LĒVO II – Infused with Satisfaction?

Not everyone likes to smoke. As marijuana usage, both medical and recreational, climbs, more and more users are seeking out alternate methods to consume. One of those options is infusion. Marijuana infusions are known to have a “softer” affect that lasts between thirty and ninety minutes. There are methods to make infusions yourself, such as “The Mason Jar Method,” which can be found online. They tend to be complicated, time consuming, and finicky.

That’s the problem the LĒVO II promises to solve. It’s an automated infusion machine. The first thing you’ll notice if you research it, is the company videos make no mention of marijuana anywhere in its official messaging. At a glance, one would think the device was just for floral and herbal ingredients.

Looking deeper, you’ll find a lot more.

About LĒVO

According to their website, as a company, LĒVO feels passionate about “discovering natural paths to wellness.” LĒVO designs its products to allow its customers control over the ingredients and processes they use for infusion.

As they point out, infusion is a centuries-old practice dating back to some of the earliest human civilizations. Not just for cooking, but medicinal uses as well. Infusions are used as “secret ingredients” in high end cooking. Infusions also play a key role in many skin-care products. LĒVO also claims “By extracting the components of the whole plant, the full spectrum of superior nutritional, therapeutic and medicinal benefits of infusions can be realized.”

LĒVO promises an alternative to so-called “natural” products that are, in reality, over-processed and containing additives and/or, even more commonly, solvents. The user controls the ingredients and this gives them more control over their final products.

How It Works

The LĒVO II is a patented device, designed for infusing botanicals into oil and butter.

Using the machine is supposed to be simple. For the most part, it is. First, turn it on to heat. It comes with an herbal pod, as well as a protector piece. Place the piece, add your bud to the pod, lift the lid, place the pod and select dry, activate, or infuse mode. This is a three-step process, dry first, then activate, then infuse. To start, close the lid, and let the dry cycle run. The activation step is next. Then you’ll need to attach the magnetic stirrer, add your oil or butter, and run the infusion cycle. Your liquid infusion pours into any container you like.

The dry and activate cycle is a method of decarboxylation. By cooking your weed slightly, before turning it into edibles, you can convert acidic cannabinoids present in cannabis into non-acidic cannabinoids. What does that mean? THC in marijuana must be heat activated. You can’t just eat pot raw and get the desired effect. The same goes for CBD. That’s why smoking was the common method of marijuana use for so long. The drying and activating process is vital to the infusion process.

Going into more detail, temperature is vital to the decarboxylation process. Lower temperatures preserve more terpenes. Terpenes, for those who don’t know, are the chemicals other than THC that give various strains their individual flavor and effect. The process also doesn’t aerate your ingredients (i.e., pass air through it) and this increases the shelf life of the final product.

Now, there are controls to adjust temperature and duration of the infusion process. The trick is, knowing what settings you want to use. The machine has default settings, which help, but research is going to be needed to get the results you want. One source of information, is LĒVO’s website, but more on that later.

LĒVO is not for use with grain alcohol. It’s also not made to produce vape fluid, or any other inhaled final product.

Manufacturing Quality

There are four removable parts that come with the LĒVO II. The reservoir and nozzle are made of ceramic coated stainless steel designed to be non-stick. It holds up to 19 fl oz. (.5 litres). It’s designed to drain easily. The stirrer is silicone with magnets enclosed. It’s made to stir without bubbles. The double herb pod combines a stainless-steel mesh with the silicone magnet bracket. It holds roughly half a cup (120 ml) of plants. Lastly, the pod protector keeps your botanicals safe during the dry and activate cycles. After initial assembly, you’ll later need to remove the silicon seal when washing.

Is it a quality machine? The company is so convinced it is, they offer a 100-day return policy and an impressive three-year warranty.

The machine comes in five different colors: white, black, yellow, red and teal.

Ease of Use

The LĒVO II is not a machine you want to start out experimenting, or winging it, with. To start off, look for recipes. The manufacturer offers a PDF cookbook, “Infusions, Elevated Edibles.” It’s surprisingly pricey for a PDF, but reviews at shop.LĒVOoil.ca are 100% positive. The variety of recipes included is impressive. It runs the gamut from gummies to coffees, brownies to beeswax salves. It’s also important to remember, there are non-weed recipes the machine will make. Just because you like pot, doesn’t mean you don’t like rosemary infused extra virgin olive oil. There are Keto diet friendly options, and vegan ones as well. In fact, the official site is currently taking pre-orders for a 100% Keto diet cookbook.

