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Cannabis Infused Bulletproof Cold Brew

Shanel

For those of us who don’t really wake up until the aroma of coffee fills the room, anything we can do to elevate that part of our sleepy morning and insert a shot of health and energy is a welcome addition. Bulletproof coffee (coffee with added good fats to increase your energy levels and keep you satisfied) is an incredibly easy way to get your cannabis dose as part of your breakfast of champions. It’s also great for an afternoon pick-me-up to bring you back to life after conquering the morning’s challenges.

You may have also noticed that cold brew coffee has become increasingly popular and a staple at many cafes due to its heightened caffeine content and creamy texture. Since it can be made in big batches and then used over a handful of days, cold brew can give back a precious 5 minutes in your busy morning routine. It’s great for its flavor and convenience, with noticeably less acid and a sweeter profile and more nutty notes.

Bulletproof x Cold Brew x Cannabis = A winning combination that is easy to make with FX and Nova.

Try out the recipe below and let us know what you think!

A batch of cold brew concentrate can last the week or longer by storing in the fridge. Pair it with cannabis infused MCT oil – medium-chain fatty acids derived from coconut oil – or grassfed butter to make an elevated bulletproof coffee that keeps your energy up and cravings at bay until lunchtime.

You already know our goal is to give you as many options as possible to consume your cannabis! Medicated cold brew bulletproof coffee meets that requirement and then some. Easy to make, easy to dose, easy to store, and oh so delightful to drink.

You can choose to infuse either the MCT oil or butter (or both!) with your cannabis. In this recipe, we use MCT as an example, but make sure to check our dosing guide so you can accurately infuse your coffee. Cold brew coffee is great for both its flavor and convenience. You’ll notice it’s less acidic, sweeter and has more nutty notes. Once you’ve made a batch of cold brew concentrate, you’ll have enough for the week (and it keeps even longer in the refrigerator).

Infused Bulletproof Cold Brew Coffee recipe

Cannabis Infused Bulletproof Cold Brew Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup coarsely ground coffee
4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon* infused MCT oil
1 tablespoon grass-fed butter or ghee
Optional: vanilla extract, collagen peptides, sweetener
*(or desired amount, depending on dosage)

You’ll also need:

1 gram (or desired amount) of cannabis flower (concentrates and kief work too, but do your math to dose!)
FX or Nova
A blender

Directions

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 12+ hours (steeps overnight)
** Extra time needed for activation and infusion. See our infusion guide**

The Cold Brew Concentrate

We use a 4 to 1 ratio of water to coffee, so you can increase or decrease depending on your caffeine needs.

  1. First, grind beans on a medium/course setting.
  2. Place coffee grounds in a glass jar (1 quart or larger) and add 4 cups of cold water. Stir, cover and let this steep on your counter for 12 hours.
  3. Strain twice using a paper filter, cheesecloth, or a very fine mesh sieve (this may require 3 filter cycles). The result is a strong cold brew concentrate that will last several weeks in your refrigerator undiluted. You’ll want to add water at a 1:1 ratio to enjoy, as it’s quite strong on its own!

The Infusion

We like to make a bigger batch at a time so we have enough for a few cold brews. Check out our infusion guide so you can decide how much you’d like to make

  1. Activate your flower in the FX or Nova.
  2. Put the activated flower into or our infusion sleeve containing the MCT oil. Place the Infusion Sleeve into the Nova or FX for a second cycle to infuse.
  3. Once the infusion cycle is complete, carefully remove the sleeve and strain the oil into an empty glass bottle. MCT oil stays liquid so try it in a dropper bottle for easy dosing.

Bulletproof Coffee

  1. Add ½ cup of cold brew concentrate, ¼ cup cold water, and desired amount of the infused MCT oil in the blender, Here is where you can also add vanilla, collagen peptides, stevia, or any other flavor or health ingredient! *If you are using butter instead or in addition to the MCT oil, make sure to melt the butter first, because cold butter won’t blend with cold coffee.
  2. Blend on high for 1 minute until all of the fats are incorporated and the coffee becomes nice and frothy. Pour over ice and enjoy!

Make this cannbrew and all your other favorite products with Ardent’s suite of products!

Easy Cannabis Cheese Toast

Shanel

Cheese. Toast. Cannabis. Tell us what in that list we’re supposed to not like. (Hint; nada, we’re basically obsessed with all three.)

Cheese toast – a lazy (wo)man’s grilled cheese – is a particular specialty of ours. We love the melty cheese on delicous carb-heaven bread and have become experts in dirtying as few dishes as possible to make it just about the easiest snack around.

Recently Haydies, an Ardentite from across the pond, took this cheesy nosh and made it into an instant edible – GENIUS! This cannabis cheesy toast will try to lure you to eat more than one so dose appropriately if you just can’t resist the tempation for 2 (or 3 or 4…)

These chilly nights are perfect for trying this clever edible hack. Who are we kidding, we could eat this one in the dead of summer in the middle of a desert.

Use any of your favorite bread, or even slices that are on their last good day and get creative with the cheese. You can use only hard cheese like Haydies or dollop some soft cheese on top for a divine combination of cannabis and cheesy textures on your crispy bread.

As soon as you activate by decarboxylating, the THC, CBD or whatever combination of cannabinoids is in your plant, are ready to use right from the plant. There’s no need to infuse, although blending with fats (like cheese, oil, peanut butter, etc.) can help with absorption and bioavailability, so cheese toast is both a delicious and effective way to medicate.

Cheese Toast Cannabis Edible Recipe Hack

1. Decarb Cannabis & Sprinkle

First things first, you’ll want to decarb your cannabis. Still using the old school methods? If you want to get the most for your money make sure to use the Nova or FX.

