[updated] Levo II Activate Decarb Warming Up Stir Grind Questions

[Updated 6/30/20] Hello, I've never faired too well in the half dozen times I've attempted to decarb flower the results were always drab and I felt like I just wasted good herb. (240f x 40m never seems to work for me - I'm 1100ft above sea level)

Fast forward 2020 things must be idiot proof now right? I just discovered my wife's Levo II machine and I noticed the warm up process takes roughly 45min and then runs for the amount of time you set on the activation process.

For example, the default is 240f for 30min, which produces a toasty flower smell within minutes during the warm up cycle and runs a total of a 1hr and 15min. The flower is powder brittle and varies mid to dark reddish brown in color and has a distinct roasted hash smell. The garage is literally a war zone of smell, wife not impressed but very glad I didn't do it in the kitchen. I have a few questions...

1) Should I wait to put the flower in until after the warm up process is complete and ONLY run during the timer period?

A. Not necessary, when using pod (not french press screen) the warm up process is much quicker.

2) Should I pause and stir the dry flower occasionally?

A. Not necessary, the flower in the pod is pretty even throughout. I did not pack it, in fact I used a metal stir stick to make sure all 10g were loose.

3) Should I use the pod it came with and not the french press screen? (saw a potency "hack" for infusion process)

A. YES! Major difference. Using the french press results in burnt flower.

4) Which grind is suggested, no grind (tiny nugs), coarse grind or fine grind?

A. I used a coarse grind. I'd suggest fine grind only if you are filling capsules and not cooking.

5) After infusion process and draining is complete, is it suggested to cheese cloth the remaining bits of herb.

A. I used a coffee filter over my dish when draining and only had a tiny amount of sediment, enough to wipe with your finger tip. I then used a small silicone spatula to drain the cooled heating chamber pan of wet flower into a cheese cloth bag and strained a decent amount, few tablespoons at least.

6) Does a second run improve potency? (previous oil, same herb batch or previous oil + new herb batch) i.e. is this a logical and economical way to create more concentred oils? i.e. 10g flower per 1 cup oil, then another 10g of flower same oil...repeat?

A. I haven't tried this as it was suggested this might be wasteful.

Any advice is greatly appreciated thank you!

 

Thanks for the tips. Yes, the Levo II has 3 modes. Dry, Activate and Infuse. The dry and activate methods use no oil.

I ran another 10g batch coarsely ground using the pod they provide (magnet sticks to side and it floats off the edge of the bowl, the magnet is also a spacer), and the flower is suspended inside the pod within the heating chamber bowl like a small insulated tea strainer stuck to a wall. (default settings 240f x 30min + warm up)

My first batch which used only a french press screen at the bottom of the bowl and my flower loosely thrown on top of it and the results are much different. Almost/maybe burnt, dark brown and a really foul smell.

The second batch smell is not as toasted and the bud still has a greenish hue but mostly light brown vs amber/dark brown.

I cooked with my first batch (14g to 1cup) and made some traditional Haribo sized gummies, eating about 15 or so did the trick which tells me they are likely 1-1.5mg ea. Definitely some potency loss as my bud was lab tested THCA at 24% and my calculated expectations even with 20% loss was roughly 5mg per gummy.

Gonna play around as I'd like to get my oil a bit more concentrated. I think I got a better decarb this time around and I'm also going to cheese cloth the remaining mash this time too.

 

Sanity check for 2nd batch recipe:

- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp lecithin
- 10g activated flower

Infused for 2.5hr @ 175f and I lost roughly 2 teaspoons of oil. (total = 231mL)

Calculating 10g @ 19% (24% ~ 20% loss) = 1900mg THC
1900mg / 231mL (1 cup) = 8mg per mL
1 tsp = 5mL = 40mg THC
1 tbs = 15mL = 120mg THC

 

Thanks again. I got a few z's to play with so I can hopefully perfect my process trying different variants with timings and heat.

Here's some photos of my first two batches.

Original flower:


Decarbed 240f @ 30 min (2nd decarb using pod method):


First batch of oil (1st decarb using french press screen - burnt ~ 1-1.5mg per mL):


Second batch of oil (2nd decarb using pod method ~ 6-8mg per mL):


Hard to tell from the poor lighting I had available but the oil color differs where the first batch is amber brown and the second batch is an olive brown hue. Took a tsp last night and within 30min the medicine was coming on strong unlike the first batch.

