Types of hash: how many there are, how they’re made and how they differ

Hash is one of the oldest cannabis concentrates in the world, and there are many types of hash, which differ in their origin, extraction method and pressing. From Moroccan hash to modern bubble hash, by way of charas, dry sift and rosin, each technique produces a different texture, colour, aroma and potency.

Throughout history, each region has developed its own method for extracting and working cannabis resin. In this guide we go through the main types of hash, how they’re made and what their characteristics are, including the only type that can be legal, depending on the country: CBD hash, made from hemp flower without THC. In most European countries cannabis with THC isn’t legal, and each country has its own rules: in some, such as the UK, hemp flower is controlled even when it contains very little THC.

If you want to understand what hash is, its effects or how to tell whether it’s good quality, we cover it in our complete guide to hash. And if you’d rather go straight to the best option without THC, we’ve put together a comparison of the best CBD hash.

How many types of hash are there?

There’s no fixed number: dozens of types of hash are known around the world, but almost all of them can be classified in three ways, depending on how the resin is obtained and worked:

• By origin: Moroccan, Afghan, Pakistani, Nepalese, Lebanese…
• By extraction method: with or without solvents (charas, dry sift, bubble hash, rosin, BHO…).
• By pressing and texture: pollen, slab or bar, pellets…

The resin is concentrated in the cannabis trichomes, where the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBN) and terpenes such as myrcene, linalool, caryophyllene and pinene build up. That’s why hash is more potent than the flower itself: it concentrates the best of the plant.

Types of hash by origin

Hash has historically been classified by country of origin, since both the typical strain of each region and the method of extracting the resin vary from place to place. Here are the most legendary hashes by origin:

Moroccan hash

It’s the most popular type of hash in Europe and Spain, given how close Morocco is to the continent. Traditionally, it has always been considered one of the best in the world. The most widely used technique in Morocco is sifting: dried buds are laid over a sieve and beaten with a stick so that the resin comes loose and falls through. The resulting pollen, or kief, is pressed with heat into a hash slab or a ball. Because of this technique, it’s known internationally as dry hash.

Depending on the strain, the sifting and the pressing, there are several types:

• Blonde hash (Moroccan blonde): also called blonde pollen. Its light, mustard colour comes from strains with little THC and from gentle sifting and pressing. Light flavour and effect.
• Red hash: stronger than blonde, made from higher-THC Rif strains. Darker colour and a sturdier slab.
• Black hash or Hardala: black, sticky, mouldable texture. It usually comes from the Ketama area.

Afghan hash

Afghanistan is one of the cradles of cannabis: indica is thought to originate from the mountainous Hindu Kush region. Its method is similar to the Moroccan one but more complex: the resin goes through several sieves, the pollen is slowly pressed with water or tea on a hot plate and it’s dried using animal skins. The process can take weeks or months, until it reaches a dense, pasty consistency similar to toffee, black in colour. It’s very potent.

Pakistani hash

The region next to Afghanistan, with which it shares the Hindu Kush range, is also famous for its hash, made in a similar way and dried for months in animal skins. It’s black, with a strong, spicy, harsh flavour and a powerful, sedative effect.

Nepalese hash

This Himalayan region is another cradle of cannabis, where it grows wild. Its hash is made using the charas technique (like Indian hash): the buds are rubbed by hand so that the resin sticks, and it’s then removed from the fingers. The result is a sticky, creamy ball, fairly potent, although its smoke is less dense than that of neighbouring regions.

Lebanese hash

Lebanon has a long history with hash and today produces huge quantities of resin. Lebanese hash has a yellow or red tone, the result of its strains and of drying the flowers outdoors. The yellow, from younger plants, gives a more cerebral effect; the red, from mature plants, is more narcotic.

Other countries with iconic hash

Other regions are famous for their hash too: Indian hash, also made with the charas technique (such as Kashmiri or the prized Malana), Turkish hash and Dutch hash, the birthplace of modern bubble hash.

Types of hash by extraction method

We can divide the types of hash according to how the resin is separated. There are two main families: solvent-free (manual or mechanical methods) and with solvents (substances that dissolve the resin). We go into each technique in more depth in our guide to cannabis extractions and in how CBD hash is made.

