Favorite fat(s) for cannabis infusion

So it's that time of year when I look to improve my techniques in the build up to our favorite holliday. I'm well researched in this area, but feel there is nothing better than personal experience.

Science tells us that coconut oil has the best conditions for maximum absorbtion of thc due to its high fat content and medium chain triglycerides, and it's been my go to for a while.

A good friend of mine who's tolerance is high and who's opinion I value, has said repeatedly that he prefers infused butter, and swears that it's stronger for him. I had a hard time with this, but didn't rule it out based on my own experiences with butter.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a study posted by @momofthegoons which seems to show butter as being the most absorbent fat after 4 and 8 hour intervals, which would line up with what I've been hearing.

I've started wondering if perhaps coconut oil is theoretically best at absorbing cannabinoids, but perhaps less bioavailable than butter for some people? Perhaps the best fat depends on the person?

I've read about people who swear by using multille oils, and I am considering an infusion with olive, avacado and coconut oils. My reservation is that perhaps it would be better to use butter, and that's hopefully where you guys come in.

Theres lots of great information online but you guys are my most trusted source for tried and true informed opinions.

A few notes:

1. I plan to use a heavy indica mainly for use at night.

2. Unlike the last few eperiments, I am looking to cook with the final product and am unsure if using multiple oils will affect consistency (soggy brownies, etc)

3. If anyone is aware of an infused oil which works best in chocolate, I'd love to hear about that. Not sure if I can use bud infused oil or if it HAS to be a concentrate.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has information to share!

If I recall correctly, clarified butter (Ghee) came out on top.
Great if you've got a recipe that can use butter...
I haven't been able to bake in some time, but I have used many different oils, including Sunflower, Safflower, Canola (ick), Peanut. Kind of liked how the brownies came out with the peanut oil.
I see no reason you couldn't use either bud or concentrate or both.
I'm pretty sure a lot of the chocolatiers have been using or at least playing with Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.

I've done several batches of canola oil in my life and it never has failed me. Very consistent onset after 45 mins and a mellow high for 4 hours.

I recently did some butter and it's slower to onset and lasts much longer. So perhaps fats and oils that are higher in weight take longer for our body to start breaking down? This last batch of brownies takes over an hour to kick in.

looney2nz said:

If I recall correctly, clarified butter (Ghee) came out on top.
Great if you've got a recipe that can use butter...
I haven't been able to bake in some time, but I have used many different oils, including Sunflower, Safflower, Canola (ick), Peanut. Kind of liked how the brownies came out with the peanut oil.
I see no reason you couldn't use either bud or concentrate or both.
I'm pretty sure a lot of the chocolatiers have been using or at least playing with Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.

Click to expand...

I should have clarified that by butter I meant ghee! It's looking really intriguing atm. Thanks for the insight on coconut oil and chocolate, it's the one I was leaning towards for such a recipe. I didn't realize there were so many different oils being used!!

@Winegums thanks for your input! Canola oil never crossed my mind. I find your theory on weight of the oil and onset of absorption to be most interesting, and have read about different fats being absorbed in different parts of our digestive tracts, resulting in varying speeds of delivery, and duration of effects.

Its starting to look like i will eventually need to do side by side infusions in the same conditions with the same strain, and different fats, to truly get to the bottom of this. At such a point when that happens I will likely start a thread to present my findings in detail, or report back here, whichever is most appropriate.

For now any advice, personal experiences, information and techniques are most welcome and appreciated!

My favorite decarb right now is 220 for 40 minutes, as I feel my oven probably sits at 240 after a good long preheat.

My technique for this latest batch was to be a double boiler method, with a deep round Pyrex dish sitting in a large pot, and a shallow Pyrex dish to cover the large dish. The infusion would take place in the large Pyrex dish, at a temperature between 100 and 150 ferenheit for approximately two 8 hour shifts, and overnight refrigeration in between.

I will be using a digital temperature sensor to monitor temperature, and if anyone has information on the best temperature to use I'd really appreciate it. I'm more concerned about going to high, but am also determined to extract as much as possible.

Thanks guys!

i compared a butter recipe i was using to coconut oil and got a stronger batch from the oil...although i think that if you stick with the properties of the butter vs oil (pick the right temp/method for what you use) you should get out similar results (i would think) but the oil just outperformed and was tired of wasting on experimenting.

my oil recipe is here

regardless of what oil is used be sure to add lecithin into it... personally I use sunflower lecithin as a better carrier or deliverer... add in an ultra sonic device and you have infused lyposomal encapsulated cannabinoids...

Hey just wanted to post an update here for anyone who is interested.

Two 8 hour incriments in a double boiler is a very nice technique, refrigerating overnight in-between. Temperature stays stable around 95 Celsius (used a temp reader but not necessary with this technique). The only hassle is adding water every 20-30 minutes, but well worth it!!