Thanks. I've seen people say they de-carb anywhere from 180-300 for varying times. I'll definitely try lower next time if I de-carb. I also just picked up some Everclear in hopes to try the alcohol extraction method next.
de-carb is mostly useless, especially if you're not focused on an extremely high-productivity setup, so don't sweat it too much. Do ethanol extraction, and boil (you'd better have good air circulation) with activated carbon to remove large organics (literally until the dark brown/green coloration is gone) that will leave easily burn and leave nasty residue, then move on to evaporating or whatever your chosen technique before re-suspending in your medium of choice. That will probably get you the cleanest end product without too much work.
Yes, the color, but, more importantly, the stuff giving it the dark coloration. It's long chain organic molecules that will probably decompose at the same heat that it takes to vaporize your terpenoids. And no, cannabinoids won't get caught in the activated carbon at a rate that matters. End all those sentences with "probably." Still, purer is always better, right?