What is Hashish and How Do You Smoke It?

Hash

Also: Hashish

Hash, or hashish, is a cannabis concentrate made first by extracting kief from marijuana flower and then pressing it into hard blocks.

Hash, short for hashish, is a concentrated form of marijuana, derived from the cannabis plant. 

To make hash, you first need to extract kief from marijuana flower, then press it into a solid block. Solid hash ranges from malleable to brittle, and can be anything from pale blonde to deep amber, depending on the maturity of the trichomes, production method, and purity. 

Because hash is made from concentrated trichomes, it can be quite potent–anywhere from 20-60% THC.¹ Hash can be consumed in a variety of ways, including smoking, vaping, and even adding it to edibles. In fact, that’s the traditional way of consuming hash: infusing it into a traditional Indian drink called bhang.² 

There are two different types of hash available on the market. You can also make these two different types of cannabis at home. 

Dry sift hash, also called Moroccan hash, is created by sifting dry cannabis flowers over a series of finely meshed screens, each with smaller openings to refine the plant material. After passing through the screens, the loose trichomes are collected and then pressed into balls, blocks, or “cakes.”

This hash gets its name from how it bubbles when smoked. Bubble hash, also sometimes called ice water hash, is made using bags of ice water to separate the trichomes from the cannabis plant material. The mixture is stirred, allowing the trichomes to break off. It’s then passed through a series of progressively finer mesh or nylon filters, called bubble bags. The filtered hash is dried and pressed, creating bubble hash. Both dry and oily textures are common: bubble hash textures can vary based on the extraction process, resin content, and processing techniques.

Of course, if you prefer not to go through the trouble of making your own hash at home—and it does require a lot of flower to get any decent amount of hash—you can purchase it instead at your local dispensary.

Newbies should start with a small amount because hash is a concentrated form of cannabis that’s more potent than smoking cannabis flower. Here are some of the most popular ways to smoke hash:

• Dabbing: Another effective way to smoke hash is by dabbing. It’s best to use a dab rig, which is similar to a bong, but the device is specifically designed for dabbing concentrates. Canna-seurs add hash to the heated surface and then inhale the resulting vapors.
  
  
• Infuse a Joint: While dispensaries offer pre-made infused joints filled with cannabis flower, many canna-connoisseurs add hash to their own joints. If you’re rolling your joint by hand, leave some space at the top of the joint where you can insert the hash. If you’re using a pre-rolled joint, you can pack the flower into the end of the joint.

• Add Hash to a Bowl: To add hash to a bowl, be sure to pack the hash into the bowl at the pipe’s end. You can add only hash to the bowl, or you can also mix it with cannabis flower for a more intense experience. Hash can be sticky, so it’s recommended to use a glass pipe rather than one made from silicon, wood, or other materials. What about bongs? Hash can also be added to a bong, and the hash is added to the bowl.
  
  

Answering questions about cannabis products is just one of the many things we love about what we do. We get questions all the time about hash, ranging from “What is hashish?” to questions like these:

What’s the difference between hash and kief?

There’s actually very little difference between hash and kief. Kief is the dried trichomes of the cannabis plant. Hash is kief that has been compressed into a shape, like a brick or ball.

Can you eat raw hash?

It isn’t recommended to eat raw hash since non-decarbed marijuana doesn’t have psychoactive effects (and it probably wouldn’t taste very good). Hash needs to be decarboxylated or heated via smoking or cooking to activate the THC and the other cannabinoids.

What’s the difference between hash and bubble hash?

Hash is the dried trichomes of the marijuana plant that have been pressed together. Bubble hash refers to a type of hash that’s created by using ice water to collect the trichomes. All bubble hash is hash but not all hash is bubble hash. Say that three times fast.

Can you make hash at home?

As long as you know how to either harvest kief off your flower or get your hands on kief (come visit us), you can absolutely make hash at home. You might need a couple of tools, like a press and some fine screens, but with a bit of practice, you can make your own hash in no time.

Learn More About Hashish

Because of its popularity, hash is available in dispensaries around the country. If you’re ready to give one of the oldest concentrates in the world a try, head over to one of our locations. Our budtenders can show you the hash we have in stock, but they can also guide you to some flower that would be great for making your own hash at home.