How Can I Use My ABV Weed?

Education | Stoner Strategies

If you vape cannabis you already know the drill. You pack your vaporizer, enjoy your session, and when you empty it out you are left with that dark brownish material that most people toss in the trash without a second thought. That material is called ABV, short for Already Been Vaped, and throwing it away is one of the most common mistakes vapers make.

ABV is not spent. It still contains active cannabinoids including THC and CBD that survived the vaporization process. The amount remaining depends on the temperature you vape at and how thoroughly you vaped your material, but the bottom line is that ABV has real value and there are some genuinely great ways to use it.

What Is ABV and Why Does It Still Work?

When you vaporize cannabis you are heating the flower to a temperature that converts THCA into THC and releases it as vapor. However vaporization does not extract every last cannabinoid from the plant material. Depending on your vaping temperature and habits a meaningful amount of THC and other cannabinoids can remain in your ABV.

Here is the key thing to understand about ABV that makes it different from fresh cannabis, it is already decarboxylated. The heat from vaporization has already activated the cannabinoids which means unlike fresh flower you do not need to decarb ABV before using it. It is ready to go straight into whatever you want to make with it.

The ABV Potency Reality Check

Before we get into how to use your ABV it is important to set realistic expectations about potency. ABV is significantly less potent than fresh cannabis flower. As a general rule of thumb you will need approximately four times as much ABV as you would use of fresh cannabis buds to achieve a comparable effect.

So if a recipe calls for 3.5 grams of decarbed flower you would need roughly 14 grams of ABV to get a similar result. This is why having a good collection of ABV saved up before you start cooking or making tinctures is always a smart move. Keep a dedicated jar next to your vaporizer and add to it after every session.

How Can I Use My ABV Weed?

The Best Way to Use ABV - Grain Alcohol Tincture

While you can eat ABV directly or stir it into food the taste is notoriously harsh and earthy. The most efficient and versatile way to use your ABV is to convert it into a tincture using high proof grain alcohol. This method extracts the remaining cannabinoids cleanly and gives you a product that is easy to dose, easy to store, and easy to use in a wide variety of recipes.

Here is how to do it:

What You Need

• Your collected ABV

• 190 proof grain alcohol such as Everclear

• A glass jar with a tight fitting lid

• A fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

• A shallow baking pan

• A food processor or coffee grinder

Step One - Cover with Alcohol

Place your ABV in a clean glass jar. Pour just enough 190 proof grain alcohol over it to barely cover the material. You do not need a lot, just enough to submerge it. Using the minimum amount of alcohol makes for a more concentrated and potent final product.

Step Two - Freeze and Shake

Seal the jar tightly and place it in the freezer. Leave it there for several days, three to five days is ideal but personally we leave ours for about a month. During this time shake the jar thoroughly twice a day every day. The freezing temperature helps preserve the terpenes and cannabinoids during extraction while the repeated shaking ensures thorough contact between the alcohol and the plant material.

Step Three - Filter the Alcohol

After your freezing period remove the jar from the freezer. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a separate clean container, squeezing or pressing the plant material to extract as much liquid as possible. Set the liquid aside.

Step Four - Dry the Plant Material

Take the alcohol-soaked ABV that remains after filtering and spread it out in a thin even layer on a clean shallow baking pan. Allow it to dry completely at room temperature until all the alcohol has fully evaporated. Do not use heat to speed this up as it may cause a fire from the strong alcohol so its imparative to let it air dry naturally. This can take several hours.

Step Five - Make ABV Flour

Once the dried ABV is completely free of alcohol transfer it to a food processor or coffee grinder. Process it until it becomes a fine powder. This is your ABV flour, a versatile ingredient you can add to all kinds of recipes. It blends seamlessly into smoothies, baked goods, sauces, and more with far less of the harsh taste that raw ABV is known for.

How to Use Your ABV Tincture

Your filtered grain alcohol tincture is a potent and flexible cannabis product. Hopefully you will not have any of this left but if you do its going to be weak but still usable. Here are some of the best ways to use it.

You can use it sublingually by placing a few drops under your tongue and holding for 60 to 90 seconds for faster absorption. You can add it to beverages like tea, juice, or a cocktail, just remember that alcohol and cannabis together can intensify effects so go slow. and its going to burn like your drinking alcohol because you are. Do not drive you may get a DUI!

My perferred way to use tincture is to incorporate it into recipes as a liquid cannabis extract, adding it to sauces, or any type of recipe that requires heat to burn off the alcohol.

You can also reduce it further by allowing more of the alcohol to evaporate until you are left with a concentrated cannabis oil or paste ultimately making an ABV concentrate.

How to Use Your ABV Flour

ABV flour is one of the most practical things you can make with your leftover vaped material. Because it has already been decarboxylated and processed into a fine powder it blends into food much more easily than raw ABV. Keep in mind the four times rule, you will need significantly more ABV weed and it will be about 4 times less potent than fresh cannabis flour to achieve the same effect.

Great ways to use ABV flour include blending it into smoothies or protein shakes, stirring it into peanut butter or nut butters, mixing it into oatmeal or yogurt, incorporating it into baked goods like brownies, cookies, or banana bread, and adding it to savory sauces or soups.

Storage Tips

Store your ABV tincture in a dark glass dropper bottle away from light and heat. It will keep for several months when stored properly in the freezer.

Store your ABV flour in an airtight container in a cool dark place and use within a few weeks for best results. Keep it away from moisture and make sure it is sealed tightly.

Your ABV is not garbage — it is a resource. With a little patience and the right approach you can transform your leftover vaped material into a tincture and flour that extend the value of every gram of cannabis you consume. It takes some time but the payoff is absolutely worth it.

At Stoner Strategies we are all about getting the most out of every part of your cannabis experience, and that includes what is left behind after your vape session.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Always follow the laws in your area regarding cannabis use and possession. Cannabis affects everyone differently, always start low and go slow.