Solvent-free extraction (traditional hash)

• Charas: the flower – live or dried – is rubbed by hand until the resin sticks to the skin. Because it uses the live plant, it keeps volatile monoterpenes that are almost entirely lost during drying. In Nepal it gives rise to the legendary temple balls, hand-cured balls with an almost mirror-like shine.
• Dry sift: dry sift is the hash obtained by sifting the dried flower to separate the trichomes (the pollen, or kief), which are then pressed. In Spain it’s simply known on the street as “el dry”. It’s one of the cleanest and most natural types: the finer the sieve (the fewer microns), the greater the purity, right up to the coveted full-melt, which melts without leaving any residue. We explain it in detail in Dry sift: what it is and how it’s made, and you can take a look at our CBD Dry Sift Pollen.
• Bubble hash, Iceolator or ice water hash: very cold water and ice are used to make the resin brittle so that it breaks away; it’s then filtered through mesh of different micron sizes. The technique was popularised by Mila Jansen, the Queen of Hash, with the Ice-O-Lator. The cleanest ice water hash has a light colour (so-called white hash) and, when cold-cured (the piattella technique), takes on a creamy texture. More in Bubble hash and Iceolator, or take a look at our CBD Bubble Hash and Iceolator 60% CBD.
• Rosin: the flower (or the hash itself) is pressed with heat and pressure, without solvents, releasing the resin. Live rosin, made from fresh frozen material, is among the most aromatic.

Extraction with solvents

• BHO (butane hash oil): uses butane gas as the solvent. Depending on the purge, it produces shatter, wax, budder, crumble or live resin. Moon rocks, on the other hand, are buds coated in extract and pollen. Very potent, but dangerous outside a professional closed-loop system.
• Supercritical CO2 and others: machinery that brings CO2 to a state between gas and liquid to extract the resin. Propane (PHO), ethanol (QWET) and dimethyl ether (DME) are also used.

Extraction methods compared

Types of hash by pressing and texture

Finally, we can tell types of hash apart by how the resin is pressed:

• Pollen or kief: resin that’s barely pressed or not pressed at all, highly prized for its purity. It has a yellowish tone.
• Slab or bar: the most common format, pressed with heat; the colour and texture vary depending on the strain and the pressing.
• Pellets: in Spain they’re called “bellota” (acorn) or “hueva” (roe), after their shape. It’s hash pressed very hard into small portions; historically it was compacted like this so it could be swallowed to get through customs checks. It’s one of the formats that most intrigues anyone starting to tell types of hash apart.

Which type of hash should you choose?

It depends on your experience and what you’re looking for:

• If you’re new to it: a mild pollen or dry sift of medium potency.
• If you’re after aroma and potency: bubble hash or ice hash, especially if it’s live.
• If you want no THC and a product that can be legal: CBD hash, depending on the rules in your country.

We compare the options without THC in our comparison of the best CBD hash.

CBD hash: the only type of hash that can be legal

CBD hash is the only type of hash that can be legal, because it’s made from CBD flower without THC. Bear in mind that in most European countries cannabis with THC isn’t legal and each country has its own rules: in some, such as the UK, hemp flower is controlled even when it contains very little THC. CBD hash offers all the ritual and aroma of traditional hash, but without the THC high or the risk of buying adulterated product on the black market. At Cannactiva you can buy CBD hash made from our CBD flower without THC.

Much of today’s knowledge about artisanal hash – curing, full-melt and temple balls – is owed to masters such as Frenchy Cannoli, who devoted his life to reviving the traditional art of resin.

Frequently asked questions about types of hash

Does CBD hash get you high?

No. Because it’s made from CBD-rich flower without THC, it has no psychoactive effect; it gives a relaxing feeling, not a “high”.

What’s the most potent type of hash?

Among the traditional types, Afghan and Pakistani; among the modern ones, rosin and BHO contain the highest concentration of cannabinoids.

What is dry sift or dry hash?

It’s hash obtained by dry sifting: the trichomes are separated from the dried flower and pressed. In Spain it’s simply known on the street as “el dry”, and it’s one of the cleanest, most natural types of hash because no solvents are used.

What is white hash?

It’s the purest bubble hash, light, almost white in colour, obtained with water and ice when hardly any plant matter remains. The lighter and cleaner it is, the higher its quality tends to be.

What does a greenish colour in hash mean?

A strong green usually gives away too much plant matter (chlorophyll): poor sifting or raw material with a lot of leaf. The result is a harsher, “grassy” flavour, smoke that burns instead of melting (it isn’t full-melt) and a lower real concentration of cannabinoids. Good hash leans towards blonde/golden tones (pollen, young Moroccan), cinnamon brown (slab) or dark brown/black (cured Afghan). A slight hint of green in fresh pollen isn’t always bad, but obvious green is a bad sign: the green doesn’t come from the resin, it comes from the plant.

What’s the difference between pollen and hash?

Pollen (kief) is loose, unpressed resin; hash is that same pollen pressed into a slab, ball or pellet.

How should you store hash?

In an airtight container, away from light, heat and humidity, to preserve its terpenes and aroma. We explain it step by step in our guide on how to store hash.