Rosin … What Is It Exactly? See Here

Rosin

Rosin

ˈrä-zᵊn | Noun

When manufacturers apply heat and pressure to the cannabis plant, they make rosin. They don’t use external solvents to create such a pure product, which is why it’s highly desired by consumers. Lower-grade hash is salvageable because it can be pressed into a flavorful rosin concentrate that can be dabbed.  

“If you prefer solvent-free cannabis concentrates, you should try rosin.”

Rosin is a pure and potent cannabis extract that can be dabbed or vaped.” 

What Is It?

It’s a solventless extract made by using heat and pressure. This method forces the compounds stored within the trichome glands out of the cannabis plant. The trichome glands house cannabinoids and terpenes. It’s like squeezing the juice from grapes and getting a result similar to butane hash oil (BHO), but without the harmful solvent. 

This process is an alternative to a closed-loop extraction system that’s also used to make essential oils. The closed-loop extraction is not suitable for manufacturers because it’s time-consuming, requires expensive equipment and technical training. The extraction should be performed in a specifically designed room. To achieve a solventless, pure concentrate free from all the residual solvents, the extract gets purged in a vacuum oven. But, even then, solvent-based extract typically holds some minor amounts of leftover solvent. 

Therefore, the process of making rosin is considered safer than making solvent-based concentrates. The temperature and pressure used during the extraction determine the color and consistency of this concentrate. Rosin comes as shatter, badder/budder, wax, taffy, and rosin coins.

What is CBD Rosin?

It’s the concentrated form of hemp, extracted using a mix of gentle pressure and heat to dried and cured hemp flowers or CBD kief. The result is a concentrate with a sticky, sappy, or shatter-like consistency. CBD rosin is a potent product with a superior flavor that contains over 50% cannabidiol (CBD). This concentrate is typically sold at around $45 per gram.   

Origins of Rosin

The debate regarding the origin of this concentrate is still on, but rosin was first introduced to the cannabis community in 2006 by a member of the International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums (ICMag). The concentrate gained more traction in 2015 when Phill “Soilgrown” Salazar started posting pictures of it in an attempt to make use of lower-quality hash.

Salazar was pressing the hash to flatten it out when he noticed that resin started spewing out the side. The original hash remained dry and unusable, but the cannabinoid-rich oil was out. To make sure the new technique worked well, he put a piece of hash in between parchment paper and pressed it against a heated dab nail. And so the oil, known as rosin, came out again. 

He continued experimenting by using a hair straightener to get the oil out of the hash. After running out of hash, he proceeded by using buds, and the oil came out the same way. Manufacturers now use screens and an industrial press to make mass quantities of rosin with the same quality.

Why Users Prefer Rosin Over Other Concentrates? 

People prefer this concentrate because it’s a solventless technique that doesn’t use an external solvent to dissolve the trichome. Regarding internal solvents, the natural hydrocarbon terpenes from the trichome glands act as one.

Another reason is its ability to turn low-quality hash into a dabbable wax. Compared with other extraction methods, it’s a rapid process that doesn’t require time in a vacuum oven to purge external residual solvents. People love that they can make it at home, safely, with minimal investment. Many growers prepare it to make the most out of the trim, which is a byproduct that typically goes to waste.    

Rosin Starting Materials

Processors use a variety of starting materials to make this concentrate. The input material affects the quality of the final product. Rosin from hemp flower has different quality and potency from rosin from kief or ice hash. Here are some input materials used to create this concentrate: 

Nugs

When made from buds, rosin does hold some contaminants in the form of plant material in the final product. They are typically small pieces that can make a huge difference in flavor when dabbing the concentrate. The plant material adds a layer of burnt flavor to the concentrate.

Hash or Dry Sift Kief

When made from kief, rosin tends to be cleaner because the trichomes are removed from the buds before being exposed to heat and pressure. The heat and pressure ensure that no plant impurities enter the final product.

Bubble Hash Rosin

Making rosin from bubble hash material is a great way to turn lower-quality hash into a flavorful dab. Lower-quality hash doesn’t fully melt because it contains some plant contaminants. So, making rosin from a non-dabbable, two-star hash is a simple way to turn it into a great product. 

Fresh Frozen Ice Hash 

Manufacturers use fresh frozen cannabis buds to make live rosin loaded with cannabinoids and terpenes retained in the flash-frozen cannabis. Both live resin and live rosin are made from “live” freshly frozen buds. 

To make rosin, manufacturers first produce ice hash with the fresh extraction from the plant material. Ice hash is a solventless concentrate, which means they don’t use a solvent to perform the extraction but sift the trichomes in the presence of ice water. If the ice hash concentrate falls between one-star (cooking grade) and four-star (half-melt) rating, it can be used to create live rosin. The end product is a pure, strong, and flavorful concentrate.  

Rosin vs. Live Resin

There are some significant differences between these two extracts. Rosin is a solventless extract, while live resin is solvent-based (typically butane hash oil) and is made from live or freshly frozen cannabis plant material. 

With the live resin extraction, the plant’s terpenes and cannabinoids are captured with a single-pass extraction. The extraction processes the resin glands in their peak nutrient level before the plant is dried or cured. Rosin, on the other hand, maintains the plant’s chemical profile without the use of solvents. It offers a flavorful concentrate without potentially hazardous chemicals. 

How to Use It? 

There are several ways to use rosin concentrate, like smoke it in a glass bowl, dab it in a rig, vape it in a pen made for concentrates, or smoke it with your pre-roll or blunts. 

Before consuming this concentrate, the first thing to keep in mind is that it’s a potent product full of cannabinoids and terpenes. So, make sure you start with a small dose and work your way up. If you are using it for medical purposes, this concentrate is an easy way to fast-track the beneficial properties of cannabis into the body.  

That said, this concentrate is primarily a smokable one. You can use a pipe or a “dab rig” and dab it. This method is the most desirable because instead of lighting the rosin directly, you heat the pipe or nail and touch the rosin to the heated part and inhale immediately. 

You can also smoke it in a special pipe or bowl with some hemp flower or rub it outside the pre-rolls. This concentrate is also great for making edibles. It’s potent but doesn’t affect the taste of the edible as much as hemp buds when put into baked goods. 

Final Thoughts 

A solventless cannabis concentrate made from either hemp or marijuana that’s praised for its purity and flavor.