Is it all decarboxylated? Opinion requested

[DarkAgdistis]

Hello,

I have a curing/decarboxylation related question ...

So, after 2 weeks of drying post harvest, my hash is extracted using dry ice and then it's cured in a "vaccuumed" jar, in the dark, at a constant temperature of around 18 degrees Celsius ( 64 F ) for minimum 3 months.

After 3 months, I take the hash that I mix with olive oil ( I'm allergic to lecithin ) and then I start making my edibles with the resulting liquid.

For that process, the cannabis liquid is warmed at 85 degrees Celsius ( 185 F ) and agitated non stop for 10 hours ( so there must be a slow decarb happening there already ). Its using an auto stirring device.

In the evening , I freeze the liquid for the night and the following day, I warm it again at 85 degrees celsius, and again it's agitated non stop for 10 hours ( so decarb is happening again ).

My question is : with this process, do you think I should still decarb in the oven as a very first step ? ( I'm thinking about 30 min at 90 degrees C - 194 F ), or do you think that after 20 hours of bathing/agitation at 85 C, it should be all decarboxylated ?

It would be easier if the mathematical formula of THC conversion ( at specific pressure and temperature ) is known ... but I dont know the conversion rate.

I could also experiment with various durations and temps but with my stock being low/limited, I dont want to end up with a bag of CBN ...

Thanks all for the help !

Cheers
DA

 

[013]

check your pm’s

 

[SmokingWings]

... my hash is extracted using dry ice and then it's cured in a "vaccuumed" jar, in the dark, at a constant temperature of around 18 degrees Celsius ( 64 F ) for minimum 3 months.

I do not make hash, yet, but I am a bit confused by the curing stage you are talking about. The only reason I can see for having to cure it would be if it was going to be smoked and if a lot of the plant material was left in. If a very fine screen is used to sift it at the end of the 'dry ice extraction' shouldn't there be next to no green plant material, just a pile of trichomes?

 

[DarkAgdistis]

IMHO, curing is more than a simple process useful for smokers ... why do you think is your smoke smoother when it's cured ? because the terpene profiles slightly changed during curing.

From the work of a guy called French Canoly, I have also discovered that during the curing, some new terpenes / chemicals would appear, resulting from the bonding of existing ones ...

Trust me, curing good sativas is nearly a must ( and 3 months is a bare minimum : I try to reach between 9 to 12 months of curing ) and it would be a miss to, just like for good wines, skip a step due to a lack of patience.

Cheers !

 

[DarkAgdistis]

Any other opinions on the decarboxylation requirement with my long process ( or not ) ?

 

[nickeluring]

For optimum decarboxylation I suggest you do just the weed/hash in the oven at 110 degrees C for 30 min exactly. Normal ovens fluctuate like crazy with temperatures, so I handle the heating manually. I use a good thermometer with a probe that goes in the oven. I then sit and watch that thermometer for the full half hour. I turn the heater on at 5 second intervals, and open the oven lid when the temperature is rising too much. This way I can keep the temp at between 109 - 111 degrees C for the full half hour.

For the oil infusion I use a double boiler, which is just a large pot of water with a smaller pot floating inside. I cook the weed in oil in the smaller pot for 24 hours. I use coconut oil. I keep the temp at around 60-70 degrees, but never above 80 degrees C since that's when decarboxylation start to happen.

I use 50 grams of buds for about 400 ml of oil. That's about how much weed that amount of oil can take in one cooking. It's enough to make a very potent oil, but if you want stronger you can do several rounds of weed with the same oil.
With hash it's easier to make it really strong in one 24 hour cooking session.