The european method is to mix hash in with tobacco this is nice if you smoke tobacco but if you don't I wouldn't. You can mix it with bud if you like although it is more efficent using a bong or pipe.
Hot knifing is where you heat two knives up on a stove till the ends are red hot. You then get a small bit of hash you have prepared earlier and dab a hot bit of a knife on it. press the other hot knife onto it (think of a hash sandwich) and inhale the smoke using a funnel or something. Is much easier with two people.
A high from good hash often seems cleaner to me and is often more of a heady trippy high. Depends on what strain the hash was made from though if it is a 100% indica expect a big body stone! Is good shit!