New Year’s Hash Review

As this New Year advances, we can reflect on the highlights of the last season, and at the top of the list was the Northern California Hash Championships hosted by Byrd and Budsmith. The contest consisted of some of the most original rules and guidelines I have ever been a part of. The first interesting part was that all of the products used for making the hash would be cultivated by a single source capable of having already produced many winners over the years in almost every important rosin competition. Secondly, the competitors would be picked by the judges, by invitation only. This produced one of the most stacked lists of hash makers I have ever seen. Getting to judge this competition was a true honor, and the different levels of technique and care at this cup were amazing. The third cool part of this competition was that not only did the overall scores get tallied for a top five, but each judge got to give an award for their personal best choice. The overall winner for the night also happened to be my personal choice award among two of the other judges and gave him the overall highest score for the win with a beautiful donut that showed at least four techniques. Also getting overall third place and two judges’ picks were the HSL prodigies from Solventless Soup Kitchen, who have taken their Nor Cal Rosin Roots back to Oregon and washed some of the best-cultivated material that you can find. In true Oregon style, they have figured out how to add a witchy twist on a bro culture, providing a high that will always be in style.

Back in Cali, we have been so busy searching through this season’s terms. I find the variety and flavor combinations that keep springing to life unbelievable. As if the plant was completely in tune with how it is being received, I have seen a huge drop in the number of cakes trying to be washed and a huge increase in flavors that get you high as a new favorite.

The Best Coast OG has more than a hint of the past for true OG or Sour Heads. Having the privilege to see so many gardens over the years has allowed me to watch, in particular, the slow move to the legal weed market and the troubles going to scale has afforded some of the best growers that have ever lived from the plant. It has been a slow transition, but as the more successful, larger companies expanded, they realized that not just quantity, but quality would be the way to secure a place in the long game, and with that, the search for people that actually knew what they were doing was on. It is a hard transition for employees and employers when they come from different sides of the market, especially in the hash game. To convince someone that the best path to a worthy product is to freeze their crop after a year of hard work and before payday, it takes a certain individual to trust in the process and put quality before profit sometimes.

In the past few years, the lines have become blurred regarding what a true standard of quality is, but as we approach the future, more knowledge than ever is being circulated about rosin, and I could not be happier with the results. As a result of who knows what? Some states on the east coast have not approved any hash but solventless, opening the doors to plenty of new rosin heads. Standing at the top of the game is Farmer and the Felon, not only showing commitment to the consumer but the grower and hash makers. These guys have shown that scale does not always mean garbage, and it is incredible what is happening at their facility. With one of the most amazing outdoor farms producing today, the amount and quality of terps are mind-blowing and necessary to feed today’s quality-driven market that seems to demand more hash every day.

As far as the best rosin I have been able to smoke last season, I would have to say the Rainbow Belts from Solventless Soup Kitchen filled my Z void that has lately seemed pretty watered down-far from the days of Z and Hot Licks from Big Dog-most crosses have seemed to run away from the nasty hose water flavor that I love. Still, the Belts from SSK rang the bell. Also, a garden mix from Swollen Heads Hash Company that I sampled at a party was very memorable, providing a unique high sometimes only accomplished by mixing that many terps together. As far as what we are working on back at HSL, we have been blessed with figuring out the perfect ratios for what we are calling the Pink Skunk and the Wonder Fuck. These two flavors will be able to put you in a time and place of where you were when and if these terms have been a part of your life. We are trying to create new classics by making sure to pay homage to the past but not fall irrelevant while ignoring the future.

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