Well let me just say that I have been a lurker for some time now, and have gained so much from this forum! I have been playing around with the absolutes, and have a question on the finishing process.
So I've extracted oil from cannabis using typical BHO techniques, added 190 proof grain alcohol (which was frozen), let oil dissolve in grain alcohol and let sit in the freezer. After a couple of days in the freezer I poured the mixture through an unbleached coffee filter, removing the waxes and fats (I guess?). I than have a warming plate warm a pot of water, which creates steam. Place the pyrex dish, which collected the filtered oils, over the steam but do not let it touch the water. Now this is where I need a little advice. First how do I know when the alcohol is totally gone from the oil? Am I changing the THC to CBD or CBN's by applying heat? (I'm still a little unclear how this works) And finally, once completely refined, is this better to be used with cooking or tinctures and not so much to be smoked?
So I've extracted oil from cannabis using typical BHO techniques, added 190 proof grain alcohol (which was frozen), let oil dissolve in grain alcohol and let sit in the freezer. After a couple of days in the freezer I poured the mixture through an unbleached coffee filter, removing the waxes and fats (I guess?). I than have a warming plate warm a pot of water, which creates steam. Place the pyrex dish, which collected the filtered oils, over the steam but do not let it touch the water. Now this is where I need a little advice. First how do I know when the alcohol is totally gone from the oil? Am I changing the THC to CBD or CBN's by applying heat? (I'm still a little unclear how this works) And finally, once completely refined, is this better to be used with cooking or tinctures and not so much to be smoked?