Whitethorn Rose Full Melt Hash (6 Star) by Ay Papi

99 Points

In the great sea of concentrates filled with rosin and BHO, it was great to get back to some of my old-school roots and smoke some traditional full melt hash. I have had a few experiences with Ay Papi Whitethorn Rose rosin, and considering the popularity of the strain these days, I’ve seen several other hash makers attempt to concentrate the essence of this wonderful variety in various textures, but without question and by a great margin - this entry was hands-down one of my all-time favorites, which says a lot. The Ay Papi x Huckleberry Hill Farms Whitethorn Rose 6 Star Full Melt hash gets a standing ovation.

This batch was made special for the judges of the California State Fair competition and might be a tough one to find at retail considering the delicate nature of this product. You see, it’s all about chain of command. Everything must stay cold from the manufacturing and production process through the final steps before consumption, and the competition organizers at Budist did a fantastic job in preserving the freshness and integrity of this entry.

At first glance the hash looked bright and reflective. It was golden, like a jar of finely polished sand. Each of the resin heads were individually stacked next to one another, yet due to the cold temperature they remained intact and did not stick to each other. I was careful to use a cold tool to scoop some out of the jar onto a piece of parchment paper which I then folded in half and rubbed it together with my fingers. The change of temperature - from the freezer to room temperature, accelerated by my own body heat quickly turned the powdery goodness into a thin, almost clear layer of hash that was now ready for consumption.

This is when you could really get an expression of the nose. Unlike rosin, which I usually judge by its greasy texture or terpene layer, full melt appears dry at first, but when you rub it between your fingers on some parchment, it finally starts to take on more of a hash like consistency. The secret here is to have patience. For me, I found myself wanting to take that first hit right away, but if you leave the hash out at room temperature for a few hours or even overnight, it literally starts to change texture and especially if it’s left in the jar at room temperature when you crack that jar, the nose and expression is unlike anything I’ve experienced in quite some time. It’s amazing to watch the consistency change from individual cold, resin heads to almost like a translucent gummy texture when I warmed it with my fingers and then to watch it change into a greasy terpy, gooey, sticky, stinky wad of hash. And let’s not forget to dig deeper into that nose, because it’s worth mentioning that this was some of the most fragrant loudest hash that I’ve ever seen. I literally found myself almost in a state of disbelief in comparison to what I’m typically hitting, and I knew that I would have to pace myself in order to not consume my sample too quickly, before having an opportunity to experience it - in all its glory.

The nose is complex and dynamic. I am getting notes of deep orange almost slightly sautéed, as if the orange itself was enhanced by a self caramelized sugary layer. It’s sweet on the top end, but also hints of slightly over ripened peaches with a touch of a bright spice. Compared to the rosin version of this same variety, this has a much denser floral texture to it. My first whiff was when I cracked the jar from the freezer and it was still in a powdery consistency, but then as I transferred it to the parchment paper and warmed it up with my fingers, the process of peeling the paper apart revealed a gum light texture that spread open as I pulled. It was then that a a whole different level of expression emerged, as the rainbow of colorful aroma crept into my nose and penetrated my brain.

You have to work the hash they say, and this could not be more true when you are lucky enough to get six star melt as good as this. I found myself sticking the paper together and peeling it apart and sticking it together and peeling it apart over and over again, just so I could watch how awesome it looked. It separated and stuck together and separated and stuck together, but the intended purpose was really to massage the terpenes to their fullest bouquet. Eventually, the sample started to sweat, expressing its greasy innards for my review.

I think this experience has given me a new definition of the term “age before beauty”, because as fine as this specimen is, with each second that passes - as it changes with the fluctuation of temperature, it feels like it’s aging right before my eyes - and with every passing moment, it gets better and better.

When handling a product such as this, it’s inevitable that the resin heads will get all over your fingers to some degree. Fortunately for me, the remedy is using my mustache to clean the oil off of my fingers. It’s like aromatherapy.

Once you have your melt flattened on your parchment paper, proper execution includes using your dab tool to cut out a square about the size of a postage stamp, and then delicately pressing into the corner of it, quickly lifting the rice paper thin sized sample for consumtion.

For full melt, you want to lower the temperature that you typically dab at slightly because you are going to be left with some degree of residue that gets left behind from the waxy cuticle outer layer of the resin head. Most concentrates go through a process that strips these waxes, however it should be noted that a lot of the fragrance and taste elements are actually locked in the waxy outer coating of the resin head. Dabbing full melt versus rosin or BHO gives you a much more dynamic full bodied experience. I like to compare it to skin contact natural wine, which leaves the outer coating of the grape intact for a more robust and slightly fermented taste, adding to the flavor and fragrance profile of the grape. By running your rig at a slightly lower temperature you are actually melting the outer layer, and unlocking the oil within.

The inhalation experience is somewhat heavy, in fact it might be best described as thick. It’s thick in your lungs and then even thicker in the air when you exhale, so thick that it lingers and permeates. Its odor on the exhale is also quite dynamic and totally unique. You could tell specifically when someone is smoking Whitethorn Rose hash, by the lingering stench in the air, which could last until what seems like an eternity. It’s also thick to the dome, as one would expect. The high gets you instantly glazed and expands your brain to the inner circumference of your skull, but not before it dances with your neurons - firing synapses like a 1980’s arcade filled with pinball machines. There is something about this particular variety in this particular texture that resonates at the highest frequencies. It feels like I have rays of light coming out of my hands and I’m floating 1000 feet above the Earth. As I return to the ground, I find myself having a level of clarity, focus and creativity unlike I’ve felt before.

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on this six star full melt hash from Ay Papi make sure it is preserved well, and served cold - so you yourself can experience the journey in the final steps of it’s preparation, and the transformation that occurs within it. My first time judging Hash was an Amsterdam in 1994 and throughout that time until now, this was some of the best stuff I’ve experienced in the last 30 years as a competition judge. To have had the privilege of evaluating it for such a prestigious competition like the California State Fair was truly a highlight for me.

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