How to Make FECO/RSO Capsules at Home
Author: Emily Kyle | EmilyKyleNutrition.com
A step-by-step walkthrough of how I personally make FECO — decarb, tincture, then reduce with my Extract Craft Source Turbo — and turn that FECO into easy-to-swallow capsules.
Equipment
- Source Turbo by ExtractCraft use code EMILYKYLE for a discount
Ingredients
- 14 grams decarbed cannabis flower, *your desired amount
- 8 ounces high-proof grain alcohol
- 1 package Empty size "00" capsules
- 1 ounce MCT oil, optional
Instructions
Step 1 – Decarboxylate
This step never changes, no matter what method I'm using. Before any extraction, my flower gets decarbed low and slow so the THCA or CBDA converts into the active THC or CBD I actually want in my final oil. I typically bake mine at 240°F for about 40 minutes for THC flower, adjusting time and temp depending on the cannabinoid I'm working with. If you need the full breakdown by cannabinoid, I've got exact times and temps in my FECO guide.Step 2 – Make a Tincture
Next, I make an alcohol-based cannabis tincture — the same first move as my traditional FECO method. I place the decarbed flower in a mason jar and cover it completely with high-proof grain alcohol, then seal it up and let it sit in a cool, dark place. Depending on how strong I want it, I'll let it soak anywhere from 24 hours to a few weeks, giving it a gentle shake every so often.Once it's done soaking, I strain the tincture through a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a clean jar, separating the plant matter from the liquid. This strained tincture is what goes into the Source Turbo next.Step 3 – Reduce with the Source Turbo
This is where my process has changed the most. Instead of putting the strained tincture in a mini-crockpot water bath and babysitting it for hours, I pour it into my Source Turbo, which reclaims the alcohol and reduces the tincture down for me — with way less odor and way less hands-on time. What's left behind is that familiar thick, dark, sticky FECO — the same "black gold" I get with my traditional method, just with a cleaner process to get there.Step 4 – Fill Your Capsules
This is where FECO becomes something I can actually take without wincing at the taste. FECO on its own is intensely bitter, so putting it into a capsule is my favorite way to use it.Here's what I personally do:Warm the FECO slightly so it's easier to work with — never in the microwave, always a gentle double-boiler style warm-up.If it's too thick or sticky to draw into a syringe, I mix in a few drops of MCT oil or another carrier oil to loosen it up.Using a glass syringe, I add a small amount of FECO to each capsule, remember, a dose is often just about the size of a grain of rice. I fill the rest of the capsule with a carrier oil like MCT or olive oil, which also helps with absorption since cannabinoids are fat-soluble.Seal the capsules and give them a wipe down before storing.If you've never filled a capsule before, I walk through the whole process — including flower-filled and oil-filled capsules — in my cannabis capsule guide.Step 5 – Dose & Store
FECO is one of the most potent things I make in my kitchen, so I always follow my own golden rule: start low and go slow. Because I don't have access to lab testing, I use my edible dosage calculator to get a reasonable estimate based on how much flower I started with.Storage: I store my finished capsules in an amber glass jar in a cool, dark place — the fridge or a cabinet away from light and heat both work. Properly made and stored, they'll keep for months.- Tip: Warm the FECO slightly so it's easier to work with — never in the microwave, always a gentle double-boiler style warm-up.If it's too thick or sticky to draw into a syringe, I mix in a few drops of MCT oil or another carrier oil to loosen it up.Using a glass syringe, I add a small amount of FECO to each capsule — remember, a dose is often just about the size of a grain of rice.I fill the rest of the capsule with a carrier oil like MCT or olive oil, which also helps with absorption since cannabinoids are fat-soluble.Seal the capsules and give them a wipe down before storing.
Notes
Amounts: You do not need to use the full 14 grams of cannabis called for in this recipe. You can use as much or as little cannabis as you want. Just understand that your yield will be very small, as little as 1mL, and dependent on how much cannabis you start with. You also do not need to use the full 8 ounces of alcohol, you just need enough to cover all of the cannabis in the container you are using. Anything more is a waste.
Alcohol: Only use high-proof alcohol; the higher, the better. Lower-proof alcohol, like vodka, is not ideal. Use this guide to find high-proof alcohol, if needed.
Soak Times: I’ve seen traditional, long-soak tinctures steep anywhere between a few hours to up to 6 months, or longer, in some cases. Soaking your plant material for longer will slightly increase the potency but will also increase the amount of chlorophyll and plant matter in your final infusion.
Evaporation Options: If you want alternative options for evaporation, follow this guide on how to evaporate the alcohol safely.
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