Also noticed the first batch seemed to be all entourage effect and faded quickly whereas the second batch had me feeling good vibes over an hour before tossing in for the night.

Thanks again for the tips and realizing this is still very much a trial and error process even in 2020 haha. Cheers!

 

Thanks, this is great stuff. Gonna do a batch now.

Sanity check on some math for potency using this method.

10 grams powdered decarbed herb lab tested 24% THC (2400mg)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (30mL)
1 teaspoon lecithin (5mL)
2400 / 35 = 68.6mg per mL

1 size 00 capsule = .5mL = 34.3mg pill

Should I factor in any suggested avg. loss during this process?

 

Batch didn't come out as potent as I expected yet two capsules did the trick over the holiday weekend. Wound up w/ roughly 70 capsules. I suspect they are around 10-15mg ea based on the effects felt. It came on within 10-15min and lasted 2-3 hours.

I think I still have some issues with efficient decarboxylation and losing a lot of potency from my product. Gonna test with 1g batches until I get it right.

Some shots of my oil, using an electric stove with a pan and thermo, stirring mostly the entire time.


And these are the few days refrigerated results.

 

Ok, the capsules are great for dosing but we had some cooking ideas that need a less "green" flavor. Using what I've learned above I thought I'd share a bit of the process I've developed as a result of this thread and all of your help.

Today we're gonna make some Fruity Pebble Rice Crispy Treats and some home made Spicy Peanut Brittle (2 3.5g batches roughly 700-800mg ea).

First up is a small batch of Blueberry Indica testing in at 20.15% THC, in which I coarse grind my flower and sift through on a paper plate (de-stem, de-seed) and prep may working area.




Then I pack the Levo 2 Pod. The pod isn't even half full and hey, shook it around a bit and found a bonus seed! Need to sift my grinds better. (I don't think any amount of packing helps so I don't pack it at all)


Once the pod is ready, the silicone magnet strip on the side of the pod snaps right in place into the side of the Levo 2 heating pan.


I now decarb with the following settings:
- activation time set 40min
- activation temp set 240f

* warm up time makes the process take almost an hour

Once complete I open the lid on the Levo and let the heat vent for a few minutes and then pull out the pod and empty the flower back onto my paper plate.

I think I'm getting the hang of this Levo 2 machine, the results keep getting better and I think the trick is doing small batches like this.

The browning is pretty even and it doesn't seem like I need to pause mid way through the activation (decarb) process to stir + that would add even more warm up time to the process.


I spread out the decarbed flower evenly and then place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours to help "un-sticky" the resin before my infusion (based off stuff I've seen in hash making but not sure this helps, seems like it might).

I then prep my cooking fat which this time will be Ghee. I will be using 3 tbs Ghee + 1 tsp Lecithin and I heat up under low flame to mix. For potency, I want a minimal amount of oil, just enough to cover the flower inside the heating pan.


While the lecithin melts I prep for infusion.


When infusing, I use the French press filter instead of the pod and simply snap the Levo silicone magnetic stirrer to the bottom-middle of the heating pan.


I then carefully pour my decarbed flower in and use a stirring stick to keep it from the edges and any that fell on top of the stirring puck in the middle and make sure it is even all around.


I then pour in my oil and use my stirring stick to ensure all flower is submerged.


I close the lid and set the infusion process as follows:

- infuse for 2.5 hours
- infuse at 185f

I open the lid occasionally stirring since the stir puck does nothing at such a small amount. This makes the infusion process take approx. 3 ~ 3.5 hours due to heat up times after each stir (I stopped and stirred 2-3 times each batch)

The resulting oil is pretty dark and very potent. Approx. 3tbs


My batch of Fruity Pebble Rice Crispy Treats cut into 20 pieces came out nicely, not perfect servings but would roughly be approx. 35mg doses each. And let me tell you, these estimates I think are pretty good. Everyone is on their second trip and they are almost gone. They came out so perfect, fruity, crispy and just the right amount of tack.


My second batch was with some Biscotti flower that tested at 23.74% and followed the same process as above to make some Spicy Peanut Brittle.


A close up while it cools down


And the finished product is admittedly a tad dangerous coming in at est. 800mg THC and like most sweat + spicy treats, is very hard to put down.


I think I've got the answers I was seeking and wanted to thank you all for the help and I hope sharing my process and results can maybe help others with their Levo 2 infusions. Cheers!