The Star of the show

So today I wanted to talk a little bit about how I see my role as a Extractor. 

As extractors, we can only reveal the quality that is already there. We contribute nothing to the quality of the product. That was already determined at the time of harvest, the vast majority of that, in fact, was determined at the time of the creation of the seed. 

As growers, or extractors we can certainly mess up that quality by failing to provide the plant with all it needs, by handling or processing it incorrectly, or failing to concentrate, dry, or store it properly. But just realize, that profile, that medicine is already in the purest state that it could possibly be, and our job is to just preserve that. And that particular genetic, that cultivar, is really the star of the show here, and the less obvious our influence is, the better we did.

To use an analogy, as extractors, we're kind of like the prop crew, the set and costume designers, the makeup artists, the people working their craft in the background, that you rarely ever even see, but nevertheless make the star shine that much brighter for their time in the spotlight.

Now some of you might already be typing away in the comments, totally agree with you man, making hash is brainless, I could teach a monkey to wash bubble! 

Hold on there, Bud.

I think you're minimizing it a little more than I would. It's far from brainless, and to do it at a high level (like anything else) requires a lot of skill and technical knowledge. As well as a feel for the resin, particularly to work with the stickiest of fresh frozen. Don't get me wrong. I stand by every word I said, But what I said wasn't intended to minimize the role of the hashmaker but simply to place it in its proper context and perspective (from my point of view)

Now others of you might already be typing away, David, come on man. You don't give yourself enough credit, there's an art, there's a science to extraction! 

I won't argue that we don't do things to preserve that quality. There is an art and a science to it, unquestionably. But when you think about it when the trichomes are just sitting on the plant. If you could take those and simply remove them without any sort of sifting or extraction process and collect them all, just like Star Trek transporter beam them all into a drying box, or freeze dryer tray, that would be the most amazing quality you ever tried. So literally, it's just the art of preserving the state of what is already sitting there on the plant is sort of the point I'm trying to make here. 

And it's for that reason, that I say I always give credit to the breeders first, not just the most recent breeder. But all the breeders down through the ages, from the pioneers who travelled the world collecting genetics, people who travelled out of pure passion to discover new cultivars and terroir, phenotypical and genotypical expression of wild cannabis, who are the only reason a modern breeder is capable of doing their job properly. To the growers second, who know how to give that plant everything it needs to grow and thrive and then step aside and allow it to fully express its genetics. And thirdly, to the extractor, for knowing the intricacies of working with cannabis resin and having the skills, knowledge and tools to extract and preserve the results of all that.

A grower can only grow as good as the genetics allow them.

An extractor can only showcase the work of the grower, breeders and pioneers behind it all.

That's how I see it. Breeders first, grower second, extractor third. I'm not trying to minimize our role. I'm simply trying to put it in what I feel is the proper perspective. That's not me saying I don't take pride in what I do and recognize the role that I play, I do. That's me saying that I feel staying in a place of humility keeps me progressing, and is a more useful and accurate way of looking at things. Excessive pride can lead to stagnation. 

If you disagree with that perspective, I don't think your perspective is wrong. It's just differs from mine. Feel free to share it in the comments. I will say, comment sections in general but in particular with these type of subjects things can get a little bit… coarse at times. Please always be respectful and kind when commenting. Doesn't mean you can't have a difference of opinion. Criticisms are welcome here, just speak to others as you wish to be spoken to. 

Thanks for joining me and until next time, keep up that passion for the hashin'