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I know I am not the only one here interested in canna caps...
So in the spirit of sharing, I'll start



.

 

Most Canna growers have all made canna butter at one time or another, it is a time-proven way of using the ‘off-cuts’ of the canna grow.
 The sugar leaves of the cannabis plants (those surrounding the flower heads) have a slightly bitter aroma when smoked and can lessen the taste of the best-grown buds.

 Skilfully trimmed from the flower heads the sugar leaves become a hidden gem in getting every last trich off your plants.

 

You can use any trichome extraction method- but you must start with an absolutely dry product for these canna ingestible's.
 Follow anyone of the dozens of dry-sift kief (or hash) making tutorials, I have a preference for mine of course.

You must start with an absolutely dry product for the canna caps (oil and water do not mix).
 - I said it twice 'cause it is important.

 

Trichomes (trichs) are oil soluble, that is the THC ‘melts’ into the oil, making the oil the carrier of the trichomes once mixed and cooked correctly. The more types of oils used the better the end product will be. My thinking is all the different types of thc (the active ingredients) may attach better to different types of oils, and possibly the oils are absorbed differently by the body - dunno how true but doesn't hurt to mix it up.



 

The oils I used are food-grade coconut oil and lethicin granules (both at Coles or Woolies). I'll be adding coco butter (Copha) once I remember to buy. These oils, when at room temp (not summer temps), are solid, which helps maintain the integrity of the capsules, but not good if using as drops.

 Coconut oil is probably the best oil for capsules, unless you are willing to use beef tallow (old American hippie trick from the 70's).

 

Lets go-

What you need

  • a small scale, one that weighs in 100th of a gram (ie 4.200 gms), under $10 on ebay '(jewellery scale').
  • small heat-proof bowl - you'll be working with teaspoon (5ml) amounts of oil, small is great.
  • oven bag or al foil - oven bags are reusable and marketed for roasting meats - found on spice isle
  • spoon
  • keif/hash
  • food grade oil(s)
  • empty capsules - sized 00 hold 1ml they are horse pills (huge) size 0 holds 0.5ml - available pharmacies and ebay**
  • capsule filler or syringe (5ml would be a great syringe size, but 20ml works just as well)*

If I get time I'll start a keif 'teaspoons to grams' conversion but first, I need to finish this.

 

post-4942-0-84346000-1355805119_thumb.jpg 'M
ake' your keif/hash and weigh it - the weight MUST be dry weight

 

post-4942-0-76116900-1355805133_thumb.jpg

In this case I have 1.30 grams of keif, I want my doses to be 0.25gms keif per 1ml of oil (00 sized capsules hold 1ml)

so I need 5.2ml in total (keif and oil) to make 1ml oil contain 0.25gms of keif.

 

1.3gms divided by 0.25gms = 5.2 (5.2 doses at 0.25gm keif each)

5.2 minus existing 1.3 in keif = 3.9ml of oil(s) to be added

(happy to help personally with the math if you need, msg me)

 

Here is one I prepared earlier for me :)

post-4942-0-74656200-1355806244_thumb.jpg

Because I keep my ratio's the same (0.25gms keif per 1ml oil) I can add to existing mix and know I won't OD myself.

I mixed the keif in and let it sit - to make sure all the trich's are completely covered in oils (not covered = burn when cooked).

post-4942-0-76510400-1355809189_thumb.jpeg

 

Just like canna budder (butter), this oil and keif mix need to be heated to ensure all the inactive ingredients convert to the good stuff (active ingredients). There are many ways to do this, so far I have tried heating in the oven (set and leave), bain marie (water bath, needs to be baby sat) and microwave (didn't work). DO NOT SKIMP ON HEATING

 

The oven is my fave, I place a bowl containing the keif oil mixture in an oven bag, fold the bag and put onto a cookie sheet (something flat), turn the oven on to 100C and let the oven do all the work. I preheat oven with the bowl in there out of habit, keeps the bowl from breaking too. I let it heat for at least 1hr, 3hrs is the longest I've gone, I'd recommend at least 2hours - a longer bake time is probably better. The colour of the oil and keif mix should turn into a dark brown/green sludge. Did I say do not skimp on heating times?

 

100c is boiling point- for water, that's why the bain marie works and theoretically as long as the keif oil stays below burning/boiling point, you can heat for as long as you want without ruining the oil. I've read longer heating times could increase CBD availability - not sure.

 

post-4942-0-31377800-1355809113_thumb.jpg before oven with lethicin mixed in - if you chose to use lethicin, use only a pinch (1/8th teaspoon) per batch of oil.

 

post-4942-0-92774400-1355868981_thumb.jpg Lethicin comes in solid granules (lethicin is not required) this is Woolies brand, found on health food isles.

 

after baking, thick and sludge-like

-well heck can't find that photo - :stoner moment:

 

After baking and cooling the keif oil mix, you can either refrigerate or go on to filling the caps.

in leu of the 'after baking' photo, here are a few snaps of the keif oil mix straight from the fridge

 

post-4942-0-68985100-1355872169_thumb.jpg - I'm storing the keif oil in the baking bowl inside a sandwich baggie

 

post-4942-0-05313400-1355872163_thumb.jpg Top of solidified keif oil - yea, looks crap, lots of un-keif product, I'm still learning...

post-4942-0-87992500-1355872156_thumb.jpg The bottom of the keif oil is shinny and smooth (well it was before I took this snap - can see shiny in top photo),

the smooth glossy finish is a sign I've baked the keif oil long enough (and that I used Lethicin)

 

post-4942-0-78395900-1355872149_thumb.jpg Even in aircon, it only takes a few seconds for the oil to start melting (into the mouth those fingers went)

 

I'm still waiting for my empty capsules to arrive and being the clever OzStoner that I am... (keep reading)

 

Doseing

 

The 0.25gm/dose (1ml) is a rate I came up with for a few reasons, I read 0.3gms is a high dose, I am a heavy user of cannabis, I am not a small person and makes the maths easier. There is no way to cut a capsule in half, so a lower dose per capsule is a good idea while starting out (0.25gms is not a low dose BTW).

