MATT RIZE And THE RISE OF ICE WAX: A SOLVENTLESS LEGACY
In weed-scarce Wisconsin in 1998, a teenage Matt Rize began making hash in his kitchen using brick weed, High Times magazines, and raw curiosity. The quality of cannabis was poor, forcing him to get creative in pursuit of something better.
MIDWEST ORIGINS (1998)
Rize’s earliest experiments were born out of necessity. With limited access to quality flower, he relied on resourcefulness and trial-and-error—laying the foundation for his lifelong focus on purity and technique.
WESTBOUND TO CALI (2001)
Drawn by the opportunities of Proposition 215, Rize drove to Northern California and immersed himself in the medical cannabis scene—learning directly from growers, patients, and those chasing the elusive ideal of true full melt hash.
THE MICROPLANE MOMENT
Frustrated by terpene loss during the drying process, Rize improvised—using a kitchen microplane to grate frozen hash. This accidental innovation became a solventless standard adopted by hashmakers worldwide.
ICE WAX IS BORN (2010)
On the forum RollItUp.org, Rize coined the term “ice wax” to describe his ultra-clean full melt hash. His detailed thread became a touchstone for the solventless community. Steep Hill Labs confirmed THC levels at 52%, rivaling early BHO extractions. He also refined the 45–120µm trichome collection range, now a widely accepted benchmark.
FORUM WARS & MEME JABS
Unapologetically blunt and quick with biting memes, Rize often clashed with early solventless figures like BC Bubbleman and advocates of BHO extraction. His outspoken style led to multiple forum bans before he transitioned to Instagram, where macro photography and hash education earned him a devoted following.
MEDICINE OVER MEDALS
“I’m not into contests—I’m into medicine.” Rize built his reputation by answering questions from beginners and educating consumers long before solventless products became mainstream. His focus was on patient care over competition.
SHATTERBROS ERA (2012–2016)
At California Cannabis Authority (CCA), Rize partnered with NorCal SourDees to launch ShatterBros. Despite the branding, jars contained 45–90µ ice wax. He also explored ultra-clean shatter made from beyond-organic Rize Ranch flower.
RIZE RANCH & THE CBD SHIFT
Alongside his partner Jessi, Rize developed 20:1 CBD capsules and lotions, cultivating no-till, vegan cannabis under the Rize Ranch ethos. Their work blended healing-focused products with solventless craft and educational outreach.
THE WALDO EFFECT
Helping treat an infant named Waldo’s eye cancer with CBD profoundly shifted Rize’s mission. The 2019 “Waldo on Weed” story became a defining chapter, cementing his dedication to clean, no-till, solventless medicine.
DIGITAL LEGACY
With tens of thousands following both his personal and Rize Ranch pages, Rize continues to share ice wax techniques, historical insights, and cultural commentary—helping preserve and advance the craft he helped define.
ENDURING IMPACT
Now based in Oregon, Rize remains committed to organic hemp cultivation and the production of ice wax, live rosin, and CBD formulations. More than just a name, he is a foundational figure in solventless cannabis—building the playbook and never compromising his values.
— nugg notes
sources:
•Wisconsin beginnings (1998) & cross-country move to NorCal (2001) – long-form interview on The Hashish Inn podcast, Apr 6 2020.
•“Ice Wax” term coined & first public photos/tests (2010) – Matt Rize’s original ICE WAX (bubble hash) with Matt Rize thread on Rollitup, started Sept 2010.
•52 % THC Steep Hill lab results validating Ice Wax – Matt Rize post on THCFarmer quoting the certificate and numbers.
•Microplane drying breakthrough – Reddit /r/BubbleHash discussion crediting Rize for teaching the micro-planing method (2014) & Rize’s own step-by-step in a Grasscity thread.
•Additional micro-planing details (freeze then plane) – Rollitup page 123 exchange.
•Forum era conflicts, bans & meme culture presence – same Rollitup thread archives covering heated debates across pages (e.g., pg 89 onward).
•ShatterBros period at Collective Conscious Apothecary (2012-16) – Rollitup posts referencing Sour D “from the Shatter Bros” & other ShatterBros pictures.
•CBD pivot: 20 : 1 capsules, lotions & Rize Ranch hemp cultivation (2017-present) – official product pages & IG announcement for RizeUpCaps.
•Waldo on Weed documentary appearance (2019) – IMDb film listing credits Matt Rize.
•Current social-media reach (IG follower counts) – live Instagram profile snapshot @matt__rize (≈52.9 K) and @rize_ranch.
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