LĒVO C: How This Machine Makes Bigger, Better, Batches of Magical Butter

Cannabis confectionary creators and other bulk botanical home infusers have been asking for more capacity for a while now- especially when a proper infusion can take a small chunk of time to complete.

So what if you could double your normal quality infusion output without having to schedule it out on your calendar? That’d be pretty valuable, wouldn’t it? Well LĒVO also thought so, and therein, developed the LĒVO C.

Let’s take a look at this machine and see exactly what LĒVO has developed here.

• Why did they make it?
• What are the upsides?
• Does LĒVO C replace the LĒVO II (the short answer is ‘no’)
• Does it have any failings that we could find?

LĒVO C Overview

First of all, this is a beautiful machine. It looks so good on our countertops- take your pick from 6 gorgeous colors. So, whether you’re already a fan of the LĒVO product line and ready to go bigger, or you’ve got a budding home botanica bakery business that you’re looking to scale, the LĒVO C is here and ready to solve all of your home infusion needs.

Facing the machine, the simple, touch screen user interface makes understanding your settings as easy as possible. When your cycle has been completed, the LĒVO C will tell you so, and you can move on to the next step of your recipe.

Let’s talk about growth at scale. With the LĒVO C, you can now double your output in a single infusion cycle. This means you could use more than a liter of carrier oil (oil, butter, honey, glycerin, or any combination). That’s 6 cups of your favorite oil to infuse at one time. Don’t worry however, there’s a ‘don’t fill above this line’ marking in the basin, for those of you a little heavy-handed with your pours.

The same scale translates over to the capacity of the Jumbo Pod, which can now house 1 full ounce of your favorite herb(s) compared to ½ ounce when using two Power Pods in LĒVO II. The general rules still apply to this larger-sized Pod; namely, don’t overpack it so that oil and butter can flow freely through for maximum potency. The hot oil needs to continuously circulate throughout your activated (decarboxylated) herb, without escaping into the infusion itself. This is the process that ‘fuses’ the plant molecules to those of the fats in your carrier oil. This process takes time, careful heat, and consistent circulation.

Decarboxylating Your Cannabis

The main thing that we see differing with the LĒVO C when compared to the LĒVO II is that the LĒVO C cannot ‘dry’ your garden fresh herbs, like basil, parsely, or garlic. The LĒVO II has a ‘dry’ cycle that can be useful if you’re planning to work with fresh flavors and need the moisture removed. However, don’t be mistaken – drying does not replace the need for decarboxylating cannabis (which the LĒVO C does do!) Overall, not having the ‘dry’ cycle is a non-issue for us because we focus on infusing THC and CBD flower. Make sure your cannabis is pretty dry to start off with and you should be ready to activate it and create a stellar infusion. If you’re buying flower or shake from the dispensary, it will be dried already. If you’re growing, drying, and curing cannabis yourself, line drying is a preferred method.

With the LĒVO C, you’ve still got the decarboxylation option, or what LĒVO names the ‘activate cycle’ built right in, which is important and unique to the LĒVO machines. This is the setting that allows you to decarboxylate your cannabis, which is everything when it comes to making edibles.

When it comes to the ‘activation cycle’ just remember:

• Remove the magnetic stirrer when you’re decarboxylating your cannabis and replace it when you’re ready for the infusion cycle.
• When you need to ‘activate’ a full ounce within the Power Pod, you’ll need to run that cycle twice, stirring the cannabis thoroughly between each decarb cycle.

If you’re used to using the LĒVO II like we are, you know the great job it does of containing the smell associated with ‘activating’ your herb. Fear not, the LĒVO C does that, too, just not as much because it’s not air tight like LĒVO II is. Your roommates and family will be able to tell you’re decarboxylating cannabis if they walk into the kitchen, but it won’t be as strong as the old fashioned oven method. LĒVO C is for those who don’t need to be as discreet.

Infusing Your Oil

Once you’re ready to add your carrier oil, the minimum oil to safely run the LĒVO C will be 2 cups. The maximum amount of oil is around 6 cups.

Let’s put that into perspective: ‘A typical box of brownie mix calls for ½ cup or ⅔ cup of butter or vegetable oil. Just swap that vegetable oil for ½ cup or ⅔ cups of your infused butter or oil and follow the package instructions as listed.’ At half (.5) a cup of infused butter or oil for a box of brownies, 6 cups of infused oil would make 12 boxes of brownies.

Note: This is where their helpful time and temperature infusion calculator shines because you can choose the time and temp that’s best for your ingredients and carrier oil.

Becoming More Involved in Your Infusions

One of the things that we love about the LĒVO C is that we get to see exactly what’s going on. We heard through the grapevine that it’s named the LEVO C because you can actually “see” through the machine as it’s working and infusing. Pretty cool, right?

After you’ve activated your cannabis (through one or two cycles), added the magnetic stirrer, and you’ve filled your basin with the oil you’re going to infuse (making sure the liquid is fully covering your dry herbs) – all you have to do is to decide on your time and temperature settings and press start!

Yes, it’s fun to watch the magnetic stirrer do its thing as your carrier oil slowly heats up and starts to get darker and darker, and plenty is going on here.

First of all, the fact that there’s no aeration being pulled into the infusion is a serious benefit. What does air do to all of those fine botanicals we love?

Well, it oxidizes them. Oxidization helps the finer points of the plant material lose its therapeutic and medicinal value much faster than it normally would. This can affect the potency as a result in several ways, and it also shortens the shelf life of what you’re creating.

However, that’s not all. Because LĒVO C, like LĒVO II, is not chopping up and tearing through your special cannabis flower, you’ll have less (if any) of that dirty, grassy taste made by other infusion methods.

The LĒVO C does this all perfectly and because we can watch all of this take place, it pulls you in, making you more aware of the process than you ever were before. It’s a clear, unimpeded look behind the LĒVO curtain.

Now that you’ve made your first liter of cannabutter, you’ve realized that you don’t have enough worthy places to store your oil in. Well, luckily, the basin of the LĒVO C can be that extra container you need at the moment- until you can get your container shortage solved. We recommend storing oil or butter in two Herb Block Trays – one in the fridge, one in the freezer, with a small mason jar for anything left over if you’re not using it right away.

When all is said and done, the clean-up is as simple as it is for all LĒVO products. Just place all of the loose pieces in the dishwasher and wipe down the base, if needed, and that should do it- until you’re ready for your next successful infusing adventure.

As with all LĒVO products, you’ll enjoy a year of product protection warranty. What could be better?

Our Final Thoughts on the LĒVO C:

This machine is built for scale. Whether you’re building a small home-infusing business, or you’re filled with ideas of what you could create with your favorite infused butter or other oils, the LĒVO C will help you and your (big) ideas come to life.

With support for their whole product line, an online potency calculator, and even a wide range of recipes available, LĒVO makes it easy when it comes to choosing a quality home-infuser to complete your kitchen.

Related Posts:

• LĒVO vs. Magical Butter