Like marijuana, hash is made from parts of the cannabis plant. Although less common in the US than in Europe and Asia, traditional hash offers a far more potent dose of THC. It also boasts excellent versatility in how you can prepare and enjoy it.
Are you keen on learning how to make hash at home for your personal use? If you have the time and the will, it’s much easier than you think.
This comprehensive guide will teach you the top four methods that hash enthusiasts use to prepare their stash and the three most popular ways to enjoy it. We also provide a high-speed alternative method, helpful tips for preparing and enjoying your homemade hash, and advice for proper storage.
Hashish, better known as hash, is a concentrated substance made by processing the trichomes of the cannabis plant.
Trichomes are tiny translucent resinous glands found on cannabis buds and leaves. To make hash, these resinous structures are removed from the plant material to extract resin.
Trichomes contain cannabinoids, terpenes, and other bioactive compounds that contribute to the plant’s therapeutic and psychoactive effects. When processed, the trichomes produce a sticky, dark-colored oil or oleoresin.
Hash is much like marijuana. However, while marijuana is made from the dried plant material (buds) itself, hash is the product obtained from the compressed resins of the marijuana plant.
This oleoresin has always been popular in European and Asian countries but has steadily gained a following in the US. It offers a higher concentration of the cannabis plant’s terpenes and the cannabinoids THC and CBD, making it more potent than marijuana.
Although related due to their source of origin, the cannabis plant, hash, and marijuana differ in other ways, too.
Not only will hash give you a more potent high, but it also smells and tastes different. Whereas marijuana can have a fresh aroma and herbal flavor, hash tastes and smells richer and more complex than its less potent cousin.
Is there a benefit to making hash at home? There sure is. We can immediately think of four major benefits that will make you want to start producing homemade hash with your next cannabis harvest.
Hash is made from the resin of the cannabis plant, rather than the plant itself. This resin is taken from the buds and sugar leaves that are often thrown away. By making hash, you can put those trims to good use!
Plus, if you’re already growing marijuana, making hash at the same time can provide even more benefits.
Making hash is also ideal for putting any hermaphrodite marijuana plants to use. You will always want to remove these plants from your crop, as they can contaminate the rest and have low THC. But when used to make concentrates or hash, they can still be effective and not go to waste.
Hash is generally much more potent than ordinary marijuana. So, if you want to get higher faster, hash is just what you need.
While the average percentage of THC in regular marijuana is around 20%, it can be up to 60% in hash and, in rare cases, even more, depending on the method used to produce it.
By making your hash with your cannabis at home, you ultimately decide on the production method and, therefore, the potency of your hash.
You’ll also have total control over the availability and quality of the product. This is key when obtaining good quality hash and other cannabis products in your area is difficult.
Now you have a deeper understanding of what hash is and the benefits of making it at home. If you’re about to harvest a cannabis crop, we’re sure you’re keen to start. However, your chosen production method will have specific requirements and may affect the end product.
Here are the top four methods that seasoned hash users rely on. Choose the one that best meets your available resources and preferences.
Flat screening is one of the oldest and simplest ways to prepare hash. It requires only one item other than your hash and no solvents whatsoever.
No expert knowledge or skills are required for this method, but results will vary depending on the size of the screen holes. Try to get a screen or sieve with smaller, tighter holes for best results. It will produce a finer hash of purer quality.
Step 1: Place the sieve over the opening of the container and push the dried cannabis buds through the fine sieve. The friction created by pushing the plant against the sieve separates the trichomes from the plant material.
The trichome heads are tiny and can easily fit through the small openings in the sifting screens. The plant material remains on top of the screen, while the trichomes fall through resulting in a heap of fine dust known as kief.
Kief collects naturally when grinding weed in a grinder so you can use kief straight from your grinder to make hash.
Step 2: Take the dry sift powder and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Fold the paper to cover it and put a towel or cloth on top.
Step 3: Next, you need to heat the kief to make a paste. Gently press down on the top cloth with a hot iron for 3-5 seconds.
Remove the iron, unwrap the cloth and parchment paper, and shape the hash into a ball or block. Do this while it is still soft and yielding to pressure.
For hand rolling, all you need is your hands and your cannabis plant material. It just couldn’t be simpler. However, this is a rather messy method of hash preparation. So, you may want to use new, sterile, and non-powdered latex gloves to keep your hands nice and clean.
Step 1: Take your live cannabis buds and leaves and roll them between your hands. The heat and friction of this hand-rolling movement will cause the trichomes to separate from the plant material.
Step 2: This results in a thick, dark resin layer on your hands, which you can roll into balls of paste.
One of the newer ways to make hash is with dry ice. Dry ice is a solid form of carbon dioxide used for temporary refrigeration. You can purchase it from grocery stores like Walmart and Costco, gas stations, or butchers. Pick it up just before you’ll be using it. Never handle dry ice with your bare hands.
Step 1: Fill a bubble bag with dried cannabis plant material, and use the tongs to add dry ice to the bag. You should be wearing the gloves anyway, but the tongs allow for easier handling of the dry ice.
