How To Make Bubble Hash (3 Methods)

Looking to turn your home-grown harvest into a bounty of hash? Whether you have a load of trim or buds at your disposal, you can use a safe, time-tested method to create what is affectionately known as bubble hash.

Hash is a cannabis concentrate composed primarily of the resinous trichomes of cannabis flowers and leaves. There are many ways to make hash, but all involve separating the trichomes and pressing them together.

Traditionally, these methods were used regionally in places like Afghanistan and Morocco, where cannabis was rubbed over fine sieves to agitate and remove the trichomes, which were then pressed and heated to create a dark, creamy, and incredibly potent block.

Bubble hash is essentially a more modern version of an age-old process, and uses water and ice to achieve more refined results. In what follows, we cover the fundamentals of this unique type of hash, before detailing how to make bubble hash from the comfort of your own home using one of three methods aimed at beginners through to the more experienced.

What is bubble hash?

Sometimes referred to as water hash, ice hash, ice-o-lator, or full-melt hash, bubble hash is the result of separating trichomes from cannabis plant material using ice, water, and filter bags (aka “bubble bags”). This is one of the most effective ways to preserve the terpenes and cannabinoids while still creating a refined product, and without exposing your buds to solvents, like butane or propane, or excessive heat. The result is a product with amazing flavour and robust effects that almost anyone can make at home—with the right equipment.

You might be wondering how it’s possible to retain the quality of the trichomes when subjecting them to water; but cannabinoids are not water-soluble, meaning they will not dissolve into the liquid, but will retain their integrity. The ice, water, and agitation simply remove the trichomes from the bud more effectively.

Bubble hash gets its name from the result of the final product. High-quality, full-melt bubble hash should indeed “bubble” when heated, thanks to the high concentration of trichomes and lack of plant matter—making it more similar to types of concentrates you might find in legal dispensaries.

Bubble hash vs kief

Kief is essentially dry, unprocessed trichomes alongside a very small amount of plant matter. If you open the bottom chamber of a multi-chamber grinder, the fine dust collected here is kief. Historically, on a larger scale, cannabis was rubbed over fine sieves to dislodge the kief and create a pile of “pollen” below the sieve. This kief would then be pressed into hash for a highly potent product in its own right.

Bubble hash, however, goes beyond this rubbing process, exposing cannabis bud to water and ice to separate residual matter from the trichomes to create a purer, more consistent product.

In short, kief is a very unrefined form of hash, whereas bubble hash is more refined.

What are the benefits of bubble hash?

There are several reasons cannabis lovers make and consume bubble hash.

Hash at your fingertips

People love hash, but it can be hard to acquire depending on where you live. Bubble hash allows interested parties to create hash at home, rendering them a highly potent product they can use on its own or add to joints and bowls.

Safe and solvent-free

One of the best things about the bubble hash method is that it is solvent-free. In this context, water is not considered a true solvent, as trichomes are not water-soluble. Unlike creating butane hash oil (BHO) or other solvent-based concentrates, you bypass any danger associated with solvent residues or the risk of explosion. Furthermore, you needn’t be highly experienced to give bubble hash a go. Even novices can make their own with the right equipment.

Great way to use trim

You are more than welcome to use buds to create a mountain of bubble hash, but you can also use trim and sugar leaves to extract the trichomes from these often-ignored parts of the cannabis plant. You’ll still get a highly potent product once it’s all concentrated!

Discreet

Unlike making edibles or certain types of cannabis concentrates, the bubble hash process is discreet in its lack of noticeable odour.

Making bubble hash — method 1: coffee filter bubble hash

This is a super easy DIY method, and as such the final product will not be as refined as those outlined further below. That said, the “coffee filter method” is still effective, and as they say, practice makes perfect.

Equipment

• Bud and/or trim (7–14 grams per run)
• Glass jar with lid (0.5–1.0 litres)
• Kitchen sieve or window screen
• Coffee filters
• Scissors

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Instructions

1. Use scissors to break up your plant material into smaller bits, especially if you’re using buds. You want to expose as much of the surface area as possible to the ice water.

2. Run your bud or trim over the sieve or screen to dislodge the kief while leaving any stems, leaves, or excess material behind. It’s best to do this directly over the glass jar so you don’t have to move the kief from one surface to another. Make sure to only fill the jar about ¼ full with kief.

3. Next, add ice-cold water almost to the top of the jar, put on the lid, and shake the jar vigorously until all the powder has mixed with the water. To achieve best results, you could put the jar in a paint mixer if you have one. Regardless, you need to keep shaking until there are no clumps of plant matter left.

4. Wait at least 30 minutes. Now, open the jar and remove the plant matter floating on top. Put this material into another jar and repeat the process of skimming the material until there’s none left.

5. Wait another 15–30 minutes to let the mixture in the jar settle. Carefully pour off the water to within 1 inch of the bottom of the jar. The material at the bottom of the jar is the hashish.

6. Fill the jar again with cold water, and let the mixture settle again for a minimum of 15 minutes.

7. Next, pour the water and the hash material through the coffee filter slowly and carefully, making sure you don’t spill anything. When you have drained the water, gently roll up the resin in the filter and squeeze the last drops of moisture out.

