What is Hash?

Dry sift hash

What is hash? 

Hash is a potent cannabis extract. It’s made when trichomes are removed and processed into a concentrated form. It’s typically brown or dark green and comes in a brick or ball. Hash is made without solvents or chemicals through physical manipulation and temperature changes. 

How is hash consumed? 

Hash has traditionally been consumed as either a solid or infused into a beverage like the traditional Indian drink bhang. However, in California, hash is typically smoked – on top of flower or on its own – or dabbed if it is hash with the ability to melt. 

Where does hash come from?

The word “hashish” comes from Arabic and roughly translates to “grass.” It is documented that hash first became popular in the year 900 AD. However, some hashes are believed to have existed before written documentation when early cannabis farmers would have resin on their hands after a harvest. 

In the 1960s, the reemerged enthusiasm for cannabis in the Western world led to countries like Afghanistan, Morocco, and Nepal exporting hash as hard-pressed bricks made from heat and pressure. In the late 1980s, scientists found a way to create hash with a machine called a “master sifter.” Iterations of this machine over time have led to devices that can extract hash using ice water. 

What’s the difference between hash and other concentrates? 

Hash is a unique cannabis extract because it has been around for thousands of years. Other concentrates have only been around for the past few decades as technology has advanced. Hash is also simple and easy to make, whereas other concentrates require a long process and expensive equipment by licensed technicians. 

Different types of hash

Dry sift hash

Dry sift is a collection of trichomes separated from the cannabis flower using a series of fine mesh screens. It’s basically refined kief, which you can find at the bottom of your grinder. 

Producing dry sift requires one to rub, roll, and tumble-dry cannabis over a finely woven mesh screen, breaking off dried resin from the plant matter. The powdery resin is often used to top a bowl of flower or added to a joint for more potency. It can also be pressed into a traditional hash or rosin to dab. 

Bubble hash (Ice water hash)

Bubble hash can range from looking dry and chalky to greasy and oily. It’s made by putting cannabis buds in ice water, which freezes trichomes, and then the mixture is stirred, which breaks off the trichomes. The mixture is then filtered through a series of fine screen bags. Then the resin is collected and dried, resulting in bubble hash.  

Bubble hash quality is rated on a star system of one to six – with six stars being the most refined and highest quality. High-grade ice water hash, often called “full melt” or “ice wax,” can be dabbed. The lower-grade hashes are typically pressed into rosin and smoked like a traditional hash or are used for infusions.

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