It's hard to believe the hype that has quickly been built around a product which enables deceit in so many ways. I really thought my readers would keep this one at arm's length, and I do believe they have, seeing through the smoke and mirrors to realize the immense drawbacks from such an overpriced-blunder of a product. This article explores a critical look at this new product category, while shedding some light on the topic of smoked cannabis plants in the modern age.
What is a Hash Hole?
A "hash-hole" is a pre-rolled joint or blunt, usually joint, that has about one half gram of rosin snaked and rolled into the center of the joint, surrounded by flower. All said, nearing a gram of rosin and a few grams of flower, these "Hash-Holes" call for an absurd markup in price, while hiding quality behind labels.
Roll your own... Deal
Before I trash them, let me say as always, there is a place and a person for almost every product. Endless cash? Go nuts! New to the scene without a clue how to roll your own? I'd recommend trying and figuring it out (watch KIDS and add a rosin snake). But unless you are made of money, these hash-holes just might mark the newest low in consumer value. And we will never knock someone who wants to roll their own for a special occasion, and you should roll your own, as it's the only way to prevent the issues detailed next.
Hash-Hole Prices
We asked around for some pricing and were blown away by the tag on these things! With taxes and all accounted for, these Hash Holes run anywhere from 45 to 75 dollars a piece! . Who knows what is being rolled into the center of that joint, however.
At best, it allows producers to make use of mid-grade rosin, oftentimes from the batches or flavors that didn't sell. At worst, you get a bit of bulk food-grade rosin rolled up nice and tight, hidden from view. One thing is for certain, don't expect to get to their high grade material, as this provides another outlet for lower quality cannabis.
The assembly-line goes as follows: Ice water hash, fresh press rosin, rosin badder, rosin sauces and rosin vapes, to hash-holes and edibles as a last rosin-resort. And the level of quality of a product mirrors this order of operations from high to low.
The Flower & Service
The flower wrapped around your hash, oh boy, is going to be the usual run of the mill pre-roll shake, relying on the high thc percentage of the rosin to make the flower all but unnoticeable. While I haven't purchased a pre-roll or a hash-hole ever (but have had several), it's no surprise that pre-made products like pre-rolls, force you to pay a ridiculous sum for the service and convenience. Service and convenience is something I totally understand and am willing to pay for, yet this type of scenario happens once, maybe twice per year. However, brands have pumped these out like daily smokes and with so much hash-hole hype, someone needed to offer a consumer opinion.
The Infuriating Part
Since six-star hash was unleashed, and it became possible to remove and preserve the entire trichome gland head cleanly separated not just from the plant, but from the trichome stem as well, our aims were clarified. Nothing else was needed and full melt or six star hash became the pinnacle achievement in the history of cannabis and its extracts. Peep this close-up of a near six star-hash (that I'd honestly consider no higher than a solid 5 star cleanliness) and you will notice maybe one or two trichome stems in the entire picture, surrounded by perfectly round trichome heads:
When the first ice-water hash brands claimed to be free of trichome-stems, it was hard to believe or imagine. We quickly learned how precise ice water hash is, nearly eliminating the trichome stems just like the rest of the plant materials. It's a pretty wild and precise result. A jar full of trichome heads.
Why would you want to smoke anything else, any other way?
And after we zoom out a bit. Ice water Hashish:
Joints and Blunts are the least effective method of Consuming cannabis
Once refinement of pure trichome heads was proven possible, my theoretical understanding of the plant was confirmed. The idea of smoked flower, especially when rolled in a joint or a blunt, failed to seem promising or effective anymore. With the delicate nature of the trichome, terpenes begin to vaporize at temperatures as low as 200-300 degrees Fahrenheit, so the act of lighting a joint or blunt, would instantly vaporize nearly every single trichome head wrapped inside. The first or second good pull off the joint with a nice red cherry, will pull enough heat and fire through the length of the joint to vaporize or burn every terpene inside.
Smoking Cannabis Flower "Best Practices"
As far back as 2004 we realized the delicate nature of good cannabis enough to adopt strict smoking philosophies and a "best practices' of consuming the plant. Each person, almost regardless of the pipe or smoking method used, received a small amount of fresh green bud. Each bong rip, which was our preferred method of consumption (and my necessary method of actually feeling any sort of a high) was packed fresh for each person. This let each person have a fresh green rip full of trichomes. The days of passing around a burnt-up bowl of cannabis and ash ended decades ago for those looking for effective efficiency. It's truly no different than the way we dab today, with a fresh scoop of hash or rosin for each dab taken.
The cannabis plant is one complex unit, designed and grown to produce a bounty of trichomes, that break free from the plant where the trichome stem and trichome head meet, like it was meant to happen. An entire ecosystem, a complex web of growth, vegetation, flowering, all in the aim to produce the round clear tips of each trichome gland. With the trichome head removed from the plant, and the plant out of the equation, we can finally look inward to the trichome and its many molecules. That is, if we aren't igniting and scorching them by open flame.
Expected Bio-Availability Depends on Route of Consumption
We could dive into the bio-availability of smoked cannabis (and have before), but the results are next to none. Expect to receive little more than 20% of the THC when cannabis is smoked. And why did they only measure the THC absorbed? Because lighting cannabis on fire destroys the terpene profiles. Thankfully, absorption rates through the lungs hit the bloodstream faster than any other reasonable method of consumption, playing perfectly into the vaporization of cannabinoids and terpenes in the form of dabs. We have known for decades that vaporization allows for nearly 100% absorption or bio-availability, hence the famous line of desktop vaporizers known as "The Volcano''.
The BEST
Dabbing is the most effective way to consume the cannabis plant, and ice water hash and live rosin are the highest valued products across the industry. Not only is the method of consumption vastly superior to the smoked herb, but the products we dab ensure a level of quality reflected only by solventless products. With the clear indicator that everything desirable resides in the trichome gland heads, all other plant materials are useless to my consumption, making the plant a simple carrier to the final glandular head's summation on my quartz banger. Smart consumption meets wise purchasing practices to get the most out of the bloated retail industry.
Drop a Comment Below and let us know what you think and where you stand on smoking the dried flower versus dabbing only it's trichomes. Or anything else you want to add to the conversation. Follow and Subscribe below for future notifications.
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