In the Kitchen with LEVO Herb Infuser

It’s the latest cannabis craze that has chefs buzzing. The LEVO Herb Infuser has been called the Keurig of cannabis.  With its counter-top-worthy good looks, the LEVO more closely resembles something from Cuisinart than say U.S. Bong. But what does an Herb Infuser actually do?

According to Wikipedia, “infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping).”  It all sounds very scientific, which is, of course, because it is.  The key thing to know is that the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, gets trapped in the fatty acids of the oil or butter, and create a wonderful herbal-flavored psychoactive infusion.

It was on a snowy Friday afternoon with LEVO in hand that I set out to make some infusions with a friend.  We first ground our herb with a grinder until it looked like pencil shavings.  We loaded our ground herb into the provided mesh herb pod, added the magnetic rotator, set the time to 2 hours, 30 min., and adjusted the temperature to a luke warm 175° Farenheit.  No smell during infusion.  No messy clean up, as all removable parts go into the dishwasher.  No fuss, no muss, as they say.

After what seemed like the longest two-and-a-half hours of my life, the infusion was finally ready.  Now for the fun part.  Place a mason jar, or any container under the spout and push the pour button, and magically, a light green, herbal-scented olive oil came streaming down into the jar.  It was truly a kitchen miracle!

The result was a very powerful infusion, approx. 10 mg of THC per tablespoon, according to my calculations. The particular strain, Headband, had both lemon and diesel flavanoids that imparted a pleasing, yet somewhat danky flavor on the oil, which worked extremely well with potatoes and other root vegetables.

So, what can you do with the infused oil?  Here are some ways we experimented with it:  Make a vinaigrette and pour over a salad; Toss with potatoes and roast for 45 min; Pour it over some olives and add an orange peel; Add it to guacamole and devour with chips.  The possible uses are limited only by your imagination and what’s in your cupboard.  Just make sure to be cautious with your measurement so you don’t consume too much THC for your comfort level.

As the snow storm finally passed and the day drew to a close, we were full,  happy and feeling little pain.  While there are some great brands of edibles out there, sometimes I simply prefer to make my own and I understand why others prefer to do the same. LEVO is certainly the easiest way to make a home infusion.  To find out where you can buy one, or for additional recipe ideas, check out their web site.

NOTE: For ages 21+.  Consume with caution.  Err on the side of micro dosing.