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Part 1: Bubble Hash Extraction
Part 2: Pressing Bubble Hash into Rosin

Last summer I had a fan fail. It did not fail at once but rather died a slow untimely death. If I had been monitoring my electricity consumption I likely would have caught this earlier since the fan was sucking back twice as much juice as normal (and putting off way more heat). This led to unseasonably hot temperatures (which I had also gotten lazy about monitoring) which scorched an entire harvest.

On the bright side, this failed harvest gave me a lot of plant matter to experiment with extracting. I’ve tried Butane Honey Oil (BHO) extractions in the past but did not want to mess with exhausting toxic/flammable solvents into the environment. In my opinion, solvent-based extractions should only be done in closed-loop systems where the solvent is recovered. Solventless extractions like ice hash can easily be done at home.

Bubble Bag Extraction

Materials needed:
5 bag Bubble Bag Kit
2x 5-gallon bucket
Parchment paper (NOT Wax paper)
Lots of Ice (20+lbs)
Homebrewing Paddle or a Canoe Paddle ($15)
Small spoon (for collection)
A cold room to work in (60F or lower)
Distilled water if you have hard water or are on well water

Bubble-bag hash uses no solvents. It is a physical extraction method where ice water is used to transport the trichomes through a series of mesh bags with varying micron levels. The ice water keeps the trichomes from melting and smearing into the mesh, so it is critical that you work in a decently cold environment.

THC/CBD is non-polar, so it does not dissolve in water (as anyone who has tried to clean a bong with water has learned). The water carries trichomes through the mesh, like sand being carried away by a river. I don’t recommend trying this during the dog days of summer or you will have a lot of clogged screens to deal with.

Preparation for Bubble Hash

Your herb and trimmings should be frozen immediately after harvest to preserve volatile terpenes. Do not dry out nugs or trim that you plan to extract with this method. If you have a vacuum sealer put it to use by gently vacuum sealing and freezing the greens for extraction day.

Work Bag Vs Filter Bags

The 5 bag bubble-bag kit comes with a 220, 160, 120, 73, 25-micron bags. I strongly recommend you get the 5 bag kit over the 4 bag kit because the 160-micron bag is clutch.

Work bag – Is the 220-micron Bag. This bag has a large mesh size that allows you to filter out ice and rough debris without clogging. You can agitate right inside the 220-micron bag or use a larger container and filter through the 220.

Filter Bags – are your 160, 120, 90, 73, 45 and 25-micron bags. I usually end up combining the yield from the 45-159u range but more on that later.

Art is in the Agitation

The art of making excellent bubble hash comes in how you handle the agitation/mixing phase. Trichomes were best explained to me by Talal Rshaidat – the Chief Scientific Officer at Fume Labs in Toronto. He told me to visualize them as delicate glass balls, that can easily break releasing their precious content.

During the bubble hash extraction process the goal is to keep the trichomes extremely cold, which makes them brittle and allows the heads to break off and be carried by the water through the filter bags. You need to agitate the plant matter to encourage this process

Step 1: Mixing

Put the 220 micron bag into a 5-gallon bucket. Add cannabis and approx 10 lbs of ice. Fill about 3/4 of the way with water.

Mixing method 1 (Automatic) – use a drill with a paint stirrer to gently stir the plant matter, ice, and water.

Mixing method 2 (Manual) – Use a canoe paddle or large spoon to slosh around the liquid. Your technique should create a lot of movement without creating foam or other signs of vigorous agitation. Like panning for gold this is somewhat of an art form and everyone’s technique will vary. Keep things as GENTLE as possible. Trichomes are fragile.

After a few minutes of mixing allow the solution to settle for at least 2 min. This will allow the trichomes to drain through the mesh and into the bottom of the bag. Slowly roll up the sides of the 220-micron bag so that all the water is sitting in the bucket and all the plant matter and ice is suspended above. When it stops draining you are ready to move to the next step. Put the 220-micron bag with ice and plant matter into a large bowl, you will do at least two more of these washes on it. Keep it as cold as possible.

Step 2: Filtering

You now have a slurry of cold water (which likely looks brownish white) that is ready to be filtered. Rim your second bucket with the remaining bags. Start with the 25 micron making your way to the 160. The 160 micron should be the top bag as shown below.

Pour your slurry of cold water through the bags. Work quickly and in a cold environment. If you let things get too warm the resin you are extracting will melt and smear- clogging the bags. Avoid this at all costs. If you screw up clogged screens can be cleaned using isopropyl or ethanol.

Once all the water has drained through the 160, 120, 73 and 25-micron bags you can discard the water. After filtration, the cold water mainly contains chlorophyll and other water-soluble compounds which are of no value.

Step 3: Scraping

The scraping step is where you finally get to see the fruits of your labour. Start with the 160 bag. I find this is best done over a sink. The bubble hash will be spread out over the screen. Use a stream of COLD water to rinse the hash towards one section. I find it helps to make a V with the screen, the same way they tell you to flute filter paper in science class.

Once you have a good bunch of hash in one section, use a spoon to collect it onto a square of parchment paper or 25-micron screen (if your bubble bag kit came with it). It should look something like the picture below. Put this on a wire cooling rack to allow it to dry more quickly. On the off chance that you have a freeze dryer, throw it in there. The wet hash should be dried as quickly as possible. Putting it in the freezer can facilitate this process but you have to be careful not to leave it in too long or it will freeze and stop evaporating as quickly.

