How to Make Canna Sugar
There are tons of different ways you can infuse cannabinoids into food and drinks, and stirring in a spoonful of canna sugar is one of them. Consisting simply of sugar infused with cannabinoids, canna sugar is easy to handle and store, and you can add canna sugar to practically anything.
In this guide, learn what canna sugar is, and then receive step-by-step instructions on how to make it. At the end, clear up any questions about canna sugar you may have before you get started on making your own batch.
What is canna sugar?
Canna sugar is sugar infused with cannabinoids. Sugar is generally added to cannabinoids by soaking it in cannabinoid-infused alcohol. The potency of canna sugar depends on how it is made, but it generally has similar cannabinoid concentrations to budder, cannabis coconut oil, and other common DIY cannabinoid extract. Canna sugar is usually colorless, but it might be light-green or golden in color when finished.
What are the benefits of canna sugar?
Canna sugar is one of the simplest and most versatile forms of DIY cannabis extracts. In the end, there are only so many ways you can use THC coconut oil or olive oil, and cannabis teas can be similarly uninspiring. Cannabis butter goes bad relatively quickly, but canna sugar can stay good for over a year, and sugar is ubiquitous as a baking ingredient.
Instead of relying on the butter in your edibles to pack the THC punch next time, infuse your sugar with cannabinoids instead. Canna sugar stores nicely in a jar, and it doesn’t have the same (potentially undesirable) powerful taste of cannabutter.
People with diabetes or who are otherwise watching their sugar intake should choose a different type of DIY cannabis extract for obvious reasons. For the average person, however, canna sugar offers a convenient and potent way to add cannabinoids to practically any dish.
How does canna sugar work?
Canna sugar works the same way as any other type of cannabis extract—it carries cannabinoids into your system to deliver mild benefits over the course of a few hours. In the case of canna sugar, however, this task is accomplished without any messy oils or complicated infusers. Simply add a pinch of sugar to whatever you’re cooking, and enjoy the benefits of cannabinoids within minutes.
What do you need to make canna sugar?
Canna sugar is one of the easier types of DIY cannabis extracts to make. All you’ll need are the following materials:
- 3.5-7g cannabis or hemp flower
- 1 cup grain alcohol (high-proof vodka works)
- 1 cup of your choice of sugar
- Cheesecloth
- Glass jar with lid
- Oven-safe mixing bowl
- Baking tray
How to make canna sugar: Step by step
Now that you’ve assembled everything you need to make cannabis sugar in your own kitchen, let’s get started. These are the steps you should follow:
1. Decarboxylate and grind your buds
First, get your buds ready. You’ll be applying heat throughout the following steps, but true connoisseurs choose to decarboxylate their cannabis buds before the cooking process begins. Doing so unlocks the full potency of your cannabis, and you can easily decarboxylate your cannabis by placing it on a baking tray and putting it in the oven at 250°F for 20 minutes. Hang on to the baking tray for later.
2. Combine cannabis and alcohol in a jar
Make sure your buds are well-ground, and then put them in a glass jar (a 16oz mason jar is ideal). Put a lid on the jar, and shake it thoroughly. For the best results, shake the jar for 3-4 intervals of around 1 minute, allowing the material inside to fully settle between shakings.
3. Strain the mixture
Once you’re satisfied the mixture is well-shaken, open the jar, and place a cheesecloth over the opening. Tip the jar, and pour the mixture through the cheesecloth into an oven-safe mixing bowl.
4. Add sugar to the strained liquid
Stir the sugar into the alcohol-cannabis mixture. Keep stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
5. Bake the infused sugar
Place the mixing bowl in the oven at 200°F. Check periodically to determine the status of the evaporation. All the alcohol should fully evaporate within around an hour.
6. Allow to cool and evaporate
Once there is only dry sugar in the bowl, remove it from the oven, and place it on a countertop to air out. Even though the sugar seems dry, it still contains trace amounts of alcohol, so you should let it air out overnight before storage.
