Keep it green, tokers! Noooooo, not that kind of green. I mean by recycling!
If you’re vaping your bud and don’t know how to use the vaped weed left behind, you’re missing out! You are quite genuinely WASTING your stash.
Sure, AVB (i.e. “already vaped bud”) might not be brimming with potency. But there’s still enough juice left in them cannabis crumblies for a second-hand high!
However, to juice that caboose, you first need to know what to do with your vaped weed. Believe it or not, all those brown crumbly leftovers are actually incredibly versatile. Cooking, eating, and smoking AVB are all golden go-tos, but through careful extraction, dabs, hash, or CBD tinctures are also possible!
Have I piqued your curiosity? Well then, let’s explore the 5 smartest and savviest ways to use your vaped weed.
I was once like you, squandering my stash on inefficient consumption. And I was a fool! There are positively oodles of benefits of vaping weed…
But by far, sneaky round-two highs are my fave. This is how to use vaped weed with 100% IMPACT.
What is AVB (Already Vaped Bud)?
AVB: Already Vaped Bud. AVB is the budhead’s equivalent of leftovers. It’s a savvy stoner’s way of getting more mileage from their stash when vaporizing weed.
After you’ve vaped your weed, you’re left with a pile of what looks like dry, crumbly bits. HOWEVER, don’t toss out those bits just yet! This “waste” is actually still packed with potential potency.
You see, vaping cannabis doesn’t completely deplete it of its psychoactive elements. instead, it gently toasts the buds, enhancing them like a ganja-garnished Pop-Tart! This “activation” (or “decarboxylation”) happens through heating processes, and it is this science of decarboxylation that enables the psychoactive effects of THC and CBD and allows our wonder-weed to even be possible.
Technically speaking, ANY form of heating cannabis decarbs it, converting non-psychoactive THCA into psychoactive THC. The only actual difference between smoking a joint or bong and vaping bud is that vaping leaves something behind, albeit in a much toastier state. So while all forms of heating activate cannabinoids to get you high, vaporizing weed leaves traces behind for re-use.
And like all good Professors of Pot, we gonna learn how to leverage dat shizz! THIS is what to do with vaped weed… RECYCLE IT!
Of course, before we can discuss how to use your vaped weed, we need to first address how potent AVB actually is.
What Should AVB Look Like?
AVB weed comes in several shades of brown. Ok, so it’s not necessarily the most glamorous belle at the ball, but it is the most pragmatic!
Every shade of AVB’s brown pantsuit tells a different tale of how much goodness is left inside. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- 1. Light Brown: This is the golden (brown) zone. Light brown AVB is like a perfectly toasted marshmallow: it’s neither too burnt nor too raw. It still packs a decent punch in terms of potency, making it perfect for drinks (like Already Vaped Bud Tea), smoking, or even potentially a re-vape. Personally, I find the aroma quite pleasant too, genuinely smelling like like toasted weed without any burnt bits.
- 2. Medium Brown: Now we’re entering true leftover territory complete with a more burnt but not quite burnt-out aroma. Medium brown AVB is less potent, however, and that makes it perfect for edibles! You can either eat AVB straight (which most people aren’t fans of) or instead use it to make cannabutter and get stuck into a whole slew of AVB-based recipes
- 3. Dark Brown to Almost Black: He’s not quite dead, Jim! Dark brown AVB has very little potency left and straight-up tastes and smells like burnt popcorn. However, it’s still definitely reusable, particularly in high-volume applications like preparing AVB capsules and tinctures for all those wonderful therapeutic benefits!
Use the guide above. Keep an eye on the color as you vape! Before long, you’ll start to get a feel for what each hue means for your stash of leftovers.
Now let’s examine these recommendations and understand how to use your vaped weed with the MAXIMUM effect.
How to Use Vaped Weed: The Prof’s 4 Fave Ways!
AKA “How to squeeze every drop of value out of your stash”. Leftover vaped weed is your golden ticket to a second round of fun!
