Some folks fill their gas tanks with regular while others spend extra on premium or supreme. Some individuals prefer a cup of joe, some stick to tea. Some people smoke dope, others get high on hash. Personal preferences make the world an interesting place, and even though some choices might seem obvious to some it’s important that we can always have our say in what’s right for us. Case in point: choosing to stick with regular weed products or taking the plunge and trying high-potency cannabis concentrates.
The differences between hash and weed are like comparing apples to apple pie – they both contain the fruity goodness we’re after, they’re simply presented/delivered in unique forms. Deciding between weed vs hash is kind of a moot point because they’re both forms of cannabis, just with unique cannabinoids, terpenes, flavors, aromas, consistencies or price points.
The list of hash or weed types is ever-expanding, so keeping up with the latest can be easier said than done. We’ve compiled a summary of the major differences between hash and weed, how hash is made and popular hash/weed types. ‘Does hash get you higher than weed?’, let’s hash out the answers.
HOW IS HASH MADE?
To understand the basic differentiating qualities between weed vs hash you need to know how hash is made. Technically, before you learn how hash is made you need to fully understand how to cultivate cannabis first, but we’ve got other guides on this subject that can fill you in.
The basics of making hash (hashish) involve separating resins and oils from the plant material that can be coagulated into bricks or balls of high-potency cannabis concentrate. This is essentially how hash is made: mechanical or manual extraction of the resin from cannabis flowers that is then pressed into convenient forms (bricks, balls, discs, cubes, etc).
Mechanical separation means extraction by means of equipment, typically dry-sifts that is rendered into a final hash product through a hash press. Manual separation is simply the traditional means of rubbing resins from the plant materials by hand – a practice that is still very popular and equally viable today. This ‘hand rub’ hashish typically comes from the Middle East and Eurasia (Morocco, Afghanistan, India, etc) but these kinds of hand-rubbed hash practices have become popular all over the globe.
Many would-be hash makers start by rubbing resins and oils from their homegrown cannabis flowers and eventually upgrade to dry-sift or mechanically extracted hashish. Some people prefer hand-rub over other types of hash while others find the practice to be outdated.
Modern mechanical extraction of resins usually involve chemical separation or other extreme temperature controls. Butane or other gasses can be used to essentially ‘blast’ the resins from the plant material, achieving very high potency numbers in the 70-90% thresholds. This kind of hash production does involve some risks from chemical residues or the dangers of handling high-pressure, flammable gasses. Nevertheless, the yields speak for themselves – 90% THC potencies are enough to turn many hash-heads to this kind of extraction method.
There are also some proponents of ice-water hash extraction. This isn’t really a “mechanical” or “chemical” separation methodology, but it certainly involves manipulating resins and oils through changes in temperature so it kind of fits. Ice-water derived hashish involves submerging cannabis flowers in ice-water in order to freeze trichomes and resins, making them easier to separate from the flowers. Once extracted into the water, sifting and screening will collect those precious active compounds which can be rolled or rubbed into a final hash product.
Any of these hash weed types can produce high qualities and high potencies, it’s mostly just a matter of what fits your budget or what suits your cannabis skills/knowledge.
WEED & HASH TYPES
Now that we know how hash is made let’s make a list of the different kinds of hash/weed types so you can decide which kind is best for you. The differences between hash and weed aren’t only in how they’re made, they can often taste very different, have unique textures, varying potencies and be at very opposite ends when it comes to cost.
For starters, let’s compare weed vs hash potencies:
Cannabis flowers can range from low potency (10% THC/CBD/etc), mid-tier buds (40-50% THC/CBD/etc) to the uppermost echelons of mind-shattering nugs (70%+ THC/CBD/etc).
Hand-rub hashish, otherwise known as “traditional hash”, can achieve very respectable potency figures ranging between 40-60% THC, CBD or other cannabinoids.
Chemically-extracted hash can take these potency numbers even higher – 80-90% THC concentration, in some cases.
So, does hash get you higher than weed? It certainly can if the strain of weed is naturally abundant in cannabinoids/terpenes and it is extracted through chemical or ice-water means. Hand-rub hash can also be very potent – the numbers we offered above are simply average percentages.
There’s no denying that chemically extracted hash can reach potency figures far above most other kinds of weed vs hash. That being said, an expert grower that can get more out of their plants, some incredibly powerful genetics, or a seasoned hand-rub pro can all reach some impressive THC or CBD percentages if the conditions are right.