Infusing honey is possible with LĒVO devices makes it more difficult to dispense and clean, but it can be done with care, and experience. It may be easier to infuse coconut oil and mix it with the honey separately. LĒVO recommends infusing honey at 105-125 degrees F for at least two hours.

The manufacturers produced an app meant to answer questions, provide even more recipes, connect directly to a LĒVO II (that’s right, it comes with wi-fi compatibility), and even remote control the machine. Given that it’s necessary to be there in between each step, it’s hard to see just how helpful that really is, unless you want to start the process before leaving work, or to work while you sleep.

The problem with the app is there are a lot of issues connecting to it. Comments at the YouTube video designed to explain the app are almost entirely negative. At play.google.com the app has a staggeringly bad 1.3 out of 5 rating. This is one of the few unprofessional things about the LĒVO II.

Another source of help is online chat at LĒVO’s website. Prompt courteous service available from 7:30 a.m. (MST) to 11:30 p.m. (MST) weekdays, and 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekends. They may not be able to answer all your questions, but they do try.

Performance

Watching the company’s promotional videos makes it look like using the LĒVO II is a quick process. It’s not. The default settings for the cycles are three hours to dry, 35 minutes to activate and two hours to infuse. The maximums for these cycles are ten hours, two hours and ten hours, respectively. Making infusions is not going to be a spur of the moment activity.

The four removeable pieces, as well as the silicone seal on the machine, are removeable and dishwasher safe. That’s a relief to anyone who’s had to deal with residue from a pipe or bong.

Another benefit of the LĒVO II, is smell. Or rather, reduced smell. When the herbs are being prepared the sealed compartment means little smell escapes at all. Opening the pod will release some scent; at least you’ll be prepared for it.

Among available accessories are the “Herb Blocks,” which are designed to allow you divide your extracts into small cubs for cooling. It looks suspiciously like an ice cube tray, and I suspect one of those might due in a pinch.

LĒVO also offers an herb press, and replacement parts for the LĒVO II, all at their official online store.

Overall Experience

The LĒVO II has a lot of fans. On their official sales page the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. 98% positive. On Amazon, the product has an 83% five-star rating. That said, those who hate it, really hate it. While many feel it’s solid and built to last, others report flaking of the ceramic coating, poor sealing, and other minor breakage. The spigot can also hold oil and drip when it is removed.

The low smell is appreciated by many. It’s never going to be scentless, but at least it’s not roasting in the oven for hours, releasing aromas the entire time.

The versatility of the controls appeals to experienced users and less educated users find it easy to learn. One testimonial on the company website raved:

“The Machine turned me from an idiot to an expert in a day. 10/10”

Another promise the LĒVO II makes good on is ease of cleaning. The dishwasher safe pieces really cut down on clean up.

For those looking for potent extracts, the basket can be too small. For those wanting small infusion batches, the oil reservoir’s minimum level makes it tough.

The Wi-Fi features don’t fare as well. There are a lot of reports of the feature not working at all, working very rarely or causing the LĒVO II itself to pause when the Wi-Fi is activated.

The company’s customer service has mostly positive, and some very angry, reviews. The speed of their response seems to vary greatly. For those outside the USA and Canada, the company does not sell directly and does not offer customer service to those areas. If you’re not in one of those two countries, probably best to wait until the company begins directly supporting your area before purchasing. LĒVO operates at 110V, 50/60Hz and 250W, so it’s not going to work in 220V outlets anyway.

What it comes down to is, when it works it works well, and it can be a game changer. When it doesn’t work, it can really not work, and customer service can be spotty for some.

Making cannabis oil or butter is done in large batches. A LĒVO could easily use up 7g of flower per use, depending on the strength one of is looking for. So, don’t expect to make butter for one piece of toast at a time. Be prepared to make larger batches and store them.

The second biggest point of concern with the LĒVO II, is price. On the Shop LĒVO II website, the machine retails for $299. It’s not exactly an impulse purchase.

The biggest concern? There are isolated reports of the machine actually catching fire when first being used. These are, again, isolated incidents. But unless you can keep an eye on your machine the first few times you use it, think twice before “firing” it up. When asked about these fires, a customer service representative had not heard of any such fires, but reassured me the machine has a full three-year warranty… how comforting.

YouTube Resources

If you do get a LĒVO, there is a wealth of videos available to help you get the most out of it. One common topic is “potency hacks.” There are users who feel the end product of the LĒVO II doesn’t meet their desired strength. If you wind up feeling the same way, be sure to check these videos out. Unboxings, testimonials, step-by-step walkthroughs, still more recipes and all kinds of tips can only be found quickly and easily. One site even offers the secret of making chocolate with the help of the LĒVO II. Another trick out there, is to use ABV (already been vaporized) weed instead of raw. This is a practice that will produce a much weaker final product, which may be good if you end up wolfing down and entire tray of brownies, just because you are craving sweets. Capsules are another possibility, for those who prefer them.