7. Store in an airtight container
After airing it out, store your canna-sugar in an airtight container. Make sure to label it to avoid any accidents!
How long does it take canna sugar to dry?
Placed in the oven at 200°F, a batch of canna sugar should be completely dry within around 30-60 minutes. Left on the countertop, the process will take considerably longer, and you may want to consider leaving your canna sugar out overnight to completely offgas regardless of the method you use to dry it.
How do you use canna sugar?
Canna sugar is a remarkably versatile form of cannabis edible that’s easy to add to:
- Tea
- Coffee
- Lemonade
- Baked goods
- Smoothies
- Etc.
Don’t be afraid to experiment as you discover the foods and drinks that are best-suited for enhancing with canna sugar. Remember to store your canna sugar in an airtight container when not in use.
How do you make a canna drink with canna sugar?
Infusing a drink with canna sugar is usually as simple as just dropping in a spoonful and mixing it in. A single spoonful of canna sugar is usually enough to sweeten your entire drink and get you comfortably numb at the same time.
How much canna sugar should I use?
Dosing with homemade canna sugar can be tricky, so simply start with a small dose, and use more if the desired effects aren’t achieved. As long as you only use an eighth of cannabis to make your sugar, it shouldn’t be too potent. For inexperienced users, though, even a small amount of cannabis can be overwhelming.
What is the difference between budder and canna sugar?
“Budder” is slang for cannabis-infused butter while “canna sugar” is sugar combined with cannabinoids. While both types of DIY cannabis extracts are relatively easy to make, they’re suitable for different applications. Most amateur cannabis bakers consider budder better for cookies and brownies while canna sugar is certainly the preferable choice for drinks like coffee and tea.
Does canna sugar smell?
If you put your nose up close, your canna sugar might smell like weed. If you keep canna sugar in an unsealed container, it can make your whole kitchen smell slightly like cannabis. Usually, though, the smell isn’t strong enough to draw attention.
Does canna sugar get you high?
Yes, if you make it with cannabis buds that contain THC, canna sugar will certainly get you high. The intensity of the high you experience from canna sugar depends on its potency, and keep in mind that you won’t get high from canna sugar made with CBD or CBG flower. Orally ingested cannabis extracts like canna sugar provide mild effects that can last 3-5 hours.
Does canna sugar show up on a drug test?
Yes, if the canna sugar you consumed contained THC, it’s just as likely to make you test positive on a drug test as any other type of THC-containing product. Using THC in edibles doesn’t make it less likely to show up on a drug test—on the contrary, you usually use higher doses of THC when you take edibles, making the likelihood of failing a drug test even greater. Use canna sugar responsibly if you have a drug test coming up.
Does canna sugar contain alcohol?
Canna sugar can contain trace amounts of alcohol since it is an alcohol-extracted form of cannabis concentrate. It’s easy to remove these remaining traces of alcohol, however, by simply allowing your canna sugar to offgas on a countertop for 24 hours before use.
Small amounts of ethyl alcohol shouldn’t be any cause for concern in any alcohol-extracted substance. Canna sugar certainly doesn’t contain enough alcohol to cause intoxication.
Is canna sugar the same thing as sugar wax?
No, canna sugar and the type of cannabis extract known as “sugar wax” are entirely different things. Even the crystally trichomes that encrust cannabis flower are sometimes referred to as “sugar,” further complicating things.
Just to be clear, canna sugar is normal culinary sugar that has been infused with an alcohol-based cannabis extract. Sugar wax is a type of cannabis extract with a sugary consistency, and people should probably just stop calling cannabis flower trichomes “sugar” to make matters less confusing.
How do you use THCa sugar?
In some cases, crystalline THCa extracts are referred to as “sugar.” That’s not what we’re talking about when we refer to canna sugar, which is commonly made with cannabis buds, not extracts. Like canna sugar, however, one of the most popular ways to use THCa “sugar” is to add it to food and drinks.