Next, let’s observe the differences between hash and weed flavors:
Cannabis flowers can be a lot more flavorful, pungent and diverse in their tastes/aromas. This is because all of the natural terpenes and cannabinoids are present in their original state.
Hand/finger-rub hash is certainly flavorful and potent on its own, but the process of separating the resins from the plant materials will cause some of the terpenes and resident flavors/aromatics of the flowers to be lost.
Mechanically derived hash can still taste good too, but the inclusion of chemical or mechanical extraction can diminish some of the flavors of the cannabis flowers.
Weed vs hash in terms of flavors and aromas seems to be one-sided, but we don’t mean to paint a bleak picture of the tastes of hash. Some hashish fans find hash to be even more powerful in taste, smell and consistency – it depends on your preferences, of course.
Nonetheless, cannabis flowers as they are harvested, dried and cured will produce the most diverse, potent and complex pallet of flavors and aromas beyond any other kind of cannabis product – naturally speaking. Some hash weed types are flavored with other ingredients, but for those seeking the natural properties of a plant’s terpenes then buds are best.
Finally, we should distinguish some of the aesthetics such as color, shape, texture and consistencies of weeds vs hashes:
Cannabis buds undoubtedly offer more colorations, unique shapes and myriad textures than a brick of hash can, but this is like comparing apples to a basket of many different fruits. Cannabis flowers might hold the advantage in terms of diversity of aesthetics, but they can be very difficult to produce consistent results (unless you’re a true pro of a grower).
Hand-rub hashish, when it’s produced the right way, should be dark brown, almost like a dark cherry wood or very deep mahogany. Greenish colorations or yellow color schemes can signify impurities in the rub, such as too much remaining plant materials or foreign substances. Texture wise, hand or finger-rub hash is very dense and smooth, and in terms of stickiness a little bit is good but too much means there is excess oil in the mixture.
Dry sift hash or other mechanical/chemical extracted types will usually come out reddish, amber-like or golden-brown in color. The more a hash block/bar/ball is pressed the darker it will appear in color. Although it’s called ‘dry sift’, it shouldn’t be too dry or crumbly to the touch.
One surefire way to test the quality of the hash in your hand is called the ‘bubble test’. This old school method is simple and requires only a lighter or match and a very small piece of hash. To determine if your hashish is ‘bubbling good’ simply apply flame to the portion of hash and you should see bubbles start to form in a short amount of time. A pure white or pale smoke should emit from the hash if it’s of clean, pure quality. If there aren’t many/any bubbles from this test and a dark, acrid smoke lingers then this might indicate that your hash is inferior in quality, can contain some residual chemicals or was derived from a bunk bunch of buds.
DOES HASH GET YOU HIGHER? OR DOES WEED?
This isn’t an easy question to answer, believe it or not. Does hash get you high? Of course it can. Can weed also send you soaring into the cosmos? It sure does. Potency isn’t entirely dependent on the hash or weed type, sometimes it’s down to the genetics, how it was grown, how it was harvested, dried or cured or processed.
The differences between hash and weed have more to do with the amount of high you’ll experience and are more distinct in how they make you feel or the kind of high you’ll encounter. We all get high differently, and cannabis is known to affect each individual in varying degrees according to our ECS, fitness and a variety of health factors.
Hash highs can be very euphoric, hallucinatory and intense on the senses, in both good terms and bad. When hash gets you high it can take effect quite quickly – within 5-15 minutes, depending on your cannabis tolerance. Hashish effects last similar durations to smoking cannabis flowers, but on average hash smokers can expect more heightened effects than from most buds.
This is a generalization, but it needs to be said that hash THC potency is typically higher than most cannabis flowers. Hash is considered to be an extract/concentrate so it stands to reason that it can deliver powerful highs that last longer than almost any buds – beyond those of absolute top-tier cultivation & harvest quality.
The differences between hash and weed aren’t something we need to focus on. What is important is that you’re getting relief, enjoyment or relaxation from the right cannabis product for you. Dry sift, Moroccan or Pakistani styles of hash, rosin, bubble hash and other similar forms of this long-storied kind of cannabis extract are certainly worth a try.
Many stoners become ‘hash-heads’ with only a few tries of these different hash weed types, so if you’ve never experienced the potent and flavorful tradition that is hash smoke then you owe it to your inner cannaseur to do so.
As always, no matter what kind of cannabis you choose, do so safely and be mindful of how the weed is making you feel. We hope this guide to the differences between hash and weed has been helpful, and may your next smoke be the chillest, funnest or goofiest yet.
