. . .and brought it home and followed the instructions to make cannabutter or cannaoil – and it’s a beautiful thing. You rock! But how strong is it? Even if you’ve made cannabutter a hundred times, you can’t look at it and know.
That’s why you should never assume anything. Before you pile it into a muffin recipe and enjoy, you must first test it for potency.
When you test, I recommend you take good notes (worry not, I’m going to make it super easy). Taking good notes is an age-old culinary tradition and an essential way to help develop a deeper understanding of foods and to improve one’s kitchen skills.
Your notes will not feel significant at the time you are writing them down. But a year from now, they will be priceless.
Stay with me here, you will definitely want to know this stuff.
Taking notes is an important part of testing your cannabutter to help ensure it has the potency you are expecting (a lighter or stronger buzz – or medicinal relief) and is similar to what you experienced the last time you used this strain.
With that information, you can adjust how much it takes to make a single dose – and therefore how much cannabutter you should use in your recipes. Still with me?
Relying on your memory to recall exactly what you did, when you did it and how it turned out each time, will lead to a murky understanding how to portion your cannabutter for yourself as well as to your friends. Meaning, you will get unpredictable results – and that’s not the preferred thing.
So, the punch line to keeping good notes? Ask yourself how much would you trust a pharmaceutical company to make your prescription drugs if they had no records of how they did it?
So why bother asking, “How strong is your cannabutter?”
I want to make it really clear that testing your cannabutter helps to save not only recreational users from ingesting too much THC, it will also save medicinal users from exactly the same fate – or worse.
If, for example, you asked your budtender at the dispensary for a medicinal strain of cannabis – meaning low in THC and high in CBD, do not just assume that is exactly what they gave you.
Chances are good they gave you the exact strain you asked for. But it’s not unheard of for there to be a mix-up somewhere in the supply chain. The product can be mislabeled somehow – mistakes happen – cannabis buds look very similar.
Without testing the cannabutter you made with that strain, you are taking a chance that, say, one morning, you, the medicinal user, spread a slice of your fresh cannabutter on a bagel, as you do every morning and unknowingly medicate with an unmeasured dose of THC.
And off to work you go.
Then, you soon realize you’re feeling a strong buzz coming on – one that’s destined to last for hours – and that people may notice.
So, not only would you be in the throws of an unwanted buzz – or worse, completely stoned, you would not get the medicinal relief you needed in the first place.
Worse yet, boom – someone is handing you a cup with your name on it for a urine sample. Breathe, breathe slowly, it’s all just hypothetical – we’re just talking here…
Although CBD is safe to ingest in hefty doses, you really have to be very careful with THC.
Like alcohol, you can definitely over do it. But unlike alcohol, you can’t see, smell or taste THC. So again, I advise everyone – especially those of you who are medicinal users – do not skip testing your cannabutter.
Another reason to test every batch of cannabutter.
The big reason for testing cannabutter is, of course, to know how strong it is. So the opposite reason for testing is to know if it’s weak. Like all plants, cannabis makes chemicals – in particular, the cannabinoids like THC and CBD. But it’s not very precise. Even in the same plant or in the same crop, the levels can vary.
Environmental factors, soil conditions, weather, harvesting methods, drying times, how long it was from the time the plant was harvested to the time you used it to make cannabutter, etc…, can all play a factor in THC and CBD levels. And unlike alcohol, THC is especially fragile and breaks down when left exposed to light and warm humid air.
Even Martha Stewart makes a point of taking good notes when cooking. In the case of cannabutter, it is essential to help you quickly understand best practices and get consistent results.
Have you ever lit up some old cannabis and were surprised at how harsh it was – like smoking sandpaper?
Worse still, there was no buzz? That sandpaper feeling is courtesy of the now oxidized THC. It has turned into a compound called CBN and oddly enough, is now way better for a medicinal user.
I know, it’s chemistry, which automatically makes it confusing…
If you waited a month after buying the cannabis to make your cannabutter (depending on how well you stored your cannabis), that delay could also have hurt the levels of THC in the bud.
So, you might have made a batch of cannabutter with THC at levels lower than you expect for that strain. Again, only testing will reveal that.
Follow along as I describe a safe way for you to test your cannabutter.
Testing is easy; All you need is some free time to stay home, some bread and a toaster (both optional), measuring spoons, an alarm clock of any kind, some movies and my very handy, free CannabisGourmet Cannabutter Testing Spreadsheet template (as seen below) that’s setup and ready to use.
Click here to register and a link to the CannabisGourmet Cannabutter Testing Spreadsheet will be sent to you. This will make it super easy to keep your notes and stay organized.
If you want to make your own cannabutter testing spreadsheet, you can add these column headers to the top row of your spreadsheet. There are no calculations, this sheet is strictly a means to keep notes, dates times and measurements organized.
- Today’s date
- Cannabis Purchase Date
- Cannabis Strain
- Quantity
- Indica or Sativa
- Medicinal or Recreational
- THC %
- CBD %
- When Was Butter or Oil Infused
- Serving Amount
- Serve Time
- Serve Method
- Time of Last Full Meal
- Time Buzz/Relief Began
- Time of Full Effect
- Quality Of Effect
- Time Effect Subsided
- Notes
- Your Reaction
Before you begin your test, note the following in your spreadsheet:
- Today’s date
- Cannabis Purchase Date
- Cannabis Strain
- Quantity
- Indica or Sativa
- Medicinal or Recreational
- THC %
- CBD %
- When Was Butter or Oil Infused
- Time of last full meal
- Serving Amount – 1/4 teaspoon
- Serve Method – Whatever you spread your cannabutter on – toast, cracker or your choice…
- Time of Last Full Meal
To test your new batch of cannabutter, start by packing a measuring spoon labeled ¼ teaspoon with cannabutter and scrape away the excess with a spatula or a knife so the cannabutter fills the spoon and is smoothed flat.
