Grower Stories #60: Barron Lutz

Our Interview With Barron Lutz of Humboldt County-Based Nasha Hash

Born and crafted in the beautiful Humboldt County mountains, Nasha Hash is an American brand born of Indian roots. Their founder, Barron Lutz, spent years in the Himalayas studying the origins and best practices of Hashish to establish Nasha as a key player in the hash niche. AskGrowers talks with Barron Lutz about the brand, their processing techniques, and what sets them apart from their competition. #growerstories

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Tia (AskGrowers) : How did you start Nasha?

Barron Lutz : NASHA was born in the beautiful mountains of Humboldt County with long ties to Indian hash-making culture. Our brand has a deep connection to India and its hash producing history.

I spent numerous years in India living at the foothills of the Himalayas studying the origins of Hashish and the culture that surrounds it. I brought my love and knowledge of hash back to California, where I collaborated with some of the best craft cannabis farms in the golden triangle. Sourcing only the finest flower and using the skills practiced over many years; Nasha was born out of sheer demand for a natural, solventless hash.

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Tia : Tell us more about your work with farms. What’s the main difference in the cannabis growing process in each of them? What makes each one unique?

Barron : Anyone who grows knows that no two growers are the same. Each grower has a unique touch and each cultivar expresses this in its final product. There is something that Frenchy Cannoli likes to call “terroir”, it's the idea that the land, the environment, and even the community contribute to the final product. Here in the emerald triangle, we have some amazing “terroir” to say the least, and each grower uses their own techniques to truly create a unique product.

And we credit the growers we work with. When you see two logos on our lids, it represents the farms in which cultivated the resin. You can find more information about our cultivation partners in our “Our Farmers” Section on our website.

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Tia : What are your pre-rolls made of exactly?

Barron : Our pre-roll are made up of ground-up whole flower and red temple ball quality hash.

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Tia : Are there any side effects after consuming Nasha pre-rolls?

Barron : Hungry, Happy, Sleepy.

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Tia : Are they hypoallergenic?

Barron : Not unless you have specific allergies to specific terpenes.

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Tia : What are the specifics of Nasha's resin? How do you differ from other brands? What sets you apart from the crowd?

Barron : We take pride in the quality of our hash and it shows in the final product. We perform melt tests on every batch, if it doesn’t melt it doesn’t go in a Nasha Jar. That's why our slogan is “Melt With Us,” because we guarantee a melty hash.

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Tia : How do you see the U.S. cannabis industry in five years?

Barron : That’s difficult to say as it seems to change almost weekly. It also depends on what the rollup and ultimate rollout of federal legalization will look like. There is definitely a lot of potential, and a lot of competition, but if it means allowing patients easier access to cannabis then we are all for it. In my opinion, it might more resemble the alcohol industry in the long run, but that will take longer than five years.

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Tia : Do you take part in cannabis-related events? If so, what are those?

Barron : We always loved attending cannabis events pre-COVID. Hall of Flowers and Emerald Cups were staples.

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Tia : How does Nasha maintain transparency in their product line from seed to sale?

Barron : We use METRC.

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Tia : How does hash high differ from flower high?

Barron : I feel like the hash high is a little bit more of a psychedelic high. What you feel really depends on the strain, but in general, I feel it more in my head. I tend to get more tired when I smoke weed. Hash is certainly stronger.

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Tia : How do concentrates differ in their effects and why do you prefer hash to other forms of concentrates?

Barron : There are a few main ways of concentrating cannabis. One of the ways is through hydrocarbons, which are really strong chemicals. Hash, on the other hand, is usually concentrated through water or mechanical separation, which means there’s no chemical involved. That’s why has appeals to me.

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Tia : What is your opinion on solvents? What is your philosophy behind your extraction method?

Barron : I think solvents are a really efficient way of capturing the compounds you’re after. It’s way more efficient and you get way more yield using solvents. I just prefer not to work with them on a day-to-day basis. We prefer to be more like a kitchen and less like a laboratory. For me, it’s just easier to work with just water.

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Tia : Do extraction methods differ from one cultivar to another? Are there any cultivars you prefer to work with?

Barron : Yeah, extraction methods do differ. We tend to lean towards strains that make cold water hash.

My personal favorite strains at the moment are Sour Diesel, Strawberry Banana, GMO, THC Bomb, and Mother Milk.

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Tia : When it comes to consumption, what are your favorite products? Time of the day/ setting when you consume cannabis?

Barron : I pretty much just stick to hash or resin. Me personally, I prefer to smoke at night. It tends to just be easier. I typically use cannabis to help relax, get to sleep, and enhance my cooking endeavors. But I have people on staff who smoke all day long who get along just fine.

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Tia : What is your recommendation to people who have little or no experience with hashish/ concentrates, but consider trying?

Barron : For concentrates, a good spot to try is to do the smallest amount possible as an introduction to dabbing. For hash, we have our pre-rolls that are super easy for the consumer. Already rolled up and ready to light and enjoy.

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Tia : Given the plant material in India is quite different, how do you feel your product compares to Himalayas hashish in taste/ texture and most importantly, effect?

Barron : I think it’s very, very different. Most of the hash we make here in America is very high in THC. After all, the plants have been bred for their THC content here in California. I feel like our hash has a large amount of THC, while India hash tends to be more CBD heavy. It’s hard to replicate naturally-grown Himalaya cannabis. Hopefully one day we can work with the authentic thing.

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Tia : What techniques, skills, and philosophy unique to Indian hashish do you feel you brought back with you to California to NASHA?

Barron : We try to keep a personal touch while still being efficient. One thing we do similar is working with our hands and pressing the hash. Every single ball we roll is by hand, and we take a lot of time with each one. That’s very similar to what happens in India.

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Tia : What are your feelings on ultra-high THC strains? Do you like them or do you prefer a more balanced strain?

Barron : I personally never go for really high THC level strains. I prefer hash with a little less THC and some CBD in it. I think you get a more rounded high. A lot of my favorite hash is only somewhere around 50 percent.

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Tia : If you could smoke with anyone in this world, living or dead, who would that be and why? :)

Barron : [tooltip title="Avery Jones" content="US rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer."]Kota the Friend[/tooltip] because I appreciate his music.

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Tia : Are there any brands you appreciate and follow?

Barron : Frenchy Cannoli.

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Thank you so much, Nasha team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.