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WPFF: What is Whole Plant Fresh Frozen?
Reading time ⌛ 3 min
There is increasing discussion about Whole Plant Fresh Frozen, referred to by its acronym WPFF. This term refers to a practice that is becoming increasingly popular among enthusiasts of innovation and premium hash.
Want to learn more about it? In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about WPFF.
What is Whole Plant Fresh Frozen?
As its name suggests, WPFF refers to the process of freezing whole plants that have reached maturity.
And the reason it is so popular is that freezing the whole plant directly preserves the active ingredients in CBD flowers. WPFF contains cannabinoids in acid form. When the plant is frozen fresh, these cannabinoids, recognizable by their names ending in "a" (CBDA, CBGA, THCA, etc.), usually disappear during drying via decarboxylation.
This technique also preserves a greater quantity of terpenes and flavonoids: these are elements that influence the entourage effect produced by cannabinoids, as well as the taste and color of the plant or resin. Volatile and fragile, they can quickly deteriorate through handling, heat, and UV exposure. By preserving more of these compounds, WPFF produces hash with more complex flavors and creates a more pronounced entourage effect.
What are WPFF hashes?
Freezing plants is not a type of extraction in itself: it is a preliminary step before extraction. Several types of hash can be made from frozen flowers. These are grouped under the name live hash.
Live ice-o-lator and live bubble hash
Live ice-o-lator and live bubble hash are the most common types. These types of hash are quite similar to each other. In both cases, the frozen flowers are beaten in ice water to separate the trichomes from the plant debris without breaking or damaging them. The mixture is then filtered through increasingly fine sieves to extract the water and plant matter, leaving only the active compounds from the hemp flowers that form the hash.
Live rosin
Rosin is a very specific method of extracting cannabinoids: hot pressing. Whole flowers are pressed between two plates at a temperature ranging from 160 to 200 degrees. For live rosin, the temperature is lowered to 90°C, resulting in a syrupy, slightly thick extract.
The full melt live and the piatella live
Live full melt and live piatella are resins that are slightly different from those mentioned above. Full melt is a hash produced by extraction using ice water, like ice-o-lator or bubble hash, but it is the highest quality result. Free of all impurities and plant debris, it is distinguished by its completely melt-in-the-mouth texture and the fact that it melts completely when heated, leaving no residue.
Piatella, on the other hand, is a technique for cold, vacuum-sealed maturation of full melt hash. Made using WPFF, it is undoubtedly one of the highest quality hashes you can find.
Hash from dried flowers or WPFF: what's the difference?
There are several differences between dried flower hash and WPFF.
The price
Unlike dried flowers, WPFF does not require any drying or curing time. However, freezing cannabis plants requires special equipment, because in reality they are not just frozen: they are cryogenically frozen. As this equipment is rarer and more expensive, live hash, prepared from WPFF, is generally more expensive.
The taste
By preserving a greater proportion of the aromatic compounds found in hemp plants, hash made from WPFF develops more nuanced, rounded, and complex aromas, generally less marked by the earthy and spicy notes characteristic of hash extracted from dry flowers.
The effects
Preserving cannabinoids in their acidic form and a greater proportion of terpenes alters the effects of hash. However, even with the same cannabinoid content, they will not necessarily be more potent. In general, WPFF hash tends to produce more complex and nuanced effects, closer to those produced by very high-quality flowers, such as those grown hydroponically.
WPFF: whole frozen flowers for maximum quality
As you may have guessed, WPFF is not just an innovative practice, it is above all a guarantee of quality. By preserving as many of the plant's active ingredients as possible, Whole Plant Fresh Frozen has become the gold standard for premium hash enthusiasts looking for complex flavors, nuanced effects, and an authentic experience that is as close as possible to the fresh plant .
FAQ
What exactly does WPFF mean?
WPFF stands for Whole Plant Fresh Frozen. This involves freezing the plant immediately after harvesting, without drying or curing, in order to preserve as many terpenes and cannabinoids as possible in their natural form.
Is WPFF an extraction method?
No, WPFF is not an extraction method in itself, but a preliminary step. It involves preparing the plant material before extraction, which can then be carried out using various techniques, such as ice water for bubble hash or hot pressing for live rosin.
Why freeze the whole plant rather than just the flowers?
Freezing the whole plant helps preserve as many of the trichomes as possible, which could be damaged during harvesting.
Does WPFF actually change the effects of hash?
Yes, but not directly. By retaining more terpenes and cannabinoids in acidic form, WPFF promotes a more pronounced entourage effect, which does not necessarily make the effects more powerful, but can make them more complex, more nuanced and more faithful to the original plant.
