Ice hash (also known as bubble hash) is the precursor to rosin, and it’s just one step in the process of making our solventless gummies. Ice hash is the concentrate form of dried trichome heads that have been removed from starting material. This is done by washing the starting material in ice and water.
The process of making ice hash begins with sourcing material from the finest grows that Colorado has to offer. This can be “fresh frozen” material that has been frozen immediately after harvest, or it can be dry material that has been expertly preserved. At Dialed In, we use both depending on what is available to us at the time.
Once the material is back at our lab, our skilled hash makers then focus on harvesting just the trichome heads. They leave behind the trichome stalks on the starting material. To do this, we soak the plant material in ice and water for 15-30 minutes. The heads are then knocked off the material by gently rotating it in the ice bath. The mixture of water and trichome heads are then sieved through a series of different sized micron screens or “bubble bags”. The micron sizes that are kept typically range from 45u to 160u, with the 45u bag being the smallest-sized useable trichome heads and the 160u bag catching the largest ones.
The resulting mixtures of trichome heads (grouped by micron size) are then scooped onto trays and freeze-dried for roughly 24 hours. Afterwards, while still frozen, the heads should have a consistency that is similar to sand. Trichome heads are then stored in glass jars in the freezer until they are ready to be pressed into rosin.