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 tells you whether you (or whoever grew what you’re washing) were a good cultivator or not.
The different microns on the screens are what make it possible to separate the different sizes of trichome heads — and the full melts (less contaminated with plant matter) from the more contaminated material. Quality is relative and depends on your plant and your goal: some hash makers can manage a full melt even in a 150u bag.
The bags basics
- 40 micron bags capture small and immature trichomes;
- 70 micron bags capture small and immature trichomes;
- 90 micron bags capture mature trichomes;
- 104 micron bags capture very mature trichomes, the true crème de la crème;
- 120 micron bags capture trichomes of the same quality as the 90u bag;
- 150 micron bags capture larger and variable quality trichomes;
- 190 micron bags separate plant matter, and are not usually collected for hash;
- 220 micron bags separate plant matter, and are 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?
Capitate trichomes vary in size, as do fruits on a tree. In the ice water hash process, water passes through increasingly smaller micron filters, separating the resin into size classifications.
The standard filter bag sets offer a range that includes a 40μ, 70μ, 90μ, 104μ, 120μ, 150μ, 190μ and a 220μ filter.
A micron window (MW) is 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; 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 (180μ instead of 190μ, 40μ instead of 45μ, 70μ instead of 73μ) — these measurements are so close together that they hardly matter.
Most resin-rich domesticated varieties used to make hash produce trichomes above 25μ and below 220μ. Total yield is rarely located at just one MW, so it’s important to use a combination of bags. Here’s what each window means:
220 microns (220μ): not actually a MW, because there is no filter above it. This is a cleaning bag — it collects the contaminants present in your plant (including dirt). There is likely to be more contaminant than resin at the bottom of it!
180 to 219 microns: tricky to get this resin as clean as anything below it, but lots of trichomes here means even more hash in the bottom bags. If you’re not too picky, this resin can be vaporized — or make a good rosin or edible.
150 to 179 microns: if your garden and separation are clean, this window is potentially a gold mine. Rarely full melt, but it can be great — and also used for rosin.
120 to 149 microns: generally extremely high quality material — almost (or fully) a full melt. Enjoy it as-is or turn it into rosin.
90 to 119 microns: very good quality with little residue when vaporized. Can become rosin — but we recommend it in its original form!
70 to 89 microns: can be great quality and lighter looking. Expect moderately melting resin. Can be turned into rosin.
40 to 69 microns: too much resin here can signal immature flowers or a low-value yield. Expect sour flavors and material that doesn’t vaporize cleanly. Use for edibles and topicals.
25 to 40 microns: usually means resin from flowers that never fully matured. We generally don’t recommend collecting this window — contaminants like insect debris and mold spores can get trapped here.
What’s the best micron for rosin?
While ice water hash tends to use most (or all) of the bags, opinions vary for full-spectrum rosin. Some people use only a few bags since it all gets mixed together anyway — but we wholeheartedly recommend separating the 40μ bag. If you don’t, your hash rosin quality can be compromised.
Know your stars
The quality of solvent-free concentrates is generally measured by the quality of their melt, ranked with the popular six-star system:
- A one-to-two star melt is a good hash for edibles, mainly because of relatively high plant matter.
- A three-to-four star melt is a mid-grade hash that only melts halfway.
- A five-to-six star full melt is the purest form of hash, melting almost completely.
The system is subjective, but effective: the higher the rating, the better your resin melts; the lower, the more plant contaminants. Your full melt is generally found between 90 and 149 microns, but it varies by strain!
Author: Girls in Green, @girlsingreen710