Step 2: Shake it for 3 to 4 minutes. The cold separates the trichomes (resin glands) from the buds and leaves, which filters through the mesh of the Bubble bag.
Step 3: The resulting kief can be made into a hash using the method described under dry sifting.
Please take note:
Dry ice can be dangerous. Always wear heavy-duty protective gloves and goggles to protect your skin and eyes from freezing. And never keep dry ice in a fully-sealed container or use it in a poorly ventilated room. This can result in an explosion!
If you’re in a hurry, don’t have an iron or other heating tools, and don’t want to get your hands dirty, try this alternative.
You’ll need:
The shoe method is the simplest way of making hash, even easier than hand-rolling! It entails compressing the dry sift/kief inside a tightly wrapped-up piece of parchment paper inside your shoe. Make sure to create a small hole in the package with a pin to release air so that it doesn’t burst under pressure.
Then just place it inside the heel of your shoe and walk about a bit. The pressure and heat will transform it into a pliable slab of hash.
Here are our top three ways to use homemade hash:
You can turn almost anything into a potent yet delicious edible by making hash butter or oil and using it to make baked (pun intended) treats. Edibles are perfect for users who prefer to enjoy hash without the cannabis smell that smoking it produces.
To make hash butter or oil, you’ll need:
Heat the butter or coconut oil with the water in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. After 5 minutes, stir in the hash. Leave it to simmer gently over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes while stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat, and pour the mixture onto your strainer or cheesecloth, pressing it through to remove any remaining hash chunks. Place the mixture in a container in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours to solidify. Then, pour off any water layer on top and use it for baking hash treats.
Use it just as you would use ordinary butter or oil, for preparing fried meals or baking cookies or other homemade treats.
Use the hash oil to fry up your meals and give the name hash browns new meaning! Or make some hash brownies or hash butter cookies with your hash butter. The possibilities are endless!
You’ll need:
Most weed smokers are already adept at rolling a joint, so using this method for hash will work well. Simply add a pinch of hash to your weed and roll a joint as usual.
But if you’re new to the process, here’s how to do it:
Get yourself a pack of rolling papers and a pack of filters (optional). Prepare your marijuana by grinding or cutting it into small particles. Likewise, break up your hash into much smaller particles. Next, place one of the filters at one end of a rolling paper.
Gently sprinkle a line of weed mixed with a tiny pinch of hash along the crease of the rolling paper. Spread it evenly, but don’t make it too thick. Roll the length of the rolling paper using your thumbs and forefingers.
When the cannabis and hash mixture is neatly encased in a paper cylinder, tuck the sticky end of the paper over and seal it. Light up and enjoy.
You’ll need:
Many weed smokers will already be familiar with bongs. A classic bong is a large tube with a water chamber and a detachable down stem with a bowl you can put weed in. There are different types and shapes of bongs, but the process is invariably the same.
Some bongs, like the percolator bong, have multiple water chambers for extra filtration. If you are still getting familiar with using a bong, you may wonder if you can smoke hash in a bong. Yes, you can. And here’s how to do it:
Fill the bowl of the bong halfway with water. You want to avoid using too much or too little water. The best guideline is to ensure it is no more than an inch above the tip of the percolator or downstream slits.
Most users agree that using a mesh screen is the best way to smoke your hash in a bong. A bong screen will enhance the smooth smoking experience by preventing small pieces of hash from spilling into the pipe and getting sucked into your mouth or lungs.
A bong mesh screen is round and looks like a miniature sieve. Bongs and sieves are available in different sizes, so be sure to get the right screen for your bong. Place the mesh screen into the bowl of a clean bong before adding the hash.
Some bong bowls also have built-in screens, which is ideal if you decide to make this your primary method of hash use.
Break the hash into small chunks and place them on the screen. You need to break it into smaller pieces to ensure it burns evenly. You can use a knife or dab tool to cut up your hash into a couple of large chunks and then break those up further with your fingers.
If you struggle to break up the hash effectively, try heating it gently first to soften it a little.
Place the broken-up bits of hash into the bowl. You won’t need as much hash as you would weed, so leave enough space around the chunks for the air to flow. Light them with a torch lighter and blow on them gently to encourage a continuous burn. Then inhale through the connected pipe and enjoy!
Storage of hash is similar to that of other cannabis products. Wrap it in waxed or parchment paper and store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark place. This will not only keep out contaminants but also preserve the terpene profiles and prevent mold from forming.
To reheat and make it more pliant for crumbling and use, simply place the parchment paper-wrapped hash between your hands and allow their heat to soften the hash. Alternatively, repeat the heating process described in the dry sifting method above.
There are many wonderful ways to enjoy the products of the cannabis plant. But while preparing them at home can be lots of fun, it’s also time-consuming and requires dedication.
Fortunately, you can access the best cannabis products at affordable prices here at Embarc. If you aren’t able to grow and harvest your own cannabis, we’ve got you covered. We offer a wide range of tinctures, edibles, pre-rolls, vaping products, and topicals to suit your every weed need.
Pop into one of our stores or make a purchase online today.
