Bubble hash is hash made by stirring cannabis in ice water so the resin glands (trichomes) break off, sink, and get caught in a stack of fine mesh bags, then dried. It's also called ice water hash, and it's named for the way good hash bubbles and melts when you put a flame to it.
No solvent is involved, so what's left is just the plant's resin. It is still a concentrate: an industry guide puts the best grades at about 60 to 80% THC. Health Canada tells new and occasional users to avoid hash and other extracts.
Contents9
What is bubble hash, exactly?
All hash is the same thing at heart: the sticky resin glands from cannabis flowers, collected and pressed or left loose. The trichomes page explains those glands. What changes between kinds of hash is how the glands are collected. Bubble hash uses ice water. The result ranges from a pale, sandy powder to a darker, waxy paste depending on the grade, and it smells strongly of the flower it came from.
How bubble hash is made
Cannabis, often frozen, is stirred in ice water. The cold makes the resin glands brittle, so they snap off the plant and sink, while the leafy material floats. Mesh bags with smaller and smaller holes then sort what came off by size. Whole gland heads make the best grade. Plant bits and broken glands make the lower grades. The hash is dried and sold loose or pressed. Montana's cannabis regulator lists cold water as one of the main ways concentrates are made, alongside solvents and heat and pressure.
That's the process, not a recipe. Making it well takes equipment and drying know-how, and this site doesn't cover extraction.
Is bubble hash just kief?
Close. Kief is the same resin glands knocked off dry flower and sifted through a screen (dry sift). Bubble hash collects them with ice water instead. Water tends to separate the glands more cleanly, with less leaf mixed in. So: same ingredient, wetter method, usually cleaner result. Kief from your grinder is the budget version.
Bubble hash grades: what the stars mean
Hash makers rate bubble hash from one to six stars by how completely it melts. The test is the one that gave it its name: put a bit on a hot surface and watch.
| Grade | What it does with heat | How people use it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 star | Chars, leaves ash; visible plant matter | Mostly used in cooking |
| 3 to 4 star (half melt) | Bubbles and partly melts, leaves residue | Crumbled on a bowl or into a joint |
| 5 to 6 star (full melt) | Bubbles away almost completely | Dabbed on a rig like other concentrates |
Full melt usually costs the most because it's mostly whole gland heads, the cleanest part of a wash. Pressed with heat, it becomes hash rosin; the live resin vs. live rosin page covers that.
How strong is bubble hash?
Stronger than flower, and usually not as strong as solvent extracts. An industry guide puts full melt at about 60 to 80% THC and standard grades at 40 to 60%. Montana's cannabis regulator puts concentrates as a group at 50 to 98% THC and flower at 12 to 30%. Batches vary, so the label on the jar is the number that counts.
Hash is an extract
Health Canada names hash alongside kief, wax and shatter as extracts that new and occasional users should avoid because of their THC concentration. Even a little hash on a bowl makes that bowl much stronger. Inhaled effects can take up to 30 minutes to reach full strength, so start low, go slow, and wait before deciding on more. If you overdo it, the too high page tells you what to do. Smoked hash is still smoke: the CDC says cannabis smoke has many of the same toxins, irritants and cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco smoke. Keep hash locked away from children and pets. If a child gets into it, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. For a pet, call your vet.
How do you smoke bubble hash?
- On a bowl. Pack flower, crumble a little hash on top, light the edge. Hash doesn't burn well alone; the flower keeps it going. The bowl guide has the basics.
- In a joint. Crumble it through the ground flower before rolling. Too much clogs the joint and it won't draw.
- Dabbed, if it's full melt. Five- and six-star hash can be dabbed on a rig like other concentrates. The dabs page explains the gear and why lower heat matters.
- Vaporized. Some dry-herb vaporizers handle hash on a concentrate pad; check the manual.
Store it in an airtight jar, somewhere cool and dark.
Bubble hash vs. rosin vs. wax
| Bubble hash | Rosin | Wax, shatter, live resin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it's made | Ice water and mesh | Heat and pressure, often on bubble hash | Solvent (butane, propane, CO2), then purged |
| Solvent | None | None | Yes, mostly removed, then lab-tested in licensed markets |
| Typical THC | About 40 to 80% | About 70 to 85% (hash rosin) | Concentrates as a group: 50 to 98% |
| Texture | Sand to paste | Sticky oil to creamy badder | Glass to wax to sauce |
Words you'll hear
- Ice water hash, ice wax: bubble hash.
- Solventless: made without a solvent. Bubble hash and rosin both count.
- Full melt, half melt: the top and middle grades.
- Bubble bags: the mesh bags that sort the glands by size. Their hole sizes are measured in microns.
- Dry sift, kief: the same glands collected dry.
- Hash rosin: bubble hash pressed with heat.
- Temple ball: hash hand-rolled into a ball and aged; old-school.
Common questions
Is bubble hash stronger than hash?
Bubble hash is a kind of hash, usually a cleaner one, because ice water separates the resin glands with less plant matter than old pressed hash. Strength depends on the grade: full melt can reach about 60 to 80% THC by industry figures; lower grades sit around 40 to 60%.
How strong is bubble hash?
Stronger than flower. An industry guide gives about 40 to 60% THC for standard grades and 60 to 80% for full melt, against 12 to 30% for flower in Montana's consumer guide. Check the label; batches vary.
Is bubble hash just kief?
Nearly. Both are the plant's resin glands. Kief is sifted off dry flower through a screen; bubble hash is washed off in ice water through mesh bags, which usually gives a cleaner product with more smell.
Is bubble hash like wax?
Both are concentrates, but wax is made with a solvent like butane and tends to test higher in THC. Bubble hash uses only ice water. Full-melt bubble hash is dabbed the way wax is; lower grades go on a bowl.
How do you smoke bubble hash?
Crumble a little over flower in a bowl or into a joint; it won't burn well on its own. Full-melt grades can be dabbed on a rig at a low temperature. Start with less than you think and wait before more.
Is bubble hash good for beginners?
Health Canada tells new and occasional users to avoid hash and other extracts. If you're new, learn flower first. If you try it later, start low, go slow, and wait up to 30 minutes before deciding on more.
What's the difference between bubble hash and rosin?
Rosin is what you get when you press bubble hash (or flower) between hot plates: the resin oozes out as an oil. So hash rosin is bubble hash one step further, usually stronger and dab-ready.
We cite government health agencies and peer-reviewed research. Numbers in the text link to the source.
- Government Health Canada: Cannabis, lower your risks (hash and other extracts, timing)
- Government Montana Department of Revenue, Cannabis Control Division: Concentrate facts 101 (production methods, THC ranges)
- Government CDC: Cannabis and lung health
- Wikipedia: Hashish (ice-water separation of trichomes)
- Leafly glossary: Bubble hash (the melt test, full melt)
- Trimleaf (industry): Ice water hash vs bubble hash, star grades and typical THC
