Honey oil – the connoisseurs concentrate. As regulations that restrict the cannabis industry are slowly easing their grasp, the innovations begin to flourish. New products are being introduced to us on a regular basis and it can be hard to keep track of everything that is happening to the market. Out of the clutter, honey oil is one that is rapidly growing in popularity.
If all these points interest you, then you’ve come to the right place! You will learn how to consume it safely, what to expect from it, and how to make some yourself.
Let’s get into what honey oil is all about.
What is Honey Oil?
Honey oil has many different names, but they all describe the same substance. Some common ones that you may have heard include hash oil and weed honey. Regardless of what it’s called, the extraction process is the same.
The honey oil starts as dried flower and is concentrated into smaller, potent portions of marijuana. As such, the oil still contains the same active ingredients you would find from the bud such as THC, CBD and terpenes to list a few.
Because it is called honey oil, it might be easily confused for some other cannabis-infused oils. However, it’s completely different from what consumers would normally expect from something with ‘oil’ in the product description.
Instead of a slick, viscous appearance like most oils, honey oil has a sticky and thick consistency. This is from the winterization that the oil goes through. The process turns it from dried flower into a clear-amber colored product that can be safely consumed.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but honey oil generally does not have a sweet taste to it. It has become a victim of the cannabis community’s tendency to make pet names for their latest and greatest product. Nevertheless, it is still a popular choice of many with a keen knowledge of marijuana.
Sometimes, products derived from honey oil can be associated with the product and add more confusion to the ever-growing list of names that it collects. For example, wax and shatter are commonly used interchangeably with it because they are made from it. Although we may not be learning about them in this article, it is important to keep this in mind.
What to do With Honey Oil?
Well, after reading about why it’s so great, one would wonder how they would consume this magnificent product. Honey oil is suitable for all types of stoners because it can be smoked, vaped, and dabbed. If hitting it alone is not your cup of tea, it’s also possible to add it to joints or to top off your bowl. Just a bit can elevate your next high to new heights, so be careful when you use it!
Why is Honey Oil Special?
The most obvious factor would be the potency of the oil. Normally, dried marijuana flowers have somewhere between 10-20% THC content. Compared with content of approximately 60-80% in the oil, it is easy to tell that it is much more potent than the typical bud. This means that you are getting more cannabinoids per hit with no plant matter.
Coupled with the consistency and the looks of honey oil, the only word to describe it is mesmerizing. After smoking some of it, people have reported back saying they’ve gazed at their product for hours on end.
Once again, honey oil goes by many names and is a product made from dried cannabis flower. It can be called hash oil in certain scenarios but is the same thing. Also, shatter and wax are derived from this product, meaning that they use it within their own production process.
You Only get out What you put in
Like many other cannabis recipes, any sort of bud will get the job done. With that being said, the quality of the bud does affect the end product. This means that trim or shake is a viable option, but will not guarantee a great concentrate at the end. Not to fear, it is still a good idea to use these in the beginning, to gain experience before wasting the higher-quality, expensive flower.
How to Make Honey Oil
This process is not meant to be very hard but it can be difficult for somebody new to synthesizing concentrates. Some easier options for beginners are cannabis oil or rosin.
First off, to extract the cannabis from the plant matter, there needs to be a solvent. These can include CO2, butane, or isopropyl alcohol. As a side note, these products (especially butane) can be very dangerous if improperly handled so it is recommended to do your own research when choosing your solvent. In most scenarios, isopropyl is the safer option since you will not have to worry about residual solvents like with other choices.
Regardless of which solvent, safety precautions are still needed. Ventilation is among one of many safety factors that a lot of people forget about during the extraction phase, so be sure that it is adequate.
Using Isopropyl Alcohol
As said before, isopropyl alcohol offers the easiest and safest procedures so it will be the solvent of choice for this article. If it is not available in your area, ethanol or methanol can also act as substitutes for this recipe. Again, do your own research before committing to this, especially if doing it at home.
Understanding Winterization
Before making hash oil, you will need to understand what winterization is first. Without this step, the end product will be cherry oil rather than honey oil. Cherry oil looks a lot like molasses, which has a darker color and thicker consistency than we are looking for in a honey oil.
You don’t need to be a scientist to understand or perform this process. Personally, the hardest part of it is trying to learn the name rather than the process itself. It is quite simple, all you need to do is submerge your cannabis flower in isopropyl (or your alternative substance) and place it in the freezer for a day.
This helps to extract some of the unwanted materials that can be found within the plant matter such as wax, fats, and chlorophyll. It is important to do this because it will result in a much cleaner, and transparent oil.
While you won’t be able to perform the “full” winterization process that requires temperatures to reach far below what consumer-grade freezers can offer, you’ll still be able to purify your extract to a passable extent.
Additionally, winterization can contribute to the potency, clarity, and overall better experience when consuming your product. Although it is probably irrelevant, this measure also extends the longevity of your oil.
That’s right, by freezing it beforehand, you can increase the shelf life of this product. Once winterization is complete, it is onto the actual extraction process.
Making Honey Oil with Isopropyl Alcohol
There aren’t that many steps to making hash oil, only two steps are required. Winterization is the first portion of this operation and, for the most part, patience is a virtue in the making of a quality concentrate. Following this step is the extraction process to drain the active ingredients from the plant matter.
Materials:
- Cannabis
- Isopropyl Alcohol
- Freezer
- Baking pan
- Mason Jar
- Coffee filter / Mesh bag
- Tool for scraping
An Easy Process
For starters, grind your marijuana up and place it in a container with some of the isopropyl alcohol. Leave it in the freezer for at least 24 hours so the unwanted materials in the plant are pulled out.
Once it is finished the winterization process, place it in your mason jar with some more isopropyl and shake together for approximately 30 seconds.
Once the mixture has fully thawed out, filter it with your mesh bag into a baking pan.
Now all that’s left to do is to wait for all the liquid to evaporate into the air and you’re left with the final product.
To store, take it out of the pan and place it in an airtight container in a cool, dark area. A refrigerator is also a good place to put it.
Concluding Thoughts on Honey Oil
Once you know what you’re doing, honey oil can be a simple and easy way to enjoy your weed. The components to make it are very accessible while the final product is also very versatile in many different applications.
For the first few trials, it might be a good idea to try out different methods and solvents to see which one suits your needs the best. Again, please exercise caution and thoroughly research and test these methods.
Honey oil can be used just like any other concentrate, whether it be in joints, bowls, or vapes. It can be used in a dab rig, or any other way that involves heat to activate the THC. The key is to enjoy this like any other substance and that is to do it responsibly.
Hopefully this article had enough information regarding what it is, how to consume it, and give a basic understanding on the process of making it so you can make an informed decision when purchasing it.
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