You should still soak fresh frozen. It can get very brittle when frozen just like dry. Green can result from shredding leaf while too frozen/brittle. Some varieties also have leaves that shred easier no matter what. (Not good IWE plants)
When to grate is a key part of creating true Ice Wax. Ideal drying temp., grating temp., and timing will vary with each trim batch(grow)/hash run and also by variety (resin profile). IME the meltier varieties need to be cooler to even grate.
Drying should be slowed by BOTH cool temp and proper humidity. The idea is to initially "dry" it cool and at the correct humidity (thus rate) to the perfect grating point, but grate it before its "completely dry" and traps water/moisture in at the microscopic level. (This is what makes most bubble hash bubble so much, trapped water finally escaping! and IMO is a sign of IWE that could have been made better, not a sign of dankness!) Increasing the surface area before it heats up and the oils and water can more easily mix is what I am currently working on. The season is against me now though... Can't wait to move further north!
Thanks so much Kalyx and everyone else for the pointers. Each time we do a load, I look for anything we can do differently to be more in accordance with Mr. Rize's instructions. I have been drying in a closet with a fan at about 65% humidity/65 deg. F. I know both are too high, so I have been considering how to do more of the processing and drying in a cooler, dryer environment, and with summer coming that 65 might go to 75ish.
I had a wonderful brainstorm and I am excited to try this new process. I have an under counter ice make/refrigerator that was cleaned thoroughly and dedicated to making clean ice with no food taste for attempting to produce ice wax from day 1. In the week preceding wash day, we collect 5-6 large turkey bags of ice.
Ziploc-style bags are made of stinky plastic and are permeable to odor/flavor intrusion. IMO avoid them altogether. Use non-permeable turkey (oven) bags. I've seen too many Ziplocs on Instagram.
It was realized that the humidity in the ice maker refrigerator is 40% and the temp is 39 deg. F. The washing machine sits directly beside it. The new plan is to wash (cold with ice), scrape (still cold), put each grade as it is collected directly in refrigerator to dry on screen/paper towel (cold & dry). After the patty dries and chills a couple hours with several paper towel changes, grate it with the zester from the freezer, and put the expected dabbable grades (70 only so far) back in the refrigerator on the empty shelf to dry. I did some research on dehumidifiers and found that of the 3 types, the desiccant type work best at cold temperatures, so I will put a new Eva Dry 500 renewable in the refrigerator to wick out the added humidity of the hash.
I am not yet convinced that freezing before zesting traps water in. I have a much better time zesting frozen vs. chilled-only patties. Oil or wax and water don't mix. Aren't we dealing with essential oil inside wax trichome protective shells? IWE would not work if the water dissolved or got into the extract?
I'll let you know how it works.