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Weed, pot, ganja, sticky icky, or whatever else you want to call it, is generally speaking, one of the most popular things in the world! Now, there is also hashish, which is actually derived from marijuana, but what exactly is this stuff?
Although hashish is not quite as well known or widespread in terms of usage as marijuana is, hash is, well, totally awesome to but it bluntly! It’s like weed on steroids and personally, we absolutely love the stuff.
You might be wondering what the difference between hash and weed is, which is what we are here to cover in detail. Simply put, hash is thicker, denser, heavier, stronger, more potent, and so much more! Let’s find out what makes hash different from weed.
Contents
Hash vs Weed: 6 Main Differences
Alright, so there are quite a few differences between marijuana and hashish, all of which will be explained in as much detail and clarity as we can muster right now.
1. Hash Is Made From Weed
The first thing that you need to know here is that yes, hash is made out of weed. It is a refined version of weed, kind of like white sugar is made from sugar cane, or how white flower is refined from wheat, how motor oil is refined from crude oil, or more accurately, how heroin is refined from opium.
It’s a stronger, heavier, and more concentrated version of marijuana that has been created through a specific refining process. In other words, marijuana has to be taken and processed into hash. Weed grows as a plant, and that weed is then taken and turned into hash.
Now, there are different processing methods to turn weed into hash, which is important to note. Weed can be turned into what is commonly known as bubble hash, which involves a process of using ice and water to separate the kief or trichomes from the rest of the bud, which results in hash that is somewhat potent.
The better kind of hash is made through a process of compacting and baking. It’s done by taking the kief or weed crystals, baking them, compacting them together, and then repeating this baking and compacting many times over until a thick brown puck or brick of hash is made.
2. Hash Is Much Stronger & Potent
Another big difference that you need to know when it comes to weed vs hash is that hash is the far stronger and more potent of the two. When it comes to THC, which is what gets you high and makes you feel good, weed can be pretty strong.
It generally has anywhere from 5% to 30% THC. 5% THC is considered to be very weak, while a 30% THC content is very strong. Your average marijuana that your grow or buy will usually be between 12% and 25% THC. Keep in mind that the stronger it is, the more it will usually cost.
Hash on the other hand is a whole different story. In terms of THC content, if your hash has 25% THC, which would be considered strong for weed, for hash, this is on the weak side.
Really good hash can have a THC content of up to 60%, although that is as strong as it gets and is quite hard to find. Hashish will usually have a THC content anywhere from 20% to 60%, with your average hash coming in somewhere between 35% and 45% THC.
Simply put, it’s much stronger and more potent, so you don’t have to smoke nearly as much hash as you do weed to get the same effects.
3. Taste & Smell
The next notable difference between weed and hash is that weed does tend to be the more fragrant of the two. Good weed can taste and smell like flowers, earth, pine, spices, coffee, chocolate, citrus, and so much more.
This is because you are smoking the pure unaltered weed buds or flowers, so they have their original taste and smell. Heck, weed comes in almost as many scents or flavors as food itself.
However, on the other hand, hashish does not come with nearly as much variety in terms of taste and smell. Yes, hash is a lot stronger, but this is because it has been refined and process. The fact of the matter that a lot of the scents and flavors do get lost in the process of making hash.
Bubble hash retains more of the flavor and scent of the original weed than normal baked hash, because baked hash goes through many heating cycles, which inherently reduces and limits the flavor profile.
Hash is a hard flavor to describe, especially when compared to marijuana, and although it does have a very distinct odor and flavor, it’s nowhere near as pungent or fragrant as some high quality sticky icky.
The flavor will still resemble the original flavor of the weed that was used to make the hash, but it won’t be nearly as strong or noticeable.
4. A Head High Vs A Body High
Many people will also tell you that there is a difference in terms of the type of high that you get from hash, as opposed to the high you get from weed. Now, exactly why the high is different has not been fully studied yet, but what we can tell you as long time weed lovers, is that this is definitely true.
Now, to a certain extent, the strain of marijuana used to make the hash will determine what kind of high you get. An Indica strain of weed, when made into hash, will usually provide you with all of the feelings associated with Indica weed, and this is also true for hashish made from a Sativa strain.
For anybody who has never smoked or ingested marijuana, explaining the difference between a hash and weed high, or a head and body high is going to be nearly impossible.
However, what is true is that marijuana usually gives you more of a head high, or in other words, your head will be up in the clouds and you will be noticeably intoxicated. This kind of high can be quite strong, and for those who don’t smoke regularly, even overpowering.
