What is AVB (Already Vaped Bud)?
AVB stands for already vaped bud, and it's what's left over after you vape cannabis with a dry herb vaporizer. AVB usually looks dry and brittle, and yellow or light brown in color. But it can also be darker brown, or have some green still leftover in it.
Most dry herb vape benefits are well-known. For example, vaporizers give you stronger THC and CBD effects than smoking, are better for lung health compared with smoking, and they smell and taste better.
But many people don't know you can still use the leftover vaped weed from a vaping session. You shouldn't throw out those vaped herbs! Vaping isn't the end for your cannabis, just the beginning of a new chapter: already vaped bud (AVB), sometimes called ABV.
Is it AVB or ABV weed?
Cannabis fans had trouble settling on one official spelling for already vaped bud. You can call it AVB (already vaped bud) or ABV (already been vaped), so we'll switch between the two.
There's a ton you can do with AVB cannabis after you're done vaporizing it. Instead of throwing your leftover AVB weed out like it's ash, save it after every vape session. Simply store it in an airtight container or jar.
Can You Get High on ABV?
There are many ways to use ABV, and yes, it will get you high, if your cannabis contains THC. Let's start with an overview of how to use AVB cannabis and then dive deeper into each method.
The most popular way to use ABV is to make edibles using AVB butter or oil. Once you make cannabutter, you can use it for cooking in your favorite food recipes.
AVB coconut oil is also a popular choice, and it's great for cooking dishes that require oil instead of butter. You can also make ABV capsules, which are a quick and flavorless way to use AVB. You can even straight up eat AVB!
How strong is ABV weed? Already been vaped bud can give you a strong body high, and it sometimes takes hours to feel the full effects of the cannabinoids. We'll talk more about how to figure out AVB potency below. But always be careful with AVB dosage, and take it slow at first.
What happens if I eat ABV?
Vaping heats cannabis flower to a temperature where it gets decarboxylated, which activates the THC and CBD in the weed. If you eat ABV, you will get high. Unless it's a CBD-only strain of cannabis.
Can you eat vaped dry herb? Eating AVB by itself isn't tasty, but you can mask the bitter flavor. Use a food like peanut butter, yogurt, Nutella, or ice cream to cover up the taste.
Remember, you can't eat fresh cannabis flower. Marijuana needs to decarboxylate to activate its cannabinoids (THC and CBD). If your bud isn't decarbed, you'll get pretty weak effects when eating weed or when you cook or make edibles.
You can also add ABV to coffee or tea! But unless you're brewing AVB coffee using a fatty milk, you'll have to consume the actual vaporized bud to get the full effect. This is because cannabinoids are fat soluble. We'll explain more about how to make ABV coffee below.
Smoking ABV works in a pinch, but it's not as tasty as dry herb, and leaves many people unsatisfied.
How Strong is AVB Weed?
How much ABV to eat depends on a few factors. Here's how to figure out the best dose of ABV, so when you make edibles, your baking won't be too potent or too weak.
First, keep in mind the strength of the original cannabis flower you vaped. Marijuana high in THC and CBD produces higher AVB potency.
If you store the AVB from different vaporizing sessions in the same jar, the potency of the ABV in your jar will be an average of all the strains of cannabis you've been vaping.
Temperature settings and already vaped bud
The second factor is how long you vaporized the herb for, and at what temperature. If you used high temperatures and vaped your weed for a long time, it will have less THC and CBD left in it. If you vape at cool temperatures, there will be more cannabinoids and potency left in the AVB.
The AVB potency should be between 5-30% of the THC and CBD of the original plant material. Weak AVB can still have a potent effect, it depends on how much you consume. It's a good idea to test the strength of AVB by starting with a small amount, to learn what ABV dosage works best.
What color should ABV be?
You can guess how much potency is left in AVB by its color. If it's yellowish or brownish, it's going to have stronger effects compared with dark brown AVB.
The darker it is, the weaker the ABV potency. It'll also taste more bitter. If areas of your AVB are very dark or black, it's not worth using those parts. There's hardly any cannabinoids left, and it'll taste bad.
