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*For a comprehensive guide of mesh sizes and information, please visit Mesh Sizes and their Usage

1. Soap Bar Hashish

  • Quality: Lowest

  • 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.

  • Visual Identification: Dark brown or black, hard, and brittle. Often has an unnatural sheen due to additives.

  • 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

  • Quality: Low

  • 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.

  • Visual Identification: Dark brown, hard or crumbly texture, may have visible impurities.

  • Production Method: Basic dry sifting with little attention to refinement or purity.

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3. La Mousse Hashish

  • Quality: Low to Medium

  • 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.

  • Visual Identification: Light golden to beige color, very pliable and sticky.

  • 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)

  • Examples: Low-grade Beldia (Morocco), Low-grade Lebanese

  • Quality: Varies (Low to Medium)

  • Characteristics: Made from indigenous cannabis strains using traditional methods. Quality varies widely depending on cultivation and production practices.

  • Visual Identification: Light to dark brown, pressed into slabs or bricks. Consistency varies from soft, sticky to glassy/hard.

  • Production Method: Hand-rubbed or basic dry sifting techniques without modern refinement.

5. Mid-Grade Dry Sift Hashish

  • Quality: Medium

  • Characteristics: Produced using dry sifting with moderate attention to mesh sizes and purity. Contains a mix of trichomes and plant material.

  • Visual Identification: Brown to golden brown, slightly pliable, with a more noticeable cannabis aroma.

  • Production Method: Cannabis is sifted through mesh screens of moderate sizes to collect resin glands.

Mesh Sizes in Dry Sifting

  • Common Mesh Sizes:

    • 150-160 Microns (μm): Used for initial sifting to separate larger plant material from trichomes.

    • 120-149 μm: Captures larger trichome heads along with some contaminants.

    • 70-119 μm: Targets medium-sized trichome heads, increasing purity.

    • 25-69 μm: Collects the smallest trichome heads, resulting in higher purity but lower yield.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Quality: Medium to High.

  • Characteristics: Produced from native cannabis strains with careful cultivation and traditional techniques. Offers unique flavor profiles and effects characteristic of the region.

  • Visual Identification: Color ranges from light brown to almost black; textures can be soft and pliable or firm.

  • Production Method: Hand-rubbed or sieved, sometimes aged to enhance flavor and potency.

7. High-Quality Dry Sift Hashish

  • Quality: High

  • Characteristics: Made using multiple mesh screens to achieve a high level of purity. Contains mostly trichome heads with minimal plant material.

  • Visual Identification: Light golden color, sandy or powdery texture that can become sticky when pressed.

  • Production Method: Sequential sifting through finer mesh sizes:

Advanced Dry Sifting Techniques

  • 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.

  • Result: Separation of trichomes by size, isolating the purest resin glands for the highest quality hashish.

  • 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

  • Quality: High

  • Characteristics: Freezing the cannabis material makes trichomes brittle and easier to separate, resulting in higher purity.

  • Visual Identification: Light in color, powdery texture, aromatic.

  • 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

  • Quality: Very High

  • Characteristics: Made from fresh, frozen cannabis material. Preserves a higher terpene content, resulting in a more flavorful and aromatic product.

  • Visual Identification: Light color, sticky texture, intense aroma.

  • 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

  • Quality: Very High

  • Characteristics: Uses static electricity to further purify dry sift hashish by removing contaminant particles.

  • Visual Identification: Golden to off-white color, powdery, can become sticky when handled.

  • 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)

  • Quality: Very High

  • Characteristics: Made using ice water to separate trichomes without solvents. High-quality bubble hash can be full-melt.

  • Visual Identification: Color ranges from blonde to light brown; texture can be sandy or greasy.

  • 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

  • 220 μm: Catches plant material.

  • 160 μm: Captures larger trichome stalks and contaminants.

  • 120 μm & 90 μm: Collects larger trichome heads.

  • 73 μm & 45 μm: Considered the "sweet spot" for quality trichome heads.

  • 25 μm: Captures the smallest trichomes; can be high quality but lower yield.

12. Full-Melt Bubble Hash

  • Quality: Top-Tier

  • Characteristics: The highest quality bubble hash that melts completely when exposed to heat, leaving little to no residue.

  • Visual Identification: Light color, greasy texture, very sticky.

  • 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

  • Quality: Top-Tier

  • Characteristics: Solventless extract made by applying heat and pressure to cannabis flowers or hashish. Retains high levels of cannabinoids and terpenes.

  • Visual Identification: Golden to amber color, viscous and sticky.

  • Production Method: Cannabis material is placed in a filter bag and pressed between heated plates, squeezing out the resin.

