Piatella is making waves in a major way. You’ve seen the pictures, you’ve seen the memes. This is next-level solventless and it’s blowing peoples’ minds, and rightfully so. The potency and flavor of this artfully-crafted solventless cannabis concentrate is truly legendary. So what is Piatella, and where does it come from?

In northeastern Spain, the region of Catalonia is known for its lively beach resorts of Costa Brava as well as the Pyrenees Mountains. Cannabis culture has deep roots in the regional capital, Barcelona, where connoisseurs have been producing and consuming hash in high esteem for decades. It seems that Piatella is the newest creation born from this fabled region. 

But is there anything new under the sun?

Hash heads (who would definitely know) have recently called Piatella the very best hash in the world. So what exactly is Piatella, and how do you make it? Piatella is a 6-star fresh frozen bubble hash that’s both washed and cured to preserve resin in a unique and truly special way. We’re talking about a premium solventless concentrate that requires expert care in both cultivation and extraction. Piatella showcases the unadulterated magic of loose resin through a cold-curing process.

Piatella is the fusion of innovative cold curing with the traditional methods of hash making. It's full-melt, 6-star hash on a whole different level. You can cut it with a knife, and it has the consistency almost like a soft fudge. It's firm enough to maintain it's overall shape even when cut into pieces and won't liquefy or drip off of the knife. 

Is Piatella Just a New Iteration of the Temple Ball?

Seeing videos of Piatella presented in transparent cellulose film definitely looks like the Temple Balls that Frenchy Cannoli made famous. Temple balls give hash makers a way to store and preserve precious trichome heads for the long-term. However, long-term aging is not the goal of Piatella. The aim of Piatella is to capture the freshness of the resin just as the trichomes begin to cure and the terpenes explode at peak expression. 

One key difference between Temple Balls and Piatella is that Temple Balls require a heat and pressure (like a wine bottle with hot water) to pop the trichome release all the resin out of the encapsulation. Hash makers roll a wine bottle filled with hot water over loose resin to lightly press the trichomes before rolling it into a ball for curing and aging. 

All the compounds in the trichome head, including the cuticle itself, chemically interact during the aging process to create something new. 

In contrast, Piatella keeps the trichome heads completely intact and simply allows it to slowly cold cure over time in a controlled environment while minimizing oxidization. There's no heating involved.

Is Piatella Really the Best Hash in the World?

Frenchy Cannoli made a great analogy - some people like to drink orange juice, while other people prefer to eat the full orange. We can think about rosin like orange juice that's extracted from the full orange, which is the hash. 

Who can say that orange juice is better than a whole orange? It's all a matter of personal preference, and both answers can be correct. 

Piatella is a different experience, and that's how to think about cold cured hash. It's simply a different form of an expertly-crafted end product. There's no "best", it just comes down to the connoisseur's preference.  

How To Make Piatella

While we don't have the exact recipe for Piatella, we have been running our own experiments in the lab. It's similar to making Temple Balls, just without the heat. 

The key step is vacuum sealing the dried fresh frozen hash and allowing it to cold cure for months.

Here's an outline of the process:

1. Starting with top-quality premium resin is absolutely essential. This requires washing exceptional fresh frozen cannabis material and then freeze drying the loose resin. Full-melt, 6-star hash should be the starting point. 

2. The loose resin will be in a sand-like consistency as soon as it comes out of the freeze dryer. Place the resin inside of a vacuum sealing bag, like a food-safe cellophane wapping. Then, using a vacuum sealing machine, remove all the air from inside the bag. This step allows the resin to essentially "melt" without using any heat, just time in the absence of air. 

3. The vacuum seal will squeeze the loose resin into a brick. This provides just the right amount of pressure to compress the loose resin without compromising the color. At this point, terpenes will likely begin to "sweat" out of the hash. The terpenes will interact chemically with the rest of the compounds in the resin, which is how the magical transformation occurs. This also leads to greater stability and shelf-life in the long-term. 

4. Leave the Piatella in its vacuum sealed environment for a long, cold cure. Maintain the temperature between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, being careful not to exceed 60 degrees. Avoid temperature fluctuations. The resin will congeal together as the trichomes will melt without losing color.

Conclusion

“History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes” – Mark Twain

Following some of the principles used in making Temple Balls, Piatella is fresh frozen bubble hash, of the highest quality, preserved and cured with extra care and attention. With cold temperatures and drastically limited exposure to air, the resin in Piatella is both preserved and enhanced. The result is a transcendent cannabis concentrate, and what many are seeing as the next level of innovation in hash. 

Piatella made from Uncle’s Farm, processed by La Sagrada, won 3rd Place at Ego Clash 2020. Ever since then, Piatella has been gaining in popularity and giving the hash community a new franchise of innovation to rally behind.  

Watch a knife slice through a fresh batch of Piatella and you’ll get a sense of how decadent and delectable this stuff really is. 

To see more Piatella, check out this awesome video from Jolly Roger on YouTube: What is Piattella? (The BEST Hash in the World).

Have you tried Piatella? Let us know in the comments!

Thoughts? Let us know by joining our secret Facebook group. Hang out with a community of like-minded solventless heads like yourself. Ask our head extractor questions, share your latest press and learn from hobbyists and experts in the industry.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Piatella?
Piatella is a 6-star fresh frozen bubble hash that’s both washed and cured to preserve resin in a unique and truly special way.

Where does Piatella come from?
Piatella comes from the Catalonia region of Spain.

Who was the first to make Piatella?
The term "Piatella" was coined by Uncle’s Farm at Ego Clash 2020. However, hash makers from all over the world have been cold curing high quality washed hash for ages. Thanks to Uncle's Farm, this product is back in the spotlight. 

What does the term Piatella mean?
Piattella comes from the Italian word piatto, which means “flat”. The hash is vacuum sealed completely flat during the whole curing process, inspiring the name. 

How do you make Piatella?
Piatella is made by cold-curing a 6-star fresh frozen bubble hash in a low-oxygen environment.