Hash is a very old form of cannabis that preserves and enhances the effects of your kief by using heat and pressure to bond the individual trichome heads together. We’re going to walk you through how to turn your kief into hash using a few simple steps and lessons learned along the way.
Why Turn Kief into Hash?
Hash is far more durable than loose kief because it protects the interior from oxygen and light. These are the biggest threats to your cannabis’ ability to deliver its cannabinoids and terpenes. Hash is much easier to handle than loose kief. There are times when people have had trouble loading their pipes with the fluffy kief and ended up with a mess of static-filled, fly-away kief. Hash can be cleanly broken off and rolled into a joint, or dabbed with a rig. When you consume hash, you’ll typically experience a thicker, more robust effect than what you would experience when consuming kief. Many cannabis enthusiasts feel that hash is a superior method of consumption.
Tools Needed: The Basics
You don’t need a rosin press to create quality hash. Anytime you use consistent pressure and moderate heat, you will get quality hash.
Minimal Equipment Required
All you really need is some parchment paper and a hair straightener. Parchment paper is non-stick and necessary for preventing the kief from sticking to the hair straightener. Hair straighteners provide a simple, controlled heat source. Ceramic-coated hair straightener plates are less likely to burn the kief than metal-coated hair straightener plates.
Refined Method
Dedicated pollen presses are another option. These are small, two-part metal tools that you fill with kief and then screw together with a wrench. They use mechanical pressure to bind the kief into a compact puck. Pollen presses are ideal for storing and aging hash and are perfect for producing long-term, high-quality hash. However, the hash produced by these presses must be heated again after pressing to activate the resins for a more traditional hash experience.
Kief: The Input Determines the Output
Regardless of whether you choose the hair straightener method or the pollen press method, the quality of the kief you start with determines the quality of the hash you end up with. Clean, pure kief is the best quality kief to use. In order to achieve the cleanest and purest kief possible, you should collect the kief from a grinder with multiple chambers of screens and not from a bottom chamber that collects kief with the ground plant material.
The Step-by-Step Guide to Pressing Kief into Hash
This article will focus on the hair straightener method since it is probably the simplest and most effective method for the average home enthusiast. This method uses both heat and pressure to create a usable product in one easy step.
Preparing: Parchment Paper and Kief Compression
Heat your hair straightener to the lowest setting available. As I’ve learned the hard way, too much heat will damage the terpenes and break down the THC causing the hash to become darker and less flavorful. The ideal range of temperature is between 180°F and 220°F (82°C – 104°C). Next, fold a small piece of parchment paper in half and place the amount of kief you want to press into the folded parchment paper. Do not overstuff the parchment paper as this may result in uneven pressing. After placing the kief into the parchment paper, gently compress the kief to form a neat pile in order to facilitate uniform pressing.
Applying Heat and Pressure: The Pressing Process
Once you have placed the parchment paper filled with kief between the heated hair straightener plates, apply heavy, consistent pressure to the hair straightener. You do not need to crush the kief with your entire body weight, but you need to apply sufficient pressure to cause the kief to begin to melt. Apply consistent pressure for 3 to 5 seconds. You will sometimes hear a slight sizzling noise and see a small amount of resinous oil leak out from under the parchment paper as you are pressing the kief — this is a positive sign! Remove the pressure and open the hair straightener. Carefully remove the parchment paper from the hair straightener and you will see a small, darkened disc of hash where your kief used to be.
After Pressing: Shaping and Aging the Hash
As soon as the hash is removed from the hair straightener and is still relatively warm and malleable, you should use your fingers to shape and mold it into a ball or a small bar. Working the hash in this manner will help to evenly distribute the oils throughout the hash and give it the classic texture of hashish. If the hash is too sticky, adding a single drop of water to your fingers can help. Once shaped, I recommend allowing the hash to age in a sealed container in a cool, dark location for at least 24 to 48 hours. During this time the fatty acids and lipids will separate, improve the overall flavor of the hash and reduce its brittleness making it easier to store and handle.
Some Common Issues and How to Solve Them
As you can see, there are only a few potential issues that you may encounter during the process of pressing kief into hash, and all of them are relatively simple to correct.
My Hash Smells Like Burnt Cannabis.
If your hash smells burnt, it is a clear indication that you applied too much heat to your kief. Your hair straightener was too hot and the exterior layer of the kief has been charred. Solution: Allow your hair straightener to cool down, or purchase a hair straightener that has more precise temperature settings. Lower heat for a longer pressing time will yield a better result than high heat.
My Hash is Breaking Down and Not Holding Together.
There are generally two reasons why your hash may be crumbling. Either you started with low-quality kief containing a large quantity of plant material or you were unable to apply sufficient heat and pressure to melt the individual trichome heads into a cohesive mass. Solution: Be sure to apply firm, consistent pressure. If your hash continues to crumble, wrap the compressed but crumbly hash in parchment paper and apply a second, slightly hotter press to fuse the hash into a solid puck.
My Hash Is Adhering to the Parchment Paper
Sticking to the parchment paper is completely normal, but if your hash is tearing away from the parchment paper, it is annoying. Solution: Always allow the hash to sit for 15 to 30 seconds before attempting to remove it from the parchment paper. The resins will solidify as it cools and this will greatly reduce the stickiness of the hash. Also, using top quality, non-stick parchment paper will help minimize sticking.
How to Use Your Freshly Pressed Hash
Homemade hash is extremely versatile and can be utilized in a variety of ways. The classic method is to add a small piece of hash to a bowl of flowers, thus doubling the potency of the flowers. You can also smoke the hash alone in a pipe, ideally with a “screen” of ash or a glass pipe screen to keep the hash from melting through. Alternatively, you can vaporize your hash using a suitable dry herb vape or a specialized concentrate device at a low temperature to enjoy a rich, intense flavor. Finally, high-quality, full-melt hash can be dabbed directly onto a hot nail, although this requires a very clean initial kief product.