Hash is one of the oldest, most classic forms of cannabis to consume. Known as hashish, it is a cannabis derivative that typically looks like a solid, compressed cake or putty. Hash has been documented for more than a millennium of recorded history, and it remains the most popular form of cannabis in various places of the world, including in North Africa and the Middle East.
What Is Hash?
Hash is made from the resin or “kief” of the cannabis plant. It is dried and compressed into bricks or cakes. It can be mixed with other smokable items like tobacco, smoked directly through a pipe or vaporized. You can find brown, yellow and red hash variants. In general, hashish has a stronger THC concentration than flower. Each type of hash has a different consistency, depending on the method used to produce it. Some types are putty-like and can be easily shaped and molded with the application of heat. Other options are hard blocks made from dry kief harvested from a cannabis plant. These can be broken into small pieces for consumption.
How Do You Make It?
If you’re wondering how to make hash, the best way is to start with the dry kief crystals from a cannabis plant. You can get kief on its own or harvest it with a grinder. Many weed grinders have a thin screen that serves as a “catch” for the kief left behind.
This will usually only accumulate a small amount of kief at a time, but you can use a similar method with a larger amount of cannabis. Freeze your cannabis, then rub it against a silkscreen; the trichomes will fall below. You can usually harvest up to 10% of the total weight in trichomes.
Once you have the kief you need (at least half a gram), gather the items that you need:
- Kief
- A few drops of water
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil
Steps To Making Hash
- First, cut a bit of parchment paper large enough to fully enclose your kief. Fold the paper to make a square where the corners meet in the middle.
- Fill this pocket with your kief along with one to four drops of water. Just wrap it together by pulling on the corners of the paper until it resists.
- Next, make two layers of aluminum foil and wrap your small package as tightly as you can.
- Apply pressure in your palm until you cannot compress the brick any further.
- Next, slip the package into a pair of snug shoes below the heel. Walk around or stand for 15 minutes to further compress your hash. After, just unwrap the package. Your hash is ready for use.
In addition, if you’re harvesting your own cannabis plants, you will find out more about how to make hash. You’ll discover yourself catching kief and trichomes on your hands as you trim and care for your plants.
You can simply roll your hands together to form small balls of hash this way. If you’re hand-rolling hash, make sure to wash your hands first to keep your hash free of impurities, dirt and oils.
How Do You Smoke It?
Smoking hash is different than smoking flower. You can’t make a simple rolled joint with hash. If you want to smoke in a paper joint, combine your hash with tobacco or cannabis. However, you can put it in a bong or a pipe to enjoy your hash on its own for a strong, powerful high.
You can even use a hookah rather than a traditional bong for your hash cake, similar to how a flavored tobacco cake is often used.
Also, you could heat up your hash on a paper clip or other metal item, then suck in the smoke through a small straw or a hollowed pen cleaned of any residue.
For a non-smoking way to enjoy your hash, opt for a vape. Use a vaporizer that is compatible with cannabis concentrates. The heat from the device will give you a rich vapor full of the cannabinoids you want.
For more ways to enjoy hash, there are some edible options like brownies. You can even dab hash similar to other concentrates like resin or butter. There’s plenty to explore as you enter the world of making your own hashish.