How to use ABV in 5 easy ways (what to do with vaped weed)

Wondering how to use ABV to its full potential? It’s pretty easy!

Vaporizers are a great way to use cannabis. Not only is vaporizing dried flower said to be a healthier alternative to smoking cannabis, it often tastes better too, along with a variety of other benefits.

You might be here because you don’t know how to roll. Check out our easy, step-by-step guide for beginners on how to roll a joint.

There are certain things that come with vaporizing. This includes cleaning, pre-heating your vaporizer, and dealing with ABV.

What is ABV? Read on for all the details.

What is ABV?

ABV stands for “already-been-vaped”. It’s used to describe the leftover weed in your vaporizer that’s already been used (or already been vaped).

While dark ABV indicates that your dry-herb vaporizing session is over, there’s usually some leftover goodness to be extracted. You can tell how used or “spent” your ABV is by the colour.

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Lighter ABV usually indicates that there’s still a decent amount of cannabinoids leftover in your flower. However, a medium-brown appearance (kind of like tobacco) is my preference for re-using ABV.

To me, this means I’ve likely had a decent session, and there’s still some leftover to medicate with later.

As such, vaporizing is the gift that keeps on giving! Instead of throwing out your ABV, you can re-use it in a variety of methods and still reap the benefits.

Is ABV still effective?

Indeed! ABV is still very effective. This is thanks to the vaporizing process already decarbing your cannabis.

Decarbing refers to decarboxylation; the process of heating up your cannabis for an extended time at a low temperature. Decarboxylation converts THCA into THC.

While many people DIY this process with an oven, your vaporizer is great for doing the same job.

So when you’re done your vaping session, simply dump out your ABV in a glass container for use later.

How to use ABV

Now that you’re all caught up on the basics of ABV, here’s how to go about using it effectively.

The first step to making a variety of edibles and tinctures is decarboxylation. However, as mentioned, your vaporizer will do this process for you.

As such, you can basically use ABV in the same way you’d use weed after decarboxylation.

How to use ABV to make edibles

Using ABV to make edibles allows you to skip the process of decarboxylation. Simply use the ABV as you would with your usual edibles recipe.

You can use ABV in sweet recipes like cookies or chocolate bars, to savoury treats like loaves of bread or soup.

Always remember to dose carefully when making edibles out of ABV because, for some, it’s really easy to get carried away.

Use ABV in coffee, tea, or other beverages

A quick way to get a dose of cannabis without smoking is by using ABV in a beverage. Warm beverages tend to work best for me. This includes coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

For tea, I steep about a tablespoon or two of ABV with some tea leaves. For coffee, you can add it to your ground beans. And for hot chocolate, I steep the ABV with some warm milk before adding cocoa powder.

These are quick and easy ways to get some extra use out of your ABV!

How to use ABV to make butter and oils

Another popular way to use ABV is by making cannabutter or cannabis oil.

Oils and butter are super versatile. You can easily add them to a variety of things, with coconut oil being an especially popular choice.

For both ABV coconut oil and ABV butter, you’ll want to mix it together with ABV slowly on low heat. This takes a few hours, but researching how to do this can be highly beneficial due to the versatility of the final product.

You can then use your ABV oils and butter just like you would your usual cannabis oil and butter. Pop them in savoury recipes, beverages, and more.

From oils, you can also make capsules, tinctures and suppositories.

Sprinkle ABV on food

If you’re looking for an expressway to use your ABV, you can sprinkle it right on your food.

Fair warning, many people don’t really like the taste of ABV (that said, the methods above can be aided by a process called water curing).

However, you can still go ahead and use your ABV from jar to table. This is because ABV has already gone through the decarboxylation process. So there’s really no need for any extra steps.

It’s common to add ABV to peanut butter or Nutella, though you can get as creative as you want!

Smoke ABV

And finally, you can actually just smoke your ABV. While it’s not the tastiest or the most ideal way to get your dose, it can come in handy when you’re in a pinch.

Those who are quitting tobacco also find ABV helpful in kicking the habit.

To roll this up

TL;DR, don’t go wasting your ABV. It can be used in a variety of easy ways with great benefits.

From creating a three-course meal to adding it to your morning Joe, ABV is king of variety.

Hopefully, this article has given you some easy ideas on how to use ABV! Tell us how it goes!

What are your favourite ways to use ABV?