After decarboxylation, it’s just a quick easy melt in order to arrive in cheese paradise. Turn your oven or toaster oven on to get the heat going, take your slices of bread and sprinkle some decarbed flower on them. We like to keep our sprinkling near the middle to ensure none of our beloved cannabis falls off the side.

To give you an idea of dosing, starting with 20% THC flower the 0.2g Haydies used here would give 40mg of active THC cannatoast 🥰

2. Place Cheese On Cannabis Bread

The all important cheese step lends itself to a bit of side cheese snacking – no shame there! You can slice a cheese block or use shredded cheese, and add any other toppings. We’ve been known to add some mushrooms and goat cheese on one half and salty pepporoni on the other for the best of both worlds.

Also delightful with cheese alone, you can’t go wrong here.

3. Heat Cheesy Cannabis Toast

There’s not much to say on this step. Put your cannabis-cheesy concoction in your oven or toaster oven, placing foil underneath if you’re prone to cheese dripping.

4. Eat Cheesy Cannabis Edible

If you’re feeling fancy, you can use a pizza slicer to cut up your cannabis cheese toast into little bite-sized cubes. We’ve never been able to wait that long!

Another Ardent recipe that lets your Nova or FX do the hard work of decarbing so you can stick to easy work of yummy snacking. Enjoy!

Semi-Homemade Hacks

Shanel

A very strange season with our new normal has offically passed. As a warm summer filled with walks in the park and porch workdays comes to a close we’re starting to crave those delectable, ooey gooey edibles of the fall and winter months. The cooler weather here in the Northeast means we’re taking extra precautions and going out less frequently (thought we’re quite used to hibernation with our snowy winters ⛄).

Instead of hopping from store to store or cruising down the many supermarket aisles collecting ingredients for projects that start from scratch, it’s can be more efficient and resourceful to grab FX or Nova and your favorite box of mix to make an instant edible or use up the oil in the pantry for edibles in a pinch.

Instant Edible, Concentrate, Or Infusion?

First things first, it’s important to know that you can make edibles in an instant by simply ingesting decarboxylated material 🤯. That’s right, you can mix a bit of decarboxylated flower, kief or concentrate in any food, including yummy takeout, to enjoy edibles without the hard work. Ingesting decarbed material alongside a fat like butter, ghee, oil, or an emulsifier like lecithin, helps with bioavailability (absorption).

If you’re infusing, concentrates, such as shatter, live resin, kief, or even hash rosin if you’re fancy, cut out two steps in the edible making process – infusing and straining. Because of their texture and potency, decarboxylated concentrates and kief can be added to recipes without any cannabinoid loss in the final product (which sometimes happens as a result of straining, hence raffinate).

Concentrates can be sticky, though, so grab our concentrate and infusion sleeve for the Nova or FX for mess-free decarbing, infusing, cooking and clean-up. (Pro tip: adding a bit of MCT or coconut oil to your decarbed concentrate will help it blend into your recipes while still maintaining a very potent dose.

Knowing how easy it is to skip infusion and straining altogether, here are a few easy steps to edible freedom, using just a couple ingredients in each.

Cereal Treats 

An old-school favorite is still beloved by cannabis consumers, whether new or old pros.

  1. Pick out your favorite cereal; it can even be the off-brand kind to save a little cash, but we’re really enjoying the Oreo cereal right now.
  2. Grab some butter, a bag of marshmallows, and about a gram of decarbed shatter. Save your herb for smoking during this ultra-easy process!
    Of course, if you only have flower at the moment, you can infuse your butter and leave out the shatter.
  3. Spray a glass baking pan with cooking spray.
  4. In a non-stick pot, combine butter and shatter on low heat until fully melted, then add marshmallows.
  5. Once the marshmallows are melted, using a silicone spatula, toss in the cereal of your choice, and mix well.
  6. Press the cereal mix into the glass pan and flatten it out.

Enjoy your potent cereal bars at any time, and refrigerate or freeze them to extend their shelf life, if you can keep from eating them all in one sitting. But seriously – don’t. That potency can knock you back!

Refrigerator Aisle Cinnamon Rolls

No shame in this game! The ooey gooyest of them all, this is comfort food at it’s best. That smell that can get you out of bed on even the coldest morning with fragrant cinnamon and butter melting down the soft bread, this is our favorite special treat for a sweatshirt kind of day.

  1. Pop open a can of store-bought cinnamon rolls – we got lucky and caught some seasonal pumpkin cinnamon rolls at our local grocery store!
  2. Unroll each piece of sectioned dough, and line the inner portion with small bits of decarbed concentrate, carefully re-rolling each of them on your foil-lined cookie tray.
    You can easily use decarbed flower instead for a lower dose. Especially beneficial if you can never eat only one.
  3. Once they’re out of the oven, drizzle them with icing, and indulge in super strong, sumptuous, medicated, semi-homemade cinnamon rolls! 

Sweet or Savory Cornbread

Boxes of store-bought cornbread mix range in price from about 50 cents to roughly three dollars for the fancier stuff. Enjoy infused corn bread with butter and salt, black beans and soul food, or make honey cornbread for a sweet late night dessert with strawberries and confectioners sugar. 

This one is as easy as following your box’s instructions and simply adding some decarbed cannabis or concentrate into the batter.


Feeling your infusion game right now? Replace any butter or oil the box calls for with your silky, infused fat and voilà – infused cornbread to enjoy with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack-time. You’ll make all your Zoom buddies jealous and hungry with this one.

Don’t miss out on harvest season with Ardent’s suite of DIY cannabis tools that take the guesswork out of the process and make you an instant expert!

11 EASY Ways to Use Decarbed Cannabis

Shanel

Once you’ve learned how to decarb weed and your bud is ready, the sky’s the limit with what you can do. If you are decarbing with FX or Nova, you’re getting a fully activated product – meaning a more accurate and potent dosage.

