Concentrates are a big deal. The incredible rate the cannabis extracts market has grown is two things: unsurprising and not expected to slow anytime soon. Some dispensaries have even reported upwards of 400% growth in concentrate sales in just a few years’ time. Rosin is one of these popular and potent concentrated cannabis products.
While this is good news for the marijuana industry, the dissemination of knowledge on the production methods of concentrates has many more curious minds looking to save some money by making concentrates at home.
While this can be done safely (a measure that fluctuates based on how you extract your concentrate), international and domestic news reports have been published illustrating the sometimes explosive dangers associated with solvent use in extraction processes.
While the modern methods of learning how to make rosin are relatively new for extracting cannabinoid resins, the term “rosin” is as old as the ancient world of Ionia. Rosin is a term used to describe a terpene-rich resinous extraction produced by heat and pressure, and rosin made from cannabis does not require any solvent with explosive or flammable capability.
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A Consideration Before You Make Rosin
While learning how to make rosin hash is remarkably simple, just add heat and pressure, there are several things to I’d like you to consider before you throw all your nice bud between the irons of a hair straightener.
Are You Using Buds, Trim, or Kief?
Depending on what kind of plant matter you are working with, the method of learning how to make rosin hash changes slightly.
I’d say this is more because of variances in cannabinoid concentrations in specific organs of the plant than anything else. For instance, trim is much lower in THC than buds, therefore likely requiring more volume to yield concentrations like those touted by BHO or Co2 extractions.
Rosin hash can also be made from kief, which consists of the crystals that form at the top of the glands that excrete those beautiful, resinous trichomes of the cannabis plant.
Rosin And Other Solvent-Less Hash Products
When learning how to make rosin, it may be worth it to consider using the rosin technique to produce higher concentrations and purer yields than other solvent-less hash extractions. In general, there are two types of concentrates available on the market that are both solvent-less and easy to manufacture at home: bubble hash and dry-sift.
Both of these marijuana concentrate products can be further processed into a rosin hash, so depending on how much time you want to spend creating your concentrates, it’s worth considering.
Heat & Cannabis Are The Only Ingredients
When you light a joint, a process of decarboxylation starts as soon as smoke is produced. The removal of an oxygen and carbon molecule through combustion/ heat allow for the cannabinoids to pass into the brain with more availability.
Ever smoked the resin of a pipe?
The decarboxylated resin, due to exposure to excessive heat and oxygen, has converted the THC to CBN, making it less psychotropic.
Similarly, the burning of plant material will also destroy terpenes from the plant product, removing the very things that give cannabis its taste and aroma. Therefore, heat is an important factor to consider if you want to make rosin hash at home.
Potential Complications
While learning how to make rosin hash can be complicated, the actual procedure is incredibly straightforward. For me, I like to make the most I can out of any cannabis I purchase. When making rosin, yields vary dependent upon the type of equipment you are using and the form of cannabis you are extracting from. Dry-sift, for instance, can yield up to 40% it’s original weight in rosin, whereas flower alone can yield as low as 15%.
While separating the trichomes from the plant buds and trim does lower the potency of the cannabis plant remaining, you can further press the buds or use them for something else after you make rosin. I like to dry sift my cannabis — making rosin hash from the kief and using the remaining plant material for cannabutter.
It works for how I like to medicate, but feel free to figure out what works best for you.
The heat from the straightener can also create issues. Many women know that you can easily burn yourself or forget to turn off your hair straightener. This can become a safety and fire hazard, so just don’t forget what you’re doing.
Method #1: Quick and Cheap
In this method, to make rosin you need parchment paper, a hair straightener, a collection tool (razor blade, dabber, etc..) and your buds or trim. Depending on the width of the irons on your hair straightener, you’ll tear a piece of parchment that when folded in half has a width that extends outwards 1 inch on either side of the hair straightener. This is to make sure that the rosin hash remains within the parchment and does not escape.
Step 1
Heat your hair straightener so it is between 200-320 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature plays a role in the flavor, effect, and texture, so feel free to mess with different temperatures till you find the one works best for you.
Step 2
Place plant material evenly onto the parchment (try not to exceed a nug or two at a time), aiming for the greens to be on the left or right side of the crease on the parchment fold.
Step 3
Sandwich the plant material with even, heavy pressure between the hot irons of the hair straightener for 4 to 6 seconds. Too much heat will convert THCa to THC to CBN. Be careful. Allow cooling.
Step 4
Press the buds/trim once more, then throw them away, or save them for other marijuana-related projects.
(Optional) Freeze the parchment, making it easier to collect resins from parchment.
Step 5
Using the collection tool, scrape the resin from the parchment.
And now you have rosin!
Method #2: En Masse
How to make rosin hash of this variety requires a mix of hash and flower. This allows you to experience richer terpene profiles in your rosin hash as well as positive variations in potency. The only additional piece of equipment required with this method is a pressing screen, or a 25-micron filter akin to those used in making bubble hash. Learning how to make rosin using this method can transform your low-grade sift into a translucent sap that tastes just as good as the buds from whence it came.
Step 1
Heat your hair straightener so it is between 200-320 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature plays a role in the flavor, effect, and texture, so feel free to mess with different temperatures till you find the one works best for you.
Step 2
Choose to do either the bud or the hash first, but do not heat them at the same time. If you chose the hash first, you’ll want to roll the dry sift or bubble hash into a ball, placing it onto the center of the pressing screen. Fold the screen in half over the ball of hash and place the folded screen with the hash ball into the folded parchment paper.
Step 3
You may press the hash, in the same manner, you press the buds: 4-6 seconds with firm pressure. As always, you may press your hash once or twice more based on preference.
Step 4
Allow rosin to cool, collect it from the parchment.
Step 5
Enjoy your homemade terp-tastic, smokable sappy salvation!
Additionally, some crafty hash-lovers repurposed a t-shirt press, allowing them to make rosin in higher volumes. This is great if your trim hasn’t found its purpose.
