What is ABV Weed, and How Can We Use It? ABV Edibles and Recipes

When referring to vaporized weed, there are two different options for users. Most commonly, ‘vaping’ refers to vaporizing a cannabis concentrate. This is done with a battery and cartridge filled with extracts like distillate or live resin. Another common vape method is vaporizing dry ground nugs, which requires a device with a specific chamber to place the flower in. 

After a vape cartridge has been smoked and is empty, the cartridge is disposed of and cannot be reused. In a dry herb vaporizer, once the flower has been heated, the crispy brown weed left in the chamber doesn’t need to be disposed of. It is common for this ‘already been vaped,’ or ABV weed, to be made into products like edibles and tinctures. In this article, we’ll share more about what to do with ABV and recipes to start with.

What is ABV Weed?

ABV is an acronym for ‘already been vaped’ weed. It can also be called AVB or ‘already vaped buds.’

It’s the leftover material in the chamber of a dry herb vaporizer. It is brown and crispy and needs to be cleared out before the next use. Since it doesn’t turn to ash, many users wonder if they can use it rather than throw it away. 

Cannabis buds or unsmoked weed are filled with cannabinoids, but they do not deliver any intoxicating effects as is. They need to be ‘activated’ by heat to turn cannabinoids like THCA, which is non-intoxicating, into THC, which is. 

This is typically done by smoking the buds rolled into joints or packed into bowls. These methods turn the material into ash, which is not usable and is thrown away. Another way to activate the weed is by decarboxylating it in an oven or other heating devices. You can then use the decarbed weed to infuse alcohol, oils, tinctures, topicals, edibles, and other items.

ABV weed is a form of decarboxylated cannabis that can be used for other infusions. It can be more challenging to determine the potency of ABV weed and products made from it, but it still may deliver intoxicating effects.

Is ABV Weed Safe to Reuse?

Yes, ABV weed is considered safe to use and infuse into tinctures, topicals, or edibles. It can even be re-smoked.

ABV weed is not too different from decarboxylated weed dried in an oven. The material's potency may depend on various factors, like the cultivar, the temperature it was heated to, and how many times the material has been used. 

ABV weed can technically be reinfused or used as often as you like, as long as the weed is stored correctly and has no mold. If you plan to use ABV, keep it in a dry, cool place. 

What To Do with ABV Weed?

After vaping your cannabis flower, remove the ‘already been vaped’ weed from the chamber and transfer it into an airtight container. If you don’t plan on using it, keep it in a cool, dry place. When you are ready to use it, here is what to do with ABV weed:

• Smoke or vape it – Smoking ABV is one of the simplest ways to consume the material. You can vape it, add it to a bowl, or roll it into a joint. The flavor and potency will change as you continue to consume it. If you add it to a bowl or joint, the ABV will turn to ash, but if you vape it you can get more use out of it.

• Make a tincture – Many consumers claim tinctures are the best way to use ABV because tinctures can be consumed as-is or infused in foods and beverages. To make a tincture from ABV weed, place the material into a glass jar and pour in high-proof alcohol, like Everclear. Use an alcohol meant for human consumption, NOT rubbing alcohol or other types of alcohol not meant for human consumption. Give the jar a good shake and store it in the freezer, removing it to shake the jar every few days. The alcohol will absorb the cannabinoids; when you’re ready to consume it, you can strain the ABV from the alcohol.

The remaining liquid is consumed by placing it under the tongue for 15-30 seconds and then swallowing what’s left. 

• Make butter or oil – You can add ABV directing to butter or oils, like coconut or olive. To do this in a saucepan, heat the oil at a low temperature for a few hours, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t boil. When ready, you can strain the cannabis herbs out and store the butter or oil in the fridge for future use. 

• Making edibles – You can infuse virtually any other food item using ABV weed, starting with the recipe from the tincture, butter, or oil. Cooking with ABV weed directly is also an option, like in firecrackers. 

• Making topicals – Topicals are an excellent way to utilize your ‘already been vaped’ cannabis. The process is identical to making oils. It becomes a topical when you mix the ABV oil with beeswax (or any safe and natural wax) on low heat till it melts. You can then add in other essential oils or vitamin E as a preservative.
  

Move this mixture to a wide-mouth jar and let it sit until it hardens. Then it’s ready for use.  

• Make capsules – The method of consumption requires a few extra tools. First, you’ll take your ABV and grind it up finely. Once you decide what you want your dosage to be, you’ll add the ground-up ABV weed and a high-fat-content oil to a vegetable glycerine capsule using a pipette or syringe. The ABV capsules are ready to consume as soon as they’re done.

• Making concentrate – You can also use ABV weed to make concentrates like rosin. You can use a rosin press designed to add excessive heat and pressure to the material. Or you can simply place the ABV on parchment paper, fold it and apply heat to it using a hair straightener or iron till the rosin is extracted.

Rosin can be consumed by adding it to bowls or joints or by dabbing it.

• Compost it – If you don’t wish to use your ABV weed, you can dispose of it by adding it to a compost pile. 

Consumers who prefer dab rigs may not have ABV weed, but they can put dab reclaim to use.

ABV Water Cure: What Is It?

An ABV water cure is a process of soaking the ABV weed in water to remove the flavor. The already vaped flower tastes unpleasant, so many people choose to take this step before making ingestible infusions, like tinctures, capsules, or edibles. Cannabinoids are not water soluble, so an ABV cure will not affect the material's potency.

There are a couple of different methods to do an ABV water cure. The simplest method is with a cheesecloth. You'll also need your AVB and a large bowl or container for soaking.

1. Place your AVB in the cheesecloth and wrap it, so it’s covered with two layers of the cloth. Tie a knot in the cloth to secure the material and place it in the water. Place a heavy object like a cup to hold the cheesecloth under the water.
   
2. You can leave the ABV in the water for as little as a few hours to a few days. After some time, the water will start to turn brown. You can leave the ABV in the same water, or change out the water every so often. The longer you soak it, and the more often you change the water, the more the unpleasant flavor will be removed.
   
3. When you feel satisfied with the cure, you can remove the cheesecloth and dispose of the water. Then remove the ABV from the cloth.
   
4. Dry the weed in the oven again before using it in any recipes. To do this, place the ABV on a baking sheet and into the oven for a few hours at 140-180 degrees. You can stir this mixture every so often to ensure it dries evenly. 

ABV Edibles: Sample Recipes

Cooking with ABV weed is a great way to tailor an edible to your needs, save money, and get creative in the kitchen. Making sure you get an appropriate dosage may be challenging, but there are some tools to help calculate it. Below are a few simple ABV recipes to start with.

Cannabutter Recipe

This is a standard cannabis-infused butter recipe, except we’ll be using ABV weed. You can use the resulting butter instead of regular butter to make other baked goods and infused foods.

Materials

• ABV weed (3 to 4 grams or ½ cup for every cup of butter)
• Butter
• Water
• Saucepan
• Cheesecloth

Recipe

1. On low heat, melt the butter in the saucepan.
2. Once the butter melts, stir in the water and ABV weed.
3. Simmer this mixture on low for 2 to 3 hours.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
5. Once the butter has cooled, pour it through a cheesecloth to remove the ABV into a sealable container.
6. You can dispose of the ABV or reuse it but make sure to dry it out before storing it.
7. Place the container in the fridge to cool and solidify.
8. If water forms at the top of the butter, dispose of it as it accumulates.

Cooking Oil

Cannabis cooking oil is another simple recipe with endless uses. The most common oils used are coconut oil and olive oil. The process is similar to the butter recipe, with a few differences.

Materials

• ABV weed (about 7 grams for every 1 cup of cooking oil)
• Cooking oil
• Saucepan
• Metal mesh Strainer

Recipe

1. On low heat, heat the oil in the saucepan. Adjust the heat as needed to avoid burning it or starting a fire.
2. Once the boil is warmed up, stir in the ABV weed.
3. Simmer this mixture on low for 1 to 4 hours. The oil will be light brown.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
5. Once the oil has cooled, pour it through a metal mesh strainer into a jar. 
6. You can dispose of the ABV or reuse it but make sure to dry it out before storing it.
7. Store the oil properly.

Firecracker

This is the most classic, simplest, and sweetest way to use ABV. A firecracker can be tailored to your liking with different marshmallows, crackers, and chocolates. Below is just one variety of the recipe.

Materials

• ABV weed (the amount you use it up to your liking: ½ teaspoon is a good place to start.)
• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallow
• Chocolate bar
• Foil
• Baking sheet

Recipe

1. Place a piece of chocolate on the graham cracker.
2. On top of the chocolate, sprinkle the ABV.
3. Place a marshmallow on top of the chocolate.
4. Add a graham cracker on top of the marshmallow.
5. Wrap the firecracker in foil. 
6. Place the wrapped firecracker on a baking sheet.  
7. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 mins at a low temperature of about 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool for a few moments before eating.

ABV Tinctures: How to Make One

An ABV tincture is a versatile product that is fairly simple to make. Tinctures can be consumed by placing them under the tongue or used in edible recipes.

Materials

• ABV weed 
• Glass jar with a lid
• Mesh strainer or coffee filter
• Food grade clear alcohol

Recipe

1. Place your ABV in the glass jar.
2. Pour the alcohol so that it covers the material a little more.
3. Set the lid tight and shake the jar well.
4. Place the jar in the freezer.
5. You can leave it there for as little as a few hours or up to a few days. The longer you let it soak, the more potent the tincture will be. Take it out to shake it every couple of days.
6. Remove the jar from the freezer when its alcohol is soaked to your liking.
7. Using a mesh strainer or coffee filter, pour the mixture through it and into another glass jar.
8. The tincture is ready to use as is or infused into other goods.
9. You can dispose of the ABV or reuse it but make sure to dry it out before storing it.

The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.