Hash and Kief in Saint John: A Complete Guide

Kief is the loose, sandy powder of trichomes that falls off cannabis flower, and hash is what you get when those trichomes are collected and pressed or worked into a solid. Both are among the oldest cannabis concentrates around, and this guide from Saint John Bud Express explains the main types, how people in Saint John use them, and how to keep them in good shape.

What are trichomes, and why do they matter?

Look closely at a good bud and you'll see tiny crystal-like hairs covering it. Those are trichomes, the little glands where the plant makes most of its THC, CBD and terpenes, the compounds behind its smell and flavour.

Kief and hash are trichomes, concentrated. Instead of smoking the whole bud, plant material and all, you're smoking mostly the part that matters. That's why both tend to be stronger than flower, gram for gram.

What is kief?

Kief is loose trichomes that have been knocked or sifted off dried flower. It looks like a fine, sandy powder, usually pale green, tan or golden.

Where it comes from. If you have a three-chamber grinder, you've probably seen kief collecting in the bottom chamber under the screen. Commercial kief is made the same way at a larger scale, by sifting flower over fine mesh screens.

What good kief looks like. Lighter, golden kief generally has fewer plant bits mixed in. Darker green kief often carries more leaf and may smoke harsher.

How strong is it? Kief is usually noticeably stronger than the flower it came from, though the exact potency depends on the starting material and how cleanly it was sifted. Treat a pinch of kief like a stronger version of your usual bowl.

What is hash?

Hash, short for hashish, is trichomes that have been collected and then pressed, rubbed or washed into a solid or semi-solid mass. People have been making it by hand for centuries in places like Morocco, Lebanon, Afghanistan and India, and those traditions still shape the styles you'll see on menus today.

Pressing trichomes together changes their texture and the way they age. Good hash can range from crumbly and sandy to soft, sticky and pliable, depending on how it was made.

What are the main types of hash?

Pressed or dry-sift hash

This is kief that has been sifted through screens and then pressed with heat and pressure into a block or puck. Moroccan-style hash is the classic example. It's often light to medium brown and can be firm or crumbly.

Hand-rubbed hash (charas)

Charas is made by rubbing live cannabis plants between the palms and collecting the sticky resin. It's traditional in parts of India and Nepal, tends to be dark and soft, and has a strong, earthy smell.

Ice water hash (bubble hash)

Bubble hash is made by agitating cannabis in ice water, which makes the trichomes brittle so they snap off and sink. They're then filtered through a series of fine mesh bags. The best grades are sometimes called "full melt" because they bubble and melt almost completely when heated.

Temple balls and other styles

Temple balls are hash that's been rolled into a ball and left to cure, which some people say deepens the flavour. You may also see regional names on menus that refer to where the hash was made or the style it imitates.

You can see what's in stock right now in our hash category and our kief category. For a side-by-side look, read kief vs hash.

How do people use hash and kief?

Sprinkled on a bowl or joint

The most common way. People crumble a little hash or sprinkle some kief on top of the flower in a pipe or bowl, or mix it into a joint. This is often called "crowning" a bowl or "twaxing" a joint. Our pre-rolls guide covers the infused pre-rolls that do this for you.

Smoked on its own

Hash can be smoked alone in a pipe, often on a small screen or on top of a little flower so it doesn't fall through or clog the bowl. Kief on its own tends to burn fast and is easier to manage mixed with flower.

Hot knives and vaporizers

Some people heat small pieces of hash between two hot knives and inhale the smoke, an old-school method that takes care, since it involves very hot metal. Many dry herb vaporizers can handle a little hash or kief too, often using a concentrate pad or insert. Check what your device supports first.

Cooking

Both kief and hash can be decarboxylated and cooked into butter or oil for homemade edibles. Dosing homemade edibles evenly is hard, so start very low. Our THC edibles guide has more on edible timing and doses.

How strong are hash and kief?

Stronger than flower, usually. Because both are concentrated trichomes, they tend to carry more THC per gram than the buds they came from. How much more varies a lot by batch, method and starting material, so a number on one product doesn't tell you much about another.

Start with a small amount. If you're new to hash or kief, a pinch on top of your usual bowl is plenty to find out how it feels. Wait a bit before having more.

Not a substitute for flower in a joint. A joint of pure kief or hash is much stronger than a normal joint and can burn unevenly. Mix it in rather than swapping it out.

How do you tell good hash from bad?

• Smell. Good hash smells rich and aromatic: earthy, spicy, sweet or fruity. Flat, chemical or musty smells are a bad sign.
• Texture. Quality hash usually softens with the warmth of your fingers. Hash that stays rock-hard and won't crumble or soften may be old or cut with something.
• Burn. When lit, good hash tends to bubble and burn cleanly. Lots of black, sooty smoke or a harsh, chemical taste is a warning sign.
• Colour. Colour varies by type, so it's a weak signal on its own. Use smell and texture first.

How should you store hash and kief?

Airtight and dark. Keep both in a sealed glass jar or tin, away from light and heat. Light and air slowly break down THC and terpenes.

Kief clumps. Loose kief can pick up moisture and clump. A small airtight container with no extra air space keeps it dry and loose.

Hash ages. Pressed hash keeps for a long time compared to flower, and some people prefer its flavour after a short cure. Over months, though, it can dry out and lose its aroma. Parchment paper inside a jar stops it from sticking.

Out of reach. Keep both away from kids and pets, ideally locked up. Our guide to storing weed covers the basics.

What should you know before buying?

You need to be 19 or older, and our drivers check ID at the door. Possession limits and where you can consume are set by the province, and concentrates may count differently toward those limits than flower, so check the current provincial rules. And never drive high.

How does hash and kief delivery work in Saint John?

Order online, pay cash at the door and show your ID. The minimum is $50, delivery is $5, and it's free over $100. Most orders arrive in 1 to 3 hours. The weed delivery page has the run times and the areas we cover.

The Bottom Line

Kief is loose trichomes and hash is those trichomes pressed or washed into a solid, and both are usually stronger than flower. Use a little at a time, judge quality by smell and texture, and keep them airtight and dark. Browse our hash and kief to see what's in this week.