By Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD
Better Bud Butter has been a terrific hit with website readers and those fortunate enough to have a copy of “The Canny Bus Trip Kit” (soon to be released). It’s hard to improve on Better Bud Butter but we’ve done it.
Improvement number one comes from using European sweet butter. Regular butter is about 80% butterfat while European butters range from 84-86%. This may seem trivial but remember it is the butterfat that exacts the cannabinoids so a 7-8 % increase in butterfat will result in a more efficient extraction and stronger butter. European style butter comes from a number of manufacturers including Plugra from upstate New York, Strauss Organic, and recently Challenge European Style. Yes, the best still comes from France but it is exorbitantly priced.
Improvement number two comes from using a Braun high speed coffee grinder to convert all cannabis plant material from whatever source to a fine powder. The use of powder means the butter will taste more like cannabis as some of the chlorophyll and a few terpenes get into the butter. It also means a vastly increased surface area where the butterfat meets the cannabinoids. Using powder or “flour” significantly increases the potency of the final butter.
Improvement number three comes from using the best starting materials available. In this case Train Wreck, California Orange, and Pooh Bear trim were ground up and supplemented by powdered California Orange flowers. Using bud as opposed to trim will increase the potency of the butter.
The three improvements noted above resulted in cannabutter that is markedly different from the normal (and quite wonderful) Better Bud Butter. Black Out Bud Butter (BOBB) is approximately 2oo-300% stronger. The name BOBB comes from the fact that this butter is midnight green and will cause blackouts if too much is consumed.
Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds (six cups) of European Style high butterfat unsalted butter. I combined 8 oz of Plugra with 1 pound of Strauss Organic and 1 pound of Challenge European Style. Everyone has there own favorites but mine is Strauss. Strauss is smoother and less greasy than the others.
4 oz powdered Train Wreck Trim
2 oz powdered Pooh Bear Trim (a cross of Train Wreck and Salmon Creek Big Bud)
2 oz powdered California Orange trim
1/3 oz powdered California Orange flowers
Method:
The butters were melted in a covered crock pot set on high. The powdered cannabis was gradually stirred in with a wood spoon. The mixture was frequently stirred and cooked covered on high for one hour followed by three hours set on low. Stirring was accomplished every 15 minutes.
After four hours the hot mixture was squeezed through cheese cloth into a bowl then the product was filtered once more through cheese cloth.
All available butter was squeezed out producing approximately 3 ½ cups. Theoretically, the cloth balls remaining could be re-extracted with more butter but the product would not be nearly as strong.
Approximately 75-85% of the available cannabinoids are extracted on the first pass.
Note on Preparation:
No gloves were used in squeezing the rather hot cloth balls into the collection vessel. If you go barehanded beware of burns. Usually the ball can be twisted and held at the top then you can press the ball with the wood spoon against the side of the collection vessel. Once the ball has cooled sufficiently you can “wring” out the last of the cannabutter. Yes, this is messy but will leave your hands oh so soft.
Note on Amount of powdered cannabis to use: I use as much as will go into solution with the butter. This varies depending upon the cannabis and source.
Note on Potency:
I know this cannabutter is potent simply from the extreme effects produced from handling it. I look forward to using this super potent butter for the next batch of Pecan Sandies.
Better Bud Butter has been a terrific hit with website readers and those fortunate enough to have a copy of “The Canny Bus Trip Kit” (soon to be released). It’s hard to improve on Better Bud Butter but we’ve done it.
Improvement number one comes from using European sweet butter. Regular butter is about 80% butterfat while European butters range from 84-86%. This may seem trivial but remember it is the butterfat that exacts the cannabinoids so a 7-8 % increase in butterfat will result in a more efficient extraction and stronger butter. European style butter comes from a number of manufacturers including Plugra from upstate New York, Strauss Organic, and recently Challenge European Style. Yes, the best still comes from France but it is exorbitantly priced.
Improvement number two comes from using a Braun high speed coffee grinder to convert all cannabis plant material from whatever source to a fine powder. The use of powder means the butter will taste more like cannabis as some of the chlorophyll and a few terpenes get into the butter. It also means a vastly increased surface area where the butterfat meets the cannabinoids. Using powder or “flour” significantly increases the potency of the final butter.
Improvement number three comes from using the best starting materials available. In this case Train Wreck, California Orange, and Pooh Bear trim were ground up and supplemented by powdered California Orange flowers. Using bud as opposed to trim will increase the potency of the butter.
The three improvements noted above resulted in cannabutter that is markedly different from the normal (and quite wonderful) Better Bud Butter. Black Out Bud Butter (BOBB) is approximately 2oo-300% stronger. The name BOBB comes from the fact that this butter is midnight green and will cause blackouts if too much is consumed.
Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds (six cups) of European Style high butterfat unsalted butter. I combined 8 oz of Plugra with 1 pound of Strauss Organic and 1 pound of Challenge European Style. Everyone has there own favorites but mine is Strauss. Strauss is smoother and less greasy than the others.
4 oz powdered Train Wreck Trim
2 oz powdered Pooh Bear Trim (a cross of Train Wreck and Salmon Creek Big Bud)
2 oz powdered California Orange trim
1/3 oz powdered California Orange flowers
Method:
The butters were melted in a covered crock pot set on high. The powdered cannabis was gradually stirred in with a wood spoon. The mixture was frequently stirred and cooked covered on high for one hour followed by three hours set on low. Stirring was accomplished every 15 minutes.
After four hours the hot mixture was squeezed through cheese cloth into a bowl then the product was filtered once more through cheese cloth.
All available butter was squeezed out producing approximately 3 ½ cups. Theoretically, the cloth balls remaining could be re-extracted with more butter but the product would not be nearly as strong.
Approximately 75-85% of the available cannabinoids are extracted on the first pass.
Note on Preparation:
No gloves were used in squeezing the rather hot cloth balls into the collection vessel. If you go barehanded beware of burns. Usually the ball can be twisted and held at the top then you can press the ball with the wood spoon against the side of the collection vessel. Once the ball has cooled sufficiently you can “wring” out the last of the cannabutter. Yes, this is messy but will leave your hands oh so soft.
Note on Amount of powdered cannabis to use: I use as much as will go into solution with the butter. This varies depending upon the cannabis and source.
Note on Potency:
I know this cannabutter is potent simply from the extreme effects produced from handling it. I look forward to using this super potent butter for the next batch of Pecan Sandies.
