How to make rosin? As the cannabis industry continues to mature, more and more innovative cannabis products and concentrates are becoming increasingly commonplace. Rosin, one of these new innovative concentrates, is one of the first (and only) concentrates to join the solventless class of cannabis extracts.
Compared to other concentrates such as shatter, wax and budder, the equipment to produce rosin can be more easily attainable and commonly found within any household. More importantly, it also doesn’t require any sort of solvent to produce. Unlike shatter and other butane hash oil (BHO) extractions, making rosin won’t run you the risk of setting your house on fire.
Curious about a potent, tasty and solventless extract that you can easily make at home? Read our full guide below for the full scoop.
What is Rosin?
There’s violin rosin, a type of wax that musicians can apply on their violin bows so that their instruments can produce sound and cannabis rosin, a cannabis concentrate that’s produced through exclusively heat and pressure.
As touched upon earlier, a major difference between the process of making rosin vs shatter is that it does not require the use of a solvent. In other words, solvents such as CO2, butane, and ethyl-alcohol are excluded from the final product—unlike other concentrates.
To produce concentrates such as shatter, wax and budder, solvents are used to extract the desirable active compounds from weed before it’s removed from the final product. Though these solvents used in these concentrates are supposed to be removed, many times, this is not the case and can increase the toxicity of the final product.
To contrast, what rosin does need is heat and pressure. This ensures little risk for the consumer as there is no possibility of consuming any leftover solvent while also maintaining a high-quality product. Thus, substances such as rosin and its counterparts minimize the dangers in alternative methods of cannabis consumption.
Solvents are commonly associated with affecting the cannabis product’s overall quality. Consequently, many consumers prefer solventless solutions over products that use them. In the grand scheme of things, perceptions like this make rosin an ideal choice for everybody since it does not use potentially harmful solvents such as butane and ethyl. These suspicions do not go unwarranted because these residual byproducts can cause additional health complications to the individual later in life.
Along with the benefit of being a solvent-free product, rosin can also be a superior product to make because of its unique flavour. Rosin’s manufacturing process retains more of the already-present terpenes in the plant and because of this, it preserves more of the innate flavours for each specific strain you use.
Related Article: What is Rosin and Why is it Taking Over?
How to Make Rosin
Rosin production can vary greatly, from large-scale operations to do-it-yourself projects at home. A popular, and easy method to cultivate rosin you can try at home is with a hair straightener. It’s as simple as it sounds, all you really need is a hair straightener and some parchment paper to get started.
The first step is to ensure that the temperature on your hair straightener is properly calibrated for this operation. It should not be anywhere near 300 degrees—this significantly decreases the chance that you accidentally burn the material and wasting it.
The ideal temperature range is around 245 to 280° (you can play around within this range to your liking), which is typically the low setting on most irons but the brand is the determining factor.
While the surface is heating up, you want to prepare your parchment paper. Start with a square that is four inches in length and width. Next, fold it in half and you can place your cannabis material of choice (e.g. flower or kief) within the paper fold.
Once the straightener is at the desired temperature, carefully set the paper package inside and press together for a few seconds until you hear the product sizzle. The sizzle is rosin being squeezed out of the plant and transferred to the paper.
Now that your rosin is extracted, take the cannabis package out and carefully unwrap it (if you’ve got a pair of heat-resistant gloves, use them!). With a dab tool, you can now separate your rosin from the expended flower, and the final product should be the rosin.
In a select few scenarios, you might not have a hair straightener at your disposal and you may choose to use a clothing iron instead. However, an equal heating surface is harder to achieve and the final product may not compare with other methods. Do not let this precaution discourage you from using this method, this just means that it will require more practice versus the hair straightener method.
Ultimately, whichever method you choose to use, they all achieve the same goal, which is the production of a solvent-free concentrate.
What is Rosin Press?
Although at-home production methods are quite effective, the results cannot be compared with the use of rosin press. It is a specialized piece of equipment which is designed to maintain an even amount of heat and pressure.
The press uses a combination of high-grade heated plates and a carefully calibrated pressure ratio. Simply put, it operates in a similar manner as a hair straightener, but with a more advantageous climate to ensure the best yields and little room for error.
Compared to other methods to synthesize rosin, rosin presses will usually provide more yield with the same amount of plant material.
Due to this advantage alone, it makes it the preferred piece of equipment for professionals and any serious person in the industry.
Final Thoughts
Rosin clearly reigns supreme as the concentrate of choice as it is solvent-free, flavourful, and potent. Before you start scrambling for the equipment at home to try making some for yourself, it is important to note for yourself that the yield and quality may not compare with those bought from a professional supplier.
Don’t let this discourage you, because after a few trials it has the potential to mimic most products that can be found out there and in some rare strokes of luck, be better than them.
In sum, making rosin is as easy as it sounds, you just need a hair straightener, butcher/wax paper, some weed, and a little bit of elbow grease!
No products in the cart.