Ice-o-Lator hash: everything you need to know about the extraction process

Ice-o-Lator is a highly prized hash due to its high purity, which gives it great strength.

Have you tasted it or heard about it and want to learn more about it, its history and everything about this extraction method? Don't worry, that's what this article is all about.

Ice-o-Lator hash: a revolutionary extraction method

The name Ice-o-Lator is originally the trade name for the equipment used to make a type of hash. This equipment uses water and ice to separate the cannabinoid- and aroma-laden elements (mainly trichomes, terpenes and flavonoids) from cannabis.

This technique is rather expensive compared to traditional techniques, but it allows us to separate the elements we are interested in with the utmost delicacy. They are not broken or crushed in the process. The resulting hash, which takes the technique's name, is very pure and just as delicate as the technique itself.

The invention of the Ice-o-Lator hash

The process was not invented to extract CBD resin, but cannabis resin. It was patented in the mid-90s by the Pollinator Company, an Amsterdam-based manufacturer of agricultural machinery.
The same company is also behind the Bubbleolator, a machine that uses a similar process to make Bubble hash.

These extraction processes were created by Mila Jansen, known as "the queen of hash". She is still the muse of the process for the Pollination Company. Since its development, the Ice o Lator has become a household name, and to this day remains one of the quickest and easiest ways to extract top-quality hash .

The extraction process :

The actual extraction of Ice-o-Lator hash is divided into 3 stages, to which are added the optional stages of maturation and pressing.

Step 1: Brewing

This stage involves separating the cannabinoid crystals from the plant material. It can be done from CBD flowers, leaves or even branches, but these parts don't all contain the same amount of Cannabinoids. You need around 100 grams of flower to obtain less than 20 grams of hash. But you'll need 400 or 500 grams of leaves to obtain about the same amount of hash.

To carry out this step, the previously frozen plant material is placed in the extraction machine. Then water and ice are added, and that's all there is to it. The machine beats it all together, separating the elements in the water. Then it's time to harvest!

Stage 2: Harvesting

Once brewing is complete, the separated elements are suspended in the water. The harvesting stage consists of filtering this water through increasingly fine sieves, to recover the trichomes and terpenes, which are the finest elements.

The material extracted is refined as it passes through sieves ranging from 200 microns down to 25 microns. To give you an idea of what this represents, a bacterium is generally between 0.5 and 5 microns in size, so billions of micro-particles are recovered to make up the hash.

Step 3: Drying

Since water is used to separate the resin from the plant material, it is important to dry the hash properly before it can be consumed. This step is not complicated in itself, but it must be carried out meticulously to prevent mold from developing.
In general, the method consists of separating the hash into small portions, which are spread out as thinly as possible so that they dry quickly and evenly.

Additional stages: maturing & pressing

CBD resin is a bit like wine: you can drink it when it's ready, but it's always better to wait a little. Not just because you've waited, but because it will have time to mature and reveal finer, more delicate aromas. Some claim that this step could also improve its psychoactivity, which is not impossible.
This is what happens with CBN. It is produced by the oxidation of THC that occurs when flowers are left in the sun. CBN itself is not very psychoactive, but it plays a major role in the entourage effect, making THC's effect stronger.

After ripening, or curring, comes pressing. Once again, it's a matter of taste. Ice-o-Lator hash can be consumed without pressing, in which case it resembles a mass of powder or large crumbs, and burns with bubbles.

With hot pressing, it takes on a more compact, smooth and oily texture. This also enhances its effect, firstly because it is concentrated, and secondly because the heat exerted during pressing activates the cannabinoids, revealing their full potency.

Advantages and disadvantages of the technique

The technique has several advantages:

• No solvents or additives are used to extract the hash, just water, ice cubes, sieves and a little elbow grease.
• It creates hash from leaves, all elements are valued
• It's easy to use and can be used anywhere as long as water and ice are available.

On the other hand, the disadvantages of the technique are fairly minor. The biggest drawback is that the technique uses relatively a lot of water, which in today's context is not necessarily ideal.

Some people also see the cost of the equipment as a drawback: you'll need to pay around 200 euros for a machine and between 50 and 90 euros per bag. In our opinion, however, this is a relative factor that depends above all on how you use the machine.

Did you enjoy our article on Ice-o-Lator hash? Tell us what you think!

Now that you know all about Ice-o-Lator resin, its history and production method, all that's left to do is find it in our store to taste it, or re-taste it, and tell us what you thought of it!