Rosin has become an alternative to BHO (butane honey oil) and CO2 products. Professionals now employ a bench press that uses both heat and pressure to extract the THC-rich oil from the source material. The presses used by Tim Blake and the folks at Healing Harvest Farms, in Mendocino, cost a few thousand dollars. The units are about five feet tall and consist of a bench with a press plate above it that heats up.
The crew at Healing Harvest uses CWH as a source material, which they manufacture from small buds and leaf. The super-dry hash is placed into small silkscreen bags in roughly three-gram loads. The bags are then folded into parchment paper. The plate, which is hydraulically driven, presses down onto the folded parchment. The exact amount of time and pressure used are trade secrets, but in short order the paper is removed from the press and the unveiling commences.
High-quality CWH produces rosin that’s almost white and is filled with deep, rich terpene aromas. Lower-quality hash yields rosins that are darker in color and less aromatic. OG rosin displays the classic lemon-pine smell of its source material, while Jack Herer just screams pine forest. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, rosin is a boon to dabbers; unlike CWH, high-quality rosin melts more like BHO wax or shatter. For a generation of dabbers raised on products that fully melt, rosin is the perfect fit.
But rosin is not without its challenges. The yields from both fresh buds and CWH are relatively low (especially if you factor in how low the yield of CWH is to begin with). When rosin first hit the market in 2014, its price of $30–$50 a gram wholesale, and double that retail, justified making it. As with every new concentrate trend, when more people started producing rosin, the price inevitably dropped. Rosin is currently wholesaling for $20–$30 a gram, making its continued viability questionable. For the moment, at least, hobbyist home growers will continue to produce high-grade rosin for their own personal enjoyment.
As a connoisseur product, rosin is one the purest forms of concentrated cannabis. No solvents or gases are needed—just heat and pressure. The resulting terpene-rich oil bursts with tantalizing aromas and is filled with flavor. The fact that anyone with some fresh buds or CWH can make it with a curling iron allows people to produce their own high-quality concentrates at home without the risk of BHO blowing themselves or others to bits.
How to get the best rosin
If you are pressing flower and are getting average results. Almost always it’s because they are squishing average flowers, which is perfectly fine, but if you want stellar results, you need stellar material. Quality is King, Followed By Freshness ! This doesn’t mean that you have to go purchase “Platinum” shelf buds at your local dispensary or fill your entire garden just with Gorilla Glue #4, but with rosin, your results are mostly predetermined in the garden if your press is up to par. Quality is also closely related to freshness, and you will often see your very best results when pressing flowers as soon after they are dried and cured as possible. The longer you wait, the darker it will be, so make sure to squish buds when they’re as fresh as possible.
Similarly, we have not noticed perceptible differences between the flower rosin pressed from hydro, soil, coco, etc grown flowers – the grow media plays a factor inasmuch as the skill of the grower is the biggest determination with each particular substrate. That being said, some strains and types of cannabis flowers do tend to yield better than others, namely indicas and hybrids anecdotally do better than wispy sativas. Your heavy hitter, ultra-potent plants are usually going to be big yielders as the resin production is elevated with genetics such as The White, Gorilla Glue, Ghost Train Haze, and many more. When it comes down to it, the biggest determination for yield, flavor, and quality is all based on how well the material was grown and how strong its genetics were in the first place.
The material you use to make your rosin has a large impact on the quality. In general, higher quality input material leads to higher quality output. On top of that, some strains simply produce more and better rosin than others. When it comes to type of material, you can use cannabis flowers, hash, kief/sift, shake or trim. Flower will give you the best quality, but lower yields. Hash gives you the best combination of yield and quality. Quality is king! The quality and strain makes a big difference, which is why you see a large range in potential yields for each type of material.
- Trim:3% to 8% yield; 30% quality
- Shake:8% to 15% yield; 30% quality
- Flower:15% to 30% yield; 100% quality
- Kief/Sift:30% to 60%+ yield; 75% quality
- Hash:30% to 70%+ yield; 80% quality
If you are using flower, try to use smaller nugs, since they have more surface area relative to their total mass. More surface area and less mass in the middle means the rosin does not have to travel as far to get out and there is less chance any stays inside. Relative humidity also plays a vital role when pressing flower. If the nugs are too dry, they soak up much of the extract, like a sponge. The ideal range is 55% to 62% relative humidity. If you are unsure about the humidity, these humidity packs to ensure your material is always at the ideal relative humidity. A major factor that we determined after many flower rosin presses is that the humidity and moisture content of your buds will make a massive difference for your flower rosin yields. The reason for this is that if your cannabis is very dry, it will act like a sponge when the trichomes are liquefied, thus soaking up much of the rosin before it has a chance to escape. When you press your flowers, always make sure the relative humidity content of your material is at least 55% to 62% for optimal results.
Should You Try It?
Live rosin is a potent, solvent-free hash oil marketed toward discerning tastes. The use of fresh frozen flower elevates live rosin’s terpene and cannabinoid count to unusually high levels. The rich, nose-tingling aromas that emanate from fresh flower are preserved in the manufacturing process.
Live rosin tends to be expensive but devotees swear that it’s worth it.Non-solvent extractions, rosin in particular, are the freshest, fastest-growing trend in the industry and will only continue to gain popularity.
Now that you’ve learned more about rosin, rosin presses and the methods behind making a great non-solvent concentrate, it’s time to go out and use your knowledge. We implore you to apply what you’ve learned in this article to track down some top-shelf rosin to sample. If you find yourself unable to locate high-quality rosin, don’t hesitate to reach out to your favorite dispensary and ask them to carry it! Most dispensaries want to make their patrons happy, so your voice will likely be heard loud and clear.
One thing is for certain, once you do find a good rosin product, it’s likely that you’ll love it. And if you love it so much you want to try making your own,I will recommend the best rosin press for you!
ECO FARM MANUAL PORTABLE HEAT ROSIN PRESS
Description:
The cannabis industry is constantly evolving and developing new products and ways to consume them. Extracts have been popular for some time, but have traditionally required the use of chemical solvents to produce. Relatively new on the scene is a solventless extract called rosin. Produced by pressing material between two heated plates, rosin can then be consumed as dabs, coated over a joint, or cooked into food.
Rosin can be produced at home using a hair straightener, but if it is your preferred product, a small manual cannabis press machine is a great investment. The best rosin press will allow you to make more rosin at once, with less effort and more precise control over pressure and heat. It also helps to avoid burning yourself!
ECO FARM High Pressure Portable Rosin Tech Heat Press 2019 Prime 2 Ton Manual Heat Rosin Press. It’s easy operation mode for quick job. Digital controller panels control each heating element and read-out individually. User could use this machine to heat pressing flowers, herbs, tea leaves, etc.
ECO FARM 8 TONS HYDRAULIC HEATING ROSIN PRESS
Eco Farm Hydraulic Heating Rosin Press machine, a cannabi heat extraction technique derived from the same method used in making violin rosin. The idea is simple. You introduce heat and pressure to cannabi so to extract the resinous essential oils from the plant material.
Double-sided heating, each heating plate has separate LCD time thermometer control Switchable between Fahrenheit or Celsius with even pressure.
Specifications:
- Heat Press Stype: Hydraulic Manual
- Range: 0 – 250 centigrade (0-482 Fahrenheit).
- Time Range: 0 – 999 seconds.
- °F or °C available.
- Electrical Options: 110V / 220V per platen global voltage.
- Power: 500W
- Shipping Weight: 21 KG ( 46.3 LBS)
- Shipping Dimensions: 32 x 25 x 42 CM ( 12.6″ x 9.8″ x 16.5″ )