Old school hash, why could you buff it?

Dirtbag · Aug 3, 2019

This is something I've had a few theories about but really dont know how it is done.
Talking about the hash that comes from Afghanistan and Morocco that I havent seen in 20 years, I used to buy it in England quite a bit but havent ever seen it on the west coast of Canada.

You could heat it with a lighter to "buff it" and it would just get soft and crumbly, It didnt melt and just stick into a blob on your finger like bubblehash or dry sift does.

Anyone know the actual reason for this? Was it process? Ingredients?

My theory has always been the outdoor plants grown for hash making would get sand and other atmospheric debris stuck to them that was the right particle size to pass through the screens with the trichome heads. Essentially making hash that is cut with sand.

If that were the case, I wonder if it could be recreated somehow by acquiring an inert filler with the same characteristics as the afghan sand. Not that I would do it, more just curious if it's possible.

Any thoughts?

Ron B · Aug 3, 2019

I almost coughed up a lung after reading that !!!!
NO....OLD STYLE HASH ISN'T MADE WITH SAND OR DIRT, OMG !

cemchris · Aug 3, 2019

Old school hash a lot of times bought commercially was cut with shit like henna or bulking agents. Heard a lot of horror stories from back in the day from buddies in England.

Bringing back the memories of Adams Flowers with all the Double Zero and King Hassan. Glorious. I gave up on import hash a long time ago and just got bags. Same reason was qual. Too far away and changes too many hands to trust it. Way too hit or miss.

Dirtbag · Aug 3, 2019

Ron B said:
I almost coughed up a lung after reading that !!!!
NO....OLD STYLE HASH ISN'T MADE WITH SAND OR DIRT, OMG !

Lol I'm not saying I would do it.. Just wondering why the texture is so insanely different to modern hash.

Kanzeon · Aug 3, 2019

Could it be a function of the beating/screening in Morocco imparting slightly more plant matter than the hand-rolling generally used elsewhere? Genuinely asking...

Dirtbag · Aug 3, 2019

Kanzeon said:
Could it be a function of the beating/screening in Morocco imparting slightly more plant matter than the hand-rolling generally used elsewhere? Genuinely asking...

This Is along the lines I'm thinking, is there something else in there that makes it like that? Because every modern high quality hash just melts when you heat it.

Kanzeon · Aug 3, 2019

Yeah, I'm curious as well. I'll have to do some experimenting after harvest! :cool:

I'd think that since the general quality of hash correlates with the level of trichome content/preservation, it would be either plant matter (possibly pollen from males?), dirt, or a filler of some sort. But it's entirely possible that there's just a gap in my hash knowledge.

Also, does anyone here do any long-cured hash? I've been looking for resources that aren't Frenchy Cannoli about the creation of hashishene in cured bubble hash, more specifically time, temp, and humidity guidelines for extended (multiple years) aging and there's not much out there.

Jimster · Aug 4, 2019

The old school hash was simply pressed hash collected from, typically, hash plants. These are special strains that have been bred for centuries to produce copious amounts of resin glands, which are dislodged from the leaves/buds/plants. They were just collected and pressed, but the oily composition and the heat typically fused it into a brick, which is how it was sold. Keep in mind that it was often at least 6 months old by the time anyone got it, so it was hard and a little dried out. Most of it was from the pressing, which used a lot of pressure to make it stick together. It was wrapped in a cotton bag to allow it to stay dry.

Jimster · Aug 4, 2019

Kanzeon said:
Yeah, I'm curious as well. I'll have to do some experimenting after harvest! :cool:

I'd think that since the general quality of hash correlates with the level of trichome content/preservation, it would be either plant matter (possibly pollen from males?), dirt, or a filler of some sort. But it's entirely possible that there's just a gap in my hash knowledge.

Also, does anyone here do any long-cured hash? I've been looking for resources that aren't Frenchy Cannoli about the creation of hashishene in cured bubble hash, more specifically time, temp, and humidity guidelines for extended (multiple years) aging and there's not much out there.

I have seen some great TV shows about smuggling hashish, and it actually showed the different grades of raw hashish that they make the different types of hash out of. You might want to check some of them out.
I don't think it benefits anyone or anything to age it for longer than a few months. Everything degrades and hash is no exception. Keeping it sealed is one way to preserve it's lifespan, but compressing it into hash was the main reason it was pressed... it allowed it to be stored better and longer than plain buds.

Ron B · Aug 4, 2019

Jimster....My thoughts Exactly !

Dirtbag · Aug 4, 2019

None of that explains the different texture though. I've cured hash for months and make hash out of extremely resinous plants too. Even hash made from Malana cream and hindu kush crosses.. always comes out like bubblehash or dry sift. And I press my hash with a lot of pressure and heat also. Still just melts when you heat it.

The only thing I can think is there must be something else in there, some other contaminant that allows one to heat it with lighter, then crumble it with your fingers without it turning into a gooey mess.

I dont know... imagining the processing facilities and fields where the hasplants are grown and processed, I have to wonder if the the hash isnt contaminated with something like superfine sand.

cemchris · Aug 4, 2019

Dirtbag said:
None of that explains the different texture though. I've cured hash for months and make hash out of extremely resinous plants too. Even hash made from Malana cream and hindu kush crosses.. always comes out like bubblehash or dry sift. And I press my hash with a lot of pressure and heat also. Still just melts when you heat it.