Here’s a short list of some of our favorite easy post-decarb fixes. Feel free to share your own in the comments below.

1. Instant Edible Capsules

For people that use medical marijuana, capsules are a lifesaver. They’re discreet, effective, and fit into your daily routine better than smoking, vaping, or eating extra calories via edibles. You can use them to help with chronic pain, sleep issues, anxiety, headaches, and so much more.

Pairing cannabis with other vitamins and nutraceuticals is a great way to enhance its benefits and create personalized medicine tailored for optimal health and wellness.

Just use your favorite decarbed strain and place into the capsules to create an instant and complete therapy. You can also add vitamins, oils or other supplements to your caps for enhanced benefits.

Some of our favorite formulations include:

  • Fish oil and melatonin – best paired with decarbed indica for sleep
  • Coconut oil and b-12 vitamin – best paired with a decarbed sativa for energy 

Use empty capsules, available online or in-store at vitamin shops, to create the perfect blend for your needs. To make dry herb capsules, simply put your decarbed weed right into the capsule. Yes, that’s right – just decarb your cannabis in Nova or FX and then you can make your capsules with no infusion or additional processing!

You can add other vitamin or supplement powders into the capsule for an extra nutritional boost. For oil-based capsules, create canna oil with any oil of your choice and use a syringe to fill the capsules. Last thing you need to do is close them up and you’re done!

Indv_Capsules

2. Facial Toner

Did you know that after proper decarboxylation you can make a simple tincture with rubbing alcohol that has powerful antibacterial and antiseptic properties?

Studies using cannabis to maintain skin health show promise:

“Our preclinical data encourage one to explore whether endocannabinoid system-acting agents can be exploited in the management of common skin disorders,” 

Use it just like you would any other toner with a cotton ball or pad for a quick cleanse.

You can make an effective facial toner for acne treatment with just rubbing alcohol and bud decarbed in Nova or FX.

  • Put 1 gram of decarbed flower into a small jar
  • Fill with rubbing alcohol
  • Shake it
  • Apply it with a cotton ball

Both THC and CBD have regenerative a great anti-inflammatory properties and the rubbing alcohol makes the solution anti-bacterial and perfect for acne treatment. If you are sensitive to alcohol, try using infused propylene glycol as an addition to your regular toner to get the benefits alcohol-free.

Indv_FacialToner

3. Pain Salve

Cannabis infused topicals are known to have anti-inflammatory, pain-reducing and regenerative properties that can be used for joint pains and minor skin issues.

Making a cannabis pain salve at home is easy and once you start using it, you will make it be a permanent part of your medicine cabinet. There are almost endless ways to prepare cannabis infused salve at home. It can be as easy as infusing coconut oil and then mixing with your favorite pain cream. It’s also very simple to make cannabis pain salve from scratch.

Once it has hardened, it’s ready to use for chronic or acute localized pain from arthritis, sore muscles, and tension. Immediate relief without psychoactive effects is one of the main draws of using cannabis-infused pain salve.

Indv_PainSalve

4. Medicated Massage Oil

Take your massage to the next level by incorporating weed-infused coconut oil.

Here’s how to make your own:

Mix all ingredients in FX or Nova until fully heated and blended. Cool and pour into a squeeze bottle. Use to soothe and inspire during your next massage.

Indv_MassageOil

5. Protein Shake

Decarbed bud makes a great addition to smoothies and shakes and can be a part of your healthiest snacks! You can add your decarboxylated flower right into the smoothie or add a tablespoon (or less) of infused coconut oil for an extra creamy drink. Many athletes report increased focus and endurance with the addition of THC or CBD to their regimen Follow our cannabis shake infused recipe below for yourself:

  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 2 cups ice
  • 4 oz vanilla unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 banana
  • 1 – 2 tbsp organic peanut butter
  • .2g – 5g of decarbed flower

You can also try a little in your post-workout protein shake to reduce inflammation and aid your recovery.

Cannabis Protein Shakes

6. Kief Infused Hot Cocoa

Decarbed kief and concentrate are a great addition to infused marijuana beverages, especially if you are looking for a potent dose. Try our hot cocoa recipe for decarbed kief. If you are not familiar with kief, it is the sticky, pollen-like substance on your bud, known as the trichomes. Since the trichomes contain all of the cannabinoids, kief is a more potent concentrate than bud. You’ll only need a little bit in your hot cocoa and it’s better to start with a small dose than to overdo it and potentially end up with an unenjoyable high.

To make kief hot cocoa:

  • Decarb your kief in FX or Nova. Our Concentrate & Infusion Sleeves make this step extra easy
  • Mix the decarbed kief with your hot cocoa (add a drop or two of coconut or MCT oil if you have trouble feeling edibles, not needed for most people)
  • Enjoy.

Be aware that kief is usually over 40% THC, so in one gram of kief, there’s over 400 mg of THC. Therefore be very careful when you are using kief and concentrate, which averages over 70% THC (700mg per gram) in your edible creations 😮

Indv_HotChocolate

7. Easily Make Tinctures

Tinctures and marijuana-infused alcohol are both a great way to discreetly consume cannabis. They can be eaten like a regular edible or administered sublingually (under the tongue) for a much quicker uptake than traditional edibles.

In addition, tinctures are very easy to make, simple to dose, and have a long shelf life if stored properly. Making them popular with both recreational and medical marijuana users. Especially those that prefer not to partake in the various ways to smoke weed due to the health risk and micro-dosers who prefer small, controlled doses.

Check out our guide to making CBG tinctures with Everclear alcohol, and learn more about vegetable glycerin tinctures.