Step 4: Repeat 1-2 More Washes

Once you have finished scraping the filter bags (25, 73, 120 and 160) you should repeat the steps above at least 1-2 more times. I find the sweet spot to be 3 washes total. I’ve yet to find a 4th wash worthwhile and if yields are low by the second wash I usually don’t bother with a 3rd.

Cleaning Bubble Bags

The amount of cleaning you have to do will be directly proportional to how cold you can keep your extraction environment. NEVER use hot water to clean bubble bags as it will melt the hash into the screens creating a mess.

To clean bags: fill a shallow pyrex dish with a non polar solvent like isopropyl alcohol. Fill the Pyrex dish with 1/2″ of alcohol and use gloves to rub the resin off the submerged screens. They will go from feeling stiff (dirty) to feeling supple (clean). Do not rinse with water after alcohol wash. Use a paper towel to dry off the mesh and leave out to dry before packing away.

Extracting Large Batches of Bubble Hash

If you plan on extracting over 1 lb (0.45 kg) of trim the bubble bags will work, but you should use a larger container to do the initial ice bath in. If the plant matter is packed together the extraction will not be efficient. Make sure the water is free-flowing for the agitation.

Trichomes are denser than water, so they will sink to the bottom. Be sure to shake the slurry well before pouring into the 220-micron bag for filtering. Once you have your 220-micron filtered water proceed with step 2 above.

Smoking Bubble Hash

Once dry, the bubble hash is ready to smoke. If left out at room temperature it will start to melt into a wax. This is a sign that you have a pure product, and I believe what the kids on YouTube are calling “full melt”.

The doc’s preferred method of smoking bubble hash is to roll it into a “snake” and put it inside a joint. Ideally, you surround it with flower so the hash does not make contact with the rolling paper. This is what the kids call a donut.

Storing Bubble Hash

Bubble hash should be stored frozen whenever possible. Mini 5mL glass jars or 3mL glass jars are the best way to store extracts. Do not use silicone as terpenes can permeate through silicone, leaving you with a dry tasteless product. Make sure the hash is sealed well or the terpenes will evaporate in the dry freezer environment. I will often vacuum seal large batches in parchment paper, like the 20g yield I got from the crispy nugs pictured at the start of the article.

Make Rosin from Bubble Hash

Rosin – is extracted from cured and dried cannabis using heat and pressure.

Live Rosin – is extracted in the same way but using fresh or fresh frozen cannabis, thus preserving a higher amount of volatile terpenes. Live rosin is more sought after and valuable.

If you are going to be smoking dabs, or want to further purify your product, you can use low heat and high pressure to press the bubble hash through a 25-micron screen. Rosin can also be made by pressing flowers directly, but typically does not scale well for large amounts. Pressing bubble hash is an excellent way to get rosin from large amounts of plant matter.

Pressing rosin is a solventless extraction method similar to bubble hash. Heat and pressure are used to force resin out of the buds. If you are using flower the trick is to have properly hydrated nugs (not too dry or wet). If the cannabis is too dry it will absorb the resin when you are trying to press it out. Too wet and the water will steam up while pressing.

Rosin is one of my favourite cannabis extracts for its preservation of flavour containing terpenes. Rosin is also a great way to sample flowers before they are fully finished curing.

Rosin: Hair Straightener and Clamp method

Materials Needed:
Hair Straightener {avoid floating plate straighteners)
6″ Trigger Clamp
Parchment paper
25-Micron Sleeves (if pressing bubble hash)

When selecting a hair straightener for this purpose make sure that it does not have “floating plates”. The one linked above will do the job. Get a 6″ trigger clamp (which is typically rated for 600lbs grip strength).

To press flower into rosin you should “pre-press” the flower into a flat puck before applying any heat. Use a large book or the clamp to compress the flower into a puck.

Heat up the hair straightener and use it to press the rosin out of the bud. Temperature control is difficult with this method but you can get the job done.

Rosin: Hydraulic Press method

Materials Needed:
Rosin Press Alibaba ($180 USD + $200 Shipping)
Rosin Press Amazon ($430 USD) *recommended*
Parchment paper
25-Micron Sleeves (if pressing bubble hash)

A proper hydraulic Rosin press with temp control like the one linked above typically retails for $550+ USD. If you buy direct from Alibaba you can score it for $180 USD but by the time you factor in shipping, you’re only saving about 50 USD vs buying from Amazon. Unlike with LED Boards, I would say that this makes more sense to buy on Amazon.

Put the bubble hash into 25-micron sleeves.

Do not overfill the 25-micron sleeves or you’ll have blowouts. I like to press no more than 15g per bag. No big deal- you can double bag the sleeve if this happens. With hash I always pre-emptively double bag the 25u sleeve with a 120u sleeve to prevent costly blowouts.

Rosin Pressing Temperature and Time

Flower:
180° – 220° Fahrenheit (82° – 104° Celsius)
Max 3 minutes
Yield: 10%- 30%

Bubble Hash:
150° – 190° Fahrenheit (65° – 87° Celsius)
Max 5 minutes
Yield: 50% – 80%

Pressing at a lower end of the temperature will preserve more terpenes while higher temps will yield more.