Ive looked around and havnt managed to quite find what im looking for.
Im looking into adding HTE into distillate and or decarbing the bulk of the thca fraction and backadding the HTE to the Thc but it tends to test above 60% thca and im worried itll recrystallize in the carts.
I once saw a paper that said something along the lines of “under 20% thca to thc the Thca wont recrystallize” but im unable to find that anymore.
Any help is appreciated thanks for your time.
Shouldn’t crystallize if it’s fully decarbed.
The thought is to not decarb the HTE fraction, as a way to improve flavor for the final product.
Do you know for sure that it makes any difference?
Its not a straight forward answer but I’ll save you a lot of time and make it a short answer. Regardless the strain, <20%THCa in cart wont crystalize or impact cart performance. As you go higher, the likelihood of crystals forming and clogging the cotton/ceramic increase. I’ve seen %40 THC-A carts work with no issue, so its largely strain/formulation dependent. The structure of the cart can also impact the tolerance. What kind of carts are you using?
Yep. If there was ONLY THC & THCa in play, then there would a temp curve that answered OP’s question.
Given all the other variables in play, the best response is probably FAFO…
@CastileFaux you have 60% THCa in your HTE?
If it doesn’t crash on sitting in a jar, why would it crash once diluted?!?
Seconding Ganjineer’s comment. <20% THCA you should be absolutely fine, and in theory you can go higher.
One thing that tends to happen in carts is the more volatile (ie terpenes) fraction gets vaped/consumed first, which eventually slightly increases the cannabinoid content in the remainder of the cart. So if you start at 20% THCA, you might end up higher at the end of the cart. IMO this is one big reason CBD carts crystallize over time (though that is not the whole story of course). This is anecdotal evidence only
Nope! The only evidence I have to go off right now is a HTE distillate cart I got the chance to try that tasted better than anything else in the market im in.
Basically ive been on a “well if they can do it I should be able to” thought process but sadly im not in the position to say “hey lets take a batch and try this to see if it could be a good product”
If it all goes wrong suddenly its my idea that ruined (potentially) 1000+ carts
Otherwise having smelled our live resin after its been in a miner for a couple of days they tend to just have a little bit of a “rotten” smell which I can only presume is terpenes breaking down.
Thanks for your input its really appreciated!
Using some pretty bog standard c-cells
If you want to get rid of that rotten egg smell- open your hot container of decarbed oil, and at ~90c, run an overhead stirrer at >1000 rpm for ~30 mins . I have pictures I can dm if you have questions on setup. I would typically do this in 1 liter batches. Leave 50% of your container open for bumping/foam. Good luck friend!
Well its not really rotten egg, we once had a “pickleish” smell that we eliminated by speeding up run speed. We try to keep our temps pretty low throughout the whole extraction process, decarb and post processing included.
For some of the fruiter strains its a much deeper “rotten orange/fruit” smell and for anything more earthy it ends up smelling much more chocolatey with a dirt back of the throat smell. To some extent its a more “developed” aroma but if it can be better I felt like I had to try.
Pre decarb they smell much more in line with the fresh flower we’re using and overall it just feels fresher.
<20% thca should not crystallize in a cart, however it could still cause issues when going to fill your carts. Personally recommend a maximum of 12% thca to ensure that when you reheat to package there is no reaction that leads to a necessary repurge. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you want the best tasting product you will want to make sure you are ND for thca. With C02 being the main byproduct of decarboxylation any amount of thca when consumed will heavily affect the consumers olfactor system. It can cause a numbing effect and requires a higher temperature to properly vaporize, therefore heavily impacting the flavor during consumption. Taking the time to fully decarb will be worth it to preserve the essence of the HTE you are adding.
Gotcha! Thank you for your answer its incredibly helpful.
Seems like I might have to just let my HTE crash out then use gravity and a centrifuge to pull as many terps off as I can.
Good things take time unfortunately 