Indv_Tinctures

8. Cannamilk

Cannacream and cannamilk can be a great traditional oil or cannabutter alternative. They can be used for cooking, added to your morning coffee, smoothies, shakes, and any other recipe you use that adds dairy.

The process of making cannamilk and cannacream is identical to making cannabutter and canna oil, but because they contain less fat, they aren’t as effective at extracting the cannabinoids like THC and CBD. That being said, they can add even more variation to the types of food you can make into an edible. Learn more about infusion rates for cannamilk and cannacream in our tutorial, complete with testing results.

We promise, your morning cereal and coffee will never be the same!

Indv_Milk

9. Cannabutter & Cannaoil

Do you have to decarb weed for edibles? Well, decarbing is a must when making cannabutter or cannaoil. You will not have a well-activated oil without decarbing your cannabis first, which means that you’ll be missing out on valuable THC or CBD. We tested how long to infuse weed and found that infusions for 45 minutes, an hour, or three hours all had excellent extraction rates, so you have flexibility there based on personal preference.

Cannabutter and cannaoil are used to make a variety of edibles, everything from brownies to salad dressing and sauteed veggies. You can control the potency of your infusions by increasing or decreasing the amount of cannabis you use in your infusions. If you want to know more about this, here’s how to infuse cannabinoids for the best results.

Indv_Butter

10. Cannabis Infused Tea

Cannabis tea is growing in popularity and is very simple to make. Two of the most popular ways:

Indv_Tea

11. Eating Decarbed Weed

Can you eat decarbed weed? Yes! You can actually just eat your cannabis after it’s been through the decarboxylation process with no further processing. Because precision activation gives you an average of 100 -250 mg THC per gram, depending on the potency of your starting flower, you can take just a small amount of your decarbed cannabis and put it right into your food. Once your weed is activated, you can literally do anything with it and you will feel the effects – including eating it plain or sprinkling it on whatever food you’re craving!

Which is your favorite way to use decarbed weed? Are there any uses we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Make Edibles Without Butter {5 Cannabutter Alternatives}

Shanel

If you’ve ever made your own edibles, there’s a good chance you made your own cannabutter. And while cannabutter is a beloved, classic edibles staple, and simple to make even with just a small amount of flower (or concentrate) and butter using Ardent’s FX or Nova, there are many reasons that you might be tired of this and just want to try some cannabutter alternatives.

Whether you want to know how to make edibles without butter because you are seeking something plant-based, trying to avoid saturated fats, or just looking for a faster way to prepare your cannabis therapies, we got you covered.

Check out the 5 key cannabutter alternatives below and try something new today:

Here’s How to Make Edibles Without Butter

cannabutter alternatives

1. Instant Edibles (Easiest Way to Make Edibles Without Cannabutter)

The simplest way to make edibles without cannabutter hands down! Instead of making a butter or oil, use the decarboxylated flower right in your edibles or other products after activation.

There’s a misconception that you MUST extract into an oil, butter or alcohol to make an edible. Simply not true! Once you complete the decarb cycle on either FX or Nova, the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG, etc.) are active right on the plant and ready to be consumed. Just break or grind it up and mix it into your batter, sprinkle it on your finished meal, or pop it into some capsules.

Be careful -very little goes a long way, and those new to edibles should start slow while testing tolerance and determining their ideal dose. For example a 20% THC flower has 200mg of THC in each gram of flower, so you would only need 1/10th of that gram (0.1 gm of flower) to get a 20mg dose!

If you’re cooking with weed and you’re not feeling the effects of your edibles, make sure you eat your decarbed material in a meal with a high-fat content, or mix in a little lecithin or oil (you can just add the oil, no need to infuse into it) to help boost absorption.

2. Kief Butter/Oil (Closest Cannabutter Alternatives)

If you want to know how to make edibles without cannabutter but want to use a different form of butter in your marijuana recipes, kief butter or kief oil is a great alternative to traditional cannabutter. Kief is the sticky bits of resin you see on buds. Making kief butter is quicker and simpler than its cannabis-infused counterpart and when cooked, it doesn’t impart the flavor of cannabis like using the whole flower.

You don’t have to worry about warming it for more than a few minutes and you don’t need to stain the plant matter, making this option faster than making your traditional cannabutter. The major difference in the finished product is the fact that kief has a very high concentration of cannabinoids so you can easily make a very potent cannabutter or oil.

Kief Butter Oil

3. Cannabis Coconut Oil

Cannabis coconut oil is a very popular cannabutter substitute. It has a high amount of saturated fat, making it great for extraction, but more versatile than butter, working perfectly in edibles, topicals and even suppositories. Plant-based, infused coconut oil is a great choice for people on vegan, paleo, or keto diets.

Making cannabis coconut oil is simple and cannabis extraction with coconut oil gives a high infusion rate. After the decarb step, mix the coconut oil and decarbed flower and place back into the machine for a second cycle, letting it extract for at least 45 minutes. Here’s a guide if you would like to know more about infusing decarbed weed into oil.

4. Cannaoil

In addition to coconut oil, a wide variety of oils make great alternatives for cannabutter. Avocado, canola, olive, and even walnut oil – the possibilities are almost endless. Any oil with a high fat content will do well in extracting the activated THC, CBD or other cannabinoids after decarboxylation. This gives you a lot of choice in selecting an oil that pairs best in flavor. For example, the mild taste of MCT oil means that MCT and other mild oils can be easily switched out for butter in most baked goods. Olive oil is another popular choice, but it is best suited for cooking savory dishes.

Cannaoil

5. Tinctures

Tinctures are a great, no-mess way to infuse weed into your edibles. Many people have learned how to use cannabis in this way and like using tinctures in recipes over cannabutter or cannaoil because there is no added fat and alcohol tinctures preserve munch longer than butter or oil, which can go rancid.

