Cannabis is often consumed in its unprocessed form—smoked or vaped as a bud, mostly—but that certainly isn’t the only way to partake. For a lot of medical cannabis patients, and for those adverse to smoking, something that contains a concentrated version of cannabis is preferable. Think tinctures, topicals, and concentrates, which in some cases can also offer greater potency.
You can make any of those at home fairly easily. (Insert obligatory disclaimer that making concentrates at home using butane is a great way to end up as an 11 o’clock news story called “Local Dipshit Making Hash Oil Blows Up Self, House.” Don’t use butane outside of a regulated, professionally overseen production facility, ever.)
But “fairly easily” is relative, and time, effort, and the quality of your final product are all considerations. Which is why many forgo making their own tinctures and edibles for the same reason many forgo brewing their own beer—it can be messy and time-consuming, you need lots of equipment, strong smells can ensue, and so on.
I’ve made cannabis tinctures and water-extracted concentrates with varying degrees of success for years. But stirring a pound of weed trimmings in a five-gallon bucket filled with ice water for 10 minutes straight loses its charm quickly, and the alcohol tinctures I’ve made resulted in a effective potion, yes, but one that blended the flavors of a garbage bin of lawn trimmings with a hint of burning feet.
On the flipside, cost is a big factor in purchasing premade cannabis tinctures and concentrates. Taxes and other high-cost regulations placed upon the cannabis industry lead to a much higher price for a finished product than what you would make at home. And hobby recreational growers, especially those with plants grown outdoors, often end up with Ziploc bags of surplus bud and trim that they can’t use.
I was intrigued by a new product by Colorado-based company ExtractCraft, who make the Source Turbo. What’s that? (Deep breath.)
