How to make dry sift hash: a solventless masterclass

Let’s make some dry sift hash and explore one of the oldest, purest forms of solventless cannabis extraction. In the remote valley of Covelo, Mendocino, legendary hashmaker Jerry Mun is keeping this tradition alive at First Cut Farms. A protégé of cannabis icon Dennis Peron and a collaborator of the late Frenchy Cannoli, Jerry has spent decades mastering the art of hash. Now, he’s passing that knowledge on—screen by screen, trichome by trichome.

What is dry sift hash?

Dry sift hash—sometimes called kief or dry sieve—is a solventless concentrate made by gently separating trichomes from cannabis flower using screens and manual tools. No water, no solvents, no pressure cookers—just screens, resin, and the right touch. When done correctly, dry sift offers a clean, full-spectrum experience that captures the essence of the plant, much like traditional hash from the Hindu Kush or Rif Mountains.

How First Cut Farms does it

The process begins by tumbling dried flower in a rotating drum made from a 150-micron mesh screen. As the drum turns, trichome heads fall away from the plant and collect as a sandy golden powder. But this is just the first pass.

Next, the resin is hand-sifted again through a flat screen—also 150 microns—using a paintbrush to gently remove any leftover plant matter or impurities. It’s a meticulous process. “You’re not just making hash,” Jerry says. “You’re sculpting it.”

The real artistry lies in refining the powder through multiple screens: first through a 125-micron mesh to remove oversized particles, then through a 63-micron mesh to push out the small contaminants like capitate stalks. What’s left behind is the gold: trichome heads in the ideal size range of 63 to 124 microns.

Bricking the hash

Once the resin is clean, it’s time to brick it up. At First Cut Farms, that means weighing it, warming it, and applying immense pressure to compact the powder into solid form. The result is a rich, dark, pliable block of dry sift hash—in this case, made from Black Cherry Gelato.

The brick has a smooth finish, with a bold, complex terpene profile that hits somewhere between cured flower and traditional hash. “It’s all there,” Jerry says, holding the finished piece in his hands. “The full expression of the plant.”

A lost art form

In a market dominated by rosin and live resin, dry sift hash is becoming a lost art form. But its clean, solventless nature—and its ability to preserve the plant’s full-spectrum profile—make it a favorite among purists and legacy heads alike.

It’s not just about getting high—it’s about honoring cannabis. The strain, the terps, the tradition. Dry sift hash delivers a potent, flavorful smoke that lands somewhere between the depth of traditional hash and the brightness of modern flower.

So next time you see a jar of dry sift on the shelf—grab it. And thank the hashmakers who still do it the hard way.