The only thing I can think is there must be something else in there, some other contaminant that allows one to heat it with lighter, then crumble it with your fingers without it turning into a gooey mess.

I dont know... imagining the processing facilities and fields where the hasplants are grown and processed, I have to wonder if the the hash isnt contaminated with something like superfine sand.

Well also in the case of Moroccan they dry the plants and the hash outside in the sun/shade basically in a desert enviro so that might cause it to degrade a little. I know all the Moroccan I got was always rock hard. Great smoke but never like any of the ghani has that was malleable. I could def see something like sand and pollen being in there.

Dirtbag · Aug 4, 2019

Exactly, sticky plants.. drying outside in a basically desert environment.. to me seems like sand could be sticking to the buds. Especially really fine sand that blows around easily in a breeze. Thinking about it, maybe hashplants grown for export were dried that way because the yield went up the longer they sat outside? lol

Jimster · Aug 4, 2019

I think the key is the way that the hash is processed, with outdoors drying being important as it also removes any residual chlorophyll. What is the difference between hash and "scissors hash" made from trimming dried buds? It is much like the hash of old and doesn't melt when you burn it. I think it is a combination of the pressing process and maybe something with the moisture content when it is pressed. If it is slightly damp when pressed, it would harden up quite a bit after drying out a little, much like scissor hash hardens up after sitting a little. I don't think it has anything to do with sand of other contaminants, as you would have a pile of unburned sand sitting in your pipe after smoking it, since sand and dirt doesn't burn too well.

Dirtbag · Aug 4, 2019

I'm not so sure, sand is essentially inert silica glass and would likely just blend in with the ash I think.
But again I dont know, I'm not arguing or anything just throwing theories around.
I really am curious why it is such a different product. I've been making hash with every method imaginable for 20 years and have never been able to make anything that has that texture.

Jimster · Aug 4, 2019

Dirtbag said:
I'm not so sure, sand is essentially inert silica glass and would likely just blend in with the ash I think.
But again I dont know, I'm not arguing or anything just throwing theories around.
I really am curious why it is such a different product. I've been making hash with every method imaginable for 20 years and have never been able to make anything that has that texture.

I didn't take it as an argument. I'm sure that there could be some amount of contaminants, but certainly not enough to make things stick together. Have you ever made scissor hash (at least that is what I call it)? It is just the stuff that sticks to the scissor blades when trimming. It gets very much like the old school hash, at least as far as being hard and not melting. I think the hash that is made using water (bubble hash?) washes off too many olis that stick to the resin glands that help it stick together. I know the presses that are used are pretty powerful, at least for non power assisted presses. FWIW, I haven't had decent hash in years either except for the scissor variety, which is excellent but very small quantities. Before I learned to trim efficiently, I ended up getting a LOT stickier in previous years and collected a lot more of the scissor hash, but experience and the dislike of trying to get the resin off of my hands has improved my handling of the buds and resulted in less hash. :(

Dirtbag · Aug 4, 2019

For sure, scissor hash is close and I think that has a lot to do with contaminants also. Even my pressed hash comes really close and is very much like the gooey afghani we used to get. It's that stuff that just get crumbly when heated I havent figured out.

Jimster · Aug 4, 2019

Dirtbag said:
For sure, scissor hash is close and I think that has a lot to do with contaminants also. Even my pressed hash comes really close and is very much like the gooey afghani we used to get. It's that stuff that just get crumbly when heated I havent figured out.

What process do you use to harvest the resin glands and how do you press it? I've never tried making it myself, but my cousin used to spend a LOT of time in Morocco at the hash fields. Perhaps he could share some theory if I see him again...

Dirtbag · Aug 4, 2019

Jimster said:
What process do you use to harvest the resin glands and how do you press it? I've never tried making it myself, but my cousin used to spend a LOT of time in Morocco at the hash fields. Perhaps he could share some theory if I see him again...

I currently use cold water extraction but I've done dry sift and dry ice extraction as well, through up to 6 different bag sizes and just one bag size.

I've used a few different pressing methods. I have a steel form I made for pressing 1 oz bars, i get the steel form and press lid really warm in the oven set to 220F for an hour lined with parchment. Then i fill it with Kif, put the lid on and press it in a homemade press I built with a 20 ton air over hydraulic jack.

I also, and more often just put it in a sealed cellophane bag and press it by hand with a large bottle full of very hot water. I actually prefer this method as it's less hassle and the hash just has a better consistency. More afgooey.

Jimster · Aug 4, 2019

The traditional way of extracting the resin heads is to beat the dried branches that are full of buds, and very dry. They sift it, but only somewhat coarsely and mostly to filter out bigger pieces of stuff that falls off. This might be the key to it sticking together, as along with the resin glands, some of the plant is inevitably pulverized and gets mixed into the mix. This might be the binder that is missing from highly filtered resin heads. They don't use water or anything too hot at all, just what you can make up in the dry mountain air.

Old school hash, why could you buff it?

Old school hash, why could you buff it?

Dirtbag

Ron B

cemchris

Dirtbag

Kanzeon

Dirtbag

Kanzeon

Jimster

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Ron B

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cemchris

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Jimster

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