Short answer
Rosin is a cannabis extract made with heat and pressure. It contains no solvent. A press pushes resin from flower, hash, or kief through a mesh bag. The output is a sticky, soft product that keeps the plant's cannabinoids and terpenes.
What rosin is not
Rosin is not butane hash oil, ethanol tincture, or propane extract. Those methods use chemicals and then purge them. Rosin uses two inputs: heat and force.
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Heat softens the resin glands. Force pushes the oil out. The mesh bag holds back plant matter. Terpenes boil at low temperatures, so press heat above 250 F destroys flavor. Most presses run between 180 F and 220 F.
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Types of rosin
- Flower rosin: pressed from dried buds. Yield is 10 to 25 percent by weight.
- Hash rosin: pressed from bubble hash or dry sift. Yield is 50 to 90 percent of the hash input.
- Live rosin: made from fresh frozen plant material that is washed into hash first.
- Kief rosin: pressed from sifted trichome heads.
Equipment
- Rosin press with two heated plates. Manual, pneumatic, or hydraulic.
- Unbleached parchment paper.
- Mesh filter bags. 25 to 37 micron for hash. 90 to 160 micron for flower.
- Gloves and a cold surface for collection.
Home presses cost $200 to $600. Shop presses start near $1,500.
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How to make rosin, step by step
- Set plate temperature. Use 180 F to 200 F for hash. Use 200 F to 220 F for flower.
- Pack material into a mesh bag. Use 3 to 7 grams of flower. Use 1 to 3 grams of hash.
- Place the bag in parchment and fold the paper.
- Press with light force for 20 to 30 seconds. This warms the material.
- Raise to full pressure. Hold for 60 to 120 seconds.
- Release the plates. Pull the parchment flat. The oil sits outside the bag.
- Collect the oil with a cold tool. Move it to a glass jar and seal it.
Temperature, pressure, and yield
Plates need 500 psi to 2,000 psi at the bag. Gauge pressure is not bag pressure. Bag size changes the math.
Low heat protects terpenes and gives a lighter color. Higher heat raises yield and lowers flavor. Fresh material yields more than old material. Material at 58 to 62 percent relative humidity presses clean. Dry flower crumbles and traps oil.
Storage
Rosin is unstable. Keep it in glass, in the dark, at 60 F to 70 F. A fridge works for long storage. Let the jar reach room temperature before opening to stop condensation.
Rosin holds 2 to 4 weeks at room temperature. Refrigerated rosin holds 3 to 6 months. Data past one year is limited.
Convenience and the market
Retail rosin costs $40 to $90 per gram in US states with legal markets. A home press pays for itself after 20 to 40 grams of flower. Pre-pressed rosin in jars is the convenience version. Buyers trade shelf life and price for a product they do not have to make.
Legality
Rosin is a cannabis concentrate. State law controls concentrates in the US. Some states tax concentrates at a higher rate. Some cap purchase amounts. Some ban them. Check the rules in your state before you press or buy.