If you’re wondering what to do with ABV weed, here are my favorite four ideas. Click the link to skip ahead or keep reading for the full breakdown:
- Eating AVB Straight
- Cooking AVB Edibles
- Smoking AVB
- Using AVB for Therapeutic Benefits
- Water Curing AVB for Better Results
Got it? Good. Because there’s no time to suit up: let’s dive right in!
1. Eating AVB (Rawdog It!)
If you’re all about that efficiency (or just a bit lazy), eating AVB raw is the fastest route to once again riding high on that THC-wave. Or, if raw-dogging it sounds kinda unappetizing, you can instead make ABV edibles without cooking anything. (Usually drinks.)
The good news here is that the vaped herb, as mentioned, has already been decarbed. This means that it’s activated the same as if you were cooking it. AVB can go straight in a tea, smoothie, hot chocolate, milkshake, or even a coffee. Pick your poison!
Or, alternatively, yes, you can shove already vaped weed right down your gob. While this is one of the more efficient ways to consume cannabis, it ain’t no Michelin meal! Chowing down on AVB straight up is like eating burnt toast: effective but farrrrr from gourmet.
To make things more palatable, try mixing your AVB with something fatty (and tasty) like peanut butter or Nutella. The fat helps your body absorb the cannabinoids more efficiently, netting you a lot more bang for your bud.
A good rule of thumb is to start with a teaspoon of AVB for a mild buzz, then adjust based on your tolerance. You don’t have to fret safety either! Vaped bud is so low in THC that you’re not running the risk of the classic “I ate too much space cake” moment. And if the flavor isn’t hitting right, you can just add more peanut butter. 😉
2. Cook It: Recipes for AVB Weed
If you prefer a little more finesse in your cannabis consumption, cooking with AVB opens up a whole menu of possibilities. The best way to use your vaped weed for cooking is to make AVB butter (i.e. cannabutter) or canna-oil.
Admittedly, getting the right ratios and dosage with AVB is trickier than when making cannabutter with regular weed. But once you do, it’s time for a little masterchef madness.
AVB brownies, chocolate, cookies, or, hell, even a red velvet space cake are all super achievable. Or you can get clever with it, like drizzling the cannabutter over some popcorn for a funnnn movie night.
If you want to know how to make AVB butter, you can follow any old cannabutter recipe. But you’ll need to adjust measurements for the lower THC content and increased extraction process of AVB (and it might take a few experimentations to perfect your recipe too).
Luckily, the process itself is pretty straightforward: simmer your AVB in butter or oil for a few hours, strain out the plant matter, and voilà! You’ve got a potent base for all your culinary creations. Just remember that practice makes perfect. 🙂
3. Smoking AVB – Yes, This Works!
You can smoke AVB. It’s NOT going to taste like the dank, fresh bud you know and love. Realistically, it’s more akin to reheating fries. But dayyyyyum if this ain’t an effective usage of your fries!
Smoking AVB straight, provided it’s on the more medium to light brown end of the spectrum, actually tastes pretty alright. Moreover, it still gives a light but distinct buzz. You can smoke straight AVB in a joint, bong, pipe, or you could even try using a recycler for smoother hits and potency maximization. I’ve personally used straight AVB joints very effectively in times of chronic stress when I wanted a 90% clear head to deal with life but with just the edge taken off the discomfort.
However, something else I strongly recommend is using AVB as a mixer for your weed (or “spin” as we call it Down Under). While mixing weed with tobacco is often a regional difference, it is a great method of stretching your bud further or toning down the potency of your joints (and not so great for a myriad of other reasons).
Personally, I’m a huge fan of using AVB this way as it’s a great method of recycling weed while avoiding the pitfalls of tobacco. Lastly, though I haven’t experimented with this myself, you can make dabs or hash with AVB. It’s definitely a more laborious process, but the end result is a very effective concentration of your vaped weed.
