What is the Ice O Lator or Bubble hash?

18. 07. 2024

What is the Ice O Lator or Bubble hash?
Bubble hash screens and bags
Extraction washing machines
Other accessories used
How to make Ice O Lator
Conclusion

What is the Ice O Lator or Bubble hash?

It is a method of mechanical separation of cannabis resin using low temperatures and movement to separate the trichomes from the plant matter. The resin remains in cold water and then passes through sieves with holes of various sizes, which trap the glands containing most of the cannabinoids and essential oils from the cannabis plant.

There are different qualities of Ice O lator, as the screens or bags will retain pieces of plant matter that match the size of their holes. The best quality products are called "Full Melt Bubble Hash", which means that there is no solid residue left after the material is burned.

Tools used to make Bubble Hash:

extraction bags or sieves with different mesh diameters in micrometers
special washing machine
a bucket into which the sieves can be fitted
a tool (card or spoon) for scooping the hash
thermometer
very cold water
frozen cannabis

The whole process can be made easier with the use of a "washing machine", but it is not necessary as everything can be made perfectly by hand. In the case of manual work, an additional bucket and a wooden spoon or similar tool is used instead of a washing machine. Fewer tools are used to properly perform this cannabis extraction technique than in most other cases. Thus, it can be said to be a simpler, cheaper and safer method, this is especially true for those that use solvents.

Bubble hash screens and bags

There are several types of bags for hash extraction using water, which differ from each other in terms of hole size, volume and material. For example, there are 4-litre kits, which are used to produce small amounts of concentrate, or 20, 75 or even 90-litre kits.

There are kits consisting of 3, 4, 5 and up to 8 sieves with holes of different sizes, but not because by inserting more bags more concentrate remains, but the same quantity is separated in different qualities. Each of these bags or sieves contains small holes, the size of which is given in microns. A basic bag is used, which usually has 220 micron holes, and depending on the set may have 160, 120, 90, 73, 45, 30 or 25 micron holes.

Years ago, bag models only contained holes at the bottom, which slowed the process down quite a bit. But nowadays there are types that have holes all over the surface.

Extraction washing machines

These are machines similar to conventional washing machines that are used to mix or spin water with ice and cannabis to more easily remove trichomes. As with baggers, there are different types and sizes of washing machines. The most commonly used are the 20 and 50 litre ones, but a few years ago industrial machines to produce large quantities appeared on the US market.

Other accessories used

Among other things, a tall bucket is needed to hold all the contents and to hold the bags securely. For production without a washing machine, another large bucket is needed in which the cannabis can be mixed with ice and water.

Also needed are a spoon, card or other instrument for collecting the resin from the sieve, a thermometer, which usually comes with the extraction kit, several bottles of cold water and, most importantly, the plant material, which can be buds or cuttings, fresh or dry.

How to make Ice O Lator

First, let's look at how it is made using a washing machine. The washing machine is filled halfway or more with water, ice is added and the temperature of the water is allowed to drop to about 4°C. In the meantime, the bag is filled with vegetable matter, sealed and placed in the washing machine when the desired temperature is reached. Washing is then carried out for about 10 to 15 minutes and a bucket of sieves/bags is prepared.

How to use Bubble hash bags

The bags are placed in the bucket one inside the other, starting with the one that has the least microns. For example, if working with a set of 5 bags, the 25 micron bag is placed in the bucket first. Then the 45 micron bag is used and held in the same way, then the 73 micron bag, then the 120 micron bag and finally the 160 micron bag. When handmade, the last bag is the working bag, this has 220 micron holes.

Use of ice and washing machine

Once the 10 to 15 cycles of centrifugation have taken place, the filtering process begins. For this purpose, a bucket is placed under the washing machine so that the drainage system drains water into it. It is necessary to ensure that all the water from the washing machine passes through the mesh into the bucket. The resin is then captured in bags according to size. Once all the water has been drained, the bags are gradually removed and the Ice O Lator is collected. Prior to this, one of the prepared cold water bottles is used and water is poured into each bag a little at a time to concentrate the resin in one place. The extract is thus also rinsed.

In some bags there is not much material in the result, in others most of the resin is concentrated. Each variety has a different size of trichomes. The best quality product is usually found in bags with mesh sizes of 73, 90 and 120 microns. The extract is then carefully collected with a spoon or card and set aside separately according to quality on the drying cloth included in the kit (a small piece of mesh similar to the bags).

Handmade

As we have already noted, a separate bucket is required for hand production. This is filled halfway with water, ice is added and the water is allowed to cool to 4 °C. Next, the sieves in the second bucket are prepared, just as is done in machine production, but this time a 220-micron bag must be added at the end, leaving all the plant matter in addition to the ice.

When the water is 4 °C, the plant material is removed from the freezer, folded into the water and the entire contents are stirred for 10 minutes using a wooden spoon or similar tool. An electric kitchen mixer or a drill with a mixing attachment is often used in this part. Once everything is mixed, water is poured from one bucket into another, then the bags are removed, drained one by one and the material is removed as if working with a machine. The 220 micron mesh bag is set aside with all its contents so that it can be reused and the plant material can be used to its maximum.

How to dry the product

First, the Water hash must be prepared for drying, that is, the resin must be broken into small pieces to facilitate moisture escape. A kitchen sieve is usually used for this, under which baking paper is placed, on which the resin is then dropped.

In order to eliminate moisture, it is sufficient to leave the extract in a cool, dark and dry place, preferably at a temperature below 20 °C and a relative humidity of 40 %. Under these conditions, the concentrate is dry in about 15 days.

Curing

Once the extract has dried, it is ready for use, but as with other methods of obtaining the resin, it is even better after curing. During curing, the extract remains sealed in an airtight container in the dark, in a place where it is not exposed to sources of heat or moisture. The container is opened from time to time.

To press or not to press?

Many experts disagree on this question. Is it better to press the extract? Some puritans consider that it is ideal to press the extract. They also say that pressing Ice O lator is the same as putting an expiration date on it. In other words, from the moment it is pressed, the countdown begins to the date by which it should lose none of its properties. Another group says that the ideal is to leave it crumbled until the moment of consumption.

Cleaning extraction bags

Before cleaning, they are placed in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours to use the resin that gets trapped in the holes. Once out of the freezer, simply tap the bags on a smooth surface and watch the trichomes fall out. The bags can then be soaked in hot water and in no time they are as good as new.

Another option is to dip the bags in ethanol or ethyl alcohol, this will dissolve the resin in the liquid and the bags will be completely clean. Then just evaporate the alcohol and collect the remaining resin. In this method, the bags are not put in the freezer because the alcohol will remove all the trichomes.

Conclusion

The Ice O Lator is a popular method of cannabis extraction. It may look complicated, but it really isn't. The resulting product is very pure.

Author: Canatura

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