What cannabis sauce is

Cannabis sauce is a cannabis concentrate. It is a liquid layer of terpenes and cannabinoids with solid THCA crystals held inside it. The crystals are called diamonds. Dispensaries sell the two together as "diamonds and sauce." A gram of sauce tests between 60% and 90% THC by weight. THCA is the main compound in the jar until heat converts it to THC.

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The word also describes an edible. Home cooks make tomato, cream, or butter sauces infused with canna-butter or canna-oil. That version is not an extract. It is a food with a THC dose per serving.

cannabis sauce potency

How sauce concentrate is made

  1. Dry and cure flower, then freeze it at 0°F or lower. Cold holds terpenes in place.
  2. Pack a closed-loop system. Run a hydrocarbon solvent through the material. Butane, propane, and mixes of the two are common.
  3. Collect the extract and purge it in a vacuum oven. Solvent removal sets the final lab number.
  4. Winterize with ethanol at -40°F. Filter out waxes and lipids.
  5. Pour the oil into a sealed jar. Hold the jar at 100°F to 115°F for days or weeks. THCA drops out as diamonds and terpenes form the liquid sauce.
  6. Separate the fractions or keep them combined. Both forms reach the shelf.

Safety limits

Butane is heavier than air. It pools on the floor and ignites from a spark. Home hydrocarbon extraction sends people to burn units and has leveled garages. Do not run this process in a kitchen, a garage, or an apartment. States that license concentrate production require closed-loop equipment, ventilation, and fire inspection.

cannabis sauce recipe

How to make an infused edible sauce

Step 1: Decarboxylate

Break flower into small pieces. Spread it on a sheet pan. Bake at 240°F for 40 minutes. This converts THCA to THC.

Cannabis Sauce for Sale Online: A Buying Guide

Step 2: Infuse

Combine 7 grams of decarbed flower with 1 cup of butter. Hold at 160°F to 180°F for 2 to 3 hours. Stir every 20 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth. The result is canna-butter. One tablespoon carries about 8 to 12 mg of THC if the flower tests at 15% THC. Flower potency runs from 10% to 25%, so the number moves.

Step 3: Build the sauce

Melt 2 tablespoons of canna-butter in a pan. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook 1 minute. Add 1 cup of milk in a slow stream. Stir 5 minutes until thick. Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and salt. This makes 4 servings at about 4 to 6 mg THC each.

Dosing an edible sauce

Test the flower or the butter at a lab if the state allows it. Write the milligram count per serving on the container. Start at 2.5 mg. Edible onset takes 30 to 120 minutes. Effects last 4 to 8 hours. Wait 2 hours before a second serving.

Storage

Sauce concentrate keeps in an airtight glass jar at 60°F to 70°F, away from light. Terpenes evaporate and oxidize over months. Canna-butter freezes for 6 months. A finished cream sauce holds in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Dairy sauces separate when frozen.

Legal status

Cannabis is a Schedule I substance under US federal law. State rules differ. Home hydrocarbon extraction is a felony in some states and legal with a license in others. Dispensary sauce passes tests for pesticides, residual solvents, mold, and potency. Underground jars do not.