by Ed Rosenthal
•Strains: Different strains yield differently sized and shaped trichomes, and differing amounts of oils and terpenes. Hashing Blue Dream versus hashing Bubba Kush is like night and day at the micron level. Blue Dream trichomes are long and thin, and you can raise the temperature and humidity during drying. Bubba Kush, Sour Diesel, and OG Kush glands are short, stocky, and oily, and need to be processed at as cold a temperature as possible and dried at 40°F (4°C) under minimal humidity to capture the resin’s odors.
•Cultivation Environment: Outdoor-grown cannabis tends to have smaller trichomes (120 microns) than indoor (160).
•Bag Size and Number: This can vary. You can use as little as two 25-and 160-micron bags, plus a 220-micron garbage bag for simplicity’s sake, or pull and spoon progressively narrower bands of glands and materials at 90, 73, and even 35 microns.
•Agitation: Purists sometimes use something as basic as a pole or paddle to gently hand-agitate the main bag in the bucket; the trade-off is in the yield. A 30-minute machine wash of 1,000 high-quality grams can yield as much as 112 grams of top-shelf hash. Less agitation equals purer hash but lower yield.
HASH FACTS
•The color and consistency of hash varies considerably. However, it softens and crumbles from very mild heat, even the simple body warmth created by holding it in your hands.
•The quality and potency of hash is dependent on several factors including the quality of the plant material from which it was made and the presence of moisture.
•Moisture enables molds to attack hash. It is indicated by a musty smell and by visible white streaks within the hash. Moldy hash should never be smoked or ingested. It can make you sick.
•Hash burns slowly with an incense-like fragrance. The flavor of the smoke is often peppery or slightly spicy, often with floral undertones. When burned, it produces thick, white smoke that sometimes carries a bluish tint. The resulting ash is white.
PREPARING KIEF OR WATER HASH FOR HASH MAKING
Kief and water hash methods of collection are covered thoroughly in chapters 2 and 3. While these two processes have different advantages, each yields dry, loose material that can be pressed to make hash. Before attempting to press kief or water hash, the material must be completely dry. To ensure that all moisture has been eliminated before pressing, dry the material one last time. Place the kief or water hash in a food dehydrator set on the lowest setting, a horticultural heat mat (preset at 74°F [23°C]), microwave the material on low, or place it in an open dish in a frost-free freezer. The vacuum conditions promote water evaporation, preventing mold from infecting and spoiling the hash. However, when the drying temperature is above 75°F (24°C) some of the terpenes will evaporate, costing the hash a panoply of unique odors and their effects.
COLLECTING BY HAND: RUBBING FOR HASH
There are many tales about collecting hash from fresh plants. Hand rubbing for hash has been a common gathering method for centuries in some parts of Asia, and it is still a primary way of collecting for hash in other parts of the world.
Collecting hash resin.
Rubbing hand hash to create a ball.
Photos: Ed Rosenthal
Because it requires no equipment, hand rubbing is a novel and spontaneous way to collect for hash, but this method also has several downsides.
First, the effort required to produce substantial yield is greater than with other methods. It can be messy and labor intensive. Second, hash collected this way contains debris from plants and hands, and contains more water, making it more likely to spoil. Hand rubbing requires access to mature plants rather than dried trim and leaf. Unlike the other methods, it is only capable of being made at certain times in the growing cycle and cannot be made from material that has been collected and stored. Removing the collected resin from the hands can be an involved task.
THE HAND-RUBBING TECHNIQUE
Before starting collection, coat your hands with a little cooking oil, then pat it off with a towel. The thin oil layer makes the palms a little sticky, helping to attract the first glands. It also makes removing the resin from the hands easier.
First, choose the right time of day. Early morning is not a good time if the plants are moist with dew. Wait until the day warms a bit and the plants have been under the sun long enough to be totally water-free.
Rub the plants very lightly, starting at the top of the plant and working down rubbing the topside of the leaves. Remember that the glands’ heads are tiny globes supported by stalks sticking up from buds and the upper side of the leaves. Think of brushing the fine hairs of a person’s arm while only barely touching the skin. Use the same technique for resin rubbing.
As soon as you start rubbing, your hands will begin to collect the sticky, tar-like resin, and the air will be filled with the plant’s heady aroma. High-quality resin creates a clear sticky gloss on the palms, darkening to amber as the resin builds up. Only resin should be collecting on the hands. This is a clear indicator that you have chosen the right time to collect. Lots of pieces of plant material on the hands indicate that the plant contains dead leaves. If it isn’t inconvenient, removing them before rubbing will improve the quality of the rub.
If you are collecting green material you are probably rubbing too vigorously. It is nearly impossible to avoid attracting some errant leaf bits and particles onto your sticky hands. It is tedious to remove even larger plant debris, so try to avoid collecting it with the resin.
Having pointed out these shortcomings, hand rubbing can be used when the goal is a small amount of quality hash to be used shortly after it is collected. Especially when the leaves and trim aren’t going to be saved, hand rubbing is a good way to salvage some of the THC before or during harvest and manicuring.
