Awesome posts lately. Cool to see what people are up to. Here's how things are going over here.
Disclaimer: I'm enjoying this so I'm geeking out with it. There are many dead simple ways to just dissolve concentrate and vape it. I'm not implying here that anyone needs to go about it like this, just sharing what I'm up to.
DIY Juice Project
So, I finished the HT bottles I had and I purchased some bulk materials to mix my own alternative for myself with, hopefully, a higher VG percentage. I've got some VG, PG, PEG400, and some terpenes now, along with my flavors I already had. I also already have limonene, not pictured, and I am going to purchase some terpinolene as well (see ** below for why).
Juice Base
For the juice itself, I just wanted to test out higher percentages of VG than what I suspect is in the existing mixers that are being sold. I know VG causes separation, but I think (and I've seen) that with enough vigorous mixing it's possible to get a good enough mix. Also, I'm not trying to make a commercial product so if something can be mixed into at least a suspension, then that's good enough for a few days till I'm done the tank anyway.
For my first test, I made a small batch with these ratios:
Terpene Additive
I researched a bunch of lab results on the SCLabs site and noted the terpene volumes and ratios in many Indica and Sativa strains that I'm familiar with and particularly like. Generally, total terpene volume is ~2-3%. I looked at the differing terpene percentages in the different strains, observed the patterns, noted the most common and came up with a rough estimate of a simple terpene profile for Indica and Sativa and purchased the terpenes that contribute the most to those percentages. Not totally scientific, but a decent approximation. I took my juice base, split it in half, then added different combos of terpenes to each at a total 3% volume of the juice base. Each combo was broken down like this:
Indica (for night time):
- 1/3 B Caryophyllene
- no A Pinene
- 1/3 Myrcene
- 1/6 Linalool
- 1/6 Limonene
Sativa (for day time):
- 1/3 B Caryophyllene
- 1/6 A Pinene
- 1/6 Myrcene
- no Linalool
- 1/3 Limonene
Note about Terpene ratios and safety: These don't represent the actual ratios of terpenes within cannabis strains, but it's a simplified approximation of their relative amounts. Generally, if you look at the terpene profiles, these 5 terpenes account for the largest percentage of the total terpene content. Within strains, they tend to sort themselves into these general ratios but at lower amounts. Like Girl Scout Cookies has a very high B Caryophyllene count but it actually only accounts for ~8% ratio of the total terpene volume. However, I'm not adding 20-30 different terpenes, just 5, so I'm upping the overall amount of each that I am using to fill the total volume. I think this is ok because my terpenes aren't super concentrated. They smell strong and distinct, but not super pungent, so I think I have some leeway. Also, the total combined terpene mix still only accounts for 3% of the total volume of the juice. So, overall, I think I'm being sufficiently cautious. Terpenes are ultimately caustic solvents really so it's good to be careful I think. I encourage others to approach the subject with care and welcome anyone to call out anything I may not be considering here.
** Note about Terpinolene: While browsing lab results and making notes about terpene profiles in different strains, I noticed something interesting. The super cerebral strains that I love (the hazes, the supers, the jacks) had unexpected terpene profiles. I expected the clearly sativa dominant strains in these bunches to have the typical sativa profile (high pinene, moderate myrcene, no linalool, moderate limonene, high caryophyllene). Instead, they didn't! They all had very low terpene counts on all of terpenes. But, they all had very high percentages of Terpinolene (a terpene that is otherwise hardly present in other strains). Reading up on Terpinolene, the only physical effect I've seen documented is that
it has sedative effects. Could be co-incidence, could be what accounts for some of the unique highs of those strains. In any case, I've ordered some Terpinolene to add to the kit and experiment with.
First Mix
I bought a few grams of the cheapest extract I can find at local dispensaries ($18/gram, sort of waxy/crumbly Kush and Sour D). Good for experimenting, not high grade, but not crap really. I'll make 1/2g mixes. For the first one I used the Sativa juice with Sour D. I'm still using my Aspire Cleito tank (no probs with leaks anymore, I just store it upside down when the tank is less than half full) so I'm still loving mixing at about 7:1 ratio. This tank is seriously amazing. I go even thinner, but that's pretty ideal to start for me.
Concentrate mix (~7:1):
1/2g of Sour D waxy crumble (low grade)
3.5ml of my Sativa mixer
2 drops Mandarin (FA)
2 drops Lime Tahiti (FA)
2 drops Pineapple (FA)
Mixing process and result:
It took vigorous mixing on lower temp, water pan, shot glass set up to get it to fully break down. I was only using a lab stir stick this time but I got creative and really whisked it up. I ended up with what I consider a "fine suspension", not a fully mixed solution. Pretty much what I expected, not clear but not opaque, just a little milky. I let it sit overnight and while it didn't separate, a small amount of oil had formed a slick on top. It was not 1/2g of concentrate though, no where near, I imagine it was just a small percentage of plant fats in this lower grade concentrate. Someone mentioned winterizing and I totally agree. If I had volumes of concentrate to work with, I would definitely winterize and I bet you could easily mix with high % VG quite stably.
Qualitative review:
Regardless if this didn't mix perfect, it tastes AMAZING. Holy fuck I love VG. I used to vape at 20 watts on my Sigelei 90W mod, now I've stepped it up to 30 watts and the vapor actually feels cooler and smoother than when I was vaping HT based mix at 20 watts. VG is so luxurious and luscious I could go on about it forever. Damn. What a difference from PG and PEG. My terpene infused juice tastes really good. The additional flavoring that I added is very subtle (6 tiny flavor bottle drops in 3.5 ml is perfect). The clouds are so thick and deliciously cool, it just blows my mind. It never really separated, it all stayed suspended as it was but that little oil slick re-appears over night. Again, not enough volume to be all the concentrate, it's small. I give it a shake and it's gone.
Half way through this tank I topped it back up to about 80% full by just adding more of my terpy mix, not even any more concentrate. I've vaped nearly the rest of this tank now and I still get fully hazed off a few tokes, although I prefer a dozen or so hits for a session. It is just so damn satisfying to enjoy these big, smooth, cool, completely irritation free tokes. This is by far the most efficient way to consume cannabis, and the smoothest cannabis vaping experience yet for me. It's amazing how diluted you can go with these sub ohm setups, and using high % VG mixer just makes the juice so enjoyable.
Next steps:
Sorry, no pics. I let the initial tank mix sit overnight, then I've blasted through it in the past 3 days. I'll mix up another shortly and post pics of that. I'm rigging up a hack mini-whisk made of paper clips to my dremel tool and I'll try mixing with that. I've got 2.5g total of concentrate left to experiment with, anyone think I should winterize? Seems like too little to work with, but I might just do it to compare. I swear it'll mix with VG easy after that. I don't mind loss of concentrate flavor from winterizing since I'm re-adding terps and flavors. I just want to get all the fats out. I'll play with the concentrate I have now then maybe mix up some new base and terp infused juice at different ratios, hopefully higher VG.