Put the excess cannabutter back in the container and put that back in the fridge so it stays fresh.
Throughout the entire process of making and using cannabutter, a measuring spoon packed full of cannabutter and scraped flat is the only thing you can absolutely be certain of. That is a perfect measurement – everything else is just a guess.
Put the quarter teaspoon of cannabutter on a corner of toast (or cracker or whatever) and enjoy – perhaps add a bit of peanut butter for taste.
If you followed the method in the JeffThe420Chef cannabutter video, even if you made your cannabutter using cannabis with high levels of THC, a quarter teaspoon will be a safe place to start.
Note the time you ingested that quarter teaspoon amount in your spreadsheet under “Serving Time,” set the alarm for 90 minutes, and put on a good 2-hour movie. Typically, if that were enough cannabutter to bring on a buzz, you should notice a high at about 45 to 90 minutes.
When the alarm goes off, pause the movie and if you feel little or no buzz, you can safely take another quarter teaspoon of your cannabutter.
The standard for THC levels in a single serving of an edible is 10 milligrams.
The max you should consume in a sitting is 2 servings – or 20mg. But that’s a hard number to hit exactly, given the uncertainties in the levels of THC in the cannabis you start with.
Be sure to adjust the serving size in your notes from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon, reset the alarm clock for 90 minutes and continue watching the movie.
When the alarm goes off again, asses how you feel. You’ll likely now feel a buzz of some kind.
If you do, note what you’re feeling in terms of how strong the buzz is. Even if you only jot these notes down on paper, write them down now and get them into your spreadsheet later.
Everyone is different and tastes vary, but in the end, you are trying to arrive at the dose you will refer to for the remainder of this stick of cannabutter.
If however, you still don’t feel enough of a buzz, try ingesting another quarter teaspoon of cannabutter, adjust the “Serving Amount” in the spreadsheet to ¾ Teaspoon, and yes, rest the alarm clock for 90 minutes and put on another movie.
If you used a quarter ounce of cannabis with a THC level 15% or higher to make one stick of cannabutter, a 3/4 teaspoon serving should be more than enough to start a respectable buzz.
Should you discover your cannabutter is a little lite on the buzz or medicinal relief, you can increase your per-serving dose – but only for that batch.
When testing for the THC levels and have the rest of the day to stay home, you can try it at the adjusted one-person dose to be sure it’s right – and enjoy it.
After using the same strain of cannabis a few times, as long as you’ve taken good notes, you can abbreviate your testing.
Use half the per-person dose, recommended by your notes and see if there is a slight buzz. Or, if you made cannabutter for your medicinal needs, ensure that there some relief – and no buzz.
This will give you the confidence to use this batch of cannabutter and serve a reliable, tasty infused treat.
How do I know I got the dose right?
You tested your cannabutter and you think you are satisfied with the level of buzz. Now ask yourself one last question: Would you want a room full of friends gathered in your house with this same level of buzz going? Would that work for you – and for them?
If so, then the final amount of ¾ teaspoon is your per-person dose – for that batch of cannabutter.
That means for a recipe which makes twelve servings, you can simply add twelve 1/2 teaspoons and then twelve 1/4 teaspoons of cannabutter into a separate dish. Doing it this way takes the math out of the task and keeps it simple.
If you bought the same strain of cannabis six times in a year, and you got different results each time, then find a better dispensary. They may be selling you random cannabis labeled to sell quickly. It happens – the cannabis industry is new and will take years to mature.
You gather the measured cannabutter in a bowl away from your cooking in case you have any doubts about your count, you can easily start over.
Now that you have a buzz on, pay attention to not only the strength, but also the nature of it. Do you feel energetic or do you want to curl up on the couch. Is there any euphoria or focus or creative high? Describe it as best you can because every strain is different
Making these notes will help you to better understand the nature of the cannabis you bought at the dispensary and compare the next time you use the same strain to make your cannabutter.
this is useful to know, because if you bought the same strain of cannabis six times in a year, and you got different results each time, then find a better dispensary.
They may be selling you random cannabis labeled to sell quickly. It happens – the cannabis industry is new and will take years to mature.
This is yet another reason you should always keep good notes – protect yourself.
So I did all this testing, but what’s the recommended dose of THC in an edible?
Imagine you’ve had 2 glasses of wine and you feel that vibe, that’s about equivalent to a 20mg serving of THC. Beyond 20mg, the THC will begin to turn on you by offering up anxiety, paranoia, and other negative effects of ingesting too much THC.
This is the reason for sneaking up on the right dose a quarter teaspoon at a time.
I have occasionally needed to stop a buzz early and of the many things I’ve tried, chewing on pepper corns has worked the best. Chewing pepper corns is all not that pleasant, but it seems to take down a buzz really well.
Taking notes while buzzed isn’t the best timing. Just remember to add thoughtful comments so your notes are complete.
- Time buzz or relief began
- Time of full effect
- Strength of effect (very important!)
- In the notes column, you can indicate you tested “X” number of 1/4 teaspoons every (perhaps) 90 minutes to arrive at the right buzz
Once the effects of your cannabutter have subsided, perhaps 6-7 hours later, you should fill in the last few details in your journal:
- Time effect subsided
- Any notes about the test that might have a bearing on the results
- Offer a clear sense of how you responded
JeffThe420Chef once opened his laptop to show me his spreadsheet of tests, and there were pages and pages of notes – it was impressive. Of course, he has a professional reason to keep notes like that, but he would keep the same notes regardless – it’s that important.
The more complete your records, the better a resource it will become and will help guide your choices in the future. And don’t forget, register to get your free CannabisGourmet Cannabutter Testing Spreadsheet!