Can you press fresh frozen buds

Have you ever heard about flower rosin or hash rosin? Want to know more about this solventless cannabis extract? Here, we will tell you a little more about it and its origin process.

If you know Girls In Green, then it shouldn’t be news to you our passion for solventless extractions – especially those that do not take solvents in the production process. Happily, rosin is one of them! Be it flower or hash: this type of hashish, which looks a lot like honey, is made through the application of pressure and high temperatures to the starting material. The result is a beautiful concentrate, full of cannabinoids and terpenoids!

Do you want to know more about this very interesting and detailed subject? Here, we tell you everything you need to know about rosin and how to make it!

Warning: Rosin, as a concentrate made from cannabis, can contain high quantities of cannabinoids. This means that THC dominant strains can have very high concentrations of it in its extract – which can trigger unpleasant sensations, states of anxiety, paranoia, among others.

What is rosin?

Rosin is a type of cannabis concentrate, rich in cannabinoids and terpenes. As we mentioned above, it is done through an extraction process that uses a combination of heat and pressure to “squeeze” the resinous sap from its source material almost instantly – which can be flower, hash or even kief. This high temperature to which the material is exposed is also responsible for decarboxylation – the activation of cannabinoids present in the raw material.

The result is a translucent, honey-like (or sometimes more hardened) product. The best of everything? Because it is 100% solvent free, just like the bubble hash, it is even safer – both to make and to consume. Unlike other extractions, made with hydrocarbons such as butane or propane, a long purge is not necessary to safely remove the remains of solvent, which, when present, can contaminate the final product. Also, if you decide to make this type of hash, you don’t risk blowing anything up (whew)!

Hash Rosin is a culture very present in the West coast of the United States, now expanding to Canada, Spain, Italy and even South America, such as Brazil and Chile. Such oil is the darling of many because it has no contaminants in its extract, as it undergoes a double filtering process. To make this extraction, many of the producers use their material first to extract the bubble hash – the crème de crème, so to speak.

Material that is not full melt (that in itself does not melt completely when vaporized) goes to the presses and becomes rosin. So, it goes through two filters: first in the transformation of matter to hash, where it is already possible to isolate the head from the plant’s trichomes, and then when it becomes rosin – as it goes through filtering again, it is a way to clean any type of impurity, to make sure that there are no plant contaminants.

In addition to all this, there is a huge therapeutic potential for this type of extraction (even if it offers risks due to high concentrations of THC). Generally used to vaporize, which is a safer way to consume the substance, it has a purity and concentration that ensure that just a little is enough for satisfactory effects! Therefore, care must also be taken – this type of extraction can contain up to 90% THC, which, in high amounts, can cause discomfort.

Raw material: flower or hash?

There are some types of rosin, and here we will talk a little about them:

• Flower rosin is the extraction done directly with the flowers in the press or flat iron. It can be made both from the most homemade methods and equipment as well as very professional (as we will show you in a minute), and its quality will depend almost entirely on the quality of the plant you use. The rest, of course, will vary depending on the temperature and pressure used – you must have the talent to combine ideal pressure, temperature, and moisture content of the plant material.
• Hash rosin is the extraction of the extraction – using pressure, temperature and filter bags to make hash of great purity. It is a double refining that, when done well, generates a very high quality hash and that melts completely when smoked or vaporized, because it does not contain vegetable matter! As we already mentioned up there, it is a technique widely used to “reuse” hash leftovers from ice production, to transform it into something like rosin, without vegetable matter.
• There is also live rosin: a rosin made with fresh frozen – which means that the plant’s still alive and with fresh trichomes and terpenes! In fresh frozen, the plant is harvested, the excess leaves are removed and soon after this process it freezes for at least 24 hours.

How does its color vary in rosin?

Normally, the quality rosin has a golden-yellow color, with good transparency and brightness. Basically, there are three main factors that can change or affect the color of a rosin:

• Material quality;
• Freshness of the material;
• Pressing temperature.

The most important factor that affects rosin clarity and coloring is the quality of the raw material. We can argue that the quality depends a lot on what each one looks for in his cannabis and in the extractions, but there are some indicators: terpene profile, trichome density, material density and active cannabinoid content are some of them. With that said, to simplify things, it’s a scenario of input quality = output quality. Another important aspect is the way in which the material has been dried and cured, which also plays a major factor in the clarity of the rosin when it is being extracted.

