A team of researchers in Spain recently conducted an interesting study that could potentially have a big impact on the cannabis industry in the future. The team discovered that a hard-cap espresso machine has the ability to produce cannabis extracts. The study is called “Fast extraction of cannabinoids in marijuana samples by using hard-cap espresso machines” and is to be published in The International Journal of Pure and Applied Analytical Chemistry.
The cannabis extracts were produced using a common solvent found in laboratories and an espresso machine, costing around $300. The extracts are not intended for human consumption, but rather for analysis. The study was done at the University of Valencia in Spain, using cannabis that had been confiscated by police.
“It has been evidenced that the developed method for the major cannabinoids extraction is a really encouraging example of the wide range of possibilities that a conventional and low cost hard cap espresso assisted extraction could offer in analytical laboratories,” the study reads.
According to the study, the team of researchers produced extractions of THC, CBD and CBN using the espresso machine and a laboratory solvent called 2-propanol. The researchers then compared their espresso extraction method to techniques that are currently more commonly used in the cannabis industry.
They found that their espresso machine laboratory method appeared to be relatively similar in quality to traditional methods, but much more cost effective and quicker to produce. Currently, traditional cannabis extraction machines can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars, up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for the more advanced models.
The extraction method is safe and effective for use in a laboratory setting by professionals who know what they’re doing, but by no means should you whip out your espresso maker and try to create some cannabis oil with it. As we say all the time, more studies and experimentation need to be done in order to determine if an espresso machine extraction method can be replicated and utilized in various other settings outside of the lab.
The results of the study are promising and surprising, and could eventually result in the production of machines intended for consumer use. If the right amount of research is done in the future, patients who would rather use vaporization methods than smoking flower could use such a device. Maybe in several years time, we will see a “done for you” cannabis extraction machine for use in your home, right next to your juicer and coffee maker.