The amount of material collected through hand rubbing is dependent on timing and good technique but is likely to be less than an ounce per hour. It is best to collect for hash when the plants’ stigmas have just started to turn amber as they reach full maturity, but before the leafy material has become brown or dry. The more dead or dry material, such as dead leaves on the plant, the more plant debris will be mixed in with the hash. If the plants are mature and have some dead or dried material, removing these leaves before collection increases the quality of the hash. Collection should not be done when the plants are wet from watering, as this increases the water content.
Sticky resin built up on hands is rolled into a ball of finger hash.
Photo: Ed Rosenthal
Removing the Resin
Scrape the collected material from your hands periodically. Another person can help, or you can do it yourself. Use a blunt-edged scraper such as a dull dining knife. If more resin is to be collected, leave a little on the hands. Another way to remove collected resin is to rub the hands back and forth against each other, as if trying to warm them up. The resin forms into a roll.
After the material is scraped or rubbed off of the hands it is kneaded and rolled between the hands until it forms a ball. It can be worked by rolling it between your two palms. Work it for several minutes to warm it and squeeze out residual moisture.
Hand-rolled hash can be pressed further using methods described on the following pages, or it can be considered complete after it has been worked into a ball. It is better to use this hash soon after it is made rather than storing it. Because it contains fresh resins, high vegetative content, and water from the live plant, hand-rubbed hash is more vulnerable to spoilage. If stored, the best place for it is in an opaque container that is not made of plastic or rubber, placed in the freezer. Parchment paper and silicone are excellent containers.
Using water to remove resin from the hands is counterproductive, since the goal is to remove as much water as possible. Instead of aiding in the removal of the resin, water promotes spoilage.
If hash shows signs of molding, such as an acrid or mossy smell, or grainy white lines appear within the hash, it is ruined and should not be used. These bacteria and molds are no good for you.
PRESSING AND STORING HASHISH
Pressing transforms the material both chemically and physically. The glands are warmed and most break, releasing the sticky oils that contain the psychoactive cannabinoids, as well as the terpenes—the source of marijuana’s smell, taste, and personality.
Terpenes lend fragrance to the hash. Smells and flavors characteristic to hashish range from spicy or peppery to floral. Many terpenes are volatile at room temperature. When inhaled they contribute to the lung expansiveness (i.e., cough factor), as well as the taste. Aged kief is both milder in smell and flavor, and less cough inducing, because some of the terpenes, not the THC, have dissipated.
Releasing and warming cannabinoids exposes them to air. This has the beneficial effect of potentiating the THC through decarboxylation. Continued exposure to light, air, heat, and moisture leads to THC deterioration.
You can press hash manually or mechanically. Manual methods work well for smaller amounts. Mechanical methods use a press, which is fast, convenient, and efficient. This section describes the best manual methods and discusses mechanical pressing.
DECARBOXYLATION EXPLAINED
In the growing plant THC is present in the form of THCA, also called THC acid. A carbonate molecule (COOH) is attached to it, which is also called a carboxyl group or acid. THC is only marginally psychoactive when a carboxyl group is attached.
Decarboxylation removes the carbonate molecule COOH by breaking its bond with the THC molecule. This occurs when material is subject to mild heat.
When the carbonate molecule bond with THC is broken, the COOH evaporates away as water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2), leaving the THC behind. This is sometimes called “potentiating” the THC because it becomes psychoactive.
Shoe Hash
This pressing method lets you multitask. While you are busy doing other things, the hash is being inconspicuously pressed within your shoe!
Shoe hash is a low-hassle way to press a small amount of kief or water hash. A few grams, usually 5 grams or less, are bagged in tightly wrapped cellophane or parchment paper wrapped around the material several times. A piece of tape stops it from unfolding. Punch a pinhole through the package to allow trapped air to escape. Don’t use a plastic bag because the hash sticks to it messily. It is important for scientific as well as psychological reasons for the material to be securely sealed before it goes in your shoe.
The package is ready to place. Place it inside the heel of your shoe. Hard-soled shoes or boots are better for pressing than soft-soled shoes, such as sports shoes, which take longer to process the kief.
The heel’s weight and pressure within the shoe, aided by body heat, presses the hash into a slab. The pressing takes 15 minutes to an hour of on-foot activity, but it benefits from additional wear.
Pressing by Hand
Pressing by hand is a method for transforming kief into hashish a few grams at a time. Fresh hand-rubbed resin is often pressed by hand, too.
While pressing by hand is convenient, since it requires no additional equipment, it takes considerable energy and the results are better with a practiced technique. Those unaccustomed to hand pressing may find it difficult to make the material cohere. The considerable work it takes to get well-pressed hash can easily result in sore hands.
This method works best using freshly sieved medium- to high-quality kief. If the kief contains a significant amount of vegetative material, it is harder to mold into hash and may not stick together properly.
To hand press, measure out a small mound of fresh kief that will fit comfortably in the hand. A few grams are usually the most. Work this material with one hand against the other until it begins to cohere into a solid piece. Then rub it between the palms, or between palm and thumb.