Second, the fresher and more recent the material, the better the color of your rosin. As cannabis flowers, kief and hashish age, they oxidize, which also changes their cannabinoid profile. Based on our research and experience, the best time to press is immediately after the material is dried and cured. Thus, the material will not have undergone much oxidation and will still have its terpenes preserved. However, if you press a high quality material that is older and has undergone extensive curing (done correctly), the result will be darker – but it will taste amazing!

The third key factor is the temperature at which the material is pressed. Simply put, rosin exposed to high temperatures for a long time tends to darken considerably and is subject to loss of terpenes (but higher yield).

Temperatures can vary depending on the material you want to press, whether flower or hash. Many hash makers find good results in the range of 165 to 250 F. We believe that, above 250 F, the terpene profile of the material tends to degrade significantly. Here in California, Alice, who is our student of cultivation and hash making, recommends 170 F for ICE hash rosin.

How you can extract it at home

The rosin is a safe and affordable option for making hash at home – after all, Harm Reduction also covers strategies for not putting our bodies at risk when venturing into the universe of hash making! You just gotta have a very common device: the flat iron. That’s right: in addition to leaving your hair super cool, it can still help you extract a tasty hash in a simple way!

The ideal is a flat iron that you can control the temperature, but if you don’t have it, you can do it with the normal one – being very careful not to burn yourself or your material.

But there is a difference: if you are going to make hash rosin, in addition to the flat iron, you will need the filter bags. If you press a hash without the bags, the oil will come in contact with the plant material and can contaminate it. With flowers, you don’t necessarily need them – only if you want to.

For the tutorial on how to make flower rosin, please click here.

How to make hash rosin:

In the case of hash, as we have already said, the material will need to be wrapped in a filter bag with different sizes (usually at 90 and 25u). They must be placed inside each other, to filter only the good part!

You will need:

• Parchment paper (preferably a specific paper);
• Hash;
• 90 and 25u filter bag;
• Flat iron.

Step by step

• First step: Seperate the hash into correct portions for your size of rosin bag.
• Second step: cut the parchment paper into pieces in whatever origami method you feel is best, however we suggest you allow the rosin to flow away from the plates quickly, but be careful to not let it flow off of the paper. Be sure to make a fold to catch the rosin after it flows away from the plates a bit or cut the paper large enough so it cools and stops flowing before it gets to the edge of the parchment paper. 
• Third step: put the material inside the bags. Gather your folded parchment paper, insert the bagged material, and with the hot iron, press for approximately five seconds, possibly up to 15 to 30 seconds if you are pressing larger amounts. Be careful to not add too much pressure too quickly as this can cause the rosin bag to slip out from between the hot plates, or cause a blowout because the hash has not gotten warm enough to flow the oil through the bag.
• Fourth step: when you open the paper, you will see a few golden rosin around what was crushed by the pressure. Lift the now squished rosin bag carefully out of the parchment paper while it is still warm, then gather the rosin with a dab tool and store in a jar or parchment paper. It is possible to repeat the same operation several times.

Tip to make it: if you are in a very hot place, place the folded paper with its material inside a ziplock and place in the freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes before doing the extraction, be careful when you remove the rosin however to not add moisture through condensation when you open the ziplock bag. You can also place a piece of metal or ceramic dish in the freezer for a time, take it out and use it as a cold table to help gather rosin that is too sticky and oily in the heat, this cold will help it act more like a solid and be easier to gather up into one piece. 

How to make hash rosin:

In the case of hash, as we have already said, the material will need to be wrapped in a filter bag with different sizes (usually at 90 and 25u). They must be placed inside each other, to filter only the good part!

You will need:

• Parchment paper (preferably a specific paper);
• Hash;
• 90 and 25u filter bag;
• Flat iron.

