The World of Hash: Hashish, Rosin, Bubble Hash, and More

Regardless if you are just discovering hash and its premium concentrate forms, getting back to hash after a hiatus, or a seasoned hash head, we all benefit from discussing the different types of hash concentrates on the market. 

Things have changed since old school hashish (aka Traditional Hash) was the only solventless product you could get. Now we have bubble melt and hash rosin. 

Within these varieties are subsections like full melt 6-star, cold cure, heat cure, budder/badder, jam, fresh press and more. It can be confusing seeing all these words when all you want to do is buy an amazing product. In this article we aim to straighten this out for you. We discuss the types of hash and ways these products are described. Let’s dive in.

Hashish / Traditional Hash / Brick Hash / Temple Balls (Frenchy Cannoli Style)

Frenchy Cannoli

What is Hashish / Temple Balls

Hashish is a collection of trichomes which have been separated from the cannabis plant and pressed together by hand. Trichomes contain cannabinoids like THC and CBD as well as terpenes which are where cannabis gets its flavor and aroma. Hashish can come in many forms including brick form and also rolled into balls which Frenchy Cannoli popularized in the states as Temple Balls. Hashish is usually a darker brown or amber and solid in form. 

How to Consume Hashish / Temple Balls

Hashish is best smoked in a glass hash pipe or sprinkled into a joint or on a bowl of flower. Caution: It is not great to dab because there is a lot of plant matter left in the hashish that will not taste good and will burn and chazz the heating chamber of your dab device. Remember, hashish is a concentrate, so a little will go a long way!

How are Hashish / Temple Balls Made

Hashish is made by removing the trichomes (the raw resin glands) from the plant by sieving or sifting the material using a dry sift technique, an ice water sieving technique, or (in the case of ancient techniques still used in hash-making countries like Afghanistan and Morocco) rubbing the cannabis plant between your palms to separate and collect the trichomes from the plant. Once the trichomes are collected in your sift, sieve or on your hands, the hashish can be formed into a brick or ball. There is also a special technique to make Temple Balls made famous by Frenchy Cannoli. 

Dry Sifting

Bubble Hash

Bubble Hash

What is Bubble Hash 

Bubble hash can be considered a step up from hashish in terms of purity. Bubble hash, at its core, is a collection of separated raw trichomes, just like hashish. The big difference is that bubble hash contains a lot less plant matter than hashish. This is because the plant matter is filtered out during production with the use of mesh bags called Bubble Bags (hence the name Bubble Hash). “Bubble” also refers to the trichome head (aka the resin gland) - it’s a bubble containing glorious cannabinoid- and terpene-rich oil!

Full Melt and the Star Rating System

The quality of bubble hash is described in a star rating system going from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest). Six star bubble hash is also known as Full Melt. This means that, when heat is applied, the bubble hash will fully melt and not leave any plant material behind. Six star hash is completely free from plant material and it is the highest quality bubble hash you can get. You can dab Full Melt Bubble Hash - but try dabbing a very small amount first to confirm that it truly is Full Melt and that it won’t combust and leave black burned residue in your heating chamber. 

The lower stars means the hash contains more and more plant matter and is therefore lower quality. 1-2 star hash is really only useful in edibles. It would not be enjoyable to smoke. 3-5 star is pretty good quality and can be smoked in a hash pipe, on a joint or bowl of flower.

How to Consume Bubble Hash

Bubble hash can be dabbed if it is higher quality (about 4-6 star). Higher quality hash is mostly free from plant matter so it makes for an effective and enjoyable dabbing experience. Middle range bubble hash (3-4 star) is usually best in a bowl or sprinkled into a joint. It has too much plant matter to enjoy as a dab. Lower quality bubble hash (1-2 star) is best used in making edibles.

How is Bubble Hash Made

Bubble hash is made in 2 main steps: separating trichomes and filtering out plant material with mesh bags. Cannabis flower is placed into a bucket with ice and water. By stirring this mixture, trichomes are frozen and then broken away from the plant. Now, the water containing all the separated trichomes is passed through mesh bags to filter out plant matter and collect just cannabinoids and terpenes. Once filtered, the bubble hash is dried to remove any moisture and voila!

Hash Rosin

Cold Cured Hash Rosin Badder/Budder

What is Hash Rosin 

Hash rosin has become quite popular and is considered the cream of the crop when it comes to solventless hash products. The process of making hash rosin involves removing all the plant matter from collected hash  so it is even more pure in terms of cannabinoid and terpene content. 

Hash rosin comes in many consistencies such as a badder, budder, or jam. Other consistencies are being invented every year. Budder appears soft and pliable, jam looks saucy and gooey.

Fresh Press v.s. Cured Hash Rosin 

There are two main categories of hash rosin: fresh pressed and cured. Fresh pressed rosin means that after the bubble hash is pressed into hash rosin with the use of rosin bags on a rosin press, it is then collected and packaged and ready to consume. It’s literally Fresh off the Press! 

Processing the hash rosin after pressing is known as curing. Curing is a general term for after press processing and it can happen in a number of ways. 

Cold cured hash rosin has been left to sit in a cold and dark environment for days or weeks. This allows the terpenes to develop and separate from the cannabinoids and usually results in a budder consistency.Cold curing can happen at room temperature or below - the lower the temp the longer it will take to cure. Many makers attest that longer curing times create richer, more complex cured products with better aroma, flavor and effect. Properly cured products will also remain shelf stable at lower temperatures for longer. 

Heat cured hash rosin is the result of leaving the hash in a warm environment such as a hot plate or oven on low heat. This process separates and develops the terpenes in a different way than a cold cure. The result can be similar to cold cure (but with less of the longer term benefits of a true cold cure), and also can create a jam-like consistency.

What does the term “Live” mean in  Live Rosin

Live rosin is a term that describes the state of the cannabis flower that was used to make the bubble hash which is then processed into hash rosin. After the cannabis plant is harvested, it can either be cured and dried before processing, or frozen right off the plant and then processed. This “fresh frozen” flower processing is what we call “live rosin”. Using freshly frozen flower to create live rosin helps to preserve terpenes that might otherwise be lost during the flower drying and curing process. This is highly desirable for many hash makers to create, what they consider to be, superior products. 

How to Consume Hash Rosin

Hash rosin is best smoked by dabbing it in an electronic rig (like a PuffCo or Carta device), or a glass rig with a glass chamber called a “banger.” . It is important to vaporize your dab at a proper temperature to avoid burning the terpenes and cannabinoids that make hash rosin the greatest solventless product. Many cannaseurs suggest best temperature to dab hash rosin is at low to medium temperatures ranging from  420 - 535℉. 

How is Hash Rosin Made

Pressing Hash into Rosin

Hash rosin is made with the use of heat and pressure from a rosin press. A rosin press is an industrial grade press device with heated metal plates designed specifically for rosin production. 

Bubble hash is placed into nylon mesh bags called rosin bags. The rosin bags are placed onto the plates of a rosin press. The plates of the rosin press are heated between 160℉ to 180℉ (+/- 20℉) and then  compressed together to press the hash rosin through the mesh bags. The rosin bag retains unwanted plant material while allowing the pure hash rosin to pass through and be collected. 

The amount of pressure used, the amount of time it is pressed, and the temperature of the rosin press plates all play a role in the quality of the hash rosin produced. Once the hash rosin is pressed and collected, it can either be left as fresh press or cured (see above description in fresh press vs cured).