Ardent Lift Decarboxylator Review

Now it’s time for vaporisation of a different kind. You may not have heard of Ardent’s Lift Decarboxylator yet. It’s had rave reports across the pond, with all manner of American reviewers praising it, but hasn’t hit these shores yet.

Expect that to change very soon. It’s also known as the Nova, but that version is geared toward cannabis users only. The Lift works in precisely the same way but it marketed toward states and countries with less lenient cannabis policies – in brief, they substitute the word ‘cannabis’ for ‘herb’. But enough of the legalities, who is the Lift for and what does it do?

The official statement is that it “maximises cannabinoid availability for those preferring to smoke or vaporize”.

In short, it makes your cannabis more effective. Of course, unlike the UK many states in America allow cannabis use while here in the UK, THC-heavy cannabis is illegal.

But fear not, that doesn’t mean the Nova is for outlaws only – it can be used to enhance the effectiveness of CBD in hemp (providing the THC level is below 0.2%, this hemp is perfectly legal). In this review we’ll focus on CBD, but if you’re that way inclined, the same applies to THC.

What Can We Expect From The Ardent Lift Decarboxylator?

The Lift is basically a small portable oven, that heats up herb to a very specific temperature, for a specific amount of time. This process is called ‘decarboxylation’.

This is necessary to convert the active ingredients in hemp (or cannabis) into the most potent and effective versions. To get technical for a moment, it converts the cannabinoid CBDA into CBD (and non-psychoactive THCA into psychoactive THC). This is a key process when it comes to creating effective edibles, tinctures and topicals.

But does it work? Read on to find out.

• What is CBD? – Full Guide

This item was sent to me for the purposes of review, direct from Ardent. All views and opinions are my own. You can also check out our best vaporizers for dry herb here.

Inside The Box

• Ardent Lift
• US plug (UK adaptor required)

Key Features

• Full activation of CBD/THC
• Easy and simple to use
• Holds up to one ounce of flower (depending on the density) or 5 ounces of pollen
• Preserves maximum amount of terps
• Helps create potent edibles and topicals

Design And Build Quality

The Lift is a sturdy, well-designed device. It’s also incredibly easy to use. Simply open the lid, put your CBD hemp or cannabis in, close the lid and turn on. It contains two sensors to ensure your herb doesn’t burn, but also so that it decarbs effectively.

It’s designed so the herb is heated evenly so you don’t have to chop or grind your substance of choice. It generally takes about one hour and fifteen minutes and you can simply leave it running. Best of all, the smell produced is minimal, and barely noticeable.

How Does Ardent Lift Decarboxylator Perform?

There’s a notable difference between decarbed and un-decarbed herb. This applies across the board, whether you’re making edibles or smoking it. For my tests I used high-CBD hemp and the results were dramatic. I prefer to use as topical balm, and previously I decarbed in my kitchen oven.

This led to major variances as the temperature cannot be controlled effectively, so some parts of the hemp were crispy and burnt, while others were likely not decarbed at all.

The Lift ensured all the hemp was decarbed evenly and led to a dramatic increase in effectiveness. As the Lift is designed more towards cannabis, we can safely assume these effects are even more profound when it comes to THC.

One important thing to note for CBD users is that CBD does have a different heating point to THC, meaning there’s a different decarb rate. With most strains, this isn’t an issue but if your hemp is heavily CBD dominant you will need to put your herb through the Lift twice, as one run only decarbs 50% of CBD-heavy herb.

What I Like

It’s so easy to use a child could do it. Put your herb in, hit a button, then leave it alone until done. It couldn’t be simpler. It certainly makes the cannabinoids in hemp more effective, and we can assume the same for cannabis.

The Lift even retains the terpenes, and therefore the flavours of your hemp or cannabis, making for a pleasant tasting final product, rather than the burnt out ashy sensation of herb decarbed using other methods.

What I Don’t Like

Is it an essential purchase? It’s debatable. If you’re determined to extract every last bit of the active ingredients from your herb then you’ll want this.

It’s far more effective than using an oven when it comes to making edibles, tinctures and topicals, though smokers won’t notice a dramatic difference as the herb goes through a natural decarb during combustion.

Having said that, many smokers have reported enhanced properties from decarbed herb so inquisitive psychonauts may find extra benefits.

Final Verdict

The Ardent Lift Decarboxylator is a smart-looking, well-designed product, designed to eke out every last bit of goodness from CBD-heavy hemp and cannabis. Casual users probably won’t see much point in it, but seasoned CBD and THC users who want the very best and are prepared to pay for it, will see great results.

Pros

• Huge increase in efficacy when it comes to cannabinoids
• Very easy to use
• Discreet design
• Retains the terpenes and other cannabinoids, essential for the entourage effect

Cons

• High price
• A CBD-specific button would be useful
• Needs a UK plug adaptor