Hashish – The original cannabis extract

Hashish originated in Iran in 200BC. In the big wide world of cannabis extracts has its roots from thousands of year of cannabis consumption.

 

A guide to the different types of hashish, consumption methods, and its effects.

 

What is hashish or hash?

Hashish is a marijuana concentrate that comes pressed into blocks or balls. Pieces of hash can be broken off and smoked, or it can be decarboxylated and sprinkled into food or drinks. Hash is made from the resin of the marijuana plant and is significantly stronger than dried flower.

 

How Is Hashish Made?

Hashish is made by separating the kief from the rest of the plant and turning it into blocks or balls of hash. There are a variety of kief extraction methods (from using silk screens to sift it to using ice to freeze and break off the trichomes).

Manufacturers who make hash on a large scale use a series of screens to filter kief away from the marijuana trimmings. Well-filtered dry sift kief should be yellow like pollen and free of any green plant material. After gathering a large amount of kief, it’s put into a hash press to make blocks or discs of hash.

 

Different Types of Hash

There are many different types of hash to be found as one travels around the globe. Hashish types differ according to how the kief is extracted, and the methods used can result in finished products that look and feel very different. Hash can range from gummy and sticky to drier and more crumbly.

 

Dry Ice Hash

The goal with sifting kief from cannabis plant material is to obtain the largest amount of kief possible. The dry ice extraction method maximizes kief yield through putting chunks of dry ice in a filter bag with the cannabis. This freezes the trichomes, causing them to break off more easily. The bag is shaken, allowing the kief to sift through into a collection bin below. The kief is then pressed into hash. The kief for dry ice hash will typically be more of a green colour than regular dry sift, as the ice extraction method often causes plant material to break off and contaminate the product.

Ice Water Hash

Also known as “bubble hash,” ice water hash involves using ice water to filter the kief out of marijuana plant material. The process starts with “bubble bags” – bags with filter screens in the bottom of them. Manufacturers layer three to five filter screen bags inside a bucket to progressively filter the kief through smaller and smaller screens. Buds, shake, or trim are added to the bag and topped with ice and then water. The ice and cannabis are mixed to freeze and break off the trichomes before they’re allowed to settle and fall through the screens.

Once the water is squeezed out of the residue that collects on each screen, the result is various grades of bubble hash – some that are ultra-filtered and some that are lower-grade and barely-filtered.

Lebanese Hash

The process for making Lebanese hash (Lebanon hashish) requires the marijuana harvest to be hung and dried before the buds are rubbed over a silk cloth to separate the kief. The kief is then stored and further aged before it’s pressed into Lebanese hash.

Turkish Hash

Turkish hash is well-known due to its extremely high quality and is typically manufactured from marijuana grown in the Anatolia region of Turkey. Although hashish is illegal in Turkey, the country is responsible for 4% of the global production of kief, and the tradition of growing marijuana and making hash have been passed down there for hundreds of years.

Moroccan Hashish

The traditional method for making Moroccan hashish involves covering a large bowl with a filter and putting plant material on top of it. The bowl and plant material are tightly wrapped in plastic before the material is pounded with sticks to break off the trichomes. The kief falls down through the filter to be collected in the bowl before being made into hash. The final product is also known as “Moroccan black hash” due to its dark and rich colour.

Watch: The moroccan Hash making a power

How to Consume Hashish aka Hash

In addition to its strength, one of the reasons hash is so popular is due to its versatility. It’s easily wrapped up in parchment paper and toted around, and it can be consumed in a variety of ways.

 

Wrapped in a Joint

One of the most popular ways to smoke hash is to break it up and distribute bits of it throughout the flower in a joint. This makes for an incredibly potent and flavourful smoke.

Smoked in a Pipe

Another common way of smoking hashish is in a pipe. It can be added into a bowl of flower or balled up and dropped in by itself. It’s a good idea to use a fine mesh screen to keep the hash from being sucked in through the pipe.

Vaporized

For those who don’t want to smoke hash, it can also be vaporized. However, it’s important to use a vaporizer or vape pen that’s equipped to handle hash and other concentrates. Otherwise, the hash residue may ruin the vape.

Edibles

As an alternative to hash smoking, many people also enjoy infusing it into potent marijuana edibles. This can be done by making cannabutter with hash (cooking the hash and butter together for 25 to 30 minutes to make sure it’s decarboxylated and the cannabinoids have been activated). Hash can also be decarboxylated by placing it on a baking sheet and putting it in a 250-degree (Fahrenheit) oven for 20 minutes; after this, it can be ground and mixed into savory dishes, teas, etc.

 

Hash vs Shatter: Differences in Effects

Solventless or Solvent Free Concentrates

Concentrates that require no solvent to be created are referred to as solventless concentrates.

These types of concentrates are byproducts that come straight from the cannabis plant and buds themselves like kief and hash. While different types of cannabis concentrates might seem to run together, they are each quite distinct and different.

 

List of solventless concentrates

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