SOMA soma The Magic of Dutch Moonshine Getting Wet and Messy with Marijuana T 72 HEADS MARCH 2004 he newest craze in the Netherlands and the world of marijuana connoisseurs for squeezing an infinite high from a finite amount of ganja or trimmings is called water hash. It’s a trend that is rapidly catching on with clever marijuana growers in North America. dutch moonshine Origins of Home Hash-Making The whole hash-making craze began with Mila Jansen, who taught most enthusiasts in Holland the art of making hash. In 1993, Mila perfected and later marketed the Pollinator, a clever little device for making pure hash from marijuana leftovers (trimmings, leaf, and even whole buds). In 1998, a water hash process invented in Switzerland was brought to Amsterdam and Mila was the first on the block to have one. It didn’t take very long for Mila and her friends to come up with a much better process— one that’s now being taught by pot connoisseurs everywhere marijuana growers and refrigeration abound. Mila’s bag screen system called the Ice-O-Lator has been shipped all over the planet, from Switzerland to Patagonia, as well as the US. One customer wrote back that it was the best invention since apple pie. The first Dutch coffeeshop to have it on their menu was Amsterdam’s Dampkring, which started selling water hash like hot cakes under the name Dutch moonshine. This hash is definitely for experienced psychonauts. Dub star Lee Scratch Perry came in to the Dampkring with his wife one night and asked for the strongest thing on the menu. After smoking some moonshine, she was so high, all she was able to do was go back to the hotel. First bag placed in bucket. Anatomy of a Trichome Water hash differs from other hash in that it is mainly made from the top ball of the resin gland, where the highest concentration of THC is found. With screened hash you get a combination of balls and stalks of the trichomes (mushroom-shaped resin glands). The balls smoke wonderfully, but the stalks are of a much lower quality. Interestingly, some strains of cannabis have straight trichomes, while others have hooked trichomes. Straight trichomes make the best hash: in the iciness of the water, the straight trichomes become very brittle, and the ball breaks off from the stalk and sinks to the bottom, while the stalks float to the top. Cannabis varieties that have hooked trichomes (like most skunk variations) have a tendency to break off at the hooked section, making part of the stalk sink to the bottom with the ball. The hash that results from the hooked trichomes does not what we call "bubble" because of the added cellulose in the stalks. Hash made from straight trichomes bubbles like crazy when the flame of a lighter is held close. Second bag goes inside. SOMA Making Fine Bubble Hash My favorite pot strains for making water hash are Citral, Shiva, Haze Heaven, White Willow, Perfect Plant, and Sage. It is very important to select only the fine trim if you want the best end product. This means no big fan leaves and no stems, and don’t overfill the bags with leaf. ‘‘My favorite pot strains for making water hash are Citral, Shiva, Haze Heaven, White Willow, Perfect Plant, and Sage.’’ Make sure you have plenty of ice on hand; the water and ice mixture has to be kept just above freezing. Now you need an inexpensive hand mixer, some paper towels, and of course the Ice-OLator bags from Mila. The bags come in three different sizes, one that fits a half-pound, one for a whole pound, and one for a whole kilo; each correspond to an increasingly large bucket size. First, fit the appropriate size bags on the bucket you’re using, starting with the finest mesh bag, with the coarsest bag on top, leaving a space of about two inches in-between. Next, start filling your bucket or small garbage can with your fine trim that’s been taken off the buds and the tiny buds from the bottom of the plant. Add ice and water until it gets cold enough, with about two inches of space at the top of the bucket. Let the pot, water and ice mixture sit and soak for an hour, then take your hand mixer, and making sure that you keep it in the middle (you don’t want to catch the sides of the bag with the mixing blades), blend the mixture for about fifteen minutes. I find that it also helps to use a wooden spoon with your free hand to stir the leaf mixture back towards the mixing blades. After the first spin, let the bucket sit for about ten minutes so the glands can precipitate and the mixer can cool off. Before starting the second fifteenminute spin, add more ice if the mixture is getting too warm. After another ten-minute break, repeat the fifteenminute spin one last time. Leave the mixture sitting for about an hour to let the trichome balls sink to the bottom of the bucket. Pre-game show, water and ice to come. 74 HEADS MARCH 2004 dutch moonshine This hash is definitely for experienced psychonauts. Dub star Lee Scratch Perry came in to the Dampkring with his wife one night and asked for the strongest thing on the menu. After smoking some moonshine, she was so high, all she was able to do was go back to the hotel. X-TRA