Should I cure before making hash?

[hankthecat]

Hello all,

Do you recommend curing your trimmings prior to making hash?

I have a White Widow that I harvested about 12 weeks ago. I put the trimmings aside and the bud into cure jars. I used the trimmings after 3 weeks in my bubble bags, and made some pretty good hash. After about 6 weeks of curing, I started smoking the bud. Two nights ago, I smoked some of the very same bud, and it friggin' knocked my socks off! It has cured into a beautiful, potent, tasty smoke that I am now very proud of.

I'm now wondering; if I had cured the trimmings for 12 weeks, then made the bubble hash, would the hash have been more potent? I'm a refugee of another site that shut down without warning, and in my several years of participating on that board, I never read a recommendation to cure the trimmings before making hash. The common philosophy was to simply get the moisture content to the proper level for your hash making process and go.

By the way, I've made iso hash, gummby hash, silk screen hash, and bubble hash. If you haven't already, get some bubble bags TODAY and start making bubble hash. I'll never use another method again!

Thanks everyone!

[Coelho]

Well... in the cannabis plants, the cannabinoids usually are in the acid form (THCA), which is not psychoactive. This THCA is transformed to THC by heating, or slowly, by itself, with the passing of the time. So, when you cure the cannabis, it gives the THCA enough time to it transform itself in THC, and thats why properly cured cannabis is more potent.
This process happens wherever there are cannabinoids, so it must work for hash too.

[VapedG13]

I use bubble bags to make hash.....In my own experience (and anyone feel free to add thier 2 cents) I find that fresh frozen trim makes better hash than dry frozen trim. The thing we are trying to do is agitate the mix enuff to knock off and collect the trichomes, while at the same time not pulverizing the vegative matter too much. Dry trim breaks up into tiny particulate much easier than wet trim, and so adds more contaminant to the hash. Mixing methods come into play here. Worst is the paint mixer attachment on a drill, with a cake mixer right behind it, both will pulverize the mix quite a bit, and the smaller stuff will find its way into yer hash. The absolute purists will stir by hand with a wooden spoon (good workout) which introduces the least amount of contaminant. A Bubblenow machine is the cat's meow; I used to use a drill and paint mixer, with the machine it almost seems like cheating. It makes better hash, in less time, with less work. Mixing times affect quality. Short mixing makes less contaminat and better hash, but a lower yield. I'm settling on a 6 minute mix for the good hash, then a 12-15 min mix to get the rest out of the mash. Some do a 3 min mix for super melty stuff. Hope all of this helps some.

[hankthecat]

Both very good answers, thank you.

Next time I was planning to make the hash with fresh trimmings unless the hash would be better with cured trim. Sounds like I just need to use fresh trimmings, then set the hash aside for some time.

Is this why people press the finished hash; to finish off the isomerization of THC? I've put a small quantity of hash into a vice and squeezed the bejeepers out of it, but I didn't really notice a difference.

Interesting tip about the paint mixer. That's how I did it last time, so next time I'll use a big assed spoon. I need the work out anyway!

Thanks!