Hash is the oldest cannabis concentrate there is, and for the first few years of legalisation it was almost absent from Canadian shelves. That has changed, and the quality now being produced here is worth paying attention to.
What hash actually is
Trichomes, separated from the plant and pressed together. No solvents, no lab. The two traditional methods:
- Dry sift. Plant material is agitated over fine screens so the trichome heads fall through. Graded by how clean the result is, usually on a scale up to six star.
- Bubble hash. Ice water and gentle agitation separate the trichomes, which are then filtered through bags of decreasing micron size. Also graded up to six star.
Both are solventless, which is a large part of why they have come back into fashion. See solventless and craft cannabis.
The formats you will see
- Pressed hash. Traditional slabs and pucks. Dense, aromatic, easy to portion.
- Temple balls. Hand-rolled spheres, cured slowly. The oxidised outer skin protects what is inside, and they improve with age in a way almost nothing else in cannabis does.
- Hash rosin. Bubble hash pressed with heat and pressure. The premium end of solventless.
- Kief and dry sift. Loose trichome powder. The easiest thing to add to a bowl.
Why it is back
Partly because Canadian producers got good at it. Partly because buyers moved away from chasing THC percentages and towards flavour. And partly because hash rolls and infused pre-rolls made it easy to try without owning any equipment. See pre-rolls explained.
How to try it if you never have
- Start with a hash roll or an infused pre-roll. No equipment, no learning curve.
- Or add a small amount of kief on top of a bowl of flower.
- If you have a vaporiser that takes concentrate, low temperature first. Hash is mostly terpene and high heat destroys the point of it.
It is stronger than flower. Take less than you think and give it a minute.
Storing it
Cool, dark, airtight. Pressed hash and temple balls keep remarkably well. Hash rosin should live in the fridge. More in how to store cannabis.
Have a look at what is in. Browse extracts and concentrates, delivered free across our local Toronto area.