GUANO One step beyond: the home press This method works well for pressing about a half-ounce of resin at a time. It requires some sort of book press or workbench vice. Basically, the hash powder is wrapped tightly in mediumthickness poly plastic in a ball shape, and then secured with string. This package is wrapped again neatly in a damp cloth. It is placed in the press or vice, between two bricks or metal plates that have been thoroughly heated (they can be heated in boiling water, this way they will never get too hot). The vice or press is tightened slowly, and the heat begins to melt the trichomes inside the package. Allowing the heat to work its magic, the package is squeezed as flat as possible. Then the slab is removed and cooled before it is carefully unwrapped. It is then cut into four pieces, which are stacked and wrapped in plastic once again for a second pressing. After two or three tries, if all goes well, the hash should be a dark, semi-solid mass. It should be thoroughly dried, then set aside for a few weeks of curing. Water, ice and weed cooling in a chilly bath. SOMA Blend into a nice frothy shake. Strain out the ice and leftovers. Take a kitchen strainer and start taking the wet leaf off the top screen, squeezing the excess water from the leaf by hand. When all the leaf is taken out, carefully and slowly remove the top screen by lifting it straight up, letting the water drain out while only hash remains in the bag. Take care not to drop any leaf into the bottom screen with the resin glands. Now you can begin to see the fruits of your labor. Drying Your Hash Next, with extra clean hands, remove the bottom bag and squeeze the water out with your hands. In the sink, rinse the resin glands in the bag under cold water. At first, the water will be green-brown, but after a few minutes it should become perfectly clear. Your hash is cleansed. Now comes the fun part. Squeeze the water out of the hash with your hands and wrap a few sheets of paper towels around the screen with the hash still Draining water from the inside bag. inside. Place a wooden board on top of the screen and then lightly step on the board. Keep standing there until no more moisture 76 HEADS MARCH 2004 dutch moonshine X-TRA GUANO Raisin’ Resin The water-hash method takes advantage of the fact that trichomes (resin glands) are heavier than water, while leaf and stem matter readily float. This reaction works best at a cold water temperature of 4˚C (39˚F), when trichomes are at their most brittle (that’s why it’s also referred to as the ice method). Hash-making is usually done in the winter months, but also because winter is a time when all the harvesting and trimming has been done, so growers have more time on their hands (especially in northern climes). Paper towels absorb the moisture pressed out. shows up on the paper towels. Then take the still wet hash and gently fluff it through a kitchen strainer onto a paper plate. Let the hash dry for about three days before pressing it or smoking it. Please, please, make sure the resin is completely dry. Any remaining moisture will cause mold that will ruin your hash. For an optimal extraction: To press your hash, a car or truck jack with a metal frame works well, but that’s another story. More and more growers and smokers are enjoying the pleasures of unpressed water hash. Have a good time making your own hash, and remember it all comes out better when you grow it organically! Pollinator: www.pollinator.nl • If possible, keep weed material in the freezer, fridge or some other cold place beforehand. • Have a lot of ice on hand (crushed is best) – you don’t want to make trips to the store mid-project (covered in weed trash). • Use proper-fitting screens for your buckets (or proper-fitting buckets for your screens depending on which piece of equipment you purchase first). • Cheap alternative for northerners: instead of ice, use clean snow if you have easy access to it. • Remove all stems before proceeding, as they can puncture bags. Press through screen to dry properly. • For big jobs, use a drill with a mixer attachment instead of a hand blender. • Don’t re-cycle the water more than three times, or your product will get too funky. • For efficiency, install a spout at the bottom of your bucket: instead of having to pour out the remaining water, just drain it by opening the spout. • Don’t let wet hash sit in container overnight, or it will begin to ferment. Spread it out to air dry. • Keep your equipment clean especially your screens (your biggest investment). Rinse thoroughly after each use. • Squeeze water out of remaining weed trash before throwing it out. Dispose of garbage immediately ideally in an industrial dumpster. • Let hash cure for 6-8 weeks for optimum flavor (after it is completely dry, seal in plastic or glass and let sit in a cool place). Fresh hash will get much better with time. • The color and texture of your final product can vary greatly according to the raw materials, ranging from a light beige powder to dark brown flakes. • Look under a hand-oupe or microscope to evaluate your final product’s purity.