A Brief History of Hash

Users of cannabis will most likely have seen, or at least heard of hash, at least a few dozen times. Whether through casual conversation or through browsing and shopping for cannabis, it is one of those common things you’ll hear of when it comes to weed and weed extracts. But what exactly is hash? How does it relate to weed? And how is it used? Here’s a little brief history of hash to get you caught up in the world of cannabis concentrates!

What is Hash?

Hash, which is short for hashish, is a type of cannabis concentrate. It is harvested by collecting the powdery, dried resin (also known as kief) from mature cannabis plants. This process is done by rubbing or pressing the plant’s trichomes, or resin glands, into a solid substance. Usually, these substances being rubbed and pressed result in bricks, balls, slabs or rolled pieces. It does not require a solvent like alcohol or oil. Instead, this production process is simply often done by hand, or mechanically through some other sort of physical manipulation, and completed with controlled heat and temperature.

What Does Hash Look Like?

Hash most often comes in varying shades of greens or browns in colour. However, it is not uncommon to find it available in other colourings, such as red, yellow, or even black. Its texture and consistency is also variable as it can be a soft and malleable paste, or more stiff, and even brittle. Texture and consistency changes depending on extraction and processing techniques. As mentioned above, they can take the shape or form of pressed bricks and slabs, rolled into long pieces or balls. No matter their shape or texture, however, they all generally do the same thing–they get you high!

Why Use Hash?

Cannabis users tend to enjoy using hash because it offers a more powerfully potent experience than smoking flowers. It enriches the experiece by adding more to an already enjoyable high. This concentrate is also common to find and is super easy to integrate into your existing cannabis routines. This will be detailed further below!

The Beginnings of Hash

The word “hashish” derives from Arabic, and roughly translates to “grass”. Cannabis has been around for thousands of years and used by numerous ancient societies, though recorded evidence of hash production and usage in particular comes a bit afterwards. It is primarily traced back to Persia and Central Asia, with historians proposing it was likely carried through to the Middle East and then North Africa, deriving from Eastern Asia via the famous Silk Road. While it served recreational purposes, it was also incorporated into religious and ceremonial practices. It makes appearances in religious and historical texts including Arabian Nights (the original source of Disney’s Aladdin), and is even noted to be used by the Mongolian ruler, Genghis Khan, and his disciples.

Hash in More Modern Times

Despite outlawing cannabis and hashish in France, many French troops, artists, scientists, engineers and other French nationals brought hash back home from the French occupied territories of Northern Africa like Egypt. This drove popularity outside of the Middle East and Asia. While the cannabis concentrate has long permeated societies since, it has made a more notable resurgence in the 1950s largely in part due to the Hippie Trail. Also known as the Overland, the Hippie Trail traced through Western Europe (mainly UK, France, Italy and Germany) through Central Asia, India and Thailand, where cannabis and hash were often inexpensive and oftentimes legal. Today, the world’s biggest producers of this historically beloved extract are Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Morocco. 

Hash Versus Charas

Before new agricultural methods arrived, there was (and still is) also a historical practice in India of making charas. Like hash, charas is produced through separating, collecting and rolling resin from cannabis plants. The main difference, however, is that charas is produced from live plants, whereas hash is collected from dried plants.

How to Use Hash

There are a number of different ways to consume and use hash, and it really comes down to preference. Some of these methods include:

Blunt, Joint or Spliff

Interestingly, hash actually doesn’t burn all that well. The most common and perhaps lightest or beginner friendly way to consume hash would be with a blunt, joint or spliff quite similarly to how you would normally roll and smoke with regular cannabis flowers. The only difference here is that you add and roll a bit less flower buds than usual, and add a tiny bit of hash on top into your rolling paper/wrap along with them. And voila, light it up, smoke and enjoy!

Bong or Bowl

Like above, using a bong or bowl with hash doesn’t change too much from how you’d regularly be using a bong or bowl with cannabis flowers. Pack cannabis flower to your bong or bowl as usual, though of course start minimally. As a concentrate, hash can go a long way. Add a little chunk atop the flowers. Be sure to use a metal screen underneath. This way, the flowers and hash don’t melt and drip down onto your bong/bowl.

Vaporizer or Dab Rig

If vaping or dabbing, you’ll have to ensure your hash will be able to melt well. There isn’t really any way to know this without actually testing it. If the below attempts fail because your concentrate isn’t melting, you will have to create rosin. This is done by placing your piece of hash in between wax paper, and pressing with heat. This is perhaps easiest done with a hair straightener as it both heats and clamps down onto the hash to press it. The result will be meltable rosin which you can then use for vaping or dabbing!

In order to vape, you’ll require a vaporizer that is equipped for concentrates. If not, you can also use a vaporizer that can swap out and accommodate a concentrate adapter chamber. You can add your hash directly into the chamber. Then, select your preferred temperature, heat it up, and then inhale to get your fix of cannabis hash!

When dabbing, there should be water in your chamber. Using a dabber, you’ll just need to place your hash onto a heated banger. It should be hot enough (350-450 degrees Fahrenheit) after being heated as usual via a blowtorch or e-nail. A carb cap is highly recommended here, to be placed over the banger. You can begin drawing through the mouthpiece, and remove the cap to inhale the vapor!

Where to Shop for Hash Online

Green Society carries an extensive assortment of premium hash for users to try. From locally produced luxury Chanel Hash extracted from AAA+ Canadian grown weed strains as well as imported Phoenix Hash and Black Hash from hash capitals of the world, Morocco and Nepal, adventure seekers can take their cannabis experiences to new heights! Shop cannabis concentrates and hash here to get yours delivered directly to your door in a matter of no time!