 

I am still playing around with the dosing amounts 'cause I have no idea where my sweet spot is.

 

Since I don't have the caps yet, I am swallowing pieces of the canna oil, with ice water chaser (keeps it solid till it gets past the oesophagus).

My first 'test' was 0.125gms of keif (0.5gms/ml of oil) and felt nothing.

 

Test dose 1, we'll call it 1gm (I could feel it and probably a great dose for when family is in town)

post-4942-0-79843300-1355811439_thumb.jpg

Test dose 2, we'll call this one 1.5gm (so 0.375gms of keif in this dose) I feel real good with this dose, wouldn't drive or do anything too serious after this amount. I probably could go up to 0.5gms of keif but don't think I'd be standing afterwards (not a bad thing).

post-4942-0-06634600-1355811430_thumb.jpg

Test dose 3, exactly 1.5gms of keif oil (containing 0.375 keif) testing to confirm a good stay-at-home dose

post-4942-0-57622800-1355879174_thumb.jpg

 

-I soaked the measuring tin thingie in ice water to keep the keif oil solid while weighing - that's why you see water droplets, and no, the water is not included in the weight.

takes about 2 hours for the effect to kick in and get to its peak high, the peak high lasts four-ish hours (6hrs from swallow to sober-ish again)
YMMV
!

 

 

Filling Empty Capsules

 

If I could show you it would make it easier... but

Filling capsules should be pretty straight forward.

 

Your hand s MUST be dry before touching the capsules or they will begin to melt before your eyes, use paper towel, gloves anything to keep the caps DRY.

 

*Using a syringe for filling the caps is a must for accuracy and cleanliness, but the syringe part can be improvised ;); you're a stoner, you know you'll come up with something...

 

 

I'm going to try and use a straw to fill the caps with, suck up a bit of oil, hold finger over end of straw then release end and oil will go into the capsule (she hopes). I am also going to try and use corn starch (on a plate) to set the capsules in and stabilise them while being filled, corn starch should also keep the caps dry, photos soon (fingers crossed).

 

Fill the larger part of the capsule with the keif-oil mix and cap with the other half of the capsule.

Once filled, store the caps in the fridge or freezer, and mark the storage container with dosing info and date (it's a good habit) .

 

 

Summary

 

**Even though this post is about canna caps, it is obvious the capsules are not really needed. I've been swallowing the solid keif oil with all the positive benefits expected from canna caps without the cleanliness or portability of capsules.

Swallowing solid keif oil also lets you the find your perfect dose, once you find that sweet-spot then move on to capsules.

 

If you are not interested in making capsules, you can make 'keif-oil drops' using a mixture of oils that do not solidify - like olive, macadamia or grape seed oils.

 

This keif-oil concept can also be used for baking or cooking, instead of using budder use this high potency keif oil.

I've tried some keif oil in my coffee, (DO NOT try at home)- the soy taste from the lethicin was a bit much- but the high was just as good as swallowing the keif oil whole. A coconut smoothie could be nice, well with out that damn soy... The keif oil does taste like canna budder.

 

There is minimal smell when cooking the keif oil, not 100% stealth but hell-a better than budder (if cooking budder smell is a 10, keif oil would be 2 or 3)- using the oven bag helps keep much of the smell contained.

 

Parting Thoughts

 

30gms dry popcorn buds / leaves should yield around 2gms dry keif (many, many variables). Using my 0.25gm doseing needs, I'd get 8 doses (at 0.25) from that amount.

 

When cooking budder (before I found keif oil) I would have made an entire batch of brownies/cookies with that 30gm, no wonder I didn't get the effect I wanted. In reality I'd need at least 90gms buds/leaves in 1/4cup of budder to equal 24 cookies with 0.25gms of keif...

 

Don't bother trying to use gel capsules that have proper medications in them (paracetamol, cold tabs whatever), most medication-containing capsules are sealed so they can not be emptied and refilled.

 

Please use this post only as a guide, figure out what works for you and go with it, then tell us about it - sharing is caring!

 

Here's to great keif oil~

Cheers

Matti

Edited by Matanuska Thunder
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The oils I used are coconut oil and lethicin (both at Coles or Woolies) I'll be adding coco butter (Copha) once I remember to buy. These oils, when at room temp (not summer temps), are solid, which helps maintain the integrity of the capsules, but not good if using as drops.



 

I wouldn't worry about the copha, it's just hydrogenated coconut fat. It's useful because it remains solid at average room temperatures, but the amount of trans fats in copha make it dietary nightmare. You are much better off just using raw coconut oil.

 

Looking forward to seeing the next instalment matti :D

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I love the freedom and spontanaety of these caps. Edibles are great but you can't just get stoned at the drop of a hat like you can do with smoking. These will help to counter that problem.

 

Hope your caps arrive soon so we can see the final product.

 

Waiting for all the R + D to be finished before making a mess in the kitchen :)

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