Before understanding extraction, understand what you're extracting. Trichomes are microscopic resin glands that produce and store all cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG) and terpenes.

Three Types

• Bulbous — 10-15 microns, minimal cannabinoid content
• Capitate sessile — Medium, moderate content
• Capitate-stalked — The prize. 50-100+ microns. Gland head atop a stalk stores all the resin. This is what extraction targets.

The Micron Guide

Screens measured in microns filter trichome heads by size. Understanding which micron ranges contain full-melt heads vs plant matter is the core skill of hash making.

• 220μ — First filter. Catches plant material. Lowest quality.
• 160μ — Still plant matter. Good for pressing into rosin.
• 120μ — Getting cleaner. Mixed plant/trichome.
• 90μ — Primary quality range for most strains.
• 73μ — The sweet spot. Highest concentration of intact heads. Often the best full-melt hash.
• 45μ — Smallest practical. Full-melt potential for fine-headed strains.

The oldest, simplest extraction method. Mechanical separation using screens to collect trichome heads from dry, cold plant material.

Equipment

• Silkscreen or hash sifting frames (73, 120, 160 micron minimum)
• Large clean glass surface for collection
• Credit card as scraper, soft brush
• Pollen press (optional, for hash coins)

Cold Method (Better Results)

Cold temperature makes trichome stalks brittle — they snap cleanly instead of bending. Freeze screens and plant material for 30-60 minutes before working. Work in the coldest room available.

Technique

1. Spread dried material evenly over top screen
2. Gently work back-and-forth — do NOT scrub vigorously
3. Trichomes fall through to collection surface below
4. Scrape collected kief with card
5. For higher quality: stack screens (150μ on top, 73μ below)

Quality Grading

• Grade A (Full melt) — Completely melts, no residue. Rare.
• Grade B (Half melt) — Partially melts. Great for pressing into rosin.
• Grade C — Doesn't melt cleanly. Press into hash or use in edibles.

The most refined solventless method. Ice water agitation breaks trichome heads from stalks (more brittle when frozen), and successive screens filter by size.

Equipment

• Bubble bag set (220, 160, 120, 90, 73, 45μ). Brands: Bubble Magic, Boldtbags. $80-200.
• Two 5-gallon food-grade buckets, lots of ice, cold water
• Stir paddle or drill with mixing attachment

Fresh Frozen vs Dried Material

Fresh frozen (harvested and frozen within 30 minutes) preserves terpenes that degrade on contact with air. Produces "live" hash with full terpene profile. Dried and cured works well but with reduced terpene expression.

The Wash Process

1. Place material in 220μ catch bag, cover with ice, add cold water
2. Cold-soak 15-20 minutes
3. Agitate gently 5-15 minutes. Gentle = cleaner hash. Aggressive = more yield, lower quality.
4. Lift catch bag, let drain. Remove plant material.
5. Collect hash from each remaining screen, smallest micron (finest quality) first

Most material yields quality hash for 3-4 washes. First wash = highest terpene content.

Drying — The Critical Step

Wet hash at room temperature = mold in hours.

• Freeze drying (professional) — Best quality. Harvest Right units $2-5K.
• Microplaning (home method) — Freeze hash, grate with microplane onto parchment, fan-dry 24-72 hours in cool room. Never use direct heat.

Star Rating System

• 6-star (full melt) — Melts completely, zero residue. Extremely rare. $60-100+/g retail.
• 5-star — Melts cleanly, minimal residue. Excellent.
• 4-star (half melt) — Great for pressing into rosin.
• 3-star — Best for edibles, bowl topping, or pressing into rosin.

Rosin is the fastest-growing concentrate category: no solvents, fully legal for home production in Missouri, and produces dispensary-quality product. Heat + pressure causes trichome heads to rupture and resin flows out.

Press Options

• Hair straightener — Budget curiosity. Low yield, rough quality.
• Pneumatic press ($300-800) — Air compressor powered. Consistent. NugSmasher, Rosin Tech.
• Hydraulic press ($200-500 DIY) — 20-ton jack. Professional results.
• Electric heated press ($500-5000) — Programmable. Dabpress, PurePressure Helix.

Temperature Guide

• Fresh frozen hash (live rosin): 140-165°F — Max terpenes, runny
• Cured hash: 160-185°F — Balanced
• Flower rosin: 195-220°F — Higher yield, more stable

Lower temp = more terpenes, runnier. Higher = less terpenes, more stable. Pressure: hash 300-1000 PSI, flower 1000-2000 PSI. Time: 30-120 seconds for hash, 45-90 for flower.

Flower Rosin Step-by-Step

1. Pre-heat press to 210-220°F
2. Fold parchment in half, place 2-3g flower inside in 90-120μ bag
3. Apply pressure slowly, hold 45-75 seconds
4. Release, remove parchment, let cool
5. Collect with cold dab tool. Yield: 12-22% from quality indoor flower.

Cold Cure for Budder Consistency

Scrape fresh rosin into a sealed jar while warm. Seal and leave at room temp 12-24 hours. THCA crystallizes, turning opaque and creamy — a scoopable budder consistency. High-terpene rosins stay sappy; lower-terp rosins butter up.

Solvent-Based (Licensed Facilities)

Solventless (Legal at Home)

• Room temp: 1-2 weeks for fresh rosin/hash
• Refrigerator: 1-6 months for most concentrates
• Freezer: 6-24 months for long-term. Vacuum seal.
• Use glass jars (airtight). Never store in plastic — terpenes absorb into it.
• Opaque containers, dark storage. Light degrades THC.