So if you're planning to make AVB edibles, it can be worth planning ahead when you vape. For stronger, better-tasting ABV edibles, use lower temperatures and keep your sessions shorter when vaping.
Water Curing ABV to Improve the Taste
Some people are turned off by the taste of already vaped bud, no matter how light it is in color. And some find that masking the flavor with other foods isn't enough for them.
There's a simple solution to improving the taste of your AVB: water curing. To water cure your ABV weed, all you need is some 100% cotton cheesecloth, and a big bowl.
How to water cure AVB
First, lay your already vaped bud out in the center of the cheesecloth, then roll it up in the cheesecloth. Try to cover all the ABV in at least two layers of the cheesecloth in the process. Tie it up in a knot so you have a little bundle of AVB.
Then, pop this bundle into a bowl of water and soak it for a couple of hours until the water turns brown. Drain the water, add fresh water in its place, squeeze out your ABV (still in the cheesecloth), and put it back in the water.
Repeat this process until the water stops going brown, then drain it one final time. Then let your water cured ABV dry out. If you're not going to use the AVB right away, cook it in the oven on a baking sheet at a low heat. This will keep it from developing mold.
If you hate the taste of ABV weed, use this water curing process before you use AVB in a recipe. Water cured AVB will make all of the following edibles and recipes tastier. If you want a more in-depth look, check out our complete guide to water curing AVB.
ABV Cannabutter Recipe
The most popular method of using AVB is making cannabutter, which you can add to any recipe you like. We'll show you how to make AVB cannabutter, but water cure the vaped weed beforehand if you want to improve the taste.
First, put butter and water in a pot on the stove, set to simmer. The water will keep the butter from burning. Once it's melted, add the AVB.
Keep the pot on low heat for three hours, and stir occasionally. Make sure it doesn't boil, or it will burn. After three hours, remove the pot from heat.
Straining the cannabutter
Next, pour the infused butter into a container, using cheesecloth as a filter. Tie the cheesecloth as a lid on top of the container, then pour your cannabutter mixture into it. You can also use a coffee filter as an alternative strainer.
Remove the cheesecloth, cover the container, and let it harden in the fridge. The butter will separate from the water. Lift out the butter and store it in an airtight container. You can discard the water.
You can also use a slow cooker to make ABV cannabutter (crockpots work too). The process takes longer using a slow cooker or crockpot, but the AVB butter is even better.
Making AVB Coconut Oil for Edibles
Making ABV coconut oil is another great way to prep your for use in AVB recipes. The ingredients you'll need:
- Already vaped bud
- Coconut oil (melted)
- Water
- Mason jar
- Crockpot or double boiler
First, mix the AVB and the melted coconut oil in a mason jar, making sure you completely cover the leftover weed. Next, put the mixture into a crockpot or double boiler on very low heat, not letting it boil. Let the mixture heat up for about three hours, shaking it up occasionally.
Finally, strain your AVB from your oil with cheesecloth into another jar. That's it! You now have some delicious cannabis oil that you can use in any ABV recipe as a substitute for regular oil.
ABV brownies recipe
Cannabis infused brownies are classic edibles, and they never go out of style. Making a batch is simple with ABV coconut oil.
All you need to do is follow your favorite brownie recipe, with one big difference: use ABV oil instead of regular oil.
The results will be some delicious marijuana brownies, with the fun and relaxing effects of your AVB weed.
Use Already Vaped Bud to Make Capsules
ABV is useful for more than just recipes. You can also buy empty gelatin capsules (size 00 works well) and fill them with AVB or AVB oil. Then you can swallow a capsule whenever you like. It's very discreet, and you'll also bypass the taste of ABV this way.
THC is fat soluble, so it helps to eat a little bit of food with a bit of fat at the same time. You'll extract more cannabinoids this way.
Effects will take time to kick in because the capsules take some time to dissolve and break down. Go low and slow with dosage until you know how strong your capsules are.