8. When you are finished, place the filter and resin on paper towels. This will help to remove any remaining moisture you couldn't squeeze out.

9. When this wrap is completely dry, unwrap the paper towel and gently unroll the filter. Scrape the resin from the filter. Voila. Hashish.

10. You can smoke the hash in a pipe; but first you have to press it together to make a solid mass. Wash and dry your hands, then use your fingers to press it firmly into a solid. If you do not press hard enough, the hash will turn liquid as soon as you add a heat source. When you press it together and smoke it, the hash should bubble.

Method 2: bubble hash with micron bags

This method of making bubble hash requires a little bit more of a specialised investment, but the equipment will be more durable (and reusable) than coffee filters, and you can make larger quantities to boot. You may also find that this method is ultimately easier, starting with the ability to scrape the hash off the bubble bags with ease.

Equipment

• 50–250g bud or trim
• 2 large buckets
• Paddle to stir with
• Mesh micron bags aka bubble bags (the finer, the better)

Ice-O-Lator Small

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Instructions

To estimate how much cannabis you’ll need, a rule of thumb is that 10 grams of flower will produce about 1 gram of hash. This largely depends on the quality of material used.

1. Place the bud/trim into one of the buckets and add the ice and water—enough to submerge everything. Now’s the fun part; stir everything for at least 15 minutes.

2. Prepare your mesh bags into the second bucket. Put them inside one another according to mesh size, and secure them so you can pour the contents of the first bucket through them without any mishaps.

3. Pour the liquid through this multi-layer filter system, being careful not to let the water spill over the sides. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.

4. Carefully begin to lift out your bubble bags, starting with the one at the top. Drain it of water and set it aside. This should be the bag that contains the most plant material. However, as you will see, as you continue to remove the bags and drain them, the grade of the hash becomes increasingly refined until you get to the final bag, where only a small amount of material remains—this is your highest grade of hash.

5. Scoop all of the trichomes out of the last bag and spread them on a smooth, dry surface for several hours. When they are dry, you will have high-quality material you can press into hash.

6. Depending on the number of filters you used, there may be perfectly viable bubble hash in more than just the finest bag, but you want to avoid as much plant matter as possible.

Method 3: bubble hash with Bubbleator B-Quick

The Bubbleator makes the entire process of making bubble hash extremely easy. Indeed, the part that takes the longest is waiting for the crystals to dry.

Equipment

• 50–250g bud or trim
• Bubbleator B-Quick with included zipper and micron bags
• Large bucket

Bubbleator B-Quick

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Instructions

1. Place your trim into the included zipper bag and seal it securely. Place inside the Bubbleator with about half water and half ice until you reach the ideal temperature of 4°C. Close the lid, turn the machine on, and set the timer for 15 minutes.

2. Place the other two bags that come with the machine inside one another, and then into your large bucket. Secure the excess fabric around the rim of the bucket so no water escapes.

3. When the timer goes off, carefully remove the bag of bud/trim. Now, transfer the contents into the bucket with the filters, allowing it to drain completely.

4. Take the two filters containing the hash out, paying special attention to the finest mesh bag. Gently squeeze out the water, and leave to dry on paper towels for 24 hours. Repeat with multiple batches as needed. Obviously, the bag with the finest mesh will produce the finest hash, whereas the larger bag will be filled primarily with residual cannabis material.

Grading bubble hash

Not all bubble hash is created equal. Chiefly, the quality of your product will depend on how fine your filters/bubble bags are. In short; the finer the mesh, the better. Not only that, but the original potency and flavour of your chosen strain will make a difference in the final product as well. Below is an overview of how bubble hash is generally graded.

⭐ 1–2 stars

This is the lowest grade of bubble hash. It is dry, has a high proportion of plant matter, and consists of less than 50% trichomes. This is not ideal for smoking or dabbing on its own, but you can make edibles out of it, or add it to a regular joint to boost its potency.

⭐ 3–4 stars

With less debris than the lowest grade, this grade of hash melts sufficiently due to a greater lack of leaf material. You can still add it to a bowl, or even dab it, but it won't melt fully.

⭐ 5–6 stars

This is top-grade, full-melt bubble hash. It contains essentially nothing but trichome heads and stalks, and therefore will melt and bubble gorgeously when heat is applied. There is no excess leaf material or residue, and therefore the product can be effectively dabbed, vaped, or smoked on its own. This type of bubble hash is created only when a suitably fine filter is used to catch just the trichomes.

Make your own bubble hash today

All said and done, bubble hash is a great way to use your trim or flower to create a safe, high-potency cannabis concentrate that can be smoked, dabbed, vaped, or eaten (after decarboxylation). It is a fun process that also does not emit an odour during the manufacturing process, which is ideal for many home growers. And while it does take a little practice to perfect, most hash aficionados agree the process is well worth it.

Marguerite Arnold

Marguerite Arnold is a German-American cannabis industry expert. She covers the industry as a journalist, including for top cannabis magazines such as High Times, and has written two books on the topic (so far). She is also a member of the industry as an entrepreneur and consultant.

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