Cannabis Schnapps (terp-shine)

So we, along like many other labs, have a decent stock of “terp-shine” sitting in our solvent cabinet. My question is, can we do anything fun with this? When I waft the aromas from some of those jugs it smells pretty fantastic (especially ones that are from single strain winterization runs).

My main concerns are accidental consumption of methanol and other toxic contaminants produced during the reclamation of the ethanol, however theoretically if we are collecting our heads, mains, and tails separately while rotovaping some material, would the mains that we pull (with some zesty terp smells) be able to be diluted and consumed/used as a mixer in a cocktail? Obviously we are not at a stage yet where we can legally produce that kind of product but I feel like eventually we will get there, and it would be awesome to have an idea and process ready to go.

Also I love the idea of getting cross-faded off a single shot.

2 Likes

where do you imagine methanol being produced during solvent evaporation?

when yeast makes ethanol by fermentation, there are certainly all kinds of other things produced, but you’re not fermenting, you’re simply pulling the solvent and other volatiles off your cannabis resin.

did you use beverage grade ethanol? then you should have beverage grade ethanol plus cannabis terpenes.

if it smells good, taste it :wink:

there shouldn’t be much in the way of cannabinoids…

5 Likes

I guess I was always was told that our reclaimed heads had some methanol content but now you mention it, that doesn’t make any sense at all because methanol is produced during fermentation not distillation…

We use pure 200 proof ethanol, just had them send me the railcar CoA and its 1ppm methanol. Should be totally fine.

In terms of the cannabinoids portion, I was thinking it might be interesting to try and dissolve a tiny bit of some decarbed extract in the terp-shine prior to dilution.

1 Like

Heres a bad idea, dissolve about 75mg of decarbed thc per oz of eth, and drop it in a red bull

11 Likes

waaay less of that sort of misinformation around here… :wink:

you might pull ethyl acetate. which doesn’t smell good.

my thought is that this is a sign your material has begun composting before extraction, but I have nothing to back that up (other than a history of being handed the worst weed in the facility to extract).

1 Like

Methanol won’t magically appear in recovery, it is a product of fermentation, as is acetone

1 Like

I would bring the whole stock to a master distiller and ask for a lesson on blending fractions

I know one or five, where are you located?

5 Likes

Seattle, lots of alcohol enthusiasts out here.

1 Like

Mixed up a couple of testers. 1 part terp-shine, two parts distilled water. Tastes decent, like tito’s with an herbal aftertaste. The real money shot is adding some of our raw co2 oil (cannabinoids + terps) on top of that (~50mg worth). Strain flavor came through much better, could barely taste the alcohol at all. Smells great too.

2 Likes

Have you tried distilling the terps out of it?

1 Like

I did this about 2 years ago, but with sparkling water instead of alcohol cause I’ve never been a drinker. The carbonation seemed to really increase flavor, making it overwhelming in even some of the smallest concentrations.

At the time I was using Qwerkle and Jillybean terps and although I enjoyed the taste myself, I’m pretty sure I was the only one who did. Non smokers/vapers seemed universally repulsed and those who did use thought that it would be better off as bong water.

Wonder if alcohol makes it more palatable for the masses.

I have about 150 gallons of terp shine. I’ve tried warm ac scrubs, it lessens the Terps slightly. Not totally removing. We wash, evap, check proof, use again. I have batches with 10+ washes on them. Still at 195+ proof, and still stanky.

You can proof down to a drinkable proof if desired.

3 Likes

Anyone in the midwest have a gallon of terp shine that they’d part with? Looking for a gallon and willing to pay the replacement cost of the ethanol.

If your consuming it, make 100% certain is food grade and not denatured!

3 Likes

Excellent point, and one I had already planned to verify heh. full disclosure, it’s going to be used in a non-cannabis extraction for a side project i’m working on. It will eventually be consumed however in a tincture.

2 Likes

Edited - here’s the whole thing, I don’t know if it’s right though.

Ethanol can converted to methanol in the following series of steps:
1.Ethanol first undergoes oxidation by reacting it with chromium trioxide to form acetic acid.
CH₃CH₂OH +CrO₃ = CH₃COOH
2. Acetic acid is then reacted with sodium hydroxide to form sodium acetate and water
CH₃COOH +NaOH = CH₃COONa +H₂O
3.In the third step the sodium acetate is reacted with sodium hydroxide and calcium oxide to form methane and sodium carbonate and calcium.
CH₃COONa +NaOH + CaO = CH₄ + Na₂CO₃ + Ca
4. Methane formed in step 3 is then reacted with chlorine molecule to form methyl chloride and hydrochloric acid
CH₄ + Cl₂ =CH₃Cl + HCl
5. In the last step methyl chloride is passed through aqueous potassium hydroxide to form methanol
CH₃Cl + KOH = CH₃OH

CH3CH2OH+H2SO4 at 170-180 degree centigrade= CH2=CH2CH2=CH2 Under ozonolysis +Zn/H20=2HCHOHCH0+LiAlH4=CH3OH

Ethanol will respond with concentrated sulfuric corrosive to frame ethene, which is a gas and will rise out of our ethanol-sulfuric corrosive solution.

Ethene would then be able to be responded with osmium tetroxide, since we’re saving no cost here, to shape ethane-1,2-diol, ordinarily known as ethylene glycol.

Ethane-1,2-diol can be divided with occasional corrosive to shape two reciprocals of formaldehyde.

With our formaldehyde, we can respond it with a synergist aluminum alkoxide to shape methyl formate. This is known as a Tischenko response, it’ll work with formaldehyde on the grounds that the carbocation moderate is extremely temperamental here.

At long last, with our methyl formate, we can respond it with sodium in methanol (a Bouveault-Blanc Reduction) to frame methanol in a methanol solution!

2 Likes

What concentration of sulfuric acid is required and what ratio of ethanol to sulfuric acid?

does cannabis ripen in response to ethene/ethylene like many other plants?

2 Likes

Someone had to ask… shhh. I don’t want to start seeing week 5 harvests :stuck_out_tongue:

doesn’t seem to…but there are some interesting responses.

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=ethylene+cannabis

like female flowers on male plants (which seems like a useful trick).

3 Likes