What's the secret to a positive edibles experience? If you ask JeffThe420Chef he says it's all in the dosing.
Gone are the days of overdosing on cannabis edibles thanks to the first ever THC/CBD Calculator.
MERRY JANE chats with Jeff, who has teamed up with MedSpoon and CW Analytical to create a calculator with a simple interface, allowing aspiring canna-chefs an opportunity to accurately titrate when cooking culinary delights. With just a few key inputs, an approximate dose per serving is given.
The app was developed to help medical marijuana patients, caregivers, home cooks and chefs, responsibly create properly dosed cannabis-infused food.
MERRY JANE: What’s your background, Jeff? How did you become The 420 Chef?
Jeff: I’m a self taught gourmet chef. I’ve been cooking and baking with cannabis for the last five years. Most of what I’ve learned, and continue to learn from a culinary standpoint, is from chefs that I have taught my infusion process to along the way. I’m the the only cannabis chef in the world that specializes in cooking and baking with specially crafted “tasteless” cannabutter and canna-oil, created with specific strains and blends of strains to achieve the health and wellness goals of those who choose to medicate with cannabis. I also teach home cooks and chefs alike how to cook and bake with cannabis in their own homes, and most importantly how to properly prepare and dose cannabis-infused edibles from infused snacks to full 420 meals.
MJ: What motivated you to launch this app?
J: My mission is to help people feel comfortable medicating with cannabis-infused edibles. Until now, making and consuming edibles was a crapshoot. You never really knew what you were about to eat or how it would affect you. The calculator takes away that fear and uncertainty and makes cooking with cannabis fun and exciting and takes it to a new level. It is the foundation of everything I do. My motto is "Do it yourself. Do it right.” And the THC/CBD Calculator helps you do just that.
MJ: How does the THC/CBD Calculator App work?
J: The app allows you to calculate the potency of the THC and CBD in the cannabutter or cannaoil you create. It calculates the milligrams of THC or CBD in each serving of the edibles you create with them. It’s really simple to use. All you need to do is plug a few pieces of information into the input fields.
Simply enter:
1. The starting percentage of the bud you use
2. The final weight of the cannabis once it’s cured and dried using my process
3. The amount of butter or oil you infused
4. How much butter or oil you used in your recipe
5. How many servings you are making
The calculator instantly takes care of the rest for you.
MJ: What steps did you have to take to develop this app and bring it to market?
J: First I had to figure out a formula to help me calculate the amount of THC and CBD in my recipes, and the results had to be consistent. Once I had the formula, I had it tested by CW Analytical several times and each time the results matched my calculation with a slight margin of error (+/-0.5-1 mg). And not only did I test it in the lab, I tested it on myself. If something tested at 5mg, I tried it and it felt like 5mg. If something tested at 12mg, I tried it and it felt like 12mg. Then I knew it was time to share it with the world!
I contacted the president of MedSpoon, who I knew had expertise in app development, and he agreed to partner with me to bring the app to life. The web based app is now available on my website and the apps are scheduled to launch on 4/20. As soon as they are given the green light by Apple and Android, they will be available for smartphone use.
MJ: What was the inspiration for the design and function of the app?
J: I specialize in preparing micro dosed edibles, 1-3 mg of THC per serving so people can medicate properly and have an enjoyable experience. The inspiration for the app came from my need to know exactly how potent my edibles were. As a chef, I had to make sure I had a consistent formula, but the formula I came up with took time to figure out on paper. After almost a year of calculating the dosage of my edibles on paper, it was time to simplify things.
MJ: How will users find the app?
J: You will be able to find the smartphone app on the Apple and Android app stores. The web-based app can be found on my website and will soon be available on medspoon.com. In the near future, we will be leasing the web-based app to other cannabis focused websites, including the best cannabis health centers and dispensaries.
MJ: What else are you working on?
J: I have 4 new cookbooks in the works for the “The420Chef” cookbook series, a podcast which will launch in June, a television series, and a meeting with investors on a big project I’m working on. My first cookbook, The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Cuisine, is being published by HarperCollins and will be released on June 28th.
