How To Make QWISO Cannabis Extract

Cannabis extracts and concentrates are becoming very popular these days. So why not make your own at home? There are a few simple DIY methods of cannabis extraction available, and several more complex commercial ones too.

The QWISO method is very simple, and results in good yields of fairly pure extract—if executed well. Read on to discover how to perform a QWISO extraction at home.

What is QWISO hash?

QWISO hash is a simple, high-quality cannabis extract made using isopropyl alcohol. Indeed, QWISO stands for “quick-wash isopropyl”. Many cannabis concentrates are made utilising a solvent extraction method, and QWISO is one of them. However, performing an isopropyl wash is far less complex and involved than using commercial solvents, such as butane and CO₂.

An extremely fast method, the extraction itself takes 30 seconds and some vigorous shaking. However, there’s a little more to it than that, which will all become clear shortly.

The major strength of QWISO is its ease. It requires no special equipment—isopropyl alcohol is cheap and easy to source—and no complex steps. Though mastering it will take a little time, you can expect good results from your very first attempt.

QWISO vs BHO vs RSO

BHO, or butane hash oil, derives from a well-known method of extracting cannabis resin. While very effective, it can be difficult and even dangerous to perform at home. BHO uses pressurised butane to separate the desired constituents, and is then purged in a vacuum chamber. While it can be performed in non-commercial settings, for those just beginning to make cannabis concentrates at home, QWISO is a much simpler and safer option.

RSO, or Rick Simpson oil, is also made using alcohol, such as isopropyl. However, this method leaves the plant material sitting in the alcohol for a much longer time than QWISO. The result is a thick, dark liquid that is not smoked or vaped, but rather dropped directly into the mouth where it is absorbed through the mucous membrane under the tongue. A novel method of cannabis consumption for sure, but perhaps not the best option for most people.

There are other, solventless methods of extraction available too. But if you fancy trying your hand at a solvent extraction, you can’t do much better than QWISO hash oil.

How to make QWISO

So, how do you go about making QWISO extract? It’s pretty simple, and doesn’t require too much equipment. To do it well, it’s worth paying attention to each step as closely as possible. The joy of concentrates is their purity, and QWISO hash can be very pure if made thoughtfully.

Equipment

• 10 or more grams of weed
• Unbleached coffee filters
• Elastic bands
• Grinder
• 99% isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol): 100–200ml per 10g of cannabis flower
• Sieve
• 11 Pyrex/borosilicate glass dish
• 0.5l Mason jar
• 1l Mason jar
• Small razor blade or scraper

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Directions

We’ll break the directions up into preparation, extraction, and post-extraction phases to make it all clearer.

Preparation

1. Clean and dry everything very well. Any dirt may make it into your final product, negatively affecting the quality. A little effort here will go a long way later on.

2. Grind your bud to a fine consistency to maximise the surface area that comes into contact with the alcohol. Add your ground weed to the 0.5-litre jar. Secure the lid.

3. Now, put your jar of bud and isopropyl alcohol in the freezer. Do not mix them yet! Leave them for a few hours so that they’re both very cold—up to 12 hours should be plenty. This makes it much easier for the trichomes to detach from the flower.

Extraction

4. Before you take your isopropyl alcohol and jar of bud out of the freezer, place a coffee filter over the opening of the 1-litre jar. Secure it with elastic bands. Make sure the filter is concave so the solution can sit in it. Place your sieve on top of this.

5. Now, take your bud and alcohol out of the freezer. Pour the alcohol into the jar containing the bud, and put the lid back on. Shake it vigorously for 30 seconds; no more! Longer than 30 seconds will result in more chlorophyll in the final product, which will taint the look, flavour, and smoothness of your quick-wash hash.

6. Immediately pour the solution through the sieve and coffee filter into the larger Mason jar. Leave it to sit until it has all drained through with the help of gravity. You may be tempted to push it through, but this risks pushing impurities through too, so exercise a little patience.

