What Full Melt Is
Full melt is a solventless cannabis concentrate made from trichome heads separated in ice water, then dried without heat or solvents. The name describes the test. A dab melts on a heated nail and leaves little to no charred plant residue. Only the cleanest fractions, most often the 73 micron and 45 micron grades, earn that label. Material that carries leaf fragments, stalks, or dust will bubble, darken, and leave a black ring.
The method works because trichome heads are brittle when frozen. Cold water makes them snap off the plant with light agitation, and a stack of filter bags sorts them by size. Everything that follows, from water temperature to how hard you stir, decides whether the final product melts clean.
Prerequisites
- Fresh or frozen cannabis bud or trim, about 100 to 450 grams
- Five-gallon buckets, at least two
- Bubble bag set with 220, 160, 120, 73, 45, and 25 micron screens
- Ice made from filtered water
- Wooden paddle or large spoon
- Cold room, garage, or workspace kept near 40F
- Parchment paper, drying screen, and a sealed jar with hygrometer
Step-by-Step Full Melt Extraction
- Freeze the cannabis for at least 24 hours before you begin.
- Fill one bucket halfway with cold water and add a layer of ice.
- Nest the bubble bags inside the bucket in order, with the 220 micron bag on the outside.
- Place the frozen cannabis into the 220 micron work bag.
- Add ice until the plant material is covered, then add cold water to just above the ice line.
- Let the mixture soak for 10 minutes so the trichomes harden.
- Stir with the paddle for 5 minutes using slow, circular motions, keeping the ice moving without crushing the plant.
- Stop and let the bucket rest for 10 minutes so the resin settles.
- Lift the bag stack straight up and hold it while the water drains through each screen.
- Rinse the 220 micron bag with cold water to push remaining resin down into the lower bags.
- Set the 160 and 120 micron bags aside for edibles or cooking.
- Scoop the resin from the 73 and 45 micron bags onto a 25 micron screen with a cold spoon.
- Repeat the stir, rest, and drain cycle two or three more times with fresh ice water.
- Dry the collected resin on the screen in a dark space with low humidity for 3 to 7 days.
- Sieve or microplane the resin once it firms up, then spread it thin to finish drying.
- Seal the dried hash in a glass jar and cure it for 1 to 2 weeks, opening the lid once a day.
Why Temperature and Agitation Matter
Trichome heads hold the cannabinoids and terpenes, and their walls break under pressure and heat. Warm water softens them into a greasy paste that smears through the screens. Aggressive stirring chops plant matter into the mix. Keep the water near freezing, stir with restraint, and work in short cycles. A clean run looks like pale sand in the 73 micron bag, not a green sludge.
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The Melt Test
Take a piece the size of a grain of rice and place it on a nail heated to a low temperature. A full melt sample liquefies, bubbles briefly, and leaves a faint tan or clear residue. Partial melt leaves a dark ring or burns to black. If your hash fails the test, the cause is almost always too much plant matter, too warm water, or resin that was not fully dry.
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Storage
Full melt degrades with air, light, and warmth. Keep it in a glass jar at refrigerator temperature, or in a freezer for long holds. Let the jar reach room temperature before opening to prevent condensation from forming on the resin.