Step by step

• First step: Seperate the hash into correct portions for your size of rosin bag.
• Second step: cut the parchment paper into pieces in whatever origami method you feel is best, however we suggest you allow the rosin to flow away from the plates quickly, but be careful to not let it flow off of the paper. Be sure to make a fold to catch the rosin after it flows away from the plates a bit or cut the paper large enough so it cools and stops flowing before it gets to the edge of the parchment paper. 
• Third step: put the material inside the bags. Gather your folded parchment paper, insert the bagged material, and with the hot iron, press for approximately five seconds, possibly up to 15 to 30 seconds if you are pressing larger amounts. Be careful to not add too much pressure too quickly as this can cause the rosin bag to slip out from between the hot plates, or cause a blowout because the hash has not gotten warm enough to flow the oil through the bag.
• Fourth step: when you open the paper, you will see a few golden rosin around what was crushed by the pressure. Lift the now squished rosin bag carefully out of the parchment paper while it is still warm, then gather the rosin with a dab tool and store in a jar or parchment paper. It is possible to repeat the same operation several times.

Tip to make it: if you are in a very hot place, place the folded paper with its material inside a ziplock and place in the freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes before doing the extraction, be careful when you remove the rosin however to not add moisture through condensation when you open the ziplock bag. You can also place a piece of metal or ceramic dish in the freezer for a time, take it out and use it as a cold table to help gather rosin that is too sticky and oily in the heat, this cold will help it act more like a solid and be easier to gather up into one piece. 

How the Commercial Rosin methods are done

To make the rosin in a more professional way, a rosin press is required. The cost of the rosin press vary from one thousand to almost ten thousand reais, that is, it is something more used for industrial production on larger scales and of better quality.

With the rosin press, it is possible to control the pressure + temperature + time equation, and thus have greater control over the quality of the product. Lower temperatures make the rosin lighter and leave more terpenes (giving it more flavor), while higher temperatures make the rosin darker, but with the advantage of having a higher yield.

With the professional press it is also possible to extract the rosin from the flower, but, in the legal market in the United States, this material is not usually used. People believe that in the flower rosin, there are still many lipids – the fat molecules in the plant. For them, this causes degradation to occur and a lot of the product’s quality is lost. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it at home!

We talked to the hash maker Flynn dos Reis, from Fully Melted, and he told us how he does this process! Remember that it is just one way to do it – each hash maker has its favorite variables, and there is no right or wrong.Ver tamanho completoVer tamanho completoVer tamanho completoVer tamanho completo

Step by Step

• First step: you must turn on the press so that it starts to preheat.
• Second step: load the hash in a 13-25u bag, according to your preference. Remember: carrying your filter bags more evenly will help decrease your chances of everything bursting (i.e. tearing up your bag and contaminating your hash). For security, we usually add a 90u bag over the 25 one. This is done to add resistance, which also decreases your chances of bursting!
• Third step: prepare the paper. There are many ways to fold your paper to put in a press. Some people like it best on a triangular or rectangular flow. This origami depends entirely on you, but you have to be aware of the flow of the resin so that it does not fall off the paper.
• Fourth step: place the bag on the parchment paper and align it on the press. Begin to apply light pressure on the material. For people who have a pressure monitor, you need to follow the dial on the gauge. As the hash compresses and heats up, you’ll need to apply a little more pressure, carefully and gradually from 30 seconds to a minute (depending on how much hash you put in the filter bag) usually around 10 to 20 PSI is appropriate for this stage of the process.
• Fifth step: start applying more pressure and working up to 1 ton and then to 2 tons relatively slowly over 30 seconds to one and a half minutes depending on the amount being pressed. Pay attention to the flow of the rosin, try to keep it at a steady pace/speed – as it decreases, add more pressure. Usually above 3 tons pressure can be increased more rapidly, Increase the pressure until you reach about 5 tons and let it rest for 15 to 30 seconds before releasing. This should total about 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how much you are pressing.

Remember: larger bags take longer to press, and smaller bags will be pressed faster because there is less hash to filter.

Flynn gives another tip: classify the hash, reserving the full melt to smoke and classify the other according to your preference. You can press everything together or separately, everything depends on you. Usually people separate in two – the smokable and the leftover with which you can make edibles, tinctures, etc.\

So, can you better understand this wonderful world of rosin? We at Girls In Green have already done an experiment pressing a Moroccan hash and seeing what comes out of it! As much as it