If you’re a cannabis connoisseur looking for a pure product with potent yields, give bubble hash a try. If the last part of that sentence has you scratching your head, don’t feel bad.
Even though bubble hash has been around for a long time, it isn’t one of the more common forms of cannabis on the market today. It’s not surprising that new arrivals to the cannabis community have never heard of this premium concentrate.
But thanks to the continued spread of legalization in the United States and Canada, bubble hash is starting to make a comeback (though some would say it never left).
So what exactly is bubble hash? How is it made? And how do you use bubble hash once you’ve got some?
In this article, the cannabis experts at Honest Marijuana answer those questions and give you the skinny on all things bubble hash.
What Is Hash?
We’re going to lay some science on you, son, but don’t run away. It won’t be as painful as all that. Let’s start with a bit of biology.
All cannabis plants (indica and sativa) produce trichomes on the surface of their buds. Trichomes are tiny outgrowths that, with the naked eye, look like fine hairs. But up close, trichomes have a stalk and a round head, much like a mushroom.
Within that mushroom head, the cannabis plant manufactures and stores cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids — the spectacular stuff that gets you high and relieves your pain.
In a normal smoke or edible situation, you might get several hundred trichomes mixed in (or diluted) with the cannabis plant matter.
But there are several ways to separate all the trichomes from the marijuana buds to create a super-strong extract. This extract is commonly known as a concentrate.
You can experience the oldest method of making a concentrate for yourself by rubbing a bud between your hands until you’ve got enough goo to form into a ball. This gooey stuff is the trichomes we mentioned earlier.
This very basic concentrate is also called hash (short for hashish). And in true stoner fashion, the concentrate has many other names, like kief, weed wax, and marijuana wax.
Regardless of what they call it, it’s still just a whole bunch of trichomes smooshed together.
Over the years, inventive stoners have concocted novel ways to remove the trichomes from the cannabis plant to create stronger and more potent (i.e., high THC) concentrates.
Some of the more common methods include:
- Butane extraction
- CO2 extraction
- Alcohol extraction
- Ethanol extraction
- Ice water extraction
The last method brings us back to the topic of this article: bubble hash.
What Is Bubble Hash?
Bubble hash is a concentrate made by getting the dried and cured bud very cold and passing the plant material through progressively smaller screens until all that’s left are the trichomes.
And in case you were wondering, bubble hash gets its name from the bubble bags (sieve-like screens) you use to separate the trichomes from the plant matter. The name “bubble hash” may also refer to the bubbles that form when bubble hash is smoked.
Either way, it’s good stuff.
How Do You Make Bubble Hash?
As we touched on earlier, bubble hash is one of the oldest and purest methods of making concentrated cannabis and uses only ice and water as a solvent.
It’s easy to do but requires time, patience, and some elbow grease.
Supplies
- Bubble bags
- Stir sticks
- 10-15 pounds of ice
- 3-4 ounces of quality cannabis
- 5-gallon bucket
- Purified water
- Cheesecloth
3 Tips For Awesome Bubble Hash
1) Get Your Cannabis As Cold As Possible
Obviously, the ice is really cold (frozen), but if you can make everything else cold too — the water and the air around you — the finished product will be that much better.
2) Use Purified Water
Tap water contains chlorine and fluoride (among other things). And these chemicals don’t mix well with the trichomes you’re trying to extract. Always use purified water and your bubble hash will come out fine.
3) Quality Bud Equals Quality Bubble Hash
You can use shake and trim to make bubble hash, but that’s going to produce a less-than-stellar product. Use the best quality bud you can get your hands on — the strain doesn’t matter — so that the end result doesn’t leave you disappointed.
How To Make Bubble Hash: A Step-By-Step Guide
- Layer your bubble bag or screen (three or four of them) in the bucket from smallest to largest. The smaller the number, the smaller the screen.
- Add 3-4 ounces of high-quality cannabis.
- Pour half a bag of ice on top of the cannabis.
- Add enough purified water (about eight cups) to cover the cannabis under the ice.
- Mix the ice, water, and buds together.
- Continue to agitate the mixture for 15 or 20 minutes.
- Let the mix settle for another 20 or 30 minutes.
- Lift the first bubble bag part-way out and let it drain back into the bucket. You can even shake and squeeze the bag to get all the water out.
- Set that bag aside.
- Remove the next bubble bag and scrape out the material at the bottom of the screen (a spoon works great here). Deposit the bubble hash onto your cheesecloth. This is the least pure form of bubble hash (but it’s still good).
- Remove the next bubble bag and let it drain into the bucket. Don’t squeeze this bag to remove the water. Just let it drain.
- Scrape out the bubble hash at the bottom of the bag and deposit it onto your cheesecloth. There should be more material in this bag compared to the first one. And it will be lighter in color and contain less plant matter.
- Continue removing bubble bags from the bucket and scraping out the bubble hash until you’ve reached the last one.
- Fold the cheesecloth on top of the bubble hash and press gently to remove the leftover water.
- You’re left with three or four different grades of bubble hash depending on how many screens you used. Keep in mind that you can mix all the bubble hash together. You don’t have to keep it separate. We just wanted to highlight the different qualities so you understand what you’re getting.
- Repeat this process one or two more times to get as many of the trichomes off the bud as possible.
That’s it! You’ve made your own bubble hash. Congratulations!
But wait. Now that you’ve got some bubble hash, what do you do with it? Read on to find out.
How Do You Use Bubble Hash?
1) Edibles
Edibles are one of the easiest and most discreet ways to consume cannabis — especially with bubble hash.
You can mix your bubble hash into everything from butter and honey to tea and candy. Or even sprinkle it on top of your salad for a bit of mid-day delight.
Just remember that bubble hash is very potent (has a high THC or CBD count), so a little goes a long way.
2) Joint And Blunt
If you roll your own joints and blunts, sprinkle a dash of bubble hash on top before you close to add a kick of flavor and a bump of psychedelic effects to the mix.
You can even moisten your doobie with THC oil and roll the whole thing in bubble hash if you’re really adventurous.
3) Bong And Pipe
After you’ve packed your bong, rub a bit of bubble hash on top to transform beasters into a headies.
In fact, using bubble hash is a great way to upgrade low-quality weed (and the low-quality experience it produces) to the grade-A stuff you’ve been fantasizing about.
4) Other Methods
Bubble hash is a very versatile product. You can use it to create moon rock weed, add it to Thai sticks, or vaporize it in a table-top vaporizer or vape pen.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to bubble hash, so experiment with different methods and find the one that’s right for you.
Buy And Try Before You DIY
Before you put out all the time and effort to make your own bubble hash, we suggest purchasing some from your local dispensary. That way, you can experience the effects to see if you like what you’re getting into.
If you do, then by all means, make your own bubble hash. Doing it yourself is a great way to control the quality and purity because you know exactly what goes in and what’s left out.
If you don’t like how you feel on bubble hash, switch to something else. There are so many cannabis products available to try that you’re bound to find one that strikes your fancy.
Plus, the journey to finding your favorite form of marijuana is just as fun as the product itself. Happy experimenting!
For more information on all things marijuana and to check out our 100-percent all-natural cannabis products, visit HonestMarijuana.com today.