Process Highlight: Refinement
From raw cannabis extract to pristine full-spectrum oil, our refinement process ensures that we capture all of the therapeutic and enjoyable components that are specific to each Oregon-grown strain we work with. The early stages of our refinement process can also be called "distillation", but we usually omit that term to not confuse our full-spectrum CO2 oil with "distillate". We like to be clear that we are capturing all of the unique and beneficial components in cannabis, maximizing the Entourage Effect and amplifying therapeutic effects.
After completing our 2-step extraction process, the raw cannabis extract undergoes the first step of our refinement process: winterization. The extract is diluted with ethanol resulting in a cloudy yellow mixture. It is then warmed up to create a clear, amber-colored homogenous liquid. This homogenous liquid is frozen overnight at -30 degrees Farenheit. This freezing process helps the natural plant waxes to coagulate so that they are easier to filter off.
Once the natural waxes are removed, the ethanol/extract mixture goes through rotary evaporation, also called "rotovaping", where the ethanol is distilled and removed using deep vaccuum. The use of deep vacuum takes oxygen out of the system so that the extract does not become oxidized, and also reduces the ethanol's boiling point. The ethanol/extract mixture is gently warmed as the ethanol boils off, condenses on collectors, and collects as a liquid. The round glass flasks that contain the oil spin throughout this process, keeping the temperature consistent and separating the ethanol from the cannabinoid-rich extract. The ethanol that is removed and collected is used nearly infinitely, allowing for minimal waste.
After rotovaping, the oil is moved to kugelrohrs- a short-path vacuum distillation system that helps purify the oil. German for "ball tube", kugelrohrs involve a number of glass flasks that hold the oil and also collect the refined aromatics, terpenes, and cannabinoids, with aromatics going through their own process while longer-chain terpenes and cannabinoids are collected together. The oil is heated to boil off aromatics, cannabinoids and long-chain terpenes which (with the help of deep vacuum) make their way into another glass flask, while the heavier, unwanted compounds are left behind. We use dry ice in our cold traps to cool the vapor in the distillation, and condense any volatile compounds that made it through. This helps the vacuum work better and last longer. Check out the saved videos in our Instagram "Refinement" hightlights to see the cannabinoids and terpenes collect in kugelrohrs.
Once collected, the refined cannabinoids and terpenes are homogenized with the refined aromatics, and also go through a final filtration to ensure that we are taking every step to produce the most refined cannabis oil for your use. After the oil is filtered, it is tested by a lab and then moves over to the packaging team who carefully fills and packages all of the Farmer's Friend products you know and love.