Kief vs. Hash—What’s the Difference and How Can They Be Used?

Cannabis legalization has been positive in many ways. For states that have legalized cannabis, residents no longer have to fear arrest and prosecution as long as they abide by state guidelines regarding cannabis legalization. Cannabis legalization has brought about a plethora of different methods of consumption for patients and recreational users alike. In the past, when someone was referencing cannabis consumption, it typically boiled down to smoking a joint or eating a brownie.

Nowadays cannabis consumption includes a rich variety of methods. From applying a topical products, to consuming a cannabis infused beverage or edibles ranging from cheesecake and cheese puffs, vaping cannabis or dabbing cannabis concentrates, the list goes on and on. When it comes to concentrates, edibles, and beverages the methods of infusion and extraction have developed and diversified substantially. The terminology for cannabis has stayed the same for the most part yet in some ways it has shifted. Kief and hash are great examples of this shift.

Kief vs. Hash: What is Kief?

Kief is the nickname given to trichomes when they fall off of cannabis. Kief looks like a pile of sparkly dust and while sticks together quite easily, it is also very powdery. Kief is commonly collected inside of the bottom of grinders and also accumulates in containers used for storing cannabis. Kief is also collected by trichome farmers that use sleeves or mesh screens to capture cannabis trichomes. Kief itself tends to be more potent than cannabis buds alone. This is in part because the trichomes are rich in cannabinoids yet void of excess leafy material found in buds. Trichomes collected using a special micron filter screen or sleeve can be utilized in a multitude of different ways.

One of the most common ways to enjoy it is to simply add it back to your weed. You can sprinkle some kief on top of a bowl or bong or add it in a joint or blunt. You can use your kief to make “Moon Rocks,” which is when you dip cannabis buds in hash oil and then roll them in kief. Making cannabis butter with kief is another great way to give your kief versatility. Once it is turned into cannabutter, it can be used in making cookies, brownies, cakes, or pretty much anything in the kitchen that butter is used for. Check out this article to learn more about Kief!

Kief vs. Hash: What is Hashish?

Another great use for kief, is to make hash. This is where the terminology can be a little confusing. Some people are under the impression that pressed buttons of kief are called hash, but this is incorrect. Collecting trichomes and merely pressing them into a brick or button does not turn them into hash. Others mistakenly believe that hash is hash rosin, a.k.a concentrates, and while this is somewhat true it’s not the whole story. Hashish is a very old form of cannabis consumption with origins believed to be rooted from the Middle East. The word grass in Arabic translates to hashish.

When a lot of old folks go into a dispensary asking for hash they are asking for hashish, not hash rosin. Hashish is made by collecting trichomes and then compressing them using heat. There are many different techniques for refining the end product. Quite possibly some of the most popular hashish on the legal market would be any made by or using the techniques of Frenchy Cannoli. Ice water extraction is a very popular method for collecting trichomes to be turned into hashish. Adding cured cannabis buds to a bucket of ice water containing a special micron filtration screen, trichomes can be agitated from the buds and collected without damaging the terpene or cannabinoid profiles with heat. The collected trichomes are then compressed into hashish using pressure and heat.

Some of the more popular varieties of hashish throughout time have been Blonde Lebanese and Moroccan hash. When it comes to consumption, a temple ball of hash can be enjoyed in a hash pipe, added to a bowl or it can be smoked “old school.” Smoking it old school means you need a small piece of cardboard, a needle, a small cup, and a smooth countertop. Simply poke the needle through the cardboard. Place a small piece of hashish on the needle and light the hashish on fire. Blow the fire out once you begin to see a glow, and once the hashish on the tip of the needle starts smoking cover it with a cup to collect the smoke. Slide the cup to the edge of a counter and inhale.

Hashish can also be used to make edibles much in the same manner that kief can be used. Hashish tends to be a little more potent than kief though, so be sure to take into account potency and dosage when making edibles with hashish.

What is Hash Rosin?

Hash rosin by all technical means can be considered hash too, but is most often associated with modern day concentrates. It’s not the kind of hash most old school folks are thinking about. Hash rosin can be made using kief that is collected and placed into a special micron filter sleeve. This sleeve is then pressed between two plates where pressure and heat are applied extracting a gooey oil known as rosin. Hash rosin can also be used in the same manners that kief and hashish can, with the exception of the old school consumption method for hashish.

If you’re looking for old school hashish, make sure you tell budtenders that’s what you’re after specifically. Tell them you’re looking for something like Moroccan hash or Lebanese hash and they’ll get the picture. Many times they are labeled as temple balls in dispensaries.

Key Takeaway

Hash rosin, hashish, and kief are fairly easy to tell apart. Kief looks like piles of weed dust. It tends to have a greenish hue (if it’s high quality) and lots of sparkles. Hashish will have a solid appearance. It can be in chunks that are brick shaped or more preferably round balls known as temple balls. Hash rosin comes in 1 gram containers and larger. It is usually a sticky gooey resin-like substance. However, you decide to enjoy your trichomes, make sure you take the time to give a moment of appreciation for your local trichome farmer the next time you partake in some kief or hashish.