Thanks for those tips! After a few squishes I really need to get an idea on what pressure works best with the flower presses. I think I definitely went a bit too hard and for too long last night. Smaller parchment wraps is a top tip, too. I have an actual 2x2 pre-press that I used, but it has a textured interior surface for some reason which just grabs and holds on to pre-pressed bud, making it a pain to peel out and place, so I'm gonna skip that for the flowers from now on.
I'd love to get better quality rosin via ice wax or water hash, but of course the biggest issue in using water hash for rosin is drying it and oxidation/browning/terp loss. Does anyone have insight on how to best dry and preserve the terps for squishing? In my few weeks research, I came across some hints that freeze dryers aren't necessary. There was a Future Cannabis Project youtube video with Kaya from PNW Roots and a couple other hash makers, can't remember who, but one of them mentioned having a Beer Chiller, Fogel brand, that he used to "freeze dry" out his hash, post-sieving. Something about low temp/low humidity. I'll link the vid if I can find it. But he mentioned having a freeze dryer but not even setting it up yet, since his Beer Chiller was so effective.
Similarly, @simp.lee.adam on IG seems to have a great technique using speed racks in a grow tent and what I presume is a portable AC and CoolBot for cooling the tent low. So it seems there's a critical temp and RH, under which good drying and non-oxidation occurs. All I know is his melt is as blonde as can be, bordering on white.
And googling "how to make a homemade freeze dryer" will turn up a ton of links of varying quality, indicating you really just need a freezer, a cold trap to collect water vapor before it hits the pump, and a vacuum pump to pull pressure. Not sure how an application of that would work for hash though.
And finally (sorry for the verbosity here!), I'm throwing together a google doc tracking sheet for Meph squishes. Tabs for flower, dry ice hash, water hash, info links. I plan to start using that to track squish data by Meph cultivar. Hopefully others here can contribute their past and future squish data points here, and we can get a better idea on what cultivars work best, and how to get the best out of them!
https ://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P_-Z342YRsHWtK6nG2G8Al7X2fheE8ML-JIP5yD-mes/edit?usp=sharing
I'd love to get better quality rosin via ice wax or water hash, but of course the biggest issue in using water hash for rosin is drying it and oxidation/browning/terp loss. Does anyone have insight on how to best dry and preserve the terps for squishing? In my few weeks research, I came across some hints that freeze dryers aren't necessary. There was a Future Cannabis Project youtube video with Kaya from PNW Roots and a couple other hash makers, can't remember who, but one of them mentioned having a Beer Chiller, Fogel brand, that he used to "freeze dry" out his hash, post-sieving. Something about low temp/low humidity. I'll link the vid if I can find it. But he mentioned having a freeze dryer but not even setting it up yet, since his Beer Chiller was so effective.
Similarly, @simp.lee.adam on IG seems to have a great technique using speed racks in a grow tent and what I presume is a portable AC and CoolBot for cooling the tent low. So it seems there's a critical temp and RH, under which good drying and non-oxidation occurs. All I know is his melt is as blonde as can be, bordering on white.
And googling "how to make a homemade freeze dryer" will turn up a ton of links of varying quality, indicating you really just need a freezer, a cold trap to collect water vapor before it hits the pump, and a vacuum pump to pull pressure. Not sure how an application of that would work for hash though.
And finally (sorry for the verbosity here!), I'm throwing together a google doc tracking sheet for Meph squishes. Tabs for flower, dry ice hash, water hash, info links. I plan to start using that to track squish data by Meph cultivar. Hopefully others here can contribute their past and future squish data points here, and we can get a better idea on what cultivars work best, and how to get the best out of them!
https ://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P_-Z342YRsHWtK6nG2G8Al7X2fheE8ML-JIP5yD-mes/edit?usp=sharing
bubble hash at some point. I'm really excited to try the dry ice method this weekend with cured buds. Bill do you think it'd be better to defrost a frozen half oz and then add it to the dry ice/bucket, or just take it straight from the freezer, where it is now? I'm assuming the former, since that may mean more pliable leaf matter and less broken up green shit in the sift?
I'll post some pics
