The Ardent community is filled with cannabis and hemp lovers of all kinds! Along with smokers, edible affectionados, and topical warriors, are a robust group of dry herb vape consumers. 

As crafty folks who love DIY projects, many of you, of course, were curious about what to do with your leftover material once it’s been vaped. This material is called ABV, short for “already been vaped.” 

So, what can you do with your leftover AVB? Keep reading to find out how to transform your AVB into potent cannaoil or cannabutter.

What is Dry Herb Vaping?

Dry herb vaping is a consumption method that’s been popularized over the past few years as more smart devices hit the market. The cannabis or hemp material is placed inside a chamber where it’s vaporized, then pulled through a mouthpiece, avoiding combustion entirely. The leftover, vaporized material, is actually partially decarbed, and is still valuable for making edible and topical solutions inside the Ardent FX, Mini or Nova.

Does ABV Need to be Decarbed?

Our lab partner, MCR Labs, tested the potency of ABV over the course of 30 pulls in a dry herb vaporizer. The profile of the material changed from primarily being THCa as it was first being loaded into the vape, to around 60% activated THC after a full 30 draws. Though it’s not precisely decarboxylated, there’s definitely still plenty of plant material leftover that can be infused into new edible, topical, and sublingual products. 

At 60% activation, we don’t recommend decarboxylating ABV material further before infusing it, as it increases the risk of burning off activated cannabinoids, as well. Instead, during the infusion process, it may slightly activate further. At 60% activation, and with usually having limited quantities of ABV on hand, infusions may not always reach the desired dosage. In that case, we recommend a process called infusion boosting, which we’ll explain further below.

What is Infusion Boosting? 

Infusion Boosting is a term we coined here at Ardent to describe the process of re-infusing a previously infused oil, butter, milk, cream, or alcohol. The process of infusion boosting adds additional potency, or allows you to give your infusion medium a new ratio of cannabinoids. 

In the case of ABV, since it has already been vaped and a lot of the available cannabonoids have already been removed, depending on how spent or under-activated the material is, results may vary. In order to make your infusion stronger, you can try the Infusion Boosting method. You can either infuse your butter, oil, milk, cream, or alcohol with the ABV and test it out (adjusting the potency afterwards) or decarb some fresh plant material to infuse at the same time as your ABV to make a more potent infusion from the start.

How to Make ABV Cannaoil: 

1. Decarb any fresh plant material you want to include in your infusion (aside from the ABV, which will not be decarbed.) This step can be skipped if you plan to just use ABV in your infusion. In the Ardent Nova, run a cycle using the single button interface. In the Ardent FX, and Ardent Mini run the A1 setting to precisely activate THC or CBG, or A2 setting to precisely activate CBD. Use the Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve or an unlidded Vessel inside the unit to keep the process mess-free.  
2. Once the decarb cycle is complete, add the decarbed flower and any ABV to the Sleeve or Vessel inside the device. 
3. Pour the oil of your choosing over the plant material, fully submerging it. Choose between olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil, sesame oil, and many other options with edible or topical uses. If using the Ardent Nova, run it for an additional cycle. If using the Ardent FX or Mini, allow it to run on the Infuse setting.
4. Strain out the leftover material using the Ardent Frainer, Infusion Press, or a standard kitchen strainer or cheesecloth. 
5. Store your cannaoil in an airtight container, such as the Infusion Mold or Vessel.

How to Make ABV Cannabutter: 

1. Decarb any fresh plant material you want to include in your infusion (aside from the ABV, which will not be decarbed.) This step can be skipped if you plan to just use ABV in your infusion. In the Ardent Nova run a cycle using the single button interface. In the Ardent FX, or Ardent Mini, run the A1 setting to precisely activate THC or CBG, or A2 setting to precisely activate CBD. Use the Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve or an unlidded Vessel inside the unit to keep the process mess-free.  
2. Once the decarb cycle is complete, add the ABV to the Sleeve or Vessel inside the device. 
3. Place the butter or ghee of your choosing over the plant material, fully submerging it. If using the Ardent Nova, run it for an additional cycle. If using the Ardent FX or Mini, allow it to run on the Infuse setting.
4. Strain out the leftover material using the Ardent Frainer, Infusion Press, or a standard kitchen strainer or cheesecloth. 
5. Store your cannabutter or ghee in an airtight container, such as the Infusion Mold or Vessel, in the fridge.

Turning your ABV into cannabis infused oil or butter? Tag us on Instagram for the chance to be featured on our page.