Cannabis tinctures are very easy to make:

  • Decarb your bud and place it in a jar with a high-proof alcohol like Everclear
  • Let the mixture sit for 1-3 hours, shaking intermittently
  • Once the alcohol is infused, strain out the bud, and it’s ready to use!

Do not eat the alcohol tincture straight if you are using Everclear, as it is a very strong alcohol. Many people add vegetable glycerin to their tinctures, but be aware that while vegetable glycerin is great to mix with alcohol tinctures, you can’t use it as the base solvent to extract the THC and CBD.

Recently, the term ‘tincture” has also been expanded to include MCT oil infusions, as MCT is a flavorless liquid that is easy to ingest orally alone and does not have the burning associated with alcohol tinctures. If you would like to make an MCT tincture, refer to #4 above.

Tinctures Cannabis

If you’re over the mess of traditional methods or can’t enjoy butter, you can still create amazing infusions, treats and other products with these easy alternatives. And whether you’re an instant edibles type of person, or would rather extract and infuse your way to health and happiness, FX and Nova will help you get there, hassle-free.

Dos And Don’ts of Vegetable Glycerin

Shanel

Vegetable glycerin is a sweet, thick liquid that is popular in a variety of foods and often used in cannabis tincture making. Because it is pleasant tasting and doesn’t burn when you swallow it or put it under your tongue, many people prefer a tincture that has vegetable glycerin as a base instead of alcohol.

dos and dont's of making tinctures with vegetable glycerin

Here’s the catch – VG might taste great, but since it doesn’t contain fat or alcohol, it is not an effective infusion medium.

In other words, the VG does not do a good job of pulling the THC, CBD, CBG or other cannabinoids from the plant material. 

As a result, you don’t want to use VG as your infusion/extraction solvent.

dont use vg to extract decarbed cannabis flower

In fact, compared to alcohol and oil-based solvents, which can extract over 90% of cannabinoids from the plant, VG only pulls out less than 10%! That means if you are trying to extract cannabinoids from the activated flower into VG, you are missing out on over 85% of the available THC and will end up with very few of the cannabinoids in the final tincture. So don’t expect a strong tincture if you use VG as a solvent for your extractions. 

graph with amount of thc in cannabis compared to how much thc is actually extracted with vegetable glycerin

You can see in the example above, using 19.8% THC decarbed flower (198 mg per gram), the vegetable glycerin (VG) was only able to extract 11 mgs of the 198 mgs available. See the detailed test results here:

  • 1 gram decarbed flower using the Nova
  • 1 gram of decarbed flower infused into 1 ounce VG in the Nova

VG is popular because it is mild tasting and doesn’t burn your mouth when you hold it under your tongue or swallow. This makes it ideal to use as a mixing ingredient with alcohol-based extractions or with decarbed concentrates in order to make a tincture that tastes better and doesn’t burn when administered. 

Using Glyceric To Soften Alcohol Extractions

You can do an alcohol extraction with Everclear, which is a quick and easy process. Just decarb your flower, add Everclear and the decarbed flower into a jar and shake.

alcohol as cannabis solvent

Let the Everclear and decarbed flower mixture sit for an hour or so and then strain. You’ll have an active alcohol tincture that has extracted most of the THC or CBD from the plant, because alcohol is a very effective solvent.  But again, this tincture will be very overwhelming taken directly, with a stinging and unpleasant taste that can also lead to alcohol intoxication if you drink too much.

alcohol extraction making thc tincture

In order to make an alcohol extraction taste more smooth and contain less alcohol, VG can be mixed in to lower the alcohol content and make the tincture taste better. You could also let your alcohol mixture stay out overnight to allow the alcohol to evaporate and then add the VG. The more alcohol you let evaporate, the more concentrated and potent the extraction will become. You can mix that concentrate with the VG to make a very smooth and more potent tincture.

vg alcohol mix tincture

Using Glycerin To Make Tinctures With Concentrates

If you are starting out with a concentrated form of cannabis like wax, shatter or rosin from the beginning, VG can also come in handy to transform the concentrate into a tincture. After you decarboxylate your concentrate, you can mix the decarbed concentrate with the VG in order to create a custom tincture.  Make sure that you are mixing the ingredients warm so they can blend well for a consistent dose. Adding a small amount of coconut oil to the decarbed concentrate before mixing with the VG can help with blending.

Decarbing and blending concentrates is an easy way to make potent tinctures.

concentrate and vg mix tincture

As long as you remember that VG is not a good vehilce for infusing with flower (it does a poor job of extracting the THC or CBD from the flower) but is a good option for mixing to make a tincture with an alcohol extraction or a cannabis concentrate, you’ll do just fine. 

ardent nova tincture

Use FX or Nova to make your decarbing and infusing dreams come true at the press of a button. Discreet activation of all strains and materials.

MAKE BETTER PRODUCTS FOR LESS!

S’mores Easy Home Recipe Ft. Decarbed Concentrate

Shanel

Some of us are outdoorsy, and the rest of us would rather stay home without the bugs and wild animals, but we can all still partake in the nostalgia and fun that comes with s’mores and other camping foods. To really make things extra special, as usual, we’re adding that special element to make it medicated – THC! Are you ready for campfire (or campfire style) snacks? Say no s’more. All you need is a power source! 

Bring some wax for this one: these Ardent activated s’mores use concentrate, so they’re plenty strong and don’t require you to eat more than one if you’re watching your sugar. It’s also a great reminder that you aren’t required to infuse into butter or an oil to make edibles, whether you’re using concentrates or just flower. As soon as you decarb your plant material you can put it right into your food – no second step needed. Concentrates like rosin, wax, budder, shatter and live resin are all so easy to activate and spread.  Be careful – at over 700mg of THC on average in each gram after decarb, you MUST make sure you don’t go overboard. 

