Herbies editorial team Herbies

Making Hash From Weed Stems

Last updated: 6 May 2020

how to make hashish from stems

We all have our favorite style of cannabis to consume; raw flowers, concentrates, edibles. Something that probably doesn't make most people's list, however, is weed stems.

Today, though, we’re going to explain how to turn your weed waste into a useful by-product. That’s right – we’re showing you how to make hash from stems.

How Potent Are Weed Stems?

Stems contain very few cannabinoids compared to the flower or leaf of the plant, which is why instead of smoking them, we make stem hash from them! Although you need a fair amount of material, you’ll at least get a little return from something you would have otherwise thrown away.

Disclaimer: These techniques should only be followed in jurisdictions where cannabis use and production are legal. Seek professional guidance if you are unsure about the health effects of consuming cannabis derivatives.

high thc cannabis seeds

Making Stem Hash

The stem is also much denser than flower or leaf and thus burns at a higher temperature, creating a very harsh smoke. For these reasons, it’s much better to learn how to make hash from the stems. When you make hash from stems, there are at least four different methods to choose from, each requiring a few tools and techniques. Let’s explore each of them.

stem hash

Method 1: Making Hash Oil

The first method, making hash oil from stems, yields the purest product.

All you need to do is grind your stem into a powder, either with an electric herb grinder or scissors, before soaking it in 99% isopropyl alcohol for 2 minutes. After that, simply strain out the alcohol into a shallow glass dish and leave it to evaporate at room temperature in a well-ventilated space. When the alcohol has evaporated, you’ll have a concentration of all the cannabinoids that were stripped from the stem, which is your hash oil.

Method 2: Making Bubble Hash

The next method of making hash with stems is the bubble hash technique, which is created using an ice water bath to freeze the trichomes and make them fall from the stems.

eating weed stems

First, you’ll need some bubble bags, which are bags made of fine mesh screens. Place these in a bucket and fill it with ice, cold water and your stem material (that has been roughly chopped). Let it sit for around 10 minutes to freeze the trichomes, then stir or agitate the water for 5 minutes, before removing the first bag layer along with the ice and stem.

In the next layer, you’ll have a fine catching of trichomes. Each layer of bag will give you a finer product – it’s your choice whether you want to combine them all or keep the cream of the crop for those special occasions.

how to make hash out of stems

Method 3: Making Charas

Proper Himilayan charas is something completely out of this world. Making stem charas is... different. Same, but different.

Whereas traditional charas is harvested from live plants, stem charas is, of course, harvested from the leftover stem. Other than that, however, the technique of simply hand-rubbing the plant and then scraping your palms of any tar-like resin collected is the same. And you'll get the same black gold that is created in the foothills of the Himalayas – albeit a lot less of it.

make hash from stems

Method 4: Making Kief

While stem kief is not hash, strictly speaking, it still easily beats consuming raw stems. Keif is the collection of loose trichomes before they’re pressed into hash, and so have very similar effects.

To make stem kief, all you need to do is rub your collection of stems together over a clean plate, collecting what falls off. Once finished, use a card to scrape together all the dust that has settled on the plate; that’s your precious kief.

Your Source Of High Until Better Times

In a perfect world, we’d all have a bottomless jar of our favorite flower to last a lifetime. There are lots of times, though, where that simply isn’t the case. And when that happens, there’s nothing better than knowing how to tide yourself over by making hashish from stems!

Disclaimer: Any consumption of cannabis products, including hash from stems, should be done responsibly and with consideration for health implications. Ensure proper ventilation, fire safety, and potential health risks if you want to use these techniques.

Herbies Head Shop expressly refuses to support the use, production, or supply of illegal substances. For more details read our Legal Disclaimer.

Matt
It would be very helpful if you included more of the technical information, such as how long the iso takes to evaporate or how much to actually put in based on the amount of stems, instead of just saying to “soak” them.
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Joe
When I make it, I put the stems into an empty water bottle and pour the alcohol level with the stems. I only soak it for 20-30 seconds; any longer and it starts to pull chlorophyll, which can make it harsher to smoke. I pour it onto small glass plates that I bought at the dollar store, and lay it on the counter to dry, which takes 24-48 hours depending on humidity. Then I like to put it in the freezer for 5 minutes, which makes it easier to scrape off the plate with a razor blade.It will be extremely sticky. If you didn't soak it for too long, it should be light brown (not green), but as it melts it turns black. I use one razor blade to scrape it off of the other, dip it in some crumbled bud, and roll it into small, weed-covered pellets so it's easier to handle. Sometimes, I'll just scrape it off directly on top of a bowl. What you don't want to do is put it directly in the pipe and smoke it: it will just melt and run down the hole. You want some herb for it to melt down into.You'll cough your lungs out if you take too big of a hit, which is easy to do. Also, it likes to stay lit, and most attempts at snuffing it out lead to it sticking to whatever you used to try to extinguish it. So either hit it lightly enough so that it doesn't cherry, or have a friend(s) to smoke it with. The effects are short-lived, but intense enough to be worth the efforts imo. Good luck.
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Herbies
Hello Joe,Thank you very much for sharing your experience, this will definitely assist everyone who wants to try this recipe
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Herbies
Hello Matt,Thank you for your review, we will consider your request
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Eddie
Can I fill a vape pen with the hash oil
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Elijiah
In the Bubble Hash method, we are told to use Bubble bags, however there is no specification as to how many is recommended it is obvious more than 1 because layers of bags are mentioned in the 2and paragraph
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Herbies
Hello Elijiah,The number of layers are up to your preferences, each layer of bag will give you a finer product – it’s your choice whether you want to combine them all or keep the cream of the crop for those special occasions
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Bert420
Amazon has bubble bag kits
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