Old-school hash is making a comeback in Michigan. We put two versions to the test.

Temple balls and hash coins are popping up on Michigan dispensary menus. We sent a reporter to smoke both and see what old-school hash looks like in the modern era.

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MICHIGAN—Every so often, Michigan weed culture circles back to the classics.

Right now, that classic is old-school hashish: concentrated cannabis resin that your uncle still talks about like it was a myth—something that predates vaporizers and dab rigs and usually hits best when it’s crumbled on top of a bowl and puffed slowly, not blasted in one heroic dab.

It’s a format that I’ve been seeing pop up more often on Michigan dispensary menus lately, especially as brands try to revive some of the traditions that helped shape cannabis culture long before Michiganders ever voted to legalize the plant. So last week, I decided to see what the modern version of this old-school hash experience actually looks like.

A quick trip to Herbana in Lansing turned up two contenders sitting right next to each other on the shelf: Temple Balls from LightSky Farms and Hash Coins from Glacier Cannabis.

At their core, they’re basically the same product: hash made from dried trichomes collected from cured cannabis flower and pressed together with heat. The difference mostly comes down to shape. LightSky rolls theirs into spheres; Glacier presses theirs into flat coins.

Either way, the ritual is the same: crumble off a tiny piece, drop it onto a bowl of freshly ground flower, and let it slowly melt into the burning weed. In theory, they should’ve delivered a pretty similar experience. But in practice, they turned out to feel like very different products.

Temple Balls by LightSky Farms ($27/1g)

Let’s address the most important thing first: my temple ball wasn’t exactly a ball. The jar I bought was produced on July 24, 2025. But by the time I got my hands on it last week, the once-spherical mass had softened and settled into a shiny little puddle of hardened ooze.

Still hash—just not the neat little orb the name promised.

Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom

Temple balls are supposed to be one of the oldest styles of cannabis concentrates on the market. Traditionally, hash makers rolled their resin into dense spheres by hand. The technique reportedly dates back centuries to places like Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Since I was already leaning into the old-school theme here, I decided to enjoy this hash the old-school way: crumbled onto the top of a bowl instead of vaporized in a dab rig. I even tracked down some Biscotti flower from another nearby dispensary so the flavors would match.

Because the temple ball had melted, it took a little work to pry loose from the jar. I used a dab tool to chip off a few pieces—though a butter knife would’ve probably done the job just as well.

Despite the glossy appearance, the hash wasn’t sticky. It actually shattered apart pretty cleanly, which made it easy to drop a few chunks into the center of a bowl. Once I figured out the lighting technique—gently edging the flame around the flower to preserve a slow-burning cushion beneath the hash—the experience really clicked. The hash softened and bubbled into the bowl as it heated, adding a subtle layer of sweetness without overpowering the flower underneath.

And the effects hit almost immediately. 

Three hits in, a warm cerebral wave washed over me—wiping away the stress of the work week and settling me comfortably into the couch. I had the house to myself that evening, so it felt like the perfect moment to fire up my new Pokémon game and relive some childhood nostalgia.

Over the next couple hours, I slowly puffed through two bowls, burning through maybe a third of the gram. And the high continued to stack as the night went on. 

Eventually, the evening shifted into movie mode. A full bag of tortilla chips disappeared. My dogs climbed onto the couch. And somewhere in the middle of it all, I totally passed out. Not my proudest moment. But with a high like that, I also felt a little bit like a teenager again.

All told, it was a solid product—and a great way to stretch a single gram of hash across several sessions. A tiny crumble goes a long way. The only real downside was the melted hash. Whether from age, storage conditions, or just the realities of sitting on a dispensary shelf for months, the format ended up being harder to work with than it probably should have been.

Hash Coins by Glacier Cannabis ($40/2g)

After wrestling with the temple ball, the hash coin felt refreshingly simple.

Glacier Cannabis introduced these Nepalese-style hash coins last month alongside several other new concentrate products. And in my opinion, the format here just makes more sense. Instead of a sphere, Glacier presses its hash into flat discs—about the size of a large coin.

Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom

Mine had crumbled apart into three pieces before I even opened the package, but that honestly just saved me some work; I was going to snap off chunks to drop on top of my bowl anyway.

The strain in this batch was called Rainbow Unicorn, which—true to its name—is about as mysterious as cannabis genetics get. I couldn’t find much reliable information about the lineage, and it doesn’t appear to be something Glacier is actively growing right now. So, I went in blind.

I smoked it the same way: a tiny crumble on top of a bowl and slow puffs until the hash softened and melted into the flower. Compared to the Biscotti, the aroma here leaned sweeter and more candy-like, with a stronger gassy edge behind it. But the effects were noticeably different.

Where the Biscotti hash leaned relaxed and couchy, the Rainbow Unicorn hash coin delivered a much brighter, more energetic vibe. A few tokes became the perfect kickoff to a productive Saturday morning at home with music playing, early spring sunlight cutting through the clouds, and the long-overdue task of cleaning up every last piece of dog poop in my backyard.

After two bowls, I felt grounded, creative, and oddly social—even though I was mostly just talking to my dogs. And unlike the night before, there were no major munchies to report.

What really stood out here was how strongly the hash influenced the whole experience. It was the same flower, but just a tiny piece of hash noticeably changed the overall vibe of the bowl.

Glacier Cannabis has built a reputation around affordable, reliable cannabis. And this feels like a natural extension of the brand. It’s been fun watching them experiment with new formats like this, and I’m genuinely curious to see what else the team is cooking up for later this year. 

The bottom line

Both of these products proved the same thing: old-school hash still has a place in Michigan’s modern cannabis market. But the experience ultimately came down to execution.

The LightSky Farms temple ball delivered a relaxing, nostalgic high that made a quiet night at home feel like a throwback to my teenage stoner years. But the melted format made it a little awkward to work with. The Glacier hash coin, on the other hand, felt cleaner, easier to handle, and more consistent. The brighter effects also made it a better daytime companion.

Either way, both products accomplished the same mission: a tiny crumble of hash can turn an ordinary bowl into something much stronger—and much more interesting. And sometimes, especially for longtime stoners, that’s all a good smoke session really needs.

READ MORE: What’s really inside the pre-rolls Michiganders are smoking

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