To fill AVB capsules, you can fill them by hand, or get a filling machine to speed up the process. If you're using AVB oil, you can use a simple dropper to get the oil in the capsule. With the oil capsules, eating food high in fat at the same time isn't as necessary.
Drink AVB Coffee or Tea
Make your morning (or evening) a lot more interesting by adding some already vaped bud to your cup of tea or coffee. Or any hot drink for that matter. (ABV hot chocolate? Yum!)
With any AVB coffee or tea, you need to add something fatty or creamy to your beverage. Cannabinoids bind to fat, so a soak in water doesn't do very much in terms of THC extract. So use a fatty milk, cream, or non-dairy alternative to brew your drink.
When it comes to non-dairy milks, some brands have thicker "barista" versions. Use these styles to make the best ABV coffee or tea.
How to make ABV coffee
You can add ground AVB to your coffee grounds before brewing, but this method won't give you potent effects. The key thing is making sure your AVB is infused in a liquid with fat, water won't cut it if you want to get the most from your AVB.
One option is brewing both the ABV and coffee grounds together in heated milk or cream. This is easy to do using a french press. After 5-10 minutes, you can add water. Another method is making the coffee separately, and infusing only the cannabis in the milk.
To do this, first grind up your AVB. Then, heat up the milk or cream so that it's near boiling, using a saucepan or microwave. Steep your ABV in the heated cream/milk for 5-10 minutes. When you add this milk to your cup of coffee you'll definitely take your cuppa to the next level.
The aroma of the coffee should overpower the AVB, but you can always add honey or sugar to help mask any bitterness. You can also filter out the ground ABV using a french press or strainer, after the plant material has infused the milk with THC.
If AVB coffee isn't your thing, Check our guide to brewing ABV tea to learn how to make a perfect cup of tea with your already been vaped weed.
Can You Eat AVB?
If you want a quick edible without any of the cooking, try making an ABV snack. Remember, fresh bud requires decarboxylation before doing this. But not AVB: it's already been decarboxylated by the dry herb vape.
To eat already vaped bud, just sprinkle a fair amount on some toast with a spread, and have an ABV peanut butter sandwich. Nutella works great too. ABV also works in ice cream and yogurt. Invent your own recipe!
Smoking already vaped bud
The THC levels aren't as strong as fresh weed, but you can smoke AVB. Smoke the yellower of the ABV, because the browner the bud, the less potent it is.
Smoking AVB will work in a pinch, but it tastes pretty bad and the high can be short-lived. It will taste better if you water cure it, but it's still nothing like smoking fresh cannabis flower.
It'll also irritate your lungs, just like any combustion method. Because you're inhaling smoke instead of vapor.
Save already vaped bud (AVB)
There are way too many things you can do with AVB weed to throw it away. Save it!
You can use it to make edibles, hot drinks, capsules, eat it plain, or even smoke it. Water curing will help if you like the flavor of ABV, or if you just don't want the flavor affecting your recipes.
AVB is just another benefit of vaping, and another big reason to get a dry herb vaporizer.
Choosing a Dry Herb Vape
Over the long term, you'll save money and get fewer negative health effects if you vape instead of smoke. You don't get as much THC or CBD from smoking, and you don't get the bonus round of already vaped bud (AVB). When you smoke a joint, there's nothing left over afterwards but ash.
You need to get a high quality dry herb vaporizer in order to enjoy the full benefits of vaping. Otherwise your herb won't heat evenly, and at the right temperature. Giving you worse vapor and inconsistent AVB.
Most people go with a portable vaporizer, which is recommended if you don't want to be stuck vaping in a single room in your house. You can check out our comparison of the best portable dry herb vapes to help with your decision.
The Furna vaporizer features a swappable oven system, featuring multiple ovens instead of just one. You can pre-pack your ovens before leaving the house, and swap one for another instantly, without the hassle of awkwardly reloading in a public place.
Furna also has specialized ovens for concentrate and oil, giving you all the options you could want in a single device. Learn more about the Furna vape here.
