Note: Regrettably, we are no longer supporting Melting of the Heads. See here for more information from the Hashtek team.
Here are my top 8 hash making tips learned from this event:
1. If you want to test how a cultivar will wash, you can simulate a wash using cold water, ice and a mason jar. The key to this test wash process, is you must reproduce the wash environment in the mason jar. Load the mason jar just as you would load a wash vessel. Use 20 grams of fresh frozen to 1 quart mason jar. Place a layer of ice , cannabis, ice and then fill with cold water. Allow the material to soak and rehydrate, then agitate for 10-15 minutes. Allow the sample to settle for 4-6 hours to get a true measurement of the trichomes harvested. If the bottom of the jar is covered in resin the cultivar will wash. Multiple agitation washes may be required depending on the cultivar. Be sure to maintain equal time and agitation on all test washes.
2. Recirculating cold water for hash washing will help maintain temperature and reduce ice use, lowering cost of production.
3. When breeding for hash you need to understand what the male and female are providing for genetic material. The Male tends to carry resin production, structure, vigor and resistance. By stacking genetics from multiple known hash cultivars into one male, the breeder can push those genetics into another plant to create the hash property of the new cultivar. Female plants tend to carry the aroma, flower structure and bud density. See our public list of “strains that wash“.
4. When pressing hash rosin patience, persistence and temperature are key. The first portion of the press is very light pressure which allows the heat from the plates to liquify the resin from the heads, we see this as “the bag sweating”. This liquifying usually takes place in 3 separate horizons within the bag. Once the third horizon appears, the trichome heads have liquified. The press operator can then apply more pressure and safely squeeze the cannabinoids from the bag. This process reduces blow outs of press bags and helps the rosin move away from the plates as fast as possible. Minimizing rosin exposure to oxygen can help retain terpenes.
5. Mechanical separation can be used to process a batch of rosin that oxidizes rapidly or won’t sell into a unique product which can sell. Separating out the THC-A from the oxidized rosin through multiple heats and pressures changes creates a different product for the consumer.
6. Mission Hill Melts Tasting Grid was a brilliant document created to get everyone speaking the same language when judging full melt and rosin based on the product’s properties, appearance, and performance. Perhaps the best part of the guide is the extensive list of descriptive terms that helped me put words to my experience. The tasting guide will help develop consumer’s points of reference for placing complex flavors, aromas and describing the consumption experience.
7. Developing and marketing a brand is about a solid product, strategic planning, and timing. A solid product with a great story draws the customer in and keeps them coming back. Strategic planning has the business anticipating regulation changes, limiting money spent on artwork, reducing expenses on packaging, and honing the production process. When the business has the hot product in the market, the strategic planning honed, expanding the business towards the lifestyle brand and consulting is the next logical move. Deploying this strategy in the correct order can make all the difference for a small business during tough times.
8. “Discipline is the bridge between dreams and reality.” – TBeezle
Hope these 8 hash making tips will give you plenty to think about as you continue the journey to supreme solventless Hash and Hash Rosin. Hope to see you at the next Hashtek sponsored event!
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This article was written by Scott Greco of trichomeheadsconsulting.com
