How to Use Already Vaped Bud: 9 Amazing Uses for AVB

Updated: May 16, 2022

In today's era of cannabis sweeping and ever-growing legalization and big business, cannabis flower vaporizers have emerged as one of the most popular forms of consumption. From tabletop models like the Volcano to sleek handheld vapes that can easily slip into a pocket or handbag from Pax, GPen, and countless other brands, dry herb vaporizers are here to stay and are only getting better. Outside of their sleek design, muted odor, and stellar effects, flower vaporizers are a great way to stretch your bag of buds and get the most bang for your buck as a consumer. Because vaporization doesn't burn up your weed, the leftovers that have already been vaped (ABV) flower are perfect for many secondary uses and will be a lifesaver for any frugal stoner.

That's where we here at Where's Weed come in! We're all about recycling and getting the most bang for your buck, especially with a product that can be as expensive as good quality cannabis flower. So with that in mind, we wanted to highlight a few of the many ways cannabis consumers can use their AVB to maximize their value, get the most from their purchase, and stretch out a penny if need be! 

We've got something for everyone here, between the edibles and tinctures to homemade capsules and infused beverages. So get ready for a comprehensive list of the most innovative and cost-saving ways to use your AVB!

What Is Already Vaped Bud (AVB)?

Before we dig too deeply into breaking down precisely what AVB is and how to use it, we think it's worth doing to break down exactly what AVB is. After all, not everyone is a cannabis enthusiast with a deep understanding of the cannabis industry lingo. So first, some simple and easy background! 

Vaping cannabis is a little different than smoking. Vaped flower has a unique, airy, almost popcorn-like taste, and saves your lungs from the often harsh burn that comes along with combustion. While joints and blunts leave only piles of ash and giggling memories in their wake, vaporizers heat your weed only enough to activate the cannabinoids and leave behind bowls of slightly crispy brown bud.

Even after a solid session in your vape, the AVB still contains noticeable quantities of THC, CBD, or other cannabinoids, which makes just tossing it away a total waste of your hard-earned money. Because you already decarboxylated the bud in the initial vaping process, it is easily incorporated into various exciting and intoxicating homemade creations. That's where a list like this comes in handy!

What To Do With Vaped Weed

When it comes to figuring out what exactly to do with AVB, the world is essentially your oyster! As we'll lay out below, there's a massive array of options you can opt for when it comes to putting your AVB to great use!

Water Cure Comes First

Whether you're going to use your ABV weed for edibles, RSO, or any other infusion, it helps to remove the brown bud's toasted taste. That's where cold water curing ABV comes into play. By wrapping your AVB in cheesecloth and letting it soak in room temperature water for just a few hours (or overnight for even better results), you will clear out the leftover vape flavor and isolate those remaining cannabinoids. Once the water turns brown and has time to leach out the undesirable scents and taste, spread the bud out on a baking sheet and let it dry. Because THC is not water-soluble, your H2O cure will still leave behind those precious cannabinoids and make them smell and taste much better than their original ABV status.

ABV Cannabutter for Edibles

Once you've cured your AVB, the most popular secondary use is a batch of edibles. You can follow a standard cannabutter production processand just substitute fresh flower with ABV weed to make any number of AVB recipes. Or for an even easier method, use a sous vide machine, slow cooker, or double boiler to simply mix the already-decarbed bud with your favorite butter or oil and let it sit at low heat. From there, any edible recipes become ABV recipes. Once your butter is infused, strain out the plant matter and let the remaining butter solidify before baking magic ABV brownies, cosmic cookies, or just spreading it on toast for an easy infused brunch.

Sprinkle ABV Weed Like Salt and Pepper

If making a batch of cannabutter sounds like too much work after vaping a bowl and water curing it, you can always skip the cooking part and use your herb as, well, an herb. Because the AVB is pre-decarboxylated, you can sprinkle the weed on a salad, steak, or your popcorn for a stress-free and still-effective edible experience. If you're looking for what to do with AVB, using your leftover bud as a cooking spice is just about the easiest route you can take. It's the same as adding some kief to cannabis concentrate like a resin to a joint. It helps add a bit of kick and take things up to the next level! 

Make A Tincture

Making a tincture from ABV weed is a long process, but if you've got time to kill and are willing to put the time and effort into doing things the right way, the results are usually well worth the wait. Like making edibles, using AVB means you can skip the traditional decarboxylation step in your tincture recipe and jump to infusion. Use a plant-glycerin or high-proof alcohol and low heat to mix your concoction, but no matter which base you use, remember that ABV weed will produce a weaker tincture than fresh flower, and adjust the recipe accordingly. And just like that, you have a potent cannabis-infused tincture that can quickly and easily be dosed and enjoyed pretty much anywhere you go! 

Mix AVB With Your Morning Coffee Beans

If the tincture process is too involved for your taste, you can still incorporate your ABV bud into your favorite beverage without those extra steps. So why not combine one drug that people love, cannabis, with the most frequently used drug on the planet, caffeine! It makes total sense when put to you that way, right? The versatility of pre-decarbed pot means that you can simply stir your AVB into your morning coffee grounds and brew up a fresh pot of caffeinated cannabis every morning. It might not taste the best, but it will undoubtedly add some pep to your step and redefine what it means to wake and bake!

Make Rick Simpson Oil (RSO)

On the other hand, if the tincture process isn't enough of a science experiment for your taste and you're feeling extra ambitious, you could always extract the leftover cannabinoids and terpenes from your pre-vaped weed. The RSO process requires ethanol, a closed-flame heat source, a few household items, and a lot of patience. Just like tinctures, RSO made with ABV bud will not be as strong as its fresh cannabis counterpart, but medical marijuana patients still love them nonetheless.

Distill a Batch Of Green Dragon

A refined tincture process is designed to compound cannabinoids and terpenes into small quantities of glycerin or alcohol. But if you're looking for a quick and strong option for your AVB, grab a bottle of high-proof alcohol (151 rum works best) and throw in a healthy handful of water-cured ABV weed. Put that bottle in the closet for a couple of weeks and your next round of shots will come with an extra-strength THC kick. This old-school infusion method is perfect for anyone who likes to mix their bud with booze.

Create Cannabis Capsules

Don't have time for a water cure or can't seem to get rid of that toasted flavor, you can always make cannabis capsules. Empty easy-dissolve capsules are available online and at health food stores across the country. Simply pack each capsule with ground-up AVB and pop one, or two, or three whenever you need a mid-day pick-me-up.

Pack a Bowl and Smoke Your ABV Weed

Lastly, if none of those options are up your alley, you can always pull out your favorite pipe or papers and spark up your AVB. For this method, skip the water cure, and light up right after removing the crispy flower from your vape bowl. Smoking AVB won't taste very good, but it will still do the trick and is at least one step up from smoking the resin scraped from the bottom of your pipe.

The Bottom Line

Like with everything else in the legal weed industry today, creative and innovative people are constantly building upon the backs of those who came before them. That's why there are so many great options for top-notch AVB. Many creative people have thought things through, tried them, and came out on the other end with satisfying results! Now it's your turn to try each of these methods out and see what you like best!  

Do you have other methods for using your already-vaped weed that we didn't mention? Hit us up in the comments below and let us in on the secret!