If you aren’t activating with Nova or FX yet, you’re missing out – grab the precision activation technology that turns your spare flower, kief and concentrates into fun and valuable therapies.

https://vimeo.com/449950558

Home Tip: Instead of using the campfire to toast these bad boys up, grab a torch — dabbers, we know you DEFINITELY have one tucked away somewhere 🙂 Second home alternative? A quick minute open-faced in the toaster oven or air fryer will also do the trick. 

Zesty Infused Anytime Beans

Another great camping food is beans! They’re filling, nutritious, and ultra-portable. The best part is that you can save space by soaking them overnight in the FX’s 4x larger chamber, and then cook them right in the very same unit. 

BBQ Sauce

Portable grill? Icy cooler? The campsite is waiting! Smother meats, burgers, hot dogs, and other delicious meals in our infused bbq sauce for a tangy (ultra relaxing) addition to any food. 

If you’re heading to the campgrounds, pack your precision activator for easy, simple meals and snacks – infused or uninfused, it’s up to you. 

Trying our recipes for your outdoor get together or living room camping staycation? Tag @ardentllc in your photos for the chance to be featured on our social media pages!

Get Saucy With These Condiment Recipes

Shanel

Highest Hot Sauce

We’re all looking for a bit of adventure these days, and we can honestly say that we put this infused hot sauce on everything. Jazz up rice bowls, pasta dishes, hamburgers, hot dogs, eggs, or anything that could use some fire with a spicy kick and a micro-dose of THC or CBD in every spoonful.

Fun to make in FX or Nova and easy to add to your dishes, this is a staple for spicy food fans!

Lebanese “Toum” Garlic Sauce

Eating Middle Eastern food in the cooler nights that come after a hot summer day make us feel like we’re out travelling the world – and all from the living room!

Traditionally used on meats like chicken and lamb, or spread on shawarma sandwiches and gyros, this garlic sauce can also be eaten with sliced veggies, mixed into hummus, enjoyed on pizza crust, and more. 

Fair warning, have a toothbrush and some mouthwash nearby if you plan to eat this sauce, because your breath won’t be pretty – but we can guarantee it’s worth it! 

Pesto Spread

Some think of pesto as a here-and-there treat for Italian feasts but oh how wrong they are! The delectable combination of flavors this simple-looking dish contains gives boring dishes new life.

Pesto can be used with so much more than what you may be used to. For an elevated grilled cheese (or really any sandwich), pasta and pasta salad, homemade pizza, dressing base, meat marinade, or even a quick snack with pita chips and ricotta, this versatile sauce never fails to surprise and delight.

Feel free to toss in some leftover kale or baby spinach to thicken it up! 

If you’re still in need of an FX or Nova to elevate your summer, use the code SAUCE for a special discount today!

Salads and Sunshine 🌞 Light Foods + Infused Summer Refreshments

Shanel

When it’s hot, get cool with these simple and refreshing bites that keep your energy high and hunger at bay. 

Each of the snacks below tastes great infused or as a regular snack. Two of these recipes are instant edibles. That means right after precision decarb in the Nova or FX, it’s as simple as sprinkling some of the decarbed flower or kief into the recipe and you’re done! It couldn’t be easier. 

Infusing the third recipe is also a breeze. It features an effortless two-step customized extraction, whether you go low and slow or need to crank the potency way up. 

Whatever your preferred way to medicate, with precision decarb and infusion you’re getting the most out of your material so you can do more with it!

Avocado Toast

Equipment Needed

  • Ardent Nova or FX
  • Knife, for opening avocado
  • Fork, for mashing into bread 
  • Oven or toaster

Ingredients

  • Ardent Tuscan Herb EVOO, infused
  • 1 Avocado
  • 1 Slice sourdough, toasted 
  • Red onion, sliced, to taste 
  • Grape tomatoes, halved, to taste
  • Adobo, to taste 
  • Garlic powder, to taste 
  • Cannasalt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Crushed red pepper, to taste 
  • Basil, for garnish 
  • Hot honey, for finishing

How to Make Ardent Cannabis-Infused Avocado Toast

  1. Toast sourdough in the oven, air fryer, or toaster. 
  2. Open and smash the avocado on the toasted bread. 
  3. Add tomato and red onion. 
  4. Season with spices like cannasalt, pepper, adobo, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder. 
  5. Drizzle the infused olive oil over top. 
  6. Add a drizzle of hot honey and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

Most Expensivest Guacamole 

Remember when we introduced 2 Chainz to Ardent’s precision technology on national TV? Well, he liked our elevated guacamole so much that we wanted to share the recipe with you, too. Check it out below.

ardent's most expensivest infused guacamole recipe

Elevated Olive Tapenade

The perfect spread for sandwiches, crackers, bagels, and more! This Mediterranean diet staple can be made vegan by simply omitting the anchovies. 

ardent's elevated olive tapenade recipe

Vegan Green Goddess Dip

This cashew-based dip is loved by vegans and meat-eaters alike. With mostly dry ingredients, it can be put together in a pinch for parties, potlucks, or a quick snack anytime. 

ardent's green goddess dip recipe

Trying these for your picnic or beach day? Tag us on Instagram for the chance to be featured on our page!

To learn more about decarb, infusion, dosing and more, check out our science and education.

Simple Demo Recipes for Your Portable All-In-One Kitchen 🌿 Infused or Non-Infused

Shanel

On the road again or staying close to home? Either way, FX is your ticket to easy snacking or wellness. Our community of owners can tell you themselves – this all-in-one portable cannabis kitchen eliminates the need for other confusing, hefty kitchen appliances, and makes cooking on the road or in smaller spaces a tangible reality. 

