What Is CBD Hash and How’s It Actually Made?

Let’s talk CBD hash, the different types you can find, and the various ways in which it’s made. Most people, (certainly those that have found their way to this blog!) know about CBD flower and CBD bud. The processes involved in producing the various extracts/ CBD hash varieties are wide, and despite being part of the wider cannabis family few understand what goes into producing CBD hash, depending on the method you’ll end up with something crumbly, sticky, oily or powdery. So if you’ve ever wondered what exactly you're putting in your pipe, vape, bowl or brownies- read on.

From Plant to Pollen: Where It All Starts

As with the creation of all CBD and Cannabinoid products it all begins with CBD bud — that’s your raw material. And not just any old shake or trim — high-quality, resinous CBD flower with low THC content. The aim here is to extract the good stuff (mainly the trichomes, where most of the cannabinoids and terpenes live) without other, restricted psychoactive cannabinoids.

In the world of CBD, producers have to be extra careful because there are legal limits to how much THC is allowed, usually under 0.2% - 3% depending where in the world you are, here in the UK its <0.2%). That’s where specialised THC-reduction techniques come in — here are the main categories broken down;

The Main Different Kinds of CBD Hash (And How They’re Made)

🔸 Pollen Hash / Dry Sift

Let’s start with a classic. This method is low-tech but high-reward. See Gorilla Glue CBD Hash as a good example.

How it works: Dried CBD buds are gently rubbed or shaken through fine mesh screens. What falls through is a powdery particles from the plant, trichomes and fine particulate matter, aka kief, which is then pressed into, normally golden coloured, bricks.

What it’s like: Crumbly, dry, sometimes sandy. It’s mild in aroma compared to oily or water-extracted hash but still packs a good terpene punch, and is normally more subtle and citrusy.

Why it's used: Easy to scale, no solvents or chemicals, and when it’s made from good quality CBD flower, you get a clean and smooth, delicately flavoured result.

🔸 Ice Water Hash / Isolator

More advanced, and hence more expensive. Also known as bubble hash.

How it works: CBD buds are mixed in icy water, then filtered through bubble bags with different micron levels. The trichomes freeze, snap off, and sink. After filtering and drying, you’ve got pure resin, with no large particulate plant matter/ bud / leaf left whatsoever.

What it’s like: Sticky, sometimes greasy, and usually darker. Can be pressed into a slab or left in sandy form. If done right, this stuff melts like butter on a nail, hence the name "full melt".

Why it’s used: Purity and potency. No need for solvents, and it keeps the full cannabinoid and terpene profile intact.

🔸 Charas / Hand-Rubbed Hash

Old school, intimate, and very sticky. Our Indian Charas is a great example of this.

How it works: Instead of using dry flower, fresh CBD bud is rubbed between the hands until the resin collects and forms a thick layer. That’s then scraped off and rolled into hash.

What it’s like: Soft, dark, and fragrant. Not crumbly — this stuff is oily, sticky, and usually smoked in tiny pieces.

Why it’s used: Tradition mostly, but some CBD growers still use this for small-batch, artisan hash. Especially where the plant is grown outdoors.

🔸 Rosin Hash

Pure pressure on CBD flowers. That’s it.

How it works: Heat and pressure are applied to CBD flower or kief to squeeze out the resin — no solvents, no drama.

What it’s like: Soft, golden, and terp-heavy. A cross between hash and oil. Can be dabbed, vaped or added to flower.

Why it’s used: Solvent-free purity and full-spectrum extraction — all cannabinoids, all terps, just none of the THC-heavy buzz.

🔸 THC Reduction: How to ensure it’s legal

CBD hash has to meet strict rules on THC levels. So even if you're starting with low-THC hemp, many producers take an extra step to get the levels really low. (<0.2% THC in the UK).

Most common method? CO₂ extraction. Supercritical CO₂ (basically carbon dioxide under high pressure) is used to separate out cannabinoids. From there, the extract can be winterised (removing waxes), purified, and remixed to dial down the THC.

CO₂ extraction (aka “CO₂ blasting”) is a clean, solvent-free method used to extract cannabinoids, terpenes, and other beneficial compounds from hemp or cannabis flower. It works by using supercritical CO₂ — carbon dioxide that’s been pressurised and heated to a state where it behaves like both a gas and a liquid. In this form, CO₂ can move through plant material like a gas, but dissolve and carry oils like a liquid.

The process begins by loading dried CBD flower or hash material into a sealed extraction chamber. Supercritical CO₂ is then passed through the material, pulling out cannabinoids like CBD, CBG, and terpenes, without leaving behind harmful residues. The beauty of this method is its precision — temperatures and pressures can be tweaked to target specific compounds.

Once the CO₂ has done its job, it moves to a separator where the extracted oil is collected, and the CO₂ is recycled back into the system — meaning there’s no waste or chemical contamination. What’s left is a pure, full-spectrum extract rich in cannabinoids, with very low THC content (or none at all, depending on the process).

Because it’s solvent-free, highly tunable, and environmentally friendly, CO₂ extraction is one of the most respected methods in the CBD industry. It’s used to make everything from vape oils and tinctures to CBD hash, and is a trusted technique when THC levels need to be precisely controlled — especially for legal markets like the UK and EU.

Other methods: Distillation and chromatography are also used — more lab coats involved, but they help strip out THC while keeping CBD and other beneficial compounds in.

Some producers go for broad-spectrum extracts (no THC), while others still aim for full-spectrum, which have more cannabinoids, reflective of the natural state of the plant, yet falling within the legal limit. The method depends on the end goal — whether the hash is for direct smoke, vape carts, or infused product lines.

In Summary

So next time you pick up a slab of CBD hash, know that it’s not just the left-over bits squashed together.. or a mere bi-product of  CBD flower production. CBD Hash is a product of technique, care, and in some cases, serious scientific precision involving expensive lab equipment. Whether you go for CBD/CBG mixed hash made using Co2 extraction, an all-natural extract reflective of the plants chemical make up, made using just a press (Rosin), or a dry-sift crumbler, or something sticky and resinous like Charas, (see Indian Charas for a fine example of this!) you’re getting a slice of carefully crafted cannabis concentrate, displaying a wide array of Omega oils, Terpenes and Cannabinoids. Whether you’re into CBD bud, CBD flower or CBD hash — there’s something out there for every palette.

At CBD Budshop, we’re all about quality, transparency, and sourcing our hash from the best European farms. We use cultivators with years of experience in a range of techniques in cannabinoid extraction, that test all their products by a trusted third-party. As always, if you have any questions we’re happy to help / answer any questions where we feel qualified!