Drying and Storage of Water Hash

[CannabisJohn]

I just started making ice water hash with a washing machine. I keep having a problem with once it's stored some of it molds. I have tried wet pressing and not pressing at all. No matter if I press or not it dries for 2 weeks or longer but yet I still get complaints from customers of mold when I or they package it. Help. What the hell am I doing wrong?

 

[MarijuanaBaybee]

have u tried trowing it in the freezer after u wet press it? One of the many ways ive seen it done is dat they turn the bubblemachine on,then scoop da bubble out the bag then u trow the bubblehash on top of a coffe filter or cardboard,then let it dry for about a min after the bubbles have settled thats when they press it a lil to get the excess water off n then bammm walaaaaa trow it in the freezer the next mornin when u wake up and then break it out when u need to serve some 1........when u say u let it dry for 2 weeks or longer, what do u dry it in and how?

 

[CannabisJohn]

have u tried trowing it in the freezer after u wet press it? One of the many ways ive seen it done is dat they turn the bubblemachine on,then scoop da bubble out the bag then u trow the bubblehash on top of a coffe filter or cardboard,then let it dry for about a min after the bubbles have settled thats when they press it a lil to get the excess water off n then bammm walaaaaa trow it in the freezer the next mornin when u wake up and then break it out when u need to serve some 1........when u say u let it dry for 2 weeks or longer, what do u dry it in and how?

On metal pans and tried metal pans with cardboard. It doesn't mold until it's packaged. I have no problem when I have it out in air whether it's drying or smokable. Any thoughts. Willing to try freezer but wonder what happens when I package. Also I have read that freezer storage is bad. Not saying it is but just telling you what I have read. Thanks for the response.

 

[MarijuanaBaybee]

i c, well now that u mentioned that you have read that about freezing it, i remember i have seen a batch out of the freezer come out moldy b4 so it is a possiblility that that could happen if its sittin in the freezer out in the open and not stored properly inside a plastic container 4 to long.... the only thing i could recommend is that u try the freezer method with a lil amount of bubble and see if it works or not, i would not recommend dat u put a whole wash in the freezer until you have tested out the method n are happy with the results. and well the truth its got my head scratching about what it is that u pakage ur bubble in? is it wax paper, plastic vials, or baggies? cuzz i think that might be another thing to look at

 

[El Cerebro]

Why press water hash? Just scoop it onto cardboard to dessicate, then card it lightly (separate without busting too many trichs) into a sandy/granular form that can dry relatively quickly. Leave it out in a dry environment, few days should do it, no freezer except for the trim/buds beforehand. For storage you can jar the 'sand' with desiccant packs, and dispensaries these days sell small amounts in little plastic screw-top cosmetics jars (about $0.10 online). This format is way nicer for vaporizing and smoking high-quality full-melt.

 

[CannabisJohn]

Why press water hash? Just scoop it onto cardboard to dessicate, then card it lightly (separate without busting too many trichs) into a sandy/granular form that can dry relatively quickly. Leave it out in a dry environment, few days should do it, no freezer except for the trim/buds beforehand. For storage you can jar the 'sand' with desiccant packs, and dispensaries these days sell small amounts in little plastic screw-top cosmetics jars (about $0.10 online). This format is way nicer for vaporizing and smoking high-quality full-melt.

I did that with last batch (no pressing), dried on cardboard for 2 weeks and as soon as it was packaged by the dispensaries it molded in 2 days. Maybe I'll try storing it with desiccant packs.

 

[El Cerebro]

I did that with last batch (no pressing), dried on cardboard for 2 weeks and as soon as it was packaged by the dispensaries it molded in 2 days. Maybe I'll try storing it with desiccant packs.

Wow, sounds like maybe a high concentration of spores floating around? You could package inside an ozone-filled glovebox. Or on a more serious/practical note, perhaps hit everything with a germicidal UV bulb/wand before you bring it in to vend? I've played around with dessicant quite a bit and really think it should solve your problem so long as the hash is packaged dry. Don't use the auto rh ones that work nicely for buds, just straight silica-gel paks like what comes in vitamins (buy bulk online). You can get similar sized oxygen absorbers too, prob not necessary but I use both for aging some fine-grade personal hash long-term (months/years).

I also realize some of my posts probably sound kinda wacky, but I do have considerable experience processing concentrates and have dealt with mold at various stages on a few occasions. Fortunately my ambient workroom rh is usually around or below 50%, so if your environment is more humid, extra precautions are probably in order. Some people dry it with a little heat (like carboard on top of a t5 or maybe a food dehydrator on low), but I'm picky about not pre-decarboxylating and prefer to err on the cooler side whenever possible.

With icewater extraction there's a lot of room for personal curing preferences and some folks really enjoy that 'old-world' warmed/pressed flavor profile (which the more middle-aged to elderly among us might tend to generally associate with the term hash prior to the dispensary movement). Having access to so much of it before packaging, I now prefer the freshest most un-disturbed dry forms possible, mostly run from fresh-frozen material now thanks to conversations with Graywolf and others here. That little twist can really improve quality and makes processing a lot more convenient too.