
*For a comprehensive guide of mesh sizes and information, please visit Mesh Sizes and their Usage
1. Soap Bar Hashish
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Quality: Lowest
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Characteristics: Soap Bar is notorious for being low-quality hashish, often adulterated with various fillers like henna, plastic, or other contaminants. It has a hard texture, lacks proper cannabis aroma, and provides minimal psychoactive effects.
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Visual Identification: Dark brown or black, hard, and brittle. Often has an unnatural sheen due to additives.
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Production Method: Mass-produced with minimal cannabis resin, often mixed with non-cannabis materials to increase weight and profit margins.
2. Low-Quality Commercial Hashish
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Quality: Low
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Characteristics: Produced quickly and cheaply, this hashish contains a high amount of plant material and fewer trichomes. The effects are mild, and the taste is often harsh.
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Visual Identification: Dark brown, hard or crumbly texture, may have visible impurities.
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Production Method: Basic dry sifting with little attention to refinement or purity.
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3. La Mousse Hashish
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Quality: Low to Medium
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Characteristics: Lightly pressed trichomes without the use of heat, preserving more cannabinoids and terpenes. The texture is fluffy and soft. Unfortunately, "La Mousse" hashish has turned into the new low-quality commercial hashish in many cases, rending this quality the lowest "average" quality in year 2024.
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Visual Identification: Light golden to beige color, very pliable and sticky.
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Production Method: Gentle sifting and pressing techniques that minimize heat exposure, when done properly. Unfortunately, this production method is being neglected in many occurrences, rendering La Mousse hashish a low quality hashish.
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4. Traditional Landrace Hashish (Low-Grade)
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Examples: Low-grade Beldia (Morocco), Low-grade Lebanese
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Quality: Varies (Low to Medium)
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Characteristics: Made from indigenous cannabis strains using traditional methods. Quality varies widely depending on cultivation and production practices.
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Visual Identification: Light to dark brown, pressed into slabs or bricks. Consistency varies from soft, sticky to glassy/hard.
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Production Method: Hand-rubbed or basic dry sifting techniques without modern refinement.
5. Mid-Grade Dry Sift Hashish
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Quality: Medium
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Characteristics: Produced using dry sifting with moderate attention to mesh sizes and purity. Contains a mix of trichomes and plant material.
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Visual Identification: Brown to golden brown, slightly pliable, with a more noticeable cannabis aroma.
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Production Method: Cannabis is sifted through mesh screens of moderate sizes to collect resin glands.
Mesh Sizes in Dry Sifting
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Common Mesh Sizes:
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150-160 Microns (μm): Used for initial sifting to separate larger plant material from trichomes.
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120-149 μm: Captures larger trichome heads along with some contaminants.
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70-119 μm: Targets medium-sized trichome heads, increasing purity.
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25-69 μm: Collects the smallest trichome heads, resulting in higher purity but lower yield.
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Impact: Different mesh sizes allow producers to separate trichomes based on size, affecting the purity and characteristics of the final product.
6. High-Grade Traditional Landrace Hashish
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Examples: High-grade Beldia (Morocco), Afghani, Lebanese Red, Nepalese Temple Balls. These types of hash are uncommon and are considered as rare in many parts of Europe.
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Quality: Medium to High.
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Characteristics: Produced from native cannabis strains with careful cultivation and traditional techniques. Offers unique flavor profiles and effects characteristic of the region.
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Visual Identification: Color ranges from light brown to almost black; textures can be soft and pliable or firm.
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Production Method: Hand-rubbed or sieved, sometimes aged to enhance flavor and potency.
7. High-Quality Dry Sift Hashish
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Quality: High
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Characteristics: Made using multiple mesh screens to achieve a high level of purity. Contains mostly trichome heads with minimal plant material.
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Visual Identification: Light golden color, sandy or powdery texture that can become sticky when pressed.
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Production Method: Sequential sifting through finer mesh sizes:
Advanced Dry Sifting Techniques
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Multi-Stage Sifting: Using a series of mesh screens with decreasing sizes (e.g., 160 μm, 149 μm, 120 μm, 90 μm, 73 μm, 45 μm, 25 μm) to progressively refine the product.
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Result: Separation of trichomes by size, isolating the purest resin glands for the highest quality hashish.
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Purity Levels: High-grade dry sift can reach purity levels where it melts cleanly when heated, often referred to as "full-melt" dry sift.
8. Frozen Sift Hashish
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Quality: High
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Characteristics: Freezing the cannabis material makes trichomes brittle and easier to separate, resulting in higher purity.
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Visual Identification: Light in color, powdery texture, aromatic.
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Production Method: Cannabis is frozen before sifting through fine mesh screens, enhancing trichome separation while reducing plant contaminants.
9. Fresh Frozen (Live) Dry Sift Hashish
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Quality: Very High
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Characteristics: Made from fresh, frozen cannabis material. Preserves a higher terpene content, resulting in a more flavorful and aromatic product.
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Visual Identification: Light color, sticky texture, intense aroma.
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Production Method: Fresh cannabis is frozen immediately after harvest and then dry sifted. The cold temperatures preserve volatile terpenes. Some may let the plant material dry a bit before processing.
10. Static Tech Dry Sift Hashish
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Quality: Very High
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Characteristics: Uses static electricity to further purify dry sift hashish by removing contaminant particles.
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Visual Identification: Golden to off-white color, powdery, can become sticky when handled.
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Production Method: After initial sifting, static charge (e.g., using parchment paper or other materials) is applied to separate remaining plant material from trichomes.
11. Bubble Hash (Ice Water Hash)
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Quality: Very High
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Characteristics: Made using ice water to separate trichomes without solvents. High-quality bubble hash can be full-melt.
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Visual Identification: Color ranges from blonde to light brown; texture can be sandy or greasy.
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Production Method: Cannabis is agitated in ice-cold water and filtered through a series of micron bags (e.g., 220 μm down to 25 μm). Different micron levels collect varying grades of hash.
Micron Bags in Bubble Hash
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220 μm: Catches plant material.
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160 μm: Captures larger trichome stalks and contaminants.
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120 μm & 90 μm: Collects larger trichome heads.
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73 μm & 45 μm: Considered the "sweet spot" for quality trichome heads.
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25 μm: Captures the smallest trichomes; can be high quality but lower yield.
12. Full-Melt Bubble Hash
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Quality: Top-Tier
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Characteristics: The highest quality bubble hash that melts completely when exposed to heat, leaving little to no residue.
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Visual Identification: Light color, greasy texture, very sticky.
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Production Method: Meticulous ice water extraction with careful agitation and fine micron bags to isolate the purest trichome heads.
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Extractions that are not considered as "hash" in Europe, but are specified as "Extractions".
1. Rosin
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Quality: Top-Tier
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Characteristics: Solventless extract made by applying heat and pressure to cannabis flowers or hashish. Retains high levels of cannabinoids and terpenes.
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Visual Identification: Golden to amber color, viscous and sticky.
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Production Method: Cannabis material is placed in a filter bag and pressed between heated plates, squeezing out the resin.
2. Live Rosin
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Quality: Premium
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Characteristics: Made from fresh frozen cannabis or hashish. Offers an exceptionally flavorful and aromatic experience due to high terpene preservation.
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Visual Identification: Light color, very sticky, often described as "sauce."
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Production Method: Fresh frozen material is first processed into bubble hash and then pressed into rosin.
3. Butane Hash Oil (BHO) Extracts
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Quality: Premium
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Types:
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Shatter: Glass-like consistency.
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Wax/Budder: Soft, creamy texture.
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Crumble: Dry, crumbly texture.
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Live Resin: Made from fresh frozen material, high in terpenes.
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Characteristics: Highly potent concentrates extracted using butane as a solvent. Purging removes solvents to acceptable levels.
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Visual Identification: Transparent to opaque, colors range from light yellow to amber.
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Production Method: Closed-loop extraction systems run butane through cannabis material to dissolve cannabinoids and terpenes, followed by purging.
4. CO2 Oil
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Quality: Premium
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Characteristics: Extracted using supercritical CO2, resulting in a clean and potent oil often used in vape cartridges.
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Visual Identification: Thick oil, amber to dark amber color.
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Production Method: CO2 extraction dissolves cannabinoids and terpenes without using hydrocarbons.
5. Distillate
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Quality: Very susceptible as this is being produced synthetically as well. High potency, but quality itself is questionable.
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Characteristics: Refined cannabis extract with high THC or CBD concentrations, often lacking in terpenes unless reintroduced.
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Visual Identification: Clear to golden oil, very viscous. A lot of D8 distillate are being fraudulently sold on the Black Market as "THC Distillate" or similar.
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Production Method: Molecular distillation separates cannabinoids from other compounds.
6. THC Diamonds (THCA Crystalline)
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Quality: Highest Purity
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Characteristics: Nearly pure THCA crystals, often combined with terpene-rich "sauce" for flavor.
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Visual Identification: Clear or semi-opaque crystals submerged in a viscous liquid.
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Production Method: Advanced extraction and crystallization techniques using solvents.
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Traditional Landrace Hashish
Landrace hashish comes from cannabis strains that have adapted to specific regions over centuries. These products have unique characteristics influenced by their terroir.
Examples of Landrace Hashish
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Moroccan Beldia
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Characteristics: Made from the Beldia strain, a native Moroccan sativa. Offers a mild, uplifting effect.
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Visual Identification: Light brown, soft texture.
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Production Method: Traditional sieving techniques, often sun-dried.
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Afghani Hashish
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Characteristics: Heavy indica effects, known for its potency and relaxing qualities.
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Visual Identification: Dark brown to black, soft and pliable.
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Production Method: Hand-pressed with the addition of tea or water, sometimes heated during pressing.
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Lebanese Hashish
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Types: Red and Blonde Lebanese.
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Characteristics:
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Red: Made from plants that have been allowed to mature longer; offers a mellow, body-centered effect.
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Blonde: From earlier harvests; provides a more cerebral effect.
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Visual Identification: Red or golden hues, brittle texture.
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Production Method: Dried plants are sieved, and the resulting kief is aged before pressing.
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Nepalese Temple Balls
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Characteristics: Known for their high quality and unique preparation, offering a rich, complex flavor and strong effects.
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Visual Identification: Dark exterior with a shiny, oily surface; soft and sticky interior.
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Production Method: Hand-rubbed from live plants, rolled into balls, and aged.
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Charas (India)
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Characteristics: Provides a potent, euphoric effect.
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Visual Identification: Dark, sticky, and malleable.
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Production Method: Hand-rubbed resin collected directly from the living cannabis plant.
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Visual Identification and Quality Indicators
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Color: Lighter colors (golden, blonde) often indicate higher purity and less oxidation. Darker colors may result from oxidation, heat application, or plant contaminants.
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Texture:
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Soft and Pliable: Indicates freshness and higher oil content.
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Hard and Brittle: May suggest older hashish or lower quality with more plant material.
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Aroma: A strong, pleasant cannabis aroma suggests higher terpene content and better quality.
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Melt Quality:
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Full-Melt: Hashish that melts completely when heated, leaving minimal residue, is considered top-tier.
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Residue: Excess residue indicates impurities and lower quality.
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Freeze-Drying process:
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To avoid oxidation and preserve the quality of hashish products, some producers utilize freeze-drying techniques. This method is particularly prevalent for bubble hash or isolator hash, as the extraction process involves water that must be removed from the final product.​
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Benefits of Freeze-Drying:
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Prevents Oxidation: By removing water content without applying heat, freeze-drying minimizes exposure to oxygen and prevents the degradation of cannabinoids and terpenes.
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Maintains Potency and Flavor: Preserves the full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes, resulting in a product that retains its original aroma, flavor, and potency.
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Improves Texture and Appearance: Helps maintain a lighter color and a desirable, pliable texture.​
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Overview of the Process:
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Sublimation: Freeze-drying involves freezing the hashish and then reducing the surrounding pressure to allow the frozen water to sublimate directly from solid ice to vapor.
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Low Temperature and Pressure: The process operates under low temperatures and vacuum conditions, which helps preserve heat-sensitive compounds.
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Final Product: The result is a thoroughly dried hashish with minimal loss of quality, offering consumers a superior product.