What it is
Charas is the original hash: resin collected by gently rubbing living cannabis flowers between the palms. Traditional in the Indian subcontinent — the Himalayas, Malana, Kashmir — where it has been made for centuries and holds cultural and religious significance.
How it's made
Unlike every other hash technique, charas starts with live, uncured plants. Rubbing warms the resin; it sticks to the hands and is scraped off, then rolled into balls or sticks ('cream'). The most famous origin is the Malana valley.
How it's consumed
Traditionally smoked in a chillum. Modern use: crumbled into joints or vaporized at low temperature.
Terpenes
Distinctive — made from living plants, unlike almost any other hash