On the other hand, a body high, which is what is usually associated with hash, doesn’t hit your head as hard and make you loopy, but instead causes more of a mellow and relaxed sensation. Now, this is not always true for all kinds of weed, nor for all kinds of hash, but it is a pretty accurate generalization nonetheless.
5. Density, Size, & Appearance
If you take a look at some normal marijuana, you will notice that it is green. Yes, some weed is darker or lighter when it comes to the shade of green, and yeah, there’s usually some purple or orange accents as well. Hash on the other hand is usually much darker in color.
If you make bubble hash, which is not made using heat, the hash will retain a lot more of that green color, and will usually be dark green. However, when hash is made through the original baking process, the heat used to make it usually darkens it a lot.
This is why hash is usually always brown in color. Sure, some can be light brown or even golden, and some can be dark brown or even black. This does depend on the specific method used and the type of weed used to make the hash, but you won’t ever find hash that still has those purple notes or orange hairs in it.
In terms of the size and density, due to the fact that hash is generally made through the baking and compacting process, it’s a much denser substance. A gram of weed will generally be equivalent to a large marble in size, or somewhere around that, and it’s because there’s still lots of space and air in between the fibers of the flowers.
On the other hand, a gram of hash will usually be less than half the size of a small marble. It’s been compacted and squeezed so much that there’s no air or space in between the various grains. It’s small and compact.
When you buy hash, a gram, you might think that you’re not getting your money’s worth, but this is usually only because it looks so small and dense. Weigh out a chunk of hash, even a small one, and you will be surprised with how heavy it actually is.
6. The Cost
Something that you will definitely find out if you go to buy your own hashish is that the cost per gram tends to be much higher than the cost for a gram of marijuana flowers. A normal gram of marijuana should cost on average 10 dollars. This is the benchmark, and if you are paying $10 per gram, you know that you probably have some decent stuff.
Sure, some weed, especially when bought in bulk, might be even cheaper, maybe as low as $8 or even $5 per gram. And yes, some weed, the really rare and good stuff, may cost you up to $15 or even $17 per gram.
However, that would still be considered a more than reasonable price for a gram of hashish. Your average gram of hashish is going to cost between $15 and $20. Once again, if you buy in bulk and the quality of the hash is not spectacular, you might get away with $12 or even $10 per gram. And once again, if the hash is really nice, you might be paying up to $25 per gram.
Of course, this increased cost is due to the fact that it takes a lot of hard work to turn weed into has. It’s simple labor costs really. Moreover, hashish is also a heck of a lot more potent, so it takes a lot less of it to produce the same, or even stronger effects, than the same amount of marijuana.
Simply put, you get what you pay for, and when it comes to hash, the bigger cost also translates to a bigger and better high.
Best Way To Smoke Hash vs Best Way To Smoke Weed
The other difference is how you smoke it. Now, you can break up hash really small, to the point where you can roll it in a joint, or even mix it with weed in a joint.
And yes, just like with good old flower, you can put it in a pipe or bong bowl too. However, hash does burn a little differently from weed. Because hash is so dense and compact, it takes longer to light with a flame than weed, and it burns for much longer too. Therefore, smoking it in a pipe or bong bowl tends to be the go to method.
With a joint, you cannot really control how long the hash burns for, and it can be hard to keep the joint lit too. On the other hand, with a bong bowl or pipe, you can just roast a chunk of hash for a few seconds until it finally lights up. On a side note, bubble hash or full melt hash, two different kinds of hash which both tend to turn really soft and even melt into liquid when lit, may be best smoked in a vape pen or vaporizer of sorts.
Speaking of vape pens, vape pens made for weed flower work fine for weed, but hash needs more heat and more prolonged exposure to it in order to smoke right, so these kinds of vape pens are not ideal for hash.
For that matter, normal vape pens for shatter, honey oil, or weed distillate usually won’t work for normal hash either, as it’s too dense and dry. In terms of smoking hash, we would recommend a pipe, a bong bowl, or mixing very small chunks of it in with some weed and rolling it in a joint.
Conclusion
There you go folks, all of the major differences between hash and weed. Hash is made out of weed. It’s a concentrated form of marijuana that has been physically altered to be heavier, more compact, and so much stronger too. Weed is generally known for producing really strong head highs, which hash can also do, although hash is known better for producing a much more relaxing body buzz too.
At the end of the day, both weed and hash have their own benefits, and which one you like more is really a matter of personal preference. It’s really up to you in the end, but if it were up to us, we’d recommend going with a good combination of both!