(Don’t have your FX yet? Don’t miss our 5 Year Anniversary Sale, extended though this weekend in celebration of our Founder and CEO Shanel’s Birthday – with 10% of proceeds going to the fight for equality and justice!)

Although we love our cannabinoids, not everything you make inside the FX needs the added touch of THC and/or CBD. We made two quick videos to show you how the FX can be used to make delicious foods and warm drinks when stoves, microwaves, and toaster ovens are not accessible. 

Pineapple Ginger Shot In the FX, combine 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 3/4 ounce ginger (juiced). Add 3 tablespoons of honey and a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder. Combine a 1/2 teaspoon pink salt and a 1/2 cup of water. Allow it to boil on the bake setting, pour into airtight mason jars, and refrigerate. 

Pineapple Ginger Shot

Classic Cheesecake 
You can make a single-serving, mess-free cheesecake in a few easy steps and a couple gracious flicks of the wrist. Combine 8 oz of softened cream cheese with 1/3 cup sugar and two eggs. Then, combine a mixture of 3 oz of coconut cream and a tablespoon of cornstarch to the batter and stir well. Top it off with some lemon zest. Pour a bit of batter into a cupcake liner and allow it to cook in the FX for about 20 minutes or until firm. Refrigerate (inside the FX is fine) and serve. 
Pro tip: When traveling, place your dry ingredients and wet ingredients (given they’re shelf-stable) in plastic zipper bags, and store them inside the unit, when it’s not in use or plugged in, to optimize space and prevent spilling. 

Classic Cheesecake 

Trying one of these recipes out? Tag us in your photos and show us your FX hacks for the chance to be featured on our page. 

Still missing the main ingredient–the FX?! You’re still not too late to hit up our 5 Year Anniversary Sale. Save big and support the quest for real, meaningful change

High 5 Infused Chocolate Cannabis Birthday Cake Recipe

Shanel

It’s been 5 whole years since we started Ardent and what an amazing 5 years it’s been! We couldn’t celebrate without first thanking you, our community, for sticking by our side through thick and thin.

Ardent is a labor of love and we’re so thankful to have all of you with us as we grow, learn, and evolve. Through the science of cannabis and the creativity that comes with being daily consumers ourselves, we love finding new ways to integrate precise plant medicine into both your daily routines and those special, memorable moments. 

When you support Ardent, you support more than a Black woman owned business; you support a team of dedicated cannabis lovers and their mission for a more passionate, inclusive industry promoting education and justice reform. 

Cheers to 5 years, and here’s to many more 🍃

With that said, it’s our party and we’ll get high if we want to! We made this delicious “High 5” chocolate birthday cake with purple buttercream frosting to celebrate 5 years of decarb magic and community at Ardent. Join us in making this infused cake directly inside your Ardent FX! Cool, frost, consume, then ~chill.~

Cannabis Birthday Cake

Share this Cannabis Cake Recipe Infographic on Your Site!

We also thought you might want to take a look back at some fun memories and milestones we’ve reached throughout the years! We’ll be sharing some of these photos on social media throughout the week, and encourage you to tag us in your nostalgic Ardent photos as well for the chance to be featured!

If you don’t have an FX yet, this is the perfect time to make the leap. Click here to get $40 off the FX with the code 5YEARS. An awesome discount plus 10% of all sale proceeds going to these amazing organizations. Get your bake on and support the fight for justice and equality!

We’re blessed to see another year and can’t wait to see what next year brings. Thanks for taking this journey with us! Happy medicating!!

Summer Cakes & Pies in the Ardent FX

Shanel

We can’t be the only ones in the mood for fresh summer treats this time of the year! There’s no better way to enjoy the warm weather than using your Ardent FX to seamlessly whip up some delicious treats to enjoy alone or share with your buddies. Fun and easy with an elevated or therapeutic twist.

Lifted Key Lime Pie 

When the crumbs of the graham cracker crust meet the sweet and tangy pie filling in this infused key lime pie, you’ll never need another recipe again. With under 50 minutes of in-unit cooking, this pie is best served with fresh whipped cream and a slice of lime as garnish. 

Wake & Bake Coffee Cake 

The perfect cake to accompany your morning coffee. Sugar, spice, everything nice. Make this cake the night before if you like to sleep in, but if you’re an ambitious morning person, this cake is a super chill first task of the day. 

Blueberry Blue Dream Cheesecake

Got some graham crackers left over from the key lime pie recipe? Good. This cheesecake uses the same graham cracker crust, but changes things up with a cream cheese base and a sweet, blueberry topping. Your friends will be blue (day)dreaming about it. 

Well, our mouths are officially watering! We’d love to hear what you think of these recipes, your favorite, or how many of you are down to try them all? (Guilty) Let us know in the comments below!

Still thinking of grabbing an FX? Make the jump here–you won’t regret it!

Dips & Tricks – Infused Provisions to Welcome Summer 💜

Shanel

The warmer weather is a perfect time to try out new twists on old favorites. As usual, these recipes have each been expertly designed to work seamlessly with the Ardent FX. Haven’t picked one up yet? Click here and get ready to level up!

Taco Night Infused BBQ Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
Out of meat or living the plant-based life? This BBQ recipe requires no meat, no grill, and just a tiny bit of patience. The jackfruit tastes and feels like slow-cooked pulled pork! These tacos can be topped with jalapeños, scallions, tomatoes, or anything your heart/stomach desires. 

If you don’t have BBQ sauce at home, make some of your own with this next recipe. Be careful if you are infusing the BBQ sauce AND the jackfruit in the recipe above. Remember – you can make these recipes with any combination of THC, CBD or CBG, or even without cannabis or hemp, depending on your needs and mood.

