Extraction JaxsoNL5 French Presses Autos

[JaxsoNL5]

Hey AFN, have a few rounds of ice water hash washes stored and have been wanting to try my hand at making Temple Balls using French Cannoli’s (RIP) wealth of knowledge. You can visit his website to dive into his passion Frenchy Cannoli brand, if you go to the Writings by Frenchy tab I originally stumbled onto his article “Ice Water Sieving” in Greenleaf Mag…that’s what i’m working from.

I have oven (turkey) bags, clear wine bottle with label removed, and a marble microwave hotplate to keep the press between two heated surfaces. I microwave the plate for one minute, then it cools a moments as I fill the wine bottle with boiling water and put the bagged hash on the plate.

I cut one large bag into four pieces, hash will go right in the center crease.

 

[JaxsoNL5]

First trial run was with some Barney’s Farm Zkittlez OG auto 25-119 um ice hash curing almost 11 months. Only had about 0.25 grams.

Into the oven bag and fold over the open edges.

Pressed for 15 minutes, started to melt on contact but not fully melted by end of pressing. Cooled for 10 minutes in a drawer (cool/dark) and then in the fridge (learned next to freeze instead) for 2 minutes. Lost some material on the bag.

Press 2 was for 10 minutes, cooled for 10 minutes and frozen 2 minutes. The hash patty easily snapped off the bag, worked it into a square and off to Press 3.

Press 3 was for 10 minutes, cooled for 10 minutes and frozen 2 minutes. The hash patty easily snapped off the bag, but had problems rolling (keep reading LOL).

LESSON LEARNED: After snap freezing to remove the patty it becomes brittle. Trying to roll into a Temple Ball became a crumbly MESS! I had to briefly repress to melt it back together, let it cool at room temperature for a minute or two (DON’T TRY OPENING THE BAG RIGHT AWAY OR THE HASH SEPARATES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES). Remove the patty and take some glamour shots.

Rolli Cannoli!

And roll while warmish. The heat and pressure between your palms will seal and smooth the surface…kind of hurts as the ball solidifies, but the pain is oh so worth it. Finally rolled it against the back of a frozen pie tin to smooth (I now just smooth it directly on the metal surface).

My very first Temple Ball. 0.196 g from what was otherwise unsmokeable (IMO, but some do) compost matter (trim and sugar leaves)…after washing I toss the wet leaves in my plants so I get a final use

Stored in a glass jar and will “burp” daily for a few weeks based on what I read from Frenchy…some polymerization processes are finishing off so I won’t wrap in cellophane just yet. Danks for stopping by, more to come!

 

[JaxsoNL5]

Next up was Twenty20 Mendocino (@Twenty20 Adam & Team) Whiskey Zulu 25-119 um ice water hash. Had just about 1.5 grams going in. This one was harvested and washed same day as the Barney’s so it’s also been curing around 11 months. Same pressing as above…press 15 minutes > cool + snap freeze and work into a square, press 10 minutes > cool + snap freeze and work into a square, press 10 minutes > cool at room temp briefly and rolli cannoli!

The patty at the first press, shot glass for size reference.

Didn’t take pics of the patty after the third press. Rolled up the cannoli while a little warm and rolled up.

Smoothed (“buffed”) this one directly on the surface of the frozen pie tin. Pic with flash and light.

Without flash.

Temple Ball was 1.29 grams so about an 86% yield from the starting hash to final Temple. Stoked for this one, she’ll cure at least 6 months. The flower was amazing, straight up fruity candy in the bag and candy melon on the exhale. I’m hoping this ball is all that and then some.


I cut a small piece of the oven bag and loosely wrapped it up, put it in a glass jar and will burp a few weeks (see post above).

 

[JaxsoNL5]

Hot off the press today. You can see the origins of this hash in my Hash Bash here. Been curing about 3 months.

Here’s a nug shot of this great cultivar, another from @Twenty20 Adam & Team. Beast mode plant, dense nugs, sharp lemon zest scent and smoke, great daytime head high creative giggly smoke. I have no clue but trying to learn things I think my girl was an SFV OG leaner with some sour influence from the Sour Snow in the cross.

I didn’t microplane/sieve this hash too well after drying, was curious as to how that would affect the press. About 1.46 grams going in.

This press went different. Did a first press of 10 minutes (forgot pics) and it wasn’t fully melted, probably because of the chunky input material. So I cooled to room temperature for 10 minutes but did NOT freeze or remove and work into a square. I reheated the marble plate, got new water and into Press 2 for 10 minutes. Then cooled in a drawer for a few minutes, snap froze, and removed the patty to work into a square for the last press.

This is what I mean by working (folding) into a square.

This time I did a 15 minute final (3rd) press, let cool briefly and Rolli Cannoli!

Not perfect by any means, have some cracks I need to learn how to avoid (I think it’s how I fold my cannoli to roll).

Final Temple Ball weight was 1.40 grams (about 96% yield)! I think I didn’t weigh the input accurately, down in the 80% range like the first two seems more likely. Either way, stoked AF!

Not a bad way to take junk material and get a few grams of top quality smokable material! Got some blueberry ice hash I want cured at least a month before pressing, to be continued…

 

[Twenty20 Adam]

Hot off the press today. You can see the origins of this hash in my Hash Bash here. Been curing about 3 months.

Here’s a nug shot of this great cultivar, another from @Twenty20 Adam & Team. Beast mode plant, dense nugs, sharp lemon zest scent and smoke, great daytime head high creative giggly smoke. I have no clue but trying to learn things I think my girl was an SFV OG leaner with some sour influence from the Sour Snow in the cross.

View attachment 1535515

I didn’t microplane/sieve this hash too well after drying, was curious as to how that would affect the press. About 1.46 grams going in.

View attachment 1535516

This press went different. Did a first press of 10 minutes (forgot pics) and it wasn’t fully melted, probably because of the chunky input material. So I cooled to room temperature for 10 minutes but did NOT freeze or remove and work into a square. I reheated the marble plate, got new water and into Press 2 for 10 minutes. Then cooled in a drawer for a few minutes, snap froze, and removed the patty to work into a square for the last press.

View attachment 1535517

This is what I mean by working (folding) into a square.

View attachment 1535518

This time I did a 15 minute final (3rd) press, let cool briefly and Rolli Cannoli!

View attachment 1535519

Not perfect by any means, have some cracks I need to learn how to avoid (I think it’s how I fold my cannoli to roll).

View attachment 1535520

View attachment 1535521

Final Temple Ball weight was 1.40 grams (about 96% yield)! I think I didn’t weigh the input accurately, down in the 80% range like the first two seems more likely. Either way, stoked AF!

Not a bad way to take junk material and get a few grams of top quality smokable material! Got some blueberry ice hash I want cured at least a month before pressing, to be continued…

Gorgeous! Really cool

 

[JaxsoNL5]

Gorgeous! Really cool

Appreciate it, happy considering the mistakes I made and just want to show that any beginner can make the most use of their limited personal material. I’m enjoying learning from this plant and community…already helped me immensely for my next run so I can keep improving the quality