Deals

LĒVO currently offers a referral program. Refer a friend and you not only do they get 10% off, but you get a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. LĒVO offers free shipping within the US via USPS or Fed Ex. While, LĒVO makes no official delivery guarantees, one should expect a delivery within ten business days of order. LĒVO has a Canadian website as well, but does not ship anywhere else in the world. They also offer a deal for anyone purchasing a gift card worth $100 or more. Do so and receive a free eCookbook.

What about the LĒVO I?

The LĒVO I is still available, for just over half the price of the LĒVO II. So, is the newer version worth the extra layout? The original can infuse up to 12 ounces of oil at a time. Unfortunately, that’s all it can do. It doesn’t do the drying and activation that the LĒVO II can. Which means it’s great for infusing most herbs, other than marijuana. It will make scented candles, but the convenience factor is a lot lower for bud. Since the bud still has to be cooked, it’s going to smell up your kitchen long before you reach the infusion stage.

The LĒVO I is available in four colors: almond cream, terracotta orange, basalt black, stone grey. At LĒVO’s own website, the LĒVO I retails for $159.99.

Learning with LĒVO

The LĒVO website offers a large resource of articles and (surprise, surprise) recipes.

Among their educational articles are:

• What We Know About the Medical Benefits of CBD

o Lays out the many medical uses of CBD and THC, from epileptic seizures to anxiety, stress, insomnia, pain and inflammation.

• CBD for Beginners: 5 Easy Steps to Start Using CBD

o A good guide for beginners on things like selecting product, dosage, experimenting and setting into “the CBD lifestyle.”

• CBD for Anxiety: How and Why It Can Help

o A basic outline of CBD and the known benefits, explaining the process by which phytocannabinoids interact with the naturally-occurring endocannabinoids naturally found in the human brain.

• ECS 101: How to Boost Your ECS

o Further detailing the endocannabinoid system and it’s role in maintaining homeostasis (natural metabolic balance) within the body.

• How to Infuse Rosemary Extra Virgin Olive Oil

o The ingredients? Rosemary and extra virgin olive oil.

• 5 Reasons Healthy People Are Obsessed with At-Home Herbal Infusion (spoiler, all five are below):

1. You decide what goes in and on your body

2. You can easily incorporate it into your daily routine

3. It’s never been easier to infuse at home

4. You can reduce your waste and save money

5. You can shake things up with healthy new recipes

LĒVO even offers a newsletter you can sign up for online.

Another feature is the online calculator. This is where to begin searching for times and temperatures for various ingredients. For ingredients ranging from basil to citrus, rosemary to roots and vegetables to “flower,” as well as oils such as corn, grapeseed, almond, canola, coconut, avocado and good old-fashioned butter this guide will get you started on infusion settings.

The Competition

The biggest competitor to the LĒVO extractors is the MAGICAL BUTTER MB2E Botanical Extractor Machine. Like a LĒVO, it will fit on your countertop. At bloomgrove.com the device has a 4.70 satisfaction rating with no dissatisfied reviews at all. That’s a great testimonial. That said, the MB2E isn’t as versatile in terms of settings. It’s primarily made of stainless steel, which means it should be more durable and easier to clean. The problem is, it won’t dry and activate, so it’s only saving the infusion step itself. That may not be worth the price, even though it’s cheaper than the LĒVO II. Available for under $175 the MB2E isn’t much more than the LĒVO I, but that could be a better choice for the budget conscious.

In Conclusion

There are certainly benefits to edibles. From discretion to lack of lung irritation, those benefits mean investigating edibles is well worth it. Cannabis chocolate may not be exactly good for you, but smoking is worse. Some other choices, such as infused salad dressing, can be used on healthier foods. Using with care and moderation is important, especially when first starting out. Edibles can sneak up on you, can be surprisingly potent, and stay in your system longer. Under no circumstances should one drive after consuming, not for quite some time.

Sure, you can bake your weed in an oven, and there are cheap methods to infuse butter and oil. It’s hard to maintain a consistent quality and it’s a time consuming, annoying, process. If you are looking to make infused marijuana a bigger part of your life, and you can spare the coin, the LĒVO II is well worth looking at. It’s certainly cheaper than buying pre-made infusions. In the long run, it might save some people money. It may not save as much time.

It's safer than smoking, unless it starts smoking…