Professional Marijuana Grower November-December 2018 Issue | Page 12

FEATUREARTICLE
by Eric Hopper
Non-Solvent and Solvent Extracts
C
annabis extracts have been around since the
beginning of human interaction with the canna-
bis plant. However, recent developments in ex-
traction methods and techniques have brought
forth some seriously potent cannabis products. Creating
a high potency cannabis extract is good news for the
recreational cannabis enthusiast, but for the medicinal
marijuana patient, a high potency solvent could prove
very effective at treating or managing an illness or dis-
ease. In fact, many of the extraction techniques available
today were developed by medical cannabis patients or
caregivers who wanted to get the most medicinal benefit
from the cannabis products. Cannabis extracts can be
categorized as either solvent-based extracts or non-sol-
vent-based extracts. Solvent-based extracts are usually
best left to professional cannabis processors who have
access to the proper equipment. On the other hand,
non-solvent-based extracts can be made at home by a
cannabis hobbyist with little more than everyday house-
hold items.
sticky rosin binds to the fingers and hands of the harvest-
er. He or she can remove the rosin and then press it into
a hash-like substance. Growers who use latex or rubber
gloves during harvesting can place the gloves in the
freezer to make the rosin easier to remove and collect.
In some cultures, finger hash is made when cultivators
deliberately rub their hands on the flowers and leaves of
the cannabis plants during the flowering stage of growth.
The rosin is then collected from the cultivator’s hands and
pressed into hash for consumption.
Kief
Kief is made by sifting the dried cannabis material. Dry
sifting can be done by hand or with a machine (kief tum-
bler or pollinator). Dry sifting involves shaking or mov-
ing the dried flowers and/or leaves across a 120-150
micron screen. The trichomes break away from the plant
material, fall through the screen, and are collected. Once
collected, the kief can be consumed as is or pressed into
hash.
Extracting without a Solvent (Non-Solvent
Extracts)
Generally speaking, a cannabis extract made without a
solvent is less potent, but is also much less dangerous to
produce. For example, screening for kief is something
that just about any cannabis consumer can do. There are
even automatic kief tumblers that eliminate most of the
labor associated with the process. Another non-solvent
method includes subjecting the cannabis flower material
to high pressure and heat to extract “rosin”. In addition
to kief and rosin, other non-solvent extracts include finger
hash and ice water hash (bubble hash).
Finger Hash
Finger hash is a term used for hash made from the sticky
rosin that accumulates on the cannabis processor’s
fingers and hands. Collecting finger hash is arguably the
simplest cannabis extraction technique. During harvest,
12 • Professional Marijuana Grower
November/December 2018