragon not the water and don’t go over 185f keep it in the 175-180f range and just stur it ever min or so you’ll know your simmering it down and concentrating it when u see tinny tinny bubble in the alcohol boil it down to 25% of your original starting volume then strain it with a Coffey filter let it cool boom your done dose up store in freezer

Try this for some more info.

If you are using cannabis as a medicine in suppositories, i suggest leaving chlorophyll and waxes, or should i say extract those alswell as much as you can... It is harsh for a smoke, but it has health benefits...

NewEnglandFarmer said:

Just made a tincture with the 200 proof ethanol last night. Following the distiller's advice ("Mr. Tincture"), I threw everything in the freezer overnight then soaked 14g of decarbed flower and 1g of regular flower in 1 cup of liquid for 20 minutes. I poured it through a strainer and discarded the flower.

The tincture is remarkably clear and sort of a golden color, not green at all. It was midnight by the time I finished, so will do a test tonight. By my calculations a teaspoon should have roughly 45g of THC, although that's just a ballpark since I don't know exactly what percentage of THC was extracted.

I'll say this for the alcohol--based on the smell, which is extremely mild and "clean" like expensive Vodka, this appears to be an extremely high-grade product.

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I imagine you meant 45mg THC/tsp instead of 45g. I would suggest against ingesting a dose of 45mg THC, even with a high tolerance.

I make my green dragon out to be 100-125mg per 1ml iv given a full 10ml to freinds and they where On a ride with the devil for about 20hrs plus another 20 hrs of them combing down.....gave that same dose to some other freinds that dab......they felt nothing