Since I just made a batch of tincture, I thought I'd share my recipe/process, which I have adapted from Master Wu's revised recipe (
available here). I will adopt Master Wu's basic format, but you should definitely read his recipe if you want more background information and details.
First, an overview of the process:
The basic purpose of the tincture-creation process is to produce an alcohol solution that contains the active compounds in cannabis, including THC. This requires that the cannabis be dried thoroughly, chopped finely, heated briefly, and then simmered in high-proof alcohol, before being strained and stored. Simply following those steps in a general way will probably result in a tincture of some sort. However, by starting with Master Wu's great recipe -- and by modifying it through trial and error -- I have arrived at what I believe to be the best way to get a solidly high-potency extract.
Here are the ingredients and equipment required for the quantity I usually make in each batch:
4 to 5 fl oz of Everclear (95% alcohol variety)
1/3 oz of high-quality cannabis
A sheet of aluminum foil
An oven and stove
A 500ml Erlenmeyer flask
A pot of water into which you can place the flask, either upright or tilted to one side
A small funnel (food-grade, never used for nasty chemicals)
A small wire-mesh flour sifter or other fine-mesh strainer that will fit into the funnel
A heat-resistant measuring cup that shows 0.25 oz (or at least 0.5 oz) increments (an old glass baby's bottle works great, though a graduated cylinder would be best)
Three 1/2 oz amber bottles with droppers (
these are the ones I use)
And, finally, the steps:
(1) {OPTIONAL} I start weeks beforehand by making sure the bud I plan to use will be extra-extra dry. In other words, leave the lid off the jar where you keep it, preferably for a few weeks, but at least for a few days. This step is optional since you'll be baking it later, but I've found it helps to maximize the efficiency of the extraction.
(2) As the first step on the tincture-making day, grind the herb as finely as you can. I start by chopping finely with scissors, then put that in my granite mortar & pestle, where I grind it to a fine powder. The bits of stem will remain fibrous (remember, this
is hemp), but the buds should powder completely.
(3) Fold up the edges of the sheet of aluminum foil, creating a makeshift tray, and spread the powdered herb as thinly as you can.
(4) Place the herb into a pre-heated oven at 300 degrees F, and leave it there until it starts to turn slightly golden-green (about 8-12 minutes, depending on how dry it was). Your kitchen will smell like someone is vaporizing your pot, but have no fear, the active compounds should not be evaporating much at this low of a temperature for such a short period.
(5) Carefully remove the herb from the oven and gently reshape the aluminum into a funnel-like shape. Pour the baked cannabis into the Erlenmeyer flask, and add half the Everclear (2 to 2.5 fl oz).
(6) Simmer the Erlenmeyer flask in a water bath (i.e., resting in a pot of water on the stove or a hot plate), keeping the water just below its boiling point until the ethanol starts to boil in the flask (5-10 minutes). Turn the stove to medium-high to quickly bring the water to a boil, then turn off the stove. Swirl the flask around to agitate and mix, but leave the flask in the water bath. The ethanol should continue to boil for a few minutes as the water cools from around 210F to 170F (ethanol's boiling point). Wait an additional 5-10 minutes after the ethanol stops boiling before moving to the next step.
(7) Pour the Everclear/cannabis mixture through the strainer and funnel into the baby bottle or graduated cylinder, pressing the cannabis with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
{8} Return the cannabis solids to the Erlenmeyer flask, add the remainder of the Everclear, repeat steps 6 and 7, then either discard cannabis mixture or spread it out to dry. I like to dry it and use it as filler in joints, but there is very little THC left in it.
(9) You should now have somewhere on the order of 2 to 4 ounces of tincture, but it is not as potent as it can be. Place the bottle/graduated cylinder into a water bath in a bowl on the countertop (not the stove), replacing the water with hot tap water once it cools. Repeat as necessary until the tincture has evaporated down to 1.5 ounces.
(10) Transfer the concentrated tincture into the dropper vials. You're done!
You will need to self-titrate to determine how potent each batch is, and what the effective dosage is. I find that about a half dropperful is enough for me with most batches, but I tend to have a fairly low tolerance compared to most people who are regular smokers. At my dosing rate, I get about 25-30 doses per vial, or about 80-90 doses per 1/3 oz of bud. You might want to increase the herb-to-Everclear ratio if you're using bud trim and less-potent lower-level buds, like I did this time, but since you're going to self-titrate, it's not vitally important.
