What is cannabis decarboxylation?

It may sound like advanced chemistry, but make no mistake. You’ve done this activity many times without knowing the name. But for beginners, let’s explain it and start from the very beginning.

The precursor to the famous THC is THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid). It’s the primary stage of this well-known cannabinoid, . Through decarboxylation, the carboxyl group is eliminated (the last “A” disappears). It is in this way that THCA is converted into THC.

Keep one crucial thing in mind: if you want to enjoy the fruits of your work and enjoy THC to the full, you must decarboxylate your cannabis. If you do not do this, you will not fulfil the full potential of your plants.

Now for the decarboxylation method. We’ve rounded up the most well-known ones for you.

1. Cannabis decarboxylation using an oven

The most well-known and also quite common method. This is especially true if you are going to make some delicacies from marijuana. You are actually “baking” your cannabis. So proceed as follows:

• Crush the plant material so that it can be spread in a thin layer on the surface.
• Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper.
• Spread the plant material on the baking paper so that it is evenly distributed.
• Preheat your oven to 115 degrees and place the baking sheet in it for 45 minutes. Halfway through this time, flip the cannabis over and again spread evenly over the surface.

The most important thing here is to keep an eye on the temperature throughout. You may feel that a higher temperature would speed up the process. This is not the case. Important substances would evaporate, and your work gonna be wasted. You don’t have to worry about spoiling anything by going through this drawn-out process at a lower temperature. We therefore recommend this method.

2. Sous-vide method

This is the preparation of food in a vacuum container, immersed in hot water. This method of cannabis decarboxylation is also quite popular. The water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, so you can’t burn anything here. So here’s how you go about it:

• Crush your plant material and place it in a vacuum bag.
• If you have a sous-vide pot, set it to 95 degrees. If you don’t have one, use a regular pot to bring the water to a boil. When the water is 95-100 degrees, you’re ready.
• Place the cannabis bag in the boiling water and cook for 60 minutes.

3. Long-term storage

Some people do decarboxylation the old-fashioned way and leave the cannabis in one place for a longer period of time. In this case too, THCA degrades to THC, but it should be added that THC also degrades. Over time, it changes to CBN (cannabinol). Simply let your well dryed buds in a closed glass container without an acces of daylight and humidity. Let your weed chill like that for at least one year.

Which method of cannabis decarboxylation would you choose?