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Vegetable glycerin extraction for cold drinks

Discussion in 'Weed Edibles' started by Organic sinse, Oct 23, 2023.

  1. I am interested in making something along the lines of flavored infused seltzer (the stuff we like had 10mg thc a can). I’ve made simple syrup and added that to seltzer, and while we like it, I’m after something that I don’t need to add the quantity of syrup, I want something lighter.
    Anyways, since I have veg glycerin already, I thought I would try just a simple infusion similar to that which is done with coco oil. I’ve read not to expect more than 10% of the thc to infuse, but I guess I’m ok with that since I have some older weed I want to do something with. I know alcohol extraction is more efficient, but it’s very hard to get here, and extremely expensive. And I don’t care for alcohol at all.
    How does this sound folks? I’m still at the spitballing stage and open for suggestions/critique.
    I want to try something very similar to @BrassNwood coco oil tech. (It works great for me, and I have the right gear).
    Decarb 5 grams buds
    Heat 1 Tablespoon veg glycerin
    I was planning to heat it for 24 hours, so I am planning to use a small 1/2 pint jar with cover in a crock pot.
    When the oil is warm, add 1/2 teaspoon lecithin
    Add buds and let cook for 24 hours, shaking or stiffing periodically.
    Filter thru cheesecloth
    I’ll figure out how to either lightly flavor things, or just add it to flavored seltzer once I get a handle on how much to add.

    I’m assuming using lecithin will work as a strengthener. I’m also pondering adding only 1/2 Tablespoon VG, doing the infusion, straining, and repeat the process with fresh glycerin and combine the two batches to make the final product.
    I’m open to all comments, including a better way to try and make infused seltzers.
    Thanks in advance
    Cheers
    Os
     
    • Like Like x 1

  2. I use less than a half teaspoon of syrup to infuse my seltzer at 50mg guesstimate
    Add zest of citrus to the syrup then thin it out with a little seltzer before adding it to a full glass along with the citrus juice
    Fairly low sugar and you can omit the juice and increase the zest to lower the sugar
    Found using the gums to be the best way to infuse carbonated and non carbonated beverages
    My drinks don't add too much sugar and can maintain flavor profiles of original recipe
    But I have access to refined rso/distillate which makes it easy
     
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    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. Thanks for the reply. What are gums?
    Cheers
    Os
     
  4. Gums are emulsifiers that bind the cannabis oil to the simple syrup
    It keeps the cannabis oil in suspension in hot and cold drinks
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Thank you. Are they something you can find at a store like whole foods or a health food store?
    Thanks again
    Cheers
    Os
     
  6. Guar gum is a common one.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  7. That I have heard of, thank you bunches.
    Cheers
    Os
     
  8. What I use is called 210S
    It is 90% xanthan, 10% acacia gum
    It is modified so other gums may work different
    Usually other gums thicken the syrup so you have to thin it out

    210S

    I make all kinds of infused foods from shakes to gelatin pearls for cocktails
     
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  9. Ive read your oil and syrup thread, lots of info there.
    Thanks again
    Cheers
    Os
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  10. So I went ahead and made a small batch. Here is what I did:
    5 grams decarbed and powdered buds
    Added 1 tablespoon of Vegetable glycerin
    Placed everything in a skinny half pint jar with cover, and put in crock pot for 24 hours. I stirred it every few hours.
    It didn’t seem to be enough vegetable glycerin so at the 6 hour mark I added an additional teaspoon of vegetable glycerin. At the 12 hour mark, it still looked like it could use more VG, so I added 1 more teaspoon.
    Total VG used, ended up being 5 teaspoons.
    I strained it through cheese cloth with the aid of a garlic press. I didn’t measure the net fluid amount recovered, but I estimate it was 2 teaspoons.
    I meant to add lecithin to the VG and heat before adding the weed, but forgot. Next batch will use lecithin.
    What I ended up with was added to various drinks at a rate of 1/4 tsp per drink. No noticeable taste really, and straight seltzer took on a slightly golden color when mixed.
    I tried 1/4 tsp in various off the shelf flavored seltzers and it’s delicious. It’s exactly what I was looking for. The effect seems on par with a 10 mg infused store bought seltzer.
    I’m making another batch tomorrow and definitely using lecithin. I’m hoping it will ‘strengthen’ it a bit.
    Down side, it’s not a very efficient use of grass, and takes 24 hours. I’m trying to get rid of “little jar” stashes, so I don’t mind using that much weed for such a small return, but it’s probably not a good fit for someone who isn’t rich in weed.
    I’ll let ya folks know how the next batch with lecithin turns out.
    Cheers
    Os
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. If possible some pics would be nice
    Video is better
    Gives people a better idea of your method
    I make horrible videos but it does give some illustration
     
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  12. I don’t do video, but I’ll try and snap a pic or two. Starting the next batch tomorrow night.
    Cheers
    Os
     
  13. I did follow up and made a couple batches adding lecithin. I changed my tech around a little bit, now that I know what to expect.
    First I heated 1 Tablespoon VG and added 1/2 teaspoon lecithin granules. I continued to heat until granules all disappeared. Next time I will use liquid lecithin, I have some but I’ve been trying to use up my granules first.
    Next add 5 grams ground up buds. Put cover on mason jar and put in crock pot for 24 hours. At 12 and 18 hours I added an additional 1/2 Tablespoon of VG. The total VG going in was 2 Tablespoons, I yielded a little over a tablespoon of oil after straining. That’s a dozen 1/4 tsp drinks, so that’s not too bad.
    This batch seemed to turn out a better buzz, but I can’t say whether the lecithin does anything or not. Lecithin is so cheap, I can’t imagine skipping it if it does something.
    It does require quite a bit of heating to get the lecithin granules melted. It seemed like I was approaching the high end temp of what VG could take (like it was gonna smoke any second but didn’t). It’s not the same as oil with respect to that. So thus the recommendation of using liquid lecithin.
    We have been making drinks with 1/4 tsp of infused VG. It’s kind of a different buzz than either smoking or eating gummies. It kind of fits in between the two. It’s pretty fast, but not hard hitting, but smooth and not lasting too long. It might also just be the way the dose is slowly taken over time when a drink is sipped. Regardless, it’s a nice ‘warm up’ buzz or in responsible moderation a good compliment to either smoking, vaping, or edibles.
    My fav mixed drink is lemonade or like a lemon lime seltzer. Adding country time powdered lemonade to canned seltzer is the low budget version. A tiny amount of powder and its lemon seltzer, add a lot and you have lemonade. Pretty versatile and cheap-yet oh so tasty and fancy at the same time.
    Cheers
    Os
     
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