Pressing is the oldest way to finish hash. Loose sift or bubble hash is pressed into a solid piece and left to cure, and time does the rest. Two styles lead the way today: temple balls and piattella.
In short
- Pressing protects the terpenes inside and lets hash cure over time.
- Temple balls are worked by hand into dense balls and aged.
- Piattella is full melt hash cold cured flat until it turns creamy.
Why press hash at all?
Loose hash has a lot of surface area, so air, light and heat get to all of it. Pressing it into a dense piece protects the terpenes inside and slows oxidation. Pressed hash also cures, a bit like cheese or wine: the flavor deepens and the texture changes with time.
Temple balls
Temple balls take their name from the traditional hand-pressed hash of Nepal and the Himalayas. The modern version starts with high-grade ice water hash or dry sift, which is worked by hand into a smooth, dense ball and then left to cure, often for weeks or months.
A good temple ball develops a glossy outer shell while the inside stays soft, and many people find the flavor richer and more layered as it ages.
Piattella
Piattella comes from Italian hash culture, and its name comes from its flat, plate-like shape (piatto means flat, or plate). Full melt hash is vacuum sealed flat and cold cured just above freezing, usually for four to six weeks.
The cold cure transforms the texture. Break a piattella open and the inside is creamy, whipped and layered, while the outside stays glossy. Done well, it tastes bright and full of terpenes.
Other pressed styles
- Pressed sift: dry sift pressed into a disc or slab, sometimes with a little gentle heat.
- Hand-rubbed hash (charas): resin rubbed by hand from living plants, a tradition from India and Nepal.
- Old-world slabs: sifted resin pressed into dense blocks, like traditional Moroccan hash.
Keeping pressed hash at its best
Pressed hash is made to age, but it still needs the right conditions: cool, dark and airtight. Temple balls are usually kept in glass, and piattella stays cold. More in our guide on how to store hash.
Pressed hash from Golden Heads Warriors
See the dry sift and pressed hash in our lineup, and read how the starting material is made: static sift and ice water hash.
