What is Hash?
Hash is the original form of cannabis concentrate. There are reports of hashish use that date back as early as 900 AD in the middle east being debated by Islamic scholars for its medicinal qualities when eaten. The first reported use of hashish being used for recreation date back to 1090 AD in ancient Persia. A man named Hasan Ibn Al-Sabbah (a.k.a the old man on the mountain) used to recruit for a society of assassins that were widely known to smoke hashish for it’s inebriating qualities.
How is it Made?
How were people able to make it way back in the day? Hashish is what we call a solventless concentrate. This means any solvents such as butane or propane are not used to extract the THC. The technique used back then was most likely rubbing the buds back and forth a lot, very rough in their hands. This was to get the trichomes loose from the bud and compressed into a ball.
Nowadays people still use a similar process to make hashish but usually use two screens to create it instead of using their hands. Furthermore, there are now machines for extracting the trichomes to start the process, such as a drum that rattles the weed around and makes the resin and kief vibrate off the nug (which is then caught on a screen below). People can also use ice and freeze the trichomes off the nugs then vibrate them around then catch the kief. The product that results from this technique is typically referred to as bubble hash.
How do you smoke it?
On some bud–
There are a couple of ways you can smoke hashish. First of all, the most popular way is to load it on top of a bowl weed or rolled up with your bud. This is referred to in the cannabis community as a “green screen.” My personal preference is to get a brass screen and just smoke the hash by itself on top of the screen for maximum hashish flavor.
Hash Globe–
Another method of smoking hash by itself is out of a hash globe. A hash globe is an apparatus with a cork bottom and a glass top. The way you smoke from it is to take a chunk of hashish and stick it to the top of a needle. The bottom of the needle goes into the cork bottom of the globe. The chunk is ignited and covered with the glass globe top once it begins smoking. The smoke builds up and when you’re ready to take your hit, you lift up one side of the glass top and inhale.
Dabbing Hashish–
Finally, there are also some types of hash that people can dab. The ideal hash for dabbing is called a full melt hash. Hash is ranked on a 6 star system depending on the quality of it and how much plant material is left in the final product. 5 or 6 stars is where you want to be if trying to dab hashish. This higher end of the scale will leave minimal residue left over on your dab nail. 3 or 4 stars is going to leave you with a ‘half melt’ experience. 1-2 stars is pretty much just kief.
A sign that hash is a full melt is when put on a bowl and heat is applied to hash melts fully into the bud. If it all melts into the weed in a nice oily material it’s probably safe to dab. Hash of any star quality does however have a higher content of plant material in it since it is a solventless extract. I personally believe that smoking it out of a pipe by itself on a screen is the superior method!
Written by: Dillon Buckingham, Educator at North Renton Evergreen Market
Discover a Higher Quality of Life.
Want to see our Menu? Order Online and Pick up at the Express Window