Infused Kale Spinach Artichoke Dip This infused kale and spinach artichoke dip is a great appetizer or side dish for your Netflix binge sessions. Once ready, it can be served and enjoyed while remaining perfectly warm and gooey while you snack. Just keep it on the power base set to Infuse while you snack,  

Is your mouth watering yet? Ours is. There’s no telling where your culinary creations will end with FX!

Ardent Pantry Party Series

Shanel

Cinnamon Breakfast Oatmeal – This recipe is perfect for a morning breakfast edible, breakfast for dinner, or an anytime snack. Use your favorite oats, shelf-stable milk, and go crazy on the customization.

Cannabuttered Pasta with Peas and Herbs – Spin the lazy Susan and pull out your favorite spices and dried herbs for this one! We love thyme, rosemary, sage, and of course, salt and pepper. You can always add a squeeze of lemon or some crushed red pepper to change the flavor up a bit. 

Zesty Infused Soupy “Anytime” Beans – On their own, poured into soups and stews, or with a side of rice, these zesty beans take lots of cooking and prep time, but pay their debts in flavor. Add a sprig of parsley to freshen things up.  

Learn more about the FX and how you can create edibles, topicals, and all your other favorite products right inside!

Housebound By COVID-19? Consider Home Cooking – With Cannabis. A New Digital ‘Easy-Bake Oven’ Can Help

Shanel
The Nova FX, which can decarboxylate and cook cannabis at home

If you’re housebound by COVID-19 – as so many of us are – you’re probably doing more home cooking, for healthier fare and better use of limited resources. And in this, you’re not alone: The home-cooking trend is huge, reflected in the quarantine-friendly recipes popping up on Buzzfeed and the New York Times.

The New York Post reported that one Chinese cooking platform alone attracted 580 million views after the epidemic shut down that country in late December.

Here in the United States, however, you may be craving something a bit more on the wild side than Chinese rice noodles – and if that something is cannabis treats and topicals, a new device is making that process easier and cheaper.

It’s called the Ardent FX, a newly released, thermally heated counter-top device from the Boston-based Ardent Company. Attorney and company founder and president Shanel Lindsay calls the cylindrical stainless steel device an “easy-bake oven” because it can activate your cannabis through the essential process of decarboxylation.

There’s more: The same device can also bake the edibles desired – whether that means THC-infused cookies, muffins, pizza and applesauce, or CBD-infused edibles for pain relief. Topical gels can also be made in the Ardent FX, as well as infused oils.

Further, the Ardent FX lets the cannabis chef customize the product to his or her specifications: from ingredients preferred, to the amount of sugar (or no sugar) added, to the use of lecithin for easier absorption. More precise dosing of THC or CBD is also possible.

Both CBD and THC foods can be prepared using the appliance, depending on the cannabis flower chosen.

The problem during the current coronavirus strictures, of course, is that THC flower strains are suddenly hard to come by due to the mandatory shuttering of nonessential businesses in multiple states.

This means that, even where it was previously legal, recreational cannabis may no longer be sold at dispensaries (though most may still sell CBD medicinal items).

The new rules put a strain on cannabis buyers. “People are hunkering down in order to stretch their materials, which is really important,” Lindsay says. “Without our product, people are using a lot of cannabis to make [food and topicals]. The Ardent FX allows them to use much, much less cannabis.”

Then there’s the difficulty of how to make edibles. “You can go anywhere on the internet and see very, very complicated instructions on how to make cannabis products,” Lindsay says. “And at the end of the day… you’re going to use a lot more cannabis than you need to, and end up coming up with a sub-par product, because decarboxylation is not simple to do. It can use a lot of material and burn off the THC or CBD that you’re trying to activate.”

“Decarboxylation” is that previously mentioned prerequisite for making edibles because it allows the cannabis’s THC or CBD to work. What’s involved is a drying/heating process that activates the original cannabinoid compounds THCA and CBDA, turning them into THC and CBD.

That heating/drying process occurs to some degree with smoking or vaping cannabis because of the high heat involved – but cannabis for edibles must be heated some other way.

The Ardent FX can “de-carb” – as Lindsay calls it — up to 4 ounces at a time, much more than its predecessor model, the Nova, which can handle just 1 ounce.

To achieve this essential de-carbing, the Ardent FX has a thermal heating core wrapping around the whole device – unlike what’s found in an oven or crockpot. More even heating is therefore possible. “There are also two sensors that allow us to have an algorithm at the bottom, a micro-controller that creates laboratory-grade heating for this device,” Lindsay explains.

“This allows the baker to evenly, gently heat the cannabis, not vaporize it, she says – and, she claims, this capability saves a good deal of weed – and, therefore, money. What the cannabis cook can do next with the much larger Ardent FX is bake up a whole batch of cookies or other desired edible treat right there in the device, the same way he or she might cook up a load of pasta (which, by the way, is also possible in the Ardent FX).

This is why Lindsay labels her item a “crossover device,” which, she says, is augmented by testing results that show the efficacy of the product.

“We definitely are in a league of our own,” she declares.

In fact, the do-it-yourself edibles/topicals market has other players besides Ardent: They include LEVO II, an appliance that decarboxylates and prepares herbs (like cannabis) for infusions; the magical butter, a countertop botanical extractor which infuses herbs into butter, oil, alcohol and lotions; and the Hi herbal infuser.

Still, the Nova, which retails online and in health food stores for $350, is different for its baking capability and for the company’s impressive financial profile: It’s a woman-led startup that has chalked up $7 million in sales and been profitable since 2017.

Of course, what truly counts beyond profits is what this “easy-bake oven” offers during today’s stressful pandemic: opportunities for pain relief and relaxation for a whole lot of Americans who otherwise might never have fancied themselves to be home chefs.

Read the original article here