Water Hash Drying Process

This 7/10, we’re highlighting one of the most important but least well known aspects of making perfect water hash: removing the water after it’s been washed. First, a quick refresher on the process of making the hash: the flower is fresh frozen after harvest to preserve all those precious trichomes and is hand washed in ice water to lightly agitate and remove the trichome heads into the water, where they are collected in mesh screen bags. The result of this process is a wet, loose, almost clay-like hash patty. So what’s the best way to remove the water from the hash? We’ve seen it all over the years, from air drying on parchment paper or cardboard (anyone else ever tried drying their hash in a pizza box?) to microplaning to freeze drying. The reason why there has been so much experimentation through the years is because the drying process can often make or break your hash. There are lots of stories of great washes that have been ruined by poor drying. One of the biggest problems that can arise from improper drying is mold and fungus taking root in the hash. Beyond that, you also risk having terpenes evaporate or mutate and rancify. We’ve found freeze drying to be the most effective method of removing the excess water through the process of sublimation which is accomplished through vacuum pumps that ‘sublimate’ the moisture out of whatever is inside. Often used in niche high end restaurants as an alternative to a simple food dehydrator, sublimation can remove frozen water from a piece of food or wet hash patty without thawing the ice and removing it in the form of a vapor. Each cultivar produces a different consistency in the end, with some being greasy and some being more stable. What’s most important is keeping the resin glands that we sieve in the bags as intact and undisturbed as possible from the wash, through the dry, all the way up to the time it hits your nail for a dab.

What should you do if you don’t have a commercial grade food dryer and you’re trying to dry some homemade water hash? It’s important to remember that each cultivar is different and will thus require slightly different drying conditions, but we have some good general guidelines you can follow here. First, you want to make sure that your drying environment is as controlled and sterile as possible. One big problem with the air dry method is the potential for contaminants in the air to taint the hash. Air filters and purifiers and contained environments are helpful in preventing this from occurring. Temperature and humidity control are also key in this process. An ideal temperature is somewhere around 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit with as low humidity as you can possibly get. Bone dry if possible.

Once you have a controlled environment ready and you’ve washed your hash, we recommend freezing your wet hash patties until they are a solid frozen block. Put on some surgical gloves and use a Microplane grater (available at most places that sell kitchen tools) to microplane the hash paddy into a thin layer on your drying surface. It’s best to do this in increments. When the patty starts to get a little wet and you’re getting hash sticking to your gloves, put the patty back in the freezer until it’s frozen again. The goal of this process is to spread out the surface area of the hash, allowing it to dry without providing space where the excess moisture can cultivate mold or fungus. Air drying can take anywhere from 15-17 hours depending on the wash and the cultivar so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on it to make sure you don’t over or under dry. After you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll have lots of solventless hash ready to dab.

Happy 710 fam.