To start your quest of making the best quality ice water hash, you gotta fully understand what goes inside each of your bags. In this post, we’ll help you with that!

Studying the microns is also studying your plants.

With microns, you can understand the size of trichome heads and their qualities - from less mature to higher quality. Observation is important: the trichome is the fingerprint of each plant. Looking carefully at what comes out in which bag is also to understand whether you (or whoever grew what you’re washing) were a good cultivator or not.

The different microns on the screens that filter the hash are what makes it possible to separate the different sizes of trichome heads and also the full melts (less contaminated with plant matter) from the more contaminated matter. But it's important to remember that quality is relative, and it depends on your plant and your goal. For example, some hash makers can manage to make a full melt even in a 150u bag

Here, we’ll explain to you the difference between the bags and their micron window, so you can know what to expect while producing some fire extracts!

The bags basics:

Here is useful information about the bags found on the ICExtract Bags website:

• 40 micron bags captures small and immature trichomes;
• 70 micron bags captures small and immature trichomes;
• 90 micron bags captures mature trichomes;
• 104 micron bags captures very mature trichomes, the true crème de la crème;
• 120 micron bags captures trichomes of the same quality as the 90u bag;
• 150 micron bags captures larger and variable quality trichomes;
• 190 micron bags separates plant matter, and is not usually collected for hash;
• 220 micron bags separates plant matter, and is not usually collected for hash;

Usually separated by color, the highest microns are at the top and the lowest at the bottom. The 220u is the one that separates all the plant matter from the rest, so it is often used separately.

What micron should I use for hash

Capitated trichomes vary in size, as do fruits on a tree. For this ice water hash process, the water passes through increasingly smaller micron filters. As it goes, the resin is separated from the water into size classifications.

The standard filter bag sets offer a range of filters that include a 40μ filter, 70μ filter, 90μ filter, 104μ filter,120μ filter, 150μ filter, 190μ filter and a 220μ filter.

In this case, a micron window (MW) is equivalent to a size classification for plant resin - its trichomes. The resin captured on a 25μ filter below a 220μ filter is a MW of 25μ-219μ. The resin captured on a 40μ filter below a 180μ filter is a MW of 40μ-179μ; and so on.

Some filters on the market are slightly different. As in place of a 190μ, another company may offer a 180μ. In place of a 45μ, others use 40μ. Instead of 73μ, others use 70μ. These measurements are usually so close together that they hardly matter!

Now that you know what a MW is, let's see what it means if your resin mostly fits within a certain MW. Let's focus on each MW, from the biggest to the smallest. Most resin-rich domesticated varieties used to make hashish produce trichomes that are above 25μ and below 220μ. This does not mean that capitate trichomes cannot exceed this measure. There are varieties that exceed 220μ, but this is very rare.

The total yield of the plant resin is not always located at just one MW, so it is important to use a combination of bags. For purposes of explanation, let's assume that most of the resin is at one of the following MW:

220 microns (220μ): this is not actually a MW, because there is no filter above it. Most cannabis varieties do not produce trichomes above this size. This is a cleaning bag, which means it will collect all the contaminants present in your little plant (including dirt). There is likely to be more contaminants than resin at the bottom of it!

180 to 219 microns (180μ-219μ): it can be quite tricky to get this resin as clean as anything below it. But if there are several trichomes around here, that's good news: there'll be even more hash in the bottom bags! If you're not too picky, this resin can be used to vaporize - and it can also make a good rosin or edible.

150 to 179 microns (150μ-179μ): if your garden and the separation are clean, this micron window is potentially a gold mine. Usually, you’ll have a light to moderate amount of material that will not vaporize. If you see more resin than contaminants here, it's because you've done a great job in cultivation! This resin will rarely be full melt, but it can be great - and also used to make rosin.

120 to 149 microns (120-149μ): this resin is generally an extremely high quality material. Be proud! There may be a very small amount of material that does not vaporize cleanly - so it is almost (or is) a full melt. Enjoy it anyway or turn it into rosin.

90 to 119 microns (90-119μ): from this window you can also expect a very good quality result! This hashish collected around here also tends to leave very little residue when vaporized. It can turn into rosin - but we recommend it in its original form!

70 to 89 microns (70-89μ): this resin can be of great quality and lighter looking than other resins. Expect moderately melted resin - there will be a moderate amount of material left that will not vaporize. Can be turned into rosin.

40 to 69 microns (40μ-69μ): too much resin around here can be a sign of immature flowers or that your plant is not going to have a worthwhile yield. Expect sour flavors and lots of stuff that doesn't vaporize cleanly. Cannabidiol-rich varieties generally fall into these lower MWs. Use for edibles and topics.

25 to 40 microns (25μ-40μ): too much resin here usually means it has been removed from flowers that have not fully matured. Cannabidiol-rich varieties generally fall into these lower MWs. Normally, we do not recommend using this MW because it is the same insect poop and mold spores can get trapped. Expect acidic flavors and lots of material that won't evaporate.

What’s the best micron for rosin?

While in ice water hash we tend to use most of the bags (or all of them!), when the subject is full-spectrum rosin, the opinions tend to vary. Some people use only a few bags, since it’s all gonna be mixed in together anyway - but we wholeheartedly recommend separating the 40μ bag. If you don’t do it, your hash rosin quality can be compromised, and we don’t want that to happen!

Know your stars:

The quality of solvent-free concentrates is generally measured by the quality of their melt. For this reason, hash makers use a star rating system to rank each hash. And while it's not a universal system, the six-star rating system is one of the most popular among hash makers.

• A melt of one to two stars is considered a good hash for edibles, for example, mainly because of the relatively high amounts of plant matter.
• A three to four-star melt is a low-grade hash that only melts halfway through.
• A five to six star full melt is considered the purest form of hash, which can melt almost completely.

The six-star rating system is subjective, but it provides an effective enough means of highlighting pure, quality hash. The higher the rating, the better your resin will melt. The lower the rating, the more plant contaminants it will have. Also, it can be a bit tricky trying to predict where you’re gonna find your full melt: generally, it’s between 90 and 149 microns, but it can vary depending on the chosen strain!

So, did you like to know more about our bags and its microns? If you have any questions about the subject, don’t hesitate to ask us in the comments!

Author: Girls in Green, @girlsingreen710