The Complete Guide to Dry Sift vs Bubble Hash

There are two common methods for making hash: dry sift and bubble hash. In either case, the hash is made by collecting the resin from the cannabis trichomes and pressurizing it into a solid wax or liquid extraction. Though the end result is roughly the same (a highly concentrated marijuana extract that gets you higher than a kite), the extraction process is wildly different.

Whether you’re making your own hash at home or purchasing a readymade variety, you’ll need to understand what sets these two production methods apart.

How to Make Dry Sift vs Bubble Hash

A typical hash contains between 20% and 60% THC, though some varieties have more than 80%. It’s easy to see why hash is so popular among seasoned connoisseurs, but not all hash is created equal.

Making Dry Sift

Dry sift is the traditional and most common way to make hash, and anyone can do it on the fly. You would typically use a multi-chamber herb grinder to remove the kief (the sticky resin) from the cannabis. The kief is collected and placed into a pollen press, where it is tightly compressed into an amber-colored wax.

Dry sifting is much easier than making bubble hash. The equipment is cheap and easy to use, and no special skills are required. In as little as 15 minutes, you can enjoy your own homemade hash.

Making Bubble Hash

Bubble hash, also known as ice water hash, uses an ice water extraction process to separate the trichomes from the plant and compress them. The cannabis is submerged in freezing water, where the trichomes are released and strained through a series of mesh filter bags being drying.

While it may sound like a simple concept, bubble hash is much more complicated to produce than dry sift. While it’s possible to make bubble hash using only buckets and filter bags, the purest hash requires an ice water extraction machine as well as purifying tools like a reverse osmosis system. The process takes longer than traditional hash-making, and it requires absolute precision in terms of the machine settings and extraction time.

Dry Sift vs Bubble Hash: Which Is Better?

Bubble hash and dry sift both have their strengths and drawbacks. Dry sift is easier to make at home, but in order to decide which is best for you, you also have to weigh the cost, quality, and yield potential.

Yield

Bubble hash has a much higher yield because the freezing extraction process separates the vast majority of the trichomes from the plant and filters them through a series of specially designed mesh screens. Very little product is wasted, and much more rosin is produced as a result.

By contrast, dry sifting relies on a hand-operated filtration process that’s far less precise. Much of the kief is lost or contaminated because it sticks to everything it touches and you don’t have gravity on your side like you do with ice water extraction.

Cost

Whether you’re producing hash commercially or for your own enjoyment, dry sifting is the more affordable way to go. For about $20 to $60, you can purchase the necessary pollen press and extract your kief with ease. For example, the Dulytek® Hammer Style Pre-Press Pollen Mold makes the process easy, and it’s available for just $34.90. If you use our coupon code SAVE5AR12 at the Dulytek website, you can get an additional 5% off.

High-quality bubble hash, on the other hand, typically requires expensive equipment and specialized bubble bags. The machine can range between $250 and $500. Still, the tradeoff is that you get higher-quality hash and that the machine pays for itself over time. Consider the Bubble Magic 20 Gallon Washing Machine as an example. It retails for $329.99, but it’s durable and portable and removes all of the guesswork from hash-making. If you use our coupon code SAVELIGHTS10 at Trimleaf, you can get 10% off plus free shipping.

Note that it is possible to make bubble hash using just a bucket filled with bubble bags and ice water, but it’s much more difficult to produce quality hash this way. The water needs to be agitated at a precise speed and kept at an optimal temperature, and if the process isn’t carried out to perfection, you may be left with little to no usable hash.

Quality

If quality is your prime concern, go with bubble hash. Dry sift hash comes into contact with a lot of surface contamination as it falls from the plant, meaning that it may contain a lot of impurities. With ice water extraction, the rosin is contained within the extraction environment and protected from external impurities, especially if the water is purified.

If you’re just extracting at home, you probably won’t notice a huge difference between dry sift and bubble hash. However, if you’re producing commercially and you want to achieve 5- or 6-star full-melt hash, you’ll need to opt for the bubble hash method. This method will also ensure better yields from your finite plant resources and ultimately a better return on your investment.

Dry Sift vs Bubble Hash: Which Is Right for You?

If you’re making hash as a hobbyist, try experimenting with both methods and see which works better for you. If you’re making hash in the hopes of profiting commercially, bubble hash usually makes more sense. Still, it ultimately comes down to your own priorities:

• If you’re a beginner, go with dry sift.
• If cost is your main concern, go with dry sift.
• If you want prime-quality full-melt hash, go with bubble hash.
• If you want to achieve the maximum yield, go with bubble hash.

Have you already tried these hash-making methods? Which one do you prefer? Let us know!

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