There are tons of articles about smoking weed, but not enough has been said on how to smoke hash.
Both hashish and weed are parts of the Cannabis sativa plants, but weed is much more common among Western culture. Hashish, on the other hand, is more popular in Asia and Africa.
When we’ve got our first brick of hash, our reaction was identical as yours:
What the heck am I supposed to do with it?
Should I eat it?
Can I smoke that hash?
What else can I do with this brown chewy block?
Let’s take a hit of knowledge.
Hash Basics: What is Hash?
Hash is a concentrated form of marijuana. It’s made by collecting the trichomes that fall off the marijuana flowers during grinding. These trichomes form a concentrated powder known as kief.
Transforming kief to hash requires pressing the kief into larger blocks to achieve a solid consistency. The kief is pressed using a special device called hash press, or it can be rolled using hands — that’s how Indian and Nepalese hash are made.
What’s the Difference Between Hash and Marijuana?
First up, let’s discuss the origins of both.
Marijuana is popular in Europe and North America, while the use of hashish is more common in African and Middle East countries, where it originated. In Arabic, hashish means “grass” and despite the strict prohibition on cannabis concentrates, it is widely available across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Middle Eastern regions.
Hash and marijuana are also processed differently. Marijuana usually grows quickly, which is why people call it “weed” in the first place. Once the plant has been harvested, it’s trimmed, dried, and cured — the moment the activation of THC takes place — and turned into a psychoactive substance.
Again, hash is only made from the cannabis trichomes that fell off the flower during grinding. Once enough kief has been gathered in the kief collecting chamber of your grinder, you can use a hash press or your own hands to make this concentrated form of cannabis.
Because of the higher concentrations of cannabinoids in the trichomes, hash is more potent than weed, going upwards of 40%.
Now that you know the hash basics, let’s explore the different ways to smoke hash.
How to Smoke Hash
You can consume hash in many different ways, but in this article, we’ll focus mostly on how to smoke this. Have a look at your options and choose the one you believe will suit you best:
How to Smoke Hash in a Pipe
Grab your favorite pipe — preferably a glass one — and place the chunk of hash inside of it. For a more even burn, break it into smaller bits. This will ensure better airflow.
However, the best way to smoke hash in a pipe is to use it as a topping for a bowl filled with weed. Smoking hash can cause the product to waste, especially if you apply high temperatures.
How to Smoke Hash in a Joint
Wondering how to smoke hash in a joint or blunt? Simply add it to your weed and roll it up. If you have a dry block of hash, you can crush it into small pebbles and mix it with your weed. If you want to smoke hash in a joint but without too overwhelming a high, you can always mix hash with tobacco. This method, however, will introduce toxic substances to your lungs, especially if you’re using commercial tobacco.
How to Smoke Hash in a Bong
Similar to smoking hash in a pipe, you need to break up the hash into small bits to ensure sufficient airflow through your bowl. Smoking hash in a bong makes the smoke cooler and better filtered from toxic compounds. But then again, if you don’t want to waste too much of your concentrated goodness, better put it on top of some dry herb and enjoy the extra punch.
How to Smoke Hash in a Dab Rig
Here’s good news if you like dabs — it’s totally okay to smoke hash in a dab rig. Hashish belongs to a group of concentrates, so it’s easy to use a glass rig and simply dab it, just like you dab budder, wax, or shatter. This method is particularly helpful when using bubble hash or full-melt hash. It’s a great way to smoke it on its own without wasting your precious THC. Just make sure you clean your glass rig and e-nail regularly after each session; otherwise, the organic matter from the hash will linger and compromise the taste of your other dabs.
How to Smoke Hash Using the Hot Knife method
If you’re up for an old-school hippie way of smoking hash, you can dab it using two hot butter knives. Simply heat them up on a stove, and once they get red hot, add a little bit of hash or hash oil using a metal tool with a flat end, and inhale the smoke through a pen or straw.
I Don’t Want to Smoke Hash. Can I Vape It?
Yes, you can use a vaporizer for hash consumption, but much like dabbing, it’s better to use hash oil or bubble hash if you don’t want the material to clog the chamber and compromise the airflow in your device. Today, you can buy vape pens designed specifically for vaping concentrates such as liquid hash. If your portable vaporizer has a separate chamber for concentrates, you can replace your dry herb chamber with it and enjoy your brown paste in a healthier way.
How NOT to Smoke Hash
- DON’T smoke hash from a bowl made out of tin foil. Aluminum releases heavy metals and other toxins upon being heated.
- DON’T smoke hash in plastic bottles. Even if you don’t have papers or a pipe at hand, using a plastic bottle to smoke hash isn’t a good idea. Not only will it release toxic compounds like aluminum does, but it will also compromise the flavor of your hash.
What’s your favorite way to smoke hash? Do you smoke it on its own or do you prefer to top a joint/bowl with those brown pebbles?