A temple ball is hash rolled into a ball and cured for months or years. Traditionally it was hand rubbed resin from Nepal; today it is usually made from dried bubble hash, warmed and pressed flat in a cooking bag with a bottle of hot water, folded and rolled again and again, shaped into a ball by hand and aged somewhere cool and dark. The outside forms a protective skin while the inside matures.
What is a temple ball?
A temple ball is hash pressed and rolled into a smooth, round ball and left to age. Pressing fuses the resin heads into one mass, the outside oxidizes into a skin, and the hash inside slowly changes in smell and flavor. Unlike modern full melt, which is best fresh, a temple ball is made to improve with time.
Where temple balls came from
Temple balls came from the Himalayas. The Press Club traces them to Nepal, where hand rubbed resin was rolled into balls, and passes on the tradition that the name comes from offerings to Shiva in Hindu temples; Low Temp describes Nepalese temple hash as shiny balls aged a year or more. Western travelers met them in Nepal and India in the 1960s and 70s. The modern revival, made with ice water hash, is credited by The Press Club to the hash maker Frenchy Cannoli. The hand rubbing behind the originals lives on in charas.
How to make temple balls
To make temple balls today, follow The Press Club’s guide to the Frenchy Cannoli method:
- Start with dry, high grade bubble hash.
The guide calls for 5 or 6 star bubble hash, about 1 to 2 ounces.
- Bag it.
Seal the hash inside a turkey oven bag.
- Warm and press it.
Roll a glass bottle filled with hot water, about 190 to 220 °F, over the bag with gentle pressure, flipping it often.
- Fold and roll again.
Fold the flattened patty into a bar and roll it out again, at least three or four times and sometimes 10 to 20, until the color is even.
- Shape the ball.
Knead the hash between gloved palms into a smooth sphere.
- Wrap it and cure it.
Wrap the ball tightly in a square of oven bag, seal it in a small jar and keep it cool, dry and dark for months.
How long to cure temple balls
How long to cure temple balls is measured in months: The Press Club’s guide says at least three to six, and several years is better. Keep the wrapped ball in a sealed jar somewhere cool, dry and dark. Bubbleman ages his traditional hash at room temperature, and has watched a temple ball slowly settle and flatten over eight months on the shelf. Traditional hash is one of the few kinds that gets better with age.
From the archive: Bubbleman on temple balls
From the archive, Bubbleman on temple balls in his own words, from two live Sunday shows. Tap a time to hear that moment.
Season 12, Episode 14, Skully Vibes draws live
We’re doing our traditional hash, the brick hash and eventually the temple balls in Colorado… it’s a dry sifted hash.
On his own temple balls
For the longest time I was really carrying the flag of the full melt and the dry sift and the rosin. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never stop carrying that flag. But I’ve also picked up another flag, which is, you know, these traditional hashes that I want people to have access to.
On a second flagThis one is a haze ball, it’s a little bit harder than the other ones… I can push my finger like this, and you could see the indentation… It’s a thumbprint.
On the haze ball
How to smoke temple balls
To smoke temple balls, pinch off a piece, warm it between your fingers and roll it into a thin snake for a joint, or crumble it over a bowl. Full melt temple balls can be dabbed too. Other ways to use it are in how to smoke hash.
Temple balls vs piatella
Temple balls vs piatella is warm against cold. Both start as bubble hash, but temple balls are worked with heat and aged at room temperature, while piatella is kept cold from start to finish to hold on to the fresh terpenes.
Temple ball questions
Temple ball questions, answered short:
What is a temple ball?
A temple ball is hash pressed and rolled into a ball and aged for months or years, so the outside forms a skin while the inside matures.
How do you make temple balls?
You make temple balls by warming and pressing dried bubble hash in an oven bag with a bottle of hot water, folding and rolling it until it is even, then shaping it into a ball by hand and curing it.
How long do you cure temple balls?
Cure temple balls for at least three to six months, by The Press Club’s guide; several years is better.
Why is it called a temple ball?
It is called a temple ball because, by tradition, balls of hash were offered to Shiva in the Hindu temples of Nepal; the story is old, and hard to prove.
What is a Nepalese temple ball?
A Nepalese temple ball is the original: hand rubbed resin rolled into a shiny ball and aged a year or more.
How do you use temple ball hash?
To use temple ball hash, pinch off a piece and roll it into a snake for a joint, crumble it over a bowl, or dab it if it is full melt.
Sources for this temple ball guide
Sources for this temple ball guide:
- The history of the temple balls: past to present, The Press Club
- Ultimate guide to making Frenchy Cannoli traditional temple balls, The Press Club
- Types of hash: differences in hashish explained, Low Temp Industries
- Hash 101, Bubbleman’s World on YouTube
- Hash Church Season 12, Episode 24: Bubbleman on curing at room temperature, Buzzsprout
- Hash Church Season 12, Episodes 14 and 17: Bubbleman on temple balls, linked above