CBD hash is resin from hemp flowers, separated from the plant and then pressed. The separation method (dry sieves, ice water, hand rubbing) and the way it is pressed determine its texture, colour and aroma. Here is how to find your way between pollen, ice-o-lator, charas and hot-pressed hash.
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Hash is the resin of the flower
Tiny mushroom-shaped glands called trichomes grow on the surface of hemp flowers. Their heads contain the resin, where cannabinoids and terpenes are concentrated. Making hash means detaching these resin heads from the plant material, gathering them and then compacting them.
These trichomes ripen with the flower: their heads turn from clear to milky, then amber. The time of harvest therefore influences the resin available, even before the method is chosen.
CBD hash starts from varieties rich in CBD and low in THC. Like flowers, it must stay below 1% total THC, and it falls under the Tobacco Products Act as a product for smoking or heating. Our guide to using a CBD product places this framework among those of other products.
Four ways of separating the resin
Dry sifting is the oldest method. Dried flowers are rubbed or shaken over sieves with ever finer mesh; the powder that passes through, rich in resin heads, is what the trade calls “pollen”. The name is misleading: it is not the plant’s pollen but sifted resin, pressed to a greater or lesser degree.
Ice water extraction, often called ice-o-lator, immerses the plant material in a mixture of water and ice that is stirred. The cold makes the trichomes brittle: they break off and are collected in a series of filter bags with decreasing mesh. The result is a fine resin that is dried before pressing.
Charas traditionally refers to resin rubbed by hand from living plants, a Himalayan method. Some products are now inspired by it for their soft texture and dark colour. Finally, hot pressing, as practised in Morocco, heats the sifted resin under pressure: it becomes supple and malleable, and its aroma develops.
Some hashes go through several successive filtrations to keep only the purest resin heads: this is the principle behind so-called “double” or “triple filtered” hash. The more thorough the filtration, the less plant material remains and the more concentrated the resin.
Texture, colour and aroma
The method can be felt. A lightly pressed sifted resin is crumbly and breaks up between the fingers; a hot-pressed resin is supple and can be shaped; a charas often has a firm crust around a soft core. The colour ranges from blond to black depending on the variety, the fineness of the separation and the pressure applied.
Over time, the outside of a piece of hash can darken in contact with air while the inside keeps its colour. This surface oxidation tells you about the age and storage of the piece more than about its original quality: break it, and the original colour appears.
Aromas come from the variety’s terpenes, then from the way the resin has been processed. Our product pages show the range: spicy and chocolate notes for Swiss Charas, hazelnut and spice for the hot-pressed Original Moroccan Style, Kush and wood for Plutonium, made from indoor flowers.
What the CBD content does, and does not, tell you
Hash concentrates the resin, and therefore the cannabinoids: its CBD content is usually higher than that of a flower, and it varies widely from one type to another. Each product page states it, together with the reminder that total THC stays below 1%.
The content says nothing about the method or the aroma. Two hashes with the same content can have opposite textures and aroma profiles, because their variety and production differ. It is the combination of method, variety and pressure that gives a hash its character.
A product for smoking or heating
Like flowers, CBD hash is sold without tobacco and reserved for people aged 18 or over. Its packaging carries the official warnings in French, German and Italian. Our article on the Tobacco Products Act details these obligations, and the one on growing CBD flowers shows where the resin comes from.
Hash keeps best in an airtight container, away from light and heat, so that it does not dry out and keeps its aroma; our article on storing CBD products compares the needs of each product.
Point to watch
“Pollen” and “charas” are trade names. The first refers to sifted resin, not hemp pollen; the second to a texture inspired by a traditional method. The product page states the method actually used.
Our whole selection is on the CBD hash page, with the method, texture and aromas of each product.
Our laboratory
Our laboratory in Gland works with hemp extracts containing less than 1% total THC, from crude extract to finished bottle. Our hashes come from a specialist Swiss producer and are described product by product. Discover the laboratory →
Frequently asked questions
Does CBD pollen contain pollen?
No. In the trade, “pollen” means dry-sifted resin, a powder of trichome heads pressed to a greater or lesser degree. The name comes from its powdery appearance, not from the plant’s pollen.
What is ice-o-lator hash?
It is hash obtained by ice water extraction. The plant material is stirred in water and ice; the trichomes, made brittle by the cold, break off and are collected in filter bags with ever finer mesh, then dried and pressed.
Why are some hashes supple and others crumbly?
Texture depends mainly on pressure and heat. A lightly pressed sifted resin stays crumbly; a hot-pressed resin, as in the Moroccan tradition, becomes supple and malleable.
Does CBD hash contain THC?
Yes, in small amounts. Like flowers, CBD hash must stay below 1% total THC in Switzerland. Each product page restates this threshold.
Do you have to be 18 to buy CBD hash?
Yes. CBD hash is a herbal product for smoking, subject to the Tobacco Products Act: its sale is restricted to people aged 18 or over, in shops and online.
