Hey thanks for the info! Wow, that would be a mind number!
Just curious, what’s the lowest proof you could do the QWET with? My shine comes out around 150-155 max.
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You could do it with 150, the thing to really think about is the flavor. The higher proof is going to get more of the THC and less of the chlorophyll. I use 191 for the QWET process, but lower grade stuff for actually making tinctures. 191 is intense as hell, so it’s uncomfortable under the tongue (ask me how I know). I decided to use regular spirits in the 100-150 mark for actually making alcohol infusions, but the higher proof for the QWET.
My recommendation if 150 is the easiest and most readily available is to do a water cure on the bud you’re going to turn into QWET. Chlorophyll and many other of the gross tasting plant stuff is actually water soluble, while THC is not. The water cure will help remove the bad taste without needing to upgrade the quality of the alcohol.
I’ve never done a water cure, but the basic method is to put the bud in a water bath, fully covered, and change the water once a day or as needed (more frequently than once daily, but never less frequently) to keep the water fresh. You’re done when the water stays mostly clear for the full day. I would keep your temps low (sub 70°) to avoid mold risk. I’m pretty sure @Caligurl did this. Maybe @JaneQP too?
After that, go ahead and make the QWET with the 150 proof. 
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Wow, you guys blow my mind. I’ve been making homemade Kuhlua for years, not once did it enter my mind to combine. It was always one of the other, but now my mind is racing. 
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Do I really need to? lol
All great info and much appreciated! I immediately regretted asking that question cause I know the info is available to search for, but i’m “trying” to take a break from too many rabbit holes for a couple days… My eyes were burning and draining from so much reading the last few weeks it was like trying to look through flooded goggles. lol
Welcome to my world. lol
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Nah, the reason we’re here on a forum and not a community of bloggers is so we can all pitch in and answer questions.
To be fair, if you asked me the same question a year ago, my opinion would likely have been quite different because I didn’t know about water curing, and I didn’t know that decarbing the weed before making QWET made the taste worse. I’ve learned a lot, even though I considered myself fairly well-read back then. There’s pretty much no end to the developments in cannabis, and as legalization rounds the corner for many US markets, our ability to talk openly and share increases our knowledge base that much more. It’s incredible. I’ll never be done learning more.
Anyway, I’m a firm believer the only stupid question is the one that you don’t ask.
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@Graysin Thanks for the tag.
I have done a lot of experimenting with extractions (non MJ) like pine, citrus, sunflowers, herbs etc.
I found cheap vodka works well but you need a distiller. I put them in mason jars and let them extract for several weeks since the alcohol dissolves the terpenes.
The alcohol is the portion that comes off first from the distiller. I usually throw out the first 10 ml since it could be methanol contaminated. Once you see the temp rise to the boing point of water, or just do a calculation on percent alc/H2O you know when to stop. Compost the remaining material.
My two cents from a retired chemist.
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@Graysin Thanks so much for the help and kind words. Stop by my grow journal sometime, would be nice to have you.
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Good girl. You have like a 5 gal pot still?
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The heads are definitely contaminated with Methanol and other undesirables. So the average reader stopping by should be aware of that if he or she is new to distilling or making thc infused drinks
In short Methanol will make ya blind and slowly kill ya, Don’t use it.
The hearts is what you want to use.
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Yep, will have a turpentine or nail polish smell and maybe a slight oily sheen on top. Roughly 1/3 of a pint for every 5 gals being distilled.
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I have a small one gallon distiller but I feed it from 10 gallons of extract.
I worked in a lab trying to set up a wine testing program. We ran that the first early boiling stuff that came off through the mass spec. Just plain nasty.
If you ever see double from any alcohol do not buy it again.
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Good advice. They had trouble during covid with some making hand sanitizer that didn’t do this. It can be absorbed through the skin as well.
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I meant to type 100 ml. I am over cautious. My uncle died from bad moonshine during prohibition.
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Yeah I used to toss more than I do now when I didn’t know how to separate the cuts.
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I know I would buy moonshine from you! Good distiller.
I remember hand sanitizers smelling like tequila. I started carrying a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and paper towels to decontaminate during those years. Weird times.
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Why thank you very much 
Yeah I just carried a jar of shine around and drank it from my hands, killed two birds with one stone! lol jk
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Clean up guys on the job site was chugging hand sanitizer at lunch during COVID days 
Temp guys are hell
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LMAO
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I had three runs to do each barrel. I ran the first and put it back in the boiler then filled the remainder with mash and ran it again. I then put that back in the boiler and filled it up with the rest of that mash and made my last run.
This way worked best as just a double distill strips most of the flavor. I had a single double and triple distill in one batch.
I ran the thumper on all three with mash.
Damn that sounds good. Tell me how it was.