7. You can repeat this process a few times to capture every trichome from the bud, but be aware that each subsequent wash will be of worse quality. So if you do it several times, don’t mix the different washes, as it will spoil the earlier ones.

Post-extraction

7. Once all the solution has drained through, pour it into your heatproof borosilicate dish. Add a little more isopropyl to the jar and swirl it around to catch any trichomes clinging to the glass. Add this to the dish as well.

8. Now you have to let the alcohol evaporate at room temperature. You can speed up the process with a fan, but don’t heat it. During this process, keep the solution somewhere well-ventilated, as the fumes can be toxic. And bear in mind that it is highly flammable. Keep it out of direct sunlight too.

9. The evaporation process can take between 12 and 24 hours. Don’t think that “almost dry” is good enough. You’ve come this far—let it dry fully. Vaping or smoking QWISO hash that still has alcohol in it will completely ruin the flavour, and could be dangerous.

10. Finally, once it’s dry, use the razor blade or scraper to scrape your purged QWISO from the dish. Store the final product in baking parchment, then put it in an airtight container. Keep it somewhere cool, dry, and out of sunlight.

How much QWISO hash from 10 grams of weed?

If the process goes well, you can hope for a return of about 10% of the original weight. So 10 grams of bud will leave you with 1 gram of QWISO extract. Results can be better than this, but only if you get lucky or are very skillful. And don’t be surprised if you only get around 0.5 grams out of 10; this is not unusual.

Before you get too upset by these numbers, remember that concentrates can contain up to 80% THC or more, so what they lose in weight, they make up for in cannabinoid content!

How to use QWISO

There are several ways to enjoy QWISO hash, though some are arguably more suitable than others. Below we give a quick outline of each.

Vaping and dabbing

By far the best way to use QWISO, especially the first wash, is to vape it. Whether you use a vape pen or a dab rig matters little. The reason these methods are best is that concentrates are very pure, containing little more than terpenes and cannabinoids. This means they can taste absolutely incredible and provide uber-potent hits.

By dabbing or vaping, extracts are heated to the point at which their active constituents are released into vapor, but not combusted. This prevents the tarry flavours associated with smoking, and may be less harsh on the lungs as well. Although vaping is still not without its risks.

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Smoking

That being said, QWISO can be smoked. If it is, it’s usually via a method known as twaxing. Twaxing involves heating a little isopropyl hash oil and smearing it over a rolled joint. Though it will significantly increase the joint’s strength, it will also taint the flavours of your extract somewhat. So if you do decide to smoke QWISO, it’s advisable to do so with a second or third wash.

Eating

QWISO can be added to cannabutter and edibles. However, this is a bit redundant, as making cannabutter is itself a sort of extraction. Therefore, if you intend to make infused butter or oil, your time is better spent skipping the QWISO extraction process and opting for bud or trim instead.

However, it will work—you can make practically any dish you'd like with a bit of psychoactive QWISO butter.

Why is my QWISO black?

Though it can still be used, if your QWISO is black, it means you’ve got a poor-quality extract.

Dark colours indicate the presence of impurities, such as chlorophyll and other plant matter. The most obvious reason for this is that you shook the alcohol-bud mix for more than 30 seconds. For this reason, some people choose to shake for no more than 20 seconds. While this results in a purer extraction, you risk getting a very small yield. So experiment to find what amount of shaking works best for you.

When it comes to later washes, you needn’t shake as vigorously as with the initial one. With the second wash, one or two light shakes should be enough. With the third, no more than a light swirl is necessary. So if it’s later washes that are coming out black, this could be why. However, later washes are always likely to contain more plant material and be of worse quality, no matter how hard you try.

Finally, trying to accelerate the filtering process with force can be counterproductive and cause additional plant matter in the final product. So, once again, be patient!

Max Sargent

Max has been writing for over a decade, and has come into cannabis and psychedelic journalism in the last few years. Writing for companies such as Zamnesia, Royal Queen Seeds, Cannaconnection, Gorilla Seeds, MushMagic and more, he has experience in a broad spectrum of the industry.

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