Never heard of a quick wash ISO? Instead of weeks, you can do it in a couple of minutes. If your intention is to extract only cannabinoids, a quick wash is the way to go, if you want more than cannabinoids alone, let it soak for a longer time. If you put it through the coffee grinder first, the more surface area is exposed, the more stuff you get out of it.
I don't really like to use ISO alcohol on a tincture I am going to be drinking. I did do a little research since my first post, and I found a lot of conflicting information. Some say to let it sit for 30-60 days, and I've also seen some say one week is sufficient. After careful consideration, I have decided to strain my tincture next Saturday. That will be about 2 weeks.
I did a little more research, and found this: (I edited the non-essential parts of the article)
Timeless tinctures
By Stan Czolowski - Wednesday, October 1 2003
How to extract the essence of cannabis and keep it in a little glass bottle.
A tincture is a medicinal extract in an alcohol solution. The alcohol is used to extract and preserve the resins and other soluble material from the plant. Cannabis tinctures are an excellent way to utilize the plant's medicinal ingredients, and a perfect alternative for those who find smoking difficult.
Until the 1920's, Cannabis Indica tincture was available at your neighborhood pharmacy. Queen Victoria used medicinal cannabis extracts to deal with chronic pain. Cannabis tinctures and extracts commonly served as analgesics, sedatives and narcotics.
The alchemy of alcohol
Alchemical procedures involve both wet and dry forms such as soaking, distillation and evaporation. The extraction of entheogenic plants requires similar steps. Distillation remained undiscovered until the 12th century, when alchemists first created aqua vitae aqueous alcohol concentrated by distillations.
Cannabis tincture works best with 90% pure alcohol, such as Everclear.
Mexican tincture, however, uses only 35% pure, while Parke Davies Pharmaceuticals, distributors of the original medicinal pharmaceutical extract to pharmacies during the late 19th century, used 80%.
Pure grain alcohol can be difficult to obtain, depending on where you are located. If it's unavailable at your local liquor store, try a duty-free shop.
Confusion often exists around "proof" and "percent." Percent is approximately half to proof. The origins of the term "proof" hearkens back to the practice of testing alcohol content by wetting gunpowder with it then lighting the powder. If the alcohol was more than 50% water, the explosive would not ignite.
When the gunpowder did spark it was "proof" that the booze in question was at least half alcohol. In the US, 100 proof is defined as 50% alcohol by volume.
Exercise extreme caution when evaporating high-proof alcohol due to its flammable nature. Remember "proof and poof!"
How to make tincture
The philosophy behind tincture is to capture the spiritual and physical essence of the plant. This is done by using the power of ethyl alcohol to dissolve and preserve the herb in question, in our case cannabis.
The cannabis used for soaking must be dry. When fresh bud is used, the end result is disappointing. Scissoring up the plant material effectively facilitates extracting all psychoactive constituents.
Cannabis should soak anywhere from 1 to 10 days. Some folks soak it for up to four weeks, following that up with a secondary five day soak in fresh ethanol just to ensure all cannabinoids have been leached.
Buds are great for tincture, but must be dried first. However, some others insist that the buds remain in the solvent no longer than six hours. They claim that solvents instantly grab onto THC molecules, and anything after this time frame benefits only terpene, oils, and chlorophylls, contaminating the final product.
From my personal experience seven days is adequate, but you should experiment with different time frames to see what works for you and your buds.
The recommended minimum cannabis to alcohol ratio is one gram of bud per 35ml (one fluid ounce). Some prefer up to seven grams per 35ml but others might find this too strong. Individual needs vary. Cautious experimentation is the key.
Throughout the soaking period use only enough ethanol to cover the plant material and occasionally agitate.
After you've soaked the bud for the desired time, shake and strain the plant material. After filtering the cannabis solution, it is ready to be stored. This is done best within a blue apothecary medicine bottle. This will protect the precious mixture from degradation by light, while also imbuing mystery to the potion.
For further protection, the tincture should be kept in a cool, dark place. Yet cannabis preserved in ethanol has a long shelf life. Tincture medicines do not come with an expiration date. The fragrance and bouquet of mature tincture is floral akin to perfume.
The test for making sure all THC has been transferred into ethanol is to smoke the discarded plant material. If it tastes terrible, has a straw color, and is inactive, the operation has been successful.
How to use and consume
Cannabis tincture tastes positively wonderful, with the sweet earthy flavor of cannabinoids and a lingering bitter aftertaste. The effects are noticeable within 15 minutes, and are felt completely within a half-hour.
An advantage of tincture and extract preparations is their ease of dispensing, consumption, and rapid absorption. Tinctures can become very potent when concentrated, so adjust according to individual dosage requirements.
Care must be exercised, as the delayed onset time may possibly encourage overdosing among those unfamiliar with cannabis tinctures. Orally administered cannabis products may be very uncomfortable when too much has been consumed. Possible panic and anxiety reactions or physical malaise may occur.
