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Tom Bielecki
Why doesn't the website mention cannabis? Did you make a choice to hide that rather than promote it? It's not even in the meta tags.
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@tombielecki Hi there! We do have a flower icon out there, but - yes - we have some reasons for this related to card processors.
LEVO is a spiffy looking new kitchen appliance for infusing oil and butter with the herb of your choice—Coconut Oil to Cannabis. Let's call it the Easy Bake Oven for Cannabis. The team wants to bring back control of infusion to the consumer—control over consumption, ingredients, and strength. Infuse at home, mess free, at the touch of a button. After you're finished, pop the reservoir in the dishwasher for easy clean up. It's a pretty tasty product.
@kevin_raposo @writerpollock Hi Kevin! Great question. Check out this Quora post! https://www.quora.com/What-is-th...
@kevin_raposo found a page that summarizes the differences: https://www.quora.com/What-is-th...
@joel_milton @kevin_raposo as a Magical Butter Machiine owner and someone who is interested in the LEVO, I'll respond from the MBM side since that response is from the LEVO camp.
1. MBM was initially designed for making cannabis butter & oil for the inventor/founder's ill friend. It also happens to infuse other things, like alcohol and milk (I made lavender infused milk for my friend's coffee shop once or twice).
2. There's some discussion on the various MBM forums about the benefit of emulsifiers, I've personally not found them to be necessary.
3. It's a bitch to clean. I tend to make large batches (~4 cups) at once so I don't have to clean it as often.
4. I've never had my machine overheat or burn a batch. It has an internal thermometer and makes adjustments as needed.
5. The MBM is pretty much a slow cooker combined with a blender. I've run batches for 3x8hrs without issue.
The biggest issue for me is the cleaning. It's also not very pretty so I keep it tucked away when not in use. And it's loud and makes the whole house smell like whatever it is you're infusing... that can be good and bad depending on what state you live in ;)
The language used to describe the product is kind of impenetrable. I guess if I were better plugged into pot culture, I would know what "infusion" means. Instead, its kind of like using "regular" to describe what Metamucil does...Is it a strategy no to ever say Cannabis?
@andrewliebchen Yes, the cannabis community is much more familiar with infusion and excited that LEVO can infuse other herbs, too. This explains, in part, why we launched with HERB. We're solving a problem, versus instilling a need most foodies don't yet have. Our site has a related icon and mentions edibles, flower, botanical infusions, etc.. We do have do be careful with language to maintain our ideal credit card processor. Love the "regular" example- that's great coaching for us to bear in mind! Since LEVO is for a discerning user who also appreciates it's other applications, we do walk a fine line and need to continue to improve our clarity. Thank you!
@chrissybeh Wow, I hadn't considered having to tiptoe around credit card processors. Looking forward to the day where this is legal nationally. So much benefit socially and economically will come from legalization.
@chrismessina Appreciate your curiosity! The size of the legal cannabis market is growing rapidly and natural foods + alternative wellness has points of convergence with our market, as well as tremendous growth. We also have a lot of data about how this concept and market is already validated. Happy to chat more at chrissy@levooil.com!
Top Hunter
@chrissybeh ah, the tagline was misleading since you can use it for more than pot brownies!
Your video would be more effective if it actually showed the infusion process and what the final product (oil/ghee) looked like!
@chrismessina Yes, you absolutely can use it for a number of purposes. Homemade skincare and beauty products, infused olive oils (like the pricey flavors at boutique shops), herb butter, lavender cookies, and much more! Infusing fats opens a new world of culinary and DIY possibilities. Restaurants infuse often to achieve the depth and complexity of flavor that's hard to match at home, as most recipes call for a fat ingredient. Great feedback- we are cooking up that content and will have a number of demo videos, soon. Thank you!
Confused on how it works and the benefits. If you show how and further articulate the "why" behind the product then I think you will increase your initial interest and pre-orders.
@jaceperry Hi Jace! Thanks so much for your feedback. We will work to improve our site copy and really appreciate this advice. The pain point for home chefs is, first, the mess, and, second, repeatability. LEVO is dishwasher safe with very precise time and temperature controls to solve those issues. In general, LEVO also offers consumers an alternative to mysterious and expensive products on the shelves today. From the outside, LEVO works a lot like a coffee maker.
I absolutely LOVE cooking with infused olive oils. It just gives each dish a little extra somethin' somethin'. The idea of making my own oils, even customizing it per meal, is so rad! Also, it's just plain beautiful. It's going right on my countertop instead of in the cupboard next to all my other ugly appliances.
@kristian_kabuay Hi, Kristian! For our pre-order campaign, we're not releasing a full production demo video. We are about to come out with a teaser demo video, though! Stay tuned.
Very excited to be featured on Product Hunt today! A lot of hard work and love has gone into the development of this product over the past several years, so this is an extremely exciting and rewarding time for us. We're standing by to answer any questions you may have about our brand and appreciate your interest. LEVO is available for pre-order at incredible discounts, today!
@averyhaskell Hi, Avery! Production is underway, and we estimate early 2017! Thanks for asking.
Hey Chrissy Bellman!
Great job on the product, it looks beautiful. I'm a a 3x Magical Butter machine owner and partner at a Pre-ICO, Prop-D Dispensary in Los Angeles. I just want to make sure I understand the major differences between LEVO & Magical Butter:
1) With LEVO, I'll no longer need to use a product like Sunflower Lecithin, correct?
2) Your device can dispense the infused oil into any jar/bottle?
3) The device squeezes out the oil from the herb on my behalf, and I no longer have to squeeze the herb to extract the oil afterwards by hand?
If yes to all of these, the LEVO machine will be a great addition to my shop and would look pretty good next to my Nespresso machine hahah.
Best of luck, it's an exciting industry to be in!
@sirhawxofhurst I've made plenty of successful batches without using any kind of emulsifier - various fats and various strains & qualities of flower.
@sirhawxofhurst Ryan, a million thanks for your kind words and great questions! 1) Correct!, 2) Yes, as long as it's roughly the size of a standard mason jar. 3) The device does not have an electronic mechanism for this, but a) gentle press down with a fitting utensil (or an accessory from us) will still keep this hands free and b) our tests have shown this step is not the end all be all for achieving desired potency after all. Such a joy to answer, as you're 100% on point with the issues we have worked so hard to solve, including your comments about the countertop-flattering design! We agree it's exciting and can't wait to revolutionize at home infusion for all. Thanks again! Cheers!
@covercash @sirhawxofhurst Hi Chris, the company Ryan is referring to does recommend the use of an emulsifier (see their demo video). This has to do with the functionality of the device itself. We certainly agree that forgoing this step is ideal. Happy to discuss more here or at chrissy@levooil.com. Thank you and glad to hear that you're a fellow DIY enthusiast!
@chrissybeh @sirhawxofhurst Yeah, my post was about the Magical Butter Machine. I've spent lots of time on FB groups and forums and there isn't really a definitive answer. I've made identical batches of rosemary garlic olive oil, adding sunflower lecithin to one and they both tasted the same. It's a bit difficult to properly test THC/CBD effects at home...
@covercash @sirhawxofhurst The recommendation to use an emulsifier is simply a results of the fact that the product was not designed for viscous oils. Rather, it was designed for water based recipes. To perform more effectively, the company recommends this thinning ingredient. I encourage you to do a quick search on soy milk makers. Rosemary garlic is a favorite of mine, too!
I cannot wait to get my hands on a LEVO! Lots of fun times ahead, and without the hassle #Blessed
I also don't hate that they're sleek AF.