Frozen, Piatella, 120u, Static: which CBD hash should you choose?

Every resin starts with the same gesture: detaching the trichomes, the glands that concentrate cannabinoids and terpenes, from the rest of the plant. What sets one hash apart from another is how they are detached and what happens next. Dry sieving, ice-water separation, fresh-frozen or dried material: each technical choice produces a different texture and profile from the same starting plant.

That is why comparing hash by trade name teaches you nothing. Comparing methods, mesh sizes and batch analyses teaches you everything.

The "u" in 120u is the micron (µm), the mesh size of the sieve used to sort trichomes. A mature trichome head measures roughly between 70 and 120 microns: a 120u screen lets whole heads through and holds back larger debris, while a 90u or 73u screen refines the sort further.

Remember the logic rather than the numbers: the narrower the stated micron, the richer the fraction in trichome heads and the poorer in plant matter, and the higher the price per gram. A well-made "120u" hash is already a selective fraction; a "73u-90u" is what extractors call full melt. Stating a micron at all is a sign of seriousness: it means the producer is willing to say how the hash was sorted.

The acronym WPFF stands for whole plant fresh frozen: the entire plant is frozen immediately after harvest, without drying. So-called "frozen" hash starts from this material. The point is aromatic: the most volatile terpenes, the ones that vanish during drying, stay trapped in the frozen material. The typical result is a lighter-coloured, more expressive resin than hash made from dried plants.

At Phytogrammes, Frozen Hash illustrates the family: CBD measured at 15.0% by HPLC, a woody, resinous profile marked by β-caryophyllene.

The ice-o-lator (or bubble hash) method stirs the material in a mix of water and ice: the cold stiffens the trichomes, which break off and are collected in filtration bags of decreasing mesh sizes, expressed in microns. It is the method that made microns famous, and the one that produces the meltiest textures.

Our 120u comes from this line: CBD measured at 15.9%, a floral opening on linalool, and an entry price of €7.95/g dropping to €1.90/g at volume.

The piatella is a recent evolution from Spanish and Italian workshops: a fine-fraction bubble hash, refined cold under vacuum until it forms a supple, almost creamy slab that keeps refrigerated. It is one of today's most sought-after presentations, and its price shows it.

Our Piatella measures 18.0% CBD on a peppery, dry profile.

Dry sieving is the historical method, the one behind Moroccan and Afghan hash. Its contemporary version, static sift, adds static electricity as a sorting agent: trichome heads cling to a charged surface, the rest falls away. The result is a remarkably pure powder obtained without water or freezing.

Two of our references descend from this lineage. The 90µ CBG Hash, sieved at 90 microns, is the only one in this comparison dominated by CBG: 19.3% measured, with a tropical, sweet profile. The Afghan stays true to the traditional gesture: cold separation then hand pressing, CBG measured at 18.5%, an earthy, spicy profile carried by myrcene.

Three of the hashes compared here are CBD-dominant, two are CBG-dominant. Both molecules are non-intoxicating and legal below the 0.30% Δ⁹-THC threshold (the legal threshold is explained here), but they differ in pharmacology and in base flavour. The CBD and CBG entries in our Canna·wiki detail receptors and the state of research, without health claims: choosing between the two remains a matter of personal preference.

A percentage without a certificate is a marketing promise; a percentage with a certificate is a measurement. Every hash in our lab is analysed batch by batch by an independent laboratory using HPLC, and the certificate is published on the product page. Three lines to check before buying, here or anywhere else: the dominant cannabinoid and its real percentage, Δ⁹-THC below 0.30%, and an analysis date matching the batch on sale. Our analysis method is documented here.

The block below gathers the five hashes compared in this article, from the meltiest to the most traditional, with their measured percentages and prices. The shop opens in a few weeks: the "Notify me" button signs you up for the opening, reference by reference.

What does 120u mean on a hash?

120u refers to a 120-micron sieve, the mesh size used to sort trichomes during separation. The smaller the number, the more selective the fraction and the richer it is in trichome heads.

Is frozen hash legal in France?

Yes, provided its Δ⁹-THC content does not exceed 0.30% and it comes from authorised hemp varieties. "Frozen" describes a method (fresh-frozen material), not a cannabinoid: legality is decided by the analysis, never by the name.

What exactly is WPFF?

Whole plant fresh frozen: the entire plant is frozen right after harvest, without drying, to preserve volatile terpenes. It is the raw material of frozen hash and piatella.

What is the difference between piatella and ice-o-lator?

Ice-o-lator is the ice-water separation method; piatella is a further refinement of that hash, cold-pressed under vacuum into a supple slab. Every piatella starts as bubble hash; the reverse is not true.