Hash Joint.
Photo: Ed Rosenthal
After 10 minutes or more of working the material it begins to change density. Dry, aged kief lacks some of its original stickiness and may take longer to stick together, but if it was stored properly it should cooperate, though it may require more kneading. When a piece of hashish has not been pressed properly, it crumbles easily at room temperature.
If the kief is particularly stubborn and won’t stick together to form a mass, mildly heat it. Wrap the material in food-grade cellophane, ensuring that it is completely sealed and all the air is squeezed out. Wrap this package in several layers of thoroughly wetted newspaper or cloth or paper towels. Turning frequently, warm in a skillet that is set on the lowest heat. It doesn’t need to be heated as long as with other methods because the only point of heating it is to get the material to stick together so it can be kneaded into a solid piece.
Another method is to wrap it the same way and press it for a few seconds on each side with an iron that is set on a very low heat setting.
Machine Presses
Making hash is a cinch with a mechanical press. Bookbinding presses, called nipping presses, can be used. Plans are available on the web for building a press using a hydraulic jack.
Hand-pumped hydraulic presses are a less expensive way to get a tight press. Another cost-effective method uses a vice grip, although it takes some adaptation. For small amounts, a pollen press can be used in conjunction with a handheld kief-collecting grinder. Kief is added to this small metal tube. The tension pin is placed in, and the pollen press is screwed shut. The next day, the kief has been pressed into a neat hash block. Many companies have similar presses now, including one made of stainless steel with a low-torque T-handle.
This heavy-duty unit presses large amounts of kief.
Photo: TrimPro
Storage
Once the hashish is pressed, it can be kept for months or possibly years, with little deterioration to its potency and flavor, with proper storage. A frost-free freezer is the best place for storing hash.
Nothing sticks to NoGoo silicone containers. They are a must for storing and transporting concentrates.
Photo: NoGoo
Metal, glass, or silicone containers are preferred for storage. Plastics and rubber are not recommended because the terpenes—responsible for the flavor and aroma of the hash—are somewhat volatile compounds that interact chemically with plastic or rubber, degrading both the hash and the container. However, this happens slowly under freezing conditions.
Over time, the outer layer of hashish oxidizes and loses potency. The inside, not exposed to higher levels of light and oxygen, remains potent. Studies suggest that dark-colored hash degrades more rapidly than lighter-colored hash. Remember that mild light, heat, moisture, and oxygen oxidizes the outside of the hash, destroying its potency.
Chapter 5.
Vaporizers—
Handheld, Desktop, Portable, Vape Pens
Smoking is one of the most controversial aspects of cannabis use. Studies have found harmful compounds produced when bud is burned but those findings are not confirmed in population studies. The ambiguous research aside, many people would prefer not to inhale smoke from burning vegetation. While marijuana can have positive effects many people are concerned about smoking it.
Using marijuana medically raises new concerns about this contradiction. The active ingredients in marijuana, THC and the other cannabinoids, don’t pose health hazards, but the tars and other compounds may, so people have sought out alternate modes of ingestion. Cooking and tinctures are obvious answers, but their delivery, onset, and effects are different than smoked marijuana.
Vaporization is the solution for some users. Vaporizing is a fantastic innovation based on the principle of evaporation. The temperature at which THC and other cannabinoids evaporate is lower than the temperature at which plant material burns. Vaporizers heat marijuana to the point where the volatile THC and terpenes evaporate, but below the temperature at which plant material burns.
Vaporizers (also known as vapes) are considered a key component of reducing harm from marijuana use. Vaporizers pass medical muster, and even appear in some hospitals. Vapes used in research pass peer reviews and are u
sed in and tested in published studies.
ANCIENT VAPORIZING
The Scythians, an equestrian society that flourished between 700 BC and 400 AD in the Caucasian Steppes of Central Asia, vaporized the tops of marijuana stalks (i.e., the buds) over hot coals in enclosed tents. It was the first civilization to embrace hotboxing and whole plant cannabinoid therapy that was used for divination and funeral rituals according to the Greek historian Herodotus.
Vaporizers reduce health risks associated with smoking. It may also be a more efficient use of cannabis. When marijuana is burned, up to 30% of the THC content is lost to the combustion process. Since vaporizers evaporate THC without combusting the plant material, it is possible to get more THC than with a burn.
In a leading study on the increased safety of vaporization over smoking, researchers found 111 different molecules in smoked marijuana. Noncannabinoids accounted for up to 88% of smoke. These include soot, tars, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and a half-dozen polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs). PAHs are potent carcinogens.
By contrast, marijuana vapor is up to 95% cannabinoids, plus some terpenes, and one PAH. Vaporization presents the best ratio of tars to cannabinoids as compared to smoking, filtration, or using a water pipe.
Vaporization’s efficiency is comparable to smoking up to the point of absorption, where it zooms past combustion. A 2007 studied showed that vaporization results in higher concentrations of THC in plasma, at a faster rate than smoking.