The History & Evolution of Rosin

So…what IS Rosin?

Contrary to popular belief, rosin doesn’t simply refer to a style of solvent-less cannabis-specific concentrate. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition of rosin is a translucent amber-colored to almost black brittle friable resin that is obtained from the oleoresin or deadwood of pine trees or from tall oil and especially used in making varnish.1

It’s cool to know that rosin exists within the atmosphere of our world outside of cannabis.

Cannabis Rosin:

Cannabis rosin, which may also be called solvent-less hash oil, refers to cannabis inflorescence extract created without using chemical solvents. It utilizes a process where heat and pressure are simultaneously applied to concentrate the terpenes and cannabinoids of the cannabis inflorescence or a pre-extracted hash from unwanted chlorophyll and plant lipids. No solvents are introduced in this process. 2

Rosin can be used the same way as any other chemical solvent-based extract! You can dab it with a rig or electronic dab straw, twax joints and blunts or top off a bowl.

The History of Cannabis Rosin:

In early 2015, Phil “Soilgrown” Salazar, living in Southern California, accidentally stumbled upon the process now referred to as rosin tech, and solvent-less rosin was born.

Salazar was a fan of dabbing 5-star or 6-star grade bubble hash. Bubble hash, (solvent-less ice water extract) is graded on a 1-6 scale, 6 being of the highest quality and devoid of nearly all matter sans terpenes and cannabinoids. 3 However, when he could only get his hands on 3- or 4-star grade bubble hash, he began to thin it out so that it would dab more cleanly.

Initially, he would use a hair straightener to lightly press the 3-star or 4-star grade bubble hash without pressing hard enough to “rosin” it, since he was unaware of rosin at the time. However, he occasionally pressed too hard and noticed oil separating from the plant matter. At first, he would re-homogenize the oil back into the plant matter and go about his day.

One day, he decided to try to dab the separated oil alone. It worked very well, leaving nearly no residue post-dab (an indication of quality). After running out of hash, Salazar decided to try and press flower the same way. It worked! And rosin was born.4

Processing Rosin:

The two major types of rosin are flower rosin and hash rosin.

Flower Rosin

Flower Rosin is created by applying heat and pressing dried and cured cannabis flower with multiples tons of pressure. The heat and pressure separate the rosin (an oil consisting of mainly terpenes and cannabinoids) and plant material (chlorophyll, lipids, etc.).

Hash Rosin

Hash Rosin is more sought-after since it is considered higher quality. It follows nearly the same methodology, but ice water/bubble hash is pressed instead of dried and cured inflorescence. The step-by-step process of making ice water hash goes as follows:

First, fresh-frozen cannabis is washed in a hash washing machine at a cool temperature. This process is done to make the trichomes brittle and able to fall off the inflorescence.

Second, the material is stirred to separate the trichomes from the excess plant material. The resulting foam and debris is skimmed off the top to rid all potential contaminants.

Third, the resulting trichome-heavy liquid is poured through fine micron mesh bags to filter and separate the trichomes from the liquid. This step is usually repeated a few times.

Last, the wet hash is poured over parchment-lined metal trays and put in a freeze dryer. Once removed from the freeze dryer, the ice water/bubble hash is ready and in its final form. 5

Rosin in Illinois:

FloraCal Rosin: Floracal Farms, a company founded in 2014 in Sonoma County, California by the husband and wife team of Karen and Drew Duval, was the first brand to release solvent-less rosin in the state. Floracal works in conjunction with Cresco Labs in Illinois.

As of November 2022, FloraCal offers two solvent-less live rosin concentrates (not including their live rosin cartridges): live rosin badder and live rosin jam.

The process to produce the badder and jam follows a very similar step-by-step method to the hash rosin process explained above. The difference between the two lies in the post-press processing.

Live Rosin Badder: Post-press, the concentrate is put through a proprietary “cold cure” and then whipped to homogenize the terpenes and cannabinoids, leaving the extract with a waxy and thick cake batter-like consistency that is usually off-white in color and may sheen on the surface from terpenes “sweating” (an indication of quality).

Live Rosin Jam: Post-press, the concentrate is lightly heated over multiple days, or “warm-cured”, to intentionally separate the terpenes and cannabinoids, which then results in a lumpy, jam-like consistency that is often golden-to-amber in color with notable THCa crystallization. This jam can also be made by putting badder, instead of fresh press, through a “warm curing” process. After the “warm cure,” the jam is cooled to retain the desired consistency.

Revolution Cannabis Rosin: Revolution’s live rosin badder, the only offering currently, is made in the same way described in the above hash rosin process but, specifically, pressed at a low temperature with very high pressure.

Rosin Refrigeration: Rosin is less stable than solvent extracts. This lack of stability is due to minimally present residual plant matter retaining in the live rosin; solvent extracts seldom have residual plant matter, thus having incredible stability regarding consistency. Due to the less stable nature of rosin, it is recommended to refrigerate rosin at around 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cannabis Rosin is still being processed in new and improved ways for the cannabis consumer.

Check out what Dispensary 33 has to offer as far as cannabis rosin on our live menu at Dispensary33.com.

Find us on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter too ~

Website Instagram Twitter Facebook