4. Therapeutic Benefits: AVB Capsules and Tinctures
Or THIS is how you can use vaped weed to harness those delicious therapeutical benefits of CBD! The easiest way is to just shove your AVB into capsules (like those little empty gel caps we use for other things).
Getting the dosage of AVB capsules right might take some tinkering. Really though, dosing isn’t a big deal as you’re actually just trying to swallow the capsule for a slow, steady release of cannabinoids. This can help with chronic pain, anxiety, or sleep issues without an array of strong psychoactive effects.
Another option is to make an AVB tincture by infusing the vaped weed into alcohol. This is a bit of a waiting game. You’ll need to let the mixture sit for a few weeks before it’s ready. But the result is a potent, easy-to-dose liquid that’s perfect for dropping under your tongue or mixing into a drink.
Bonus Tip: Water Curing AVB for MAXIMUM Impact
So this isn’t so much what to do with your vaped weed but rather what to do with it BEFORE the other methods. Water curing AVB involves soaking the vaped marijuana bits in water for several days to remove any residual nasties like chlorophyll. It’s these nasties that give your edibles that “earthy” (read: slightly dirt-tasing) flavor when making cannabis oil or other infused cooking mediums.
Here’s how you do it:
- 1. Place your AVB in a jar. Fill a jar with your already vaped bud and cover it with water. Then give it a good shake.
- 2. Change the water daily. Drain and refill the jar with fresh water every day for about 3-7 days. The water will be brownish at first, but that’s just the chlorophyll and other compounds leaving your weed. The more you soak, the cleaner the water will be.
- 3. Dry it out. After you’re happy with the level of soaking and curing, drain the jar and spread the damp AVB out on a baking sheet. Then, dry it in the oven at a low temperature (around 200°F) until it’s completely dry.
This is an extra and optional step. You don’t have to water-cure your vaped weed, but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! The end result of this process is a much cleaner and smoother taste that’s even potentially more potent thanks to the removal of impurities.
How to Use Vaped Weed: Last Tips and Questions
Recycle, ami-grows! It’s good for the planet. It’s good for your stash. It’s good for your wallet.
Knowing how to use vaped weed UPGRADES your smoke-game. Not only are you able to nab those second-round highs, but you can also make full use of your cannabis’s CBD profile and all their sneaky therapeutic side-benefits!
Haven’t bought a vape yet? Well, what are you waiting for? There are countless benefits of vaping weed, and the market just keeps getting more competitive! (Oh, and get yourself a good weed grinder too—consistent grind size is key for vaping, water curing, and cooking bang-on AVB edibles.)
Otherwise, I said it once and I’ll say it again: the #1 benefit of vaping is AVB.
Maybe that’s not true of everyone. But as a lifelong recycler and pincher of all things pennies, there’s nothing I like more then squeezing every last bit of bang from my bud.
Smart stoners salvage their byproduct. Stop missing out. Know how to use your vaped weed. Start saving that AVB today.
Because really… Who doesn’t like leftovers?
FAQs About Using AVB Weed
What does AVB stand for?
One more time, AVB stands for "Already Vaped Bud". It's the leftover cannabis bits after you've vaped it. Savvy stoners know AVB still has some cannabinoids left for a second round of usage. Think of it as the “day-old pizza” of the weed worlds—not as fresh but still just as satisfying!
How potent is AVB?
AVB is much less potent than fresh bud since the vaping process has already activated and used up a significant chunk of the THC. Gauging the potency of vaped weed mostly means examining its coloration. Light to golden brown AVB is the most potent, while darker AVB has less kick but can still be used in edibles or tinctures.
Do you save weed by vaping?
Absolutely! Vaping is like getting two highs for the price of one! The first high comes from vaping (which, generally speaking, is already one of the more efficient than smoking). Then the second high comes from reusing your AVB in edibles, capsules, or even a re-vape sesh.
