Ice water hash, also called bubble hash, is washed off the plant with ice and water. Cold makes the resin heads brittle, water carries them away, and a stack of micron bags sorts them by size. At its best, it melts completely.
In short
- Ice water hash is made with ice, water and micron bags. No solvents.
- The cleanest, most mature heads usually collect in the 73 to 120 micron bags.
- It’s graded on a six-star scale, and full melt means 5 or 6 stars.
How ice water hash is made
- Plant material goes into a vessel with ice and cold water and is gently agitated.
- The cold makes the resin heads brittle, so they snap off the plant and float free in the water.
- The water drains through a series of micron bags, each finer than the last. Every bag catches heads of a certain size.
- Each grade is collected on its own and dried carefully, often in a freeze dryer, because leftover moisture can ruin hash.
The name bubble hash comes from what good ice water hash does under heat: it bubbles.
What the microns mean
A micron is a thousandth of a millimeter. Each bag is named after the size of its mesh, and the bag a head ends up in says a lot about it.
- The coarsest bags hold back plant material and oversized debris.
- The middle bags, roughly 73 to 120 microns, catch the most mature, intact heads. This is usually where full melt comes from.
- The finest bags catch small, immature and broken heads. It’s still hash, just with more contaminants.
The exact sweet spot depends on the plant. Every cultivar grows heads of a slightly different size, which is why washers talk about the 90 or the 120 from a particular strain.
Star grades and full melt
The hash community grades ice water hash on a six-star scale, based on how cleanly it melts.
- 6 stars: melts completely and leaves almost nothing behind.
- 5 stars: nearly all of it melts, with a trace of residue.
- 3 to 4 stars: melts well but leaves some residue. Great for joints, bowls and pressing.
- 1 to 2 stars: more plant matter, usually saved for cooking.
Full melt means 5 or 6 star hash. It’s the top of the scale, and it’s the starting point for the best hash rosin.
Fresh frozen or cured?
Ice water hash can be washed from dried, cured flower or from fresh frozen plants, harvested and frozen straight away. Fresh frozen keeps the live terpene profile, so the hash tastes bright and true to the living plant. Cured material gives deeper, more familiar flavors.
Ice water hash vs. static sift
Both are solventless. Static sift gets to clean resin without water: screens and static electricity do the sorting. Ice water hash uses cold water and micron bags. Read what static sift is to compare the two.
What happens next
Some ice water hash is enjoyed as it is. Some is pressed and cured into temple balls or piattella, and some goes into a rosin press to become hash rosin. Whatever you do with it, keep it cold.
Ice water hash from Golden Heads Warriors
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