2. Live Rosin

  • Quality: Premium

  • Characteristics: Made from fresh frozen cannabis or hashish. Offers an exceptionally flavorful and aromatic experience due to high terpene preservation.

  • Visual Identification: Light color, very sticky, often described as "sauce."

  • Production Method: Fresh frozen material is first processed into bubble hash and then pressed into rosin.

3. Butane Hash Oil (BHO) Extracts

  • Quality: Premium

  • Types:

    • Shatter: Glass-like consistency.

    • Wax/Budder: Soft, creamy texture.

    • Crumble: Dry, crumbly texture.

    • Live Resin: Made from fresh frozen material, high in terpenes.

  • Characteristics: Highly potent concentrates extracted using butane as a solvent. Purging removes solvents to acceptable levels.

  • Visual Identification: Transparent to opaque, colors range from light yellow to amber.

  • Production Method: Closed-loop extraction systems run butane through cannabis material to dissolve cannabinoids and terpenes, followed by purging.

4. CO2 Oil

  • Quality: Premium

  • Characteristics: Extracted using supercritical CO2, resulting in a clean and potent oil often used in vape cartridges.

  • Visual Identification: Thick oil, amber to dark amber color.

  • Production Method: CO2 extraction dissolves cannabinoids and terpenes without using hydrocarbons.

5. Distillate

  • Quality: Very susceptible as this is being produced synthetically as well. High potency, but quality itself is questionable.

  • Characteristics: Refined cannabis extract with high THC or CBD concentrations, often lacking in terpenes unless reintroduced.

  • 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.

  • Production Method: Molecular distillation separates cannabinoids from other compounds.

6. THC Diamonds (THCA Crystalline)

  • Quality: Highest Purity

  • Characteristics: Nearly pure THCA crystals, often combined with terpene-rich "sauce" for flavor.

  • Visual Identification: Clear or semi-opaque crystals submerged in a viscous liquid.

  • 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

  1. Moroccan Beldia

    • Characteristics: Made from the Beldia strain, a native Moroccan sativa. Offers a mild, uplifting effect.

    • Visual Identification: Light brown, soft texture.

    • Production Method: Traditional sieving techniques, often sun-dried.

  2. Afghani Hashish

    • Characteristics: Heavy indica effects, known for its potency and relaxing qualities.

    • Visual Identification: Dark brown to black, soft and pliable.

    • Production Method: Hand-pressed with the addition of tea or water, sometimes heated during pressing.

  3. Lebanese Hashish

    • Types: Red and Blonde Lebanese.

    • Characteristics:

      • Red: Made from plants that have been allowed to mature longer; offers a mellow, body-centered effect.

      • Blonde: From earlier harvests; provides a more cerebral effect.

    • Visual Identification: Red or golden hues, brittle texture.

    • Production Method: Dried plants are sieved, and the resulting kief is aged before pressing.

  4. Nepalese Temple Balls

    • Characteristics: Known for their high quality and unique preparation, offering a rich, complex flavor and strong effects.

    • Visual Identification: Dark exterior with a shiny, oily surface; soft and sticky interior.

    • Production Method: Hand-rubbed from live plants, rolled into balls, and aged.

  5. Charas (India)

    • Characteristics: Provides a potent, euphoric effect.

    • Visual Identification: Dark, sticky, and malleable.

    • Production Method: Hand-rubbed resin collected directly from the living cannabis plant.

Visual Identification and Quality Indicators

  • Color: Lighter colors (golden, blonde) often indicate higher purity and less oxidation. Darker colors may result from oxidation, heat application, or plant contaminants.

  • Texture:

    • Soft and Pliable: Indicates freshness and higher oil content.

    • Hard and Brittle: May suggest older hashish or lower quality with more plant material.

  • Aroma: A strong, pleasant cannabis aroma suggests higher terpene content and better quality.

  • Melt Quality:

    • Full-Melt: Hashish that melts completely when heated, leaving minimal residue, is considered top-tier.

    • Residue: Excess residue indicates impurities and lower quality.

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  • Freeze-Drying process:

  • 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.​

  • Benefits of Freeze-Drying:

  • Prevents Oxidation: By removing water content without applying heat, freeze-drying minimizes exposure to oxygen and prevents the degradation of cannabinoids and terpenes.

  • Maintains Potency and Flavor: Preserves the full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes, resulting in a product that retains its original aroma, flavor, and potency.

  • Improves Texture and Appearance: Helps maintain a lighter color and a desirable, pliable texture.​

  • Overview of the Process:

  • 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.

  • Low Temperature and Pressure: The process operates under low temperatures and vacuum conditions, which helps preserve heat-sensitive compounds.

  • Final Product: The result is a thoroughly dried hashish with minimal loss of quality, offering consumers a superior product.

Comprehensive Hashish Guide

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