Cannabutter newbie here.

bacchusgal

New Member
I recently made some cannabutter with some good sugar leaf and larf using the sous vide method. I had enough material to make 3 lbs of butter. (This was my first time to make cannabutter.)

Each sous vide bag had 1 lb of unsalted butter in addition to the cannabis. After straining, I only got 3/4 lb of cannabutter per bag. I figured there would be some loss due to losing some milk solids and water content to the decarbed material. Is this volume loss normal?

Also, I strained it through a double layer of grade 90 cheesecloth and a fine mesh sieve and some very fine pollen debris still filtered through. I didn't notice it when I poured my first batch into the butter molds and the sticks came out with a dark debris-filled layer (very thin but it's there). Did I need to quadruple the layers of cheesecloth or perhaps another straining method is better? I didn't want to use too many layers of cheesecloth as it would just soak up more butter instead of passing it on through to the measuring cup. On subsequent pours I watched the debris closely in the cup and stopped pouring when it started to pour out with the melted butter.

Thanks for your help, everyone.
 

mr. childs

Well-Known Member
i use cheesecloth & the 190u filter that came with the wardens magic butter machine i got her last christmas.
 

iDab666

Active Member
what I do to make bomb ass editable is get some nitrile glove and break up bud by hand or not to fine you want to be just a tad bit chunky. Preheat your oven to 275 and put your bud inside and decarboxylate the weed for say 15 - 25 min looking for a slightly brown tint. Then your going to add desired amount of butter into a pan. Take the bud that has been decarboxylated and put in a nice size piece of cheese cloth. ( just enough so that it won’t leak out unwanted plant material.) Low summer and I mean low !!!!!!! From my experience you need to simmer for at least 4 hours and honestly the longer the better. Iv simmered one once of bud and trim for 2 whole days. Those edibles knocked me on my ass and I passed out for over 35 hrs !!!!
 

iDab666

Active Member
I forgot to mention about the last step in making canna butter. After all that, I pour the contents in to a Tupperware container and place it in my refrigerator for about 10 to 15 hrs or so. There may more than likely be some undesirable water on the very bottom.... I dump that out.
 
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bacchusgal

New Member
I forgot to mention about the last step in make canna butter. After all that I pour the contents in to a Tupperware container and place it in my refrigerator for about 10 to 15 hrs or so. There may more than likely be some undesirable water on the very bottom.... I dump that out.
I think this is the mistake I made. I didn't get rid of the sludge before pouring the first batch of butter, just poured directly into the mold. I can see that pouring it all into a bowl to let it settle then harden would be better. Would it help to add a little boiling water to the melted butter to help the sediment separate before chilling it to harden? I'm just trying to get as much yield of a good, clean butter as I can.

Gotta say I loved the lack of odor using the Sous Vide method, but straining the butter was aromatic as hell.

Also, is the loss of 1/4 of the volume of butter normal? I didn't squeeze the cheesecloth too firmly, as it seemed that just caused more sludge to pass through, but I know there was a lot of butter left in the material. How firmly do you press the material to remove as much quality butter as possible? Or do you just squeeze away and worry about the sludge later?

Thanks for your help!
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
I think this is the mistake I made. I didn't get rid of the sludge before pouring the first batch of butter, just poured directly into the mold. I can see that pouring it all into a bowl to let it settle then harden would be better. Would it help to add a little boiling water to the melted butter to help the sediment separate before chilling it to harden? I'm just trying to get as much yield of a good, clean butter as I can.

Gotta say I loved the lack of odor using the Sous Vide method, but straining the butter was aromatic as hell.

Also, is the loss of 1/4 of the volume of butter normal? I didn't squeeze the cheesecloth too firmly, as it seemed that just caused more sludge to pass through, but I know there was a lot of butter left in the material. How firmly do you press the material to remove as much quality butter as possible? Or do you just squeeze away and worry about the sludge later?

Thanks for your help!
If you make it with half water, half butter you wind up with a clearer final product.
After refrigeration the water and sediment drops to the bottom with the block of butter on top. Warm it up again and put back in the fridge. You will get the last of the water and sediment out after it chills.

I guess adding water at the end would achieve the same thing. I used to add water on the stovetop so it didnt get as hot as straight oil and didnt need as much babysitting.
 
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Rayi

Well-Known Member
I don't use water when I make the butter. I do cool the butter in a glass Pyrex bowel. When firm I heat in a crock pot with a inch or do of water. I add 1/2 inch of water to the butter. After it is all melted I return to the fridge. I will do this twice. It gets more chlorophyll out. If you do this the butter will taste less weedy and will be lighter. Never use water when making the butter because it draws out nasty stuff.
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
I don't use water when I make the butter. I do cool the butter in a glass Pyrex bowel. When firm I heat in a crock pot with a inch or do of water. I add 1/2 inch of water to the butter. After it is all melted I return to the fridge. I will do this twice. It gets more chlorophyll out. If you do this the butter will taste less weedy and will be lighter. Never use water when making the butter because it draws out nasty stuff.
What nasties? I never really noticed a difference.
Just dont bother any more cuz i dont mind alil grit and the crockpot is set and forget
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Water waxes and chlorophyll
I have never heard of such things. Is there a read on this somewhere?
I thought most of the plant was insoluble in water. And if it were soluble it would wind up in the water that is discarded.
 

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
I squeeze the cheesecloth until every last drop is out, I think it is better to clean it a couple of times afterwards than to waste loads of butter.

I put the squeezed butter into a tupperware in the fridge, add an inch of cold water, wait a few hours until it is hard, then make a couple of holes with a knife and pour the sludgy water underneath away. Pop the hard butter puck out of the container and scrape or rinse off with cold water any sludge stuck to the bottom. Put puck back into tupperware and add another inch or so of boiling water this time, to melt the butter, and put back into fridge. Repeat a couple of times until the water is clear and you will have super clean butter with no 'green' taste.

Gently melt the butter again either in a pan or double boiler and pour into molds.
 

bacchusgal

New Member
I squeeze the cheesecloth until every last drop is out, I think it is better to clean it a couple of times afterwards than to waste loads of butter.

I put the squeezed butter into a tupperware in the fridge, add an inch of cold water, wait a few hours until it is hard, then make a couple of holes with a knife and pour the sludgy water underneath away. Pop the hard butter puck out of the container and scrape or rinse off with cold water any sludge stuck to the bottom. Put puck back into tupperware and add another inch or so of boiling water this time, to melt the butter, and put back into fridge. Repeat a couple of times until the water is clear and you will have super clean butter with no 'green' taste.

Gently melt the butter again either in a pan or double boiler and pour into molds.
Thanks.
 
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