AVB – have you heard of this term thrown around online but not been sure about it’s meaning?
It stands for already vaped bud, and before you can say “that’s gross,” we implore you to reconsider. Already vaped bud (AVB for short) is vastly different from weed that’s been smoked in a joint. Simply put, it’s not the black, burnt stuff you’ll find at the end of a roach.
If this is your first time reading about vaped bud, you’ve come to the right place at the right time. Keeping your vaped bud after you’re done vaping is a great way to save money and conserve your supply.
There’s many innovative ways to use AVB, and some of them may surprise you and you might even surprise yourself with how high this bud can get you!
Let’s explore what AVB is all about!
What is AVB?
In brief, it’s just bud, or dried flower, that has been used for vaping. To be clear, we aren’t talking about vape pens and cartridges. Instead, we’re talking about dry herb vaporizers and the leftovers from them. In fact, this works whether you have a tabletop device or one of the many handheld options.
AVB has a brownish appearance, with some dark yellow and faded green. The quality of your already vaped bud will depend on the quality of your starting material. It’ll also be impacted by the temperature used for vaping, and how many drags you take. If you vape the heck out of your bud, there will still be leftover cannabinoids yet to be extracted. While the common potency levels in an ABV mix may be different and lower than the original bud, there is still a little bit left to share.
This crispy flower looks like lackluster bud. This appearance can be explained by the fact that vaporizing the weed removes many of the compounds inside. The result is you getting high from the THC, CBD, and terpenes. BUT, don’t throw it away!
Saving your AVB
The reason for saving your AVB is because vaping does not remove all the valuable compounds. It is inevitable that some of the cannabinoids have been left inside. Even if you grind your weed thoroughly, the heat does not often penetrate the middle of the ground bud chunks.
All you need to do is store the AVB in a glass jar or other suitable air-tight containers. In addition, make sure you store this container in a cool, dark, and dry place for the best conservation of cannabinoids and terpenes. Simply keep saving AVB until you got a decent supply, and then use it in one of the ways discussed below.
How Much AVB Should You Save?
It does depend on which of the following uses you are selecting. If you want to sprinkle some on food, just about any amount can do. If you’re looking to do some more efficient extraction, try to save up half an ounce or more. Depending on how much you vape, this can take weeks or even months.
Don’t give up, the effort is worth it! And by effort, I mean literally just throwing AVB into a jar instead of the garbage.
Remember, the longer your AVB needs to be in storage until use, the more important proper storage conditions are! One of the reasons for this is that the cannabinoids have become activated, and thus are more volatile and prone to being lost to the atmosphere. You’ll learn more about why this is so, but the sneak peek answer is decarboxylation.
The Properties of AVB
While AVB is not visually appealing, it does still contain valuable compounds you don’t want to waste. Unlike the dried flower before vaping, your AVB should be fully decarboxylated. This means that the cannabinoids inside have been activated by the heat.
For those wanting the technical terms, decarb refers to the acidic versions of phytocannabinoids undergoing a chemical change. Specifically, THCA and CBDA (which are present inside the plant) get converted to THC and CBD (which are bioactive inside your body).
Without this process, you won’t get high. That is why you can’t get high from eating dried flower. And so, we know that AVB is decarboxylated. The result is that you can eat AVB straight and it will get you high. That said, the effects may be minor and this AVB doesn’t taste all that great. This is why there are better options for what to do with your AVB. We’ll turn to 5 options for you AVB next.
How to Use Your AVB
There are numerous ways to use your AVB. All of these methods rely on the fact that AVB is already decarboxylated. Avoid any method that uses intense heats when preparing your AVB for consumption.
Making Edibles
As an easy way to use AVB, all you need to do is add it to food. Keep in mind that the mild flavor that impacts your meal. Also, you don’t need to heat up the AVB. In fact, doing so will waste some of the remaining cannabinoids. Add AVB to your food after cooking or baking, not before using high heat. Also, the already vaped bud works best in edibles with some oil or butter content.
You can literally just sprinkly AVB into any food, but you can also get as creative as you like to mask the flavor and appearance of your brown and bland AVB. It can be as simple as adding your vaped bud to a spoonful of peanut butter. As stated earlier, don’t get thrown off by this appearance, your AVB is still valuable! If the taste is throwing you off, there are two great methods to remove this variable, water curing, and capsules.
Water Curing
You can take your AVB and use water curing to remove much of the flavors and tastes while keeping the cannabinoids. Keep in mind, this process takes several days to a week to complete. It takes time, but it is worth it.
The process is rather simple, all you need to do is wrap your AVB in a cheesecloth. You then drop this into a container of water, like a big teabag. Every hour or two, replace the discolored water with fresh stuff. It can be a bit tedious to do this for days, but you’ll likely be able to reduce the frequency as the water takes longer to become discolored.
After 4-7 days, drain the water out of the cheesecloth bag. Then, spread the AVB onto a baking sheet. Place this sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for about 2-hours, tossing it every 30-minutes. After all of that, you’ll have some flavorless AVB ready to be used as you liked.
Capsules
This method is great for those who hate the taste of AVB but want an easy way to consume it. Your AVB is ready to go as is, so all you got to do is put it in a capsule and swallow it. This can be a fantastically subtle and convenient way to get your dose.
You can purchase capsules easily, and also get vegan-friendly versions. This method can take a bit longer to produce effects, which can be a positive thing if used correctly. Don’t expect any immediate effects, they can take an hour or more to take effect.
Coconut Oil
An easy way to get rid of the plant matter and focus on the cannabinoids and terpenes. All you need to do is place some AVB and coconut oil in a slower cooker. Turn it to low heat and let it sit for a few hours. It is that easy! Afterward, all you need to do is strain out the plant material remaining, and you got some lightly infused coconut oil ready to be used.
Remember, you do not need to activate the cannabinoids in your AVB, so low heat is all that is needed. The same goes for the infused coconut oil you create, it is ready to go. Store it in a cool, dry, and dark place. You can perform a similar process on your already vaped bud using butter or other oils.
Smoke It
You may have been wondering, can I just smoke this stuff? The answer is yes. That said, it is not the most effective way of using your AVB. This way does ruin all the benefits of vaping, as you’re ultimately just burning the plant matter anyways.
This method is not advisable, but it is an option for those who need it. If you’re dankrupt and really need to blaze, this method will produce some mild highs. Generally, you’ll want to stick with one of the other methods described!
Final Thoughts on Vaped Bud
Using your already vaped cannabis can require some hours of your time, but the effort will pay off. If you haven’t already tried vaporizing weed instead of smoking, help yourself to this treatment as soon as you can. After you give that a try, save up your already vaped marijuana and infuse it with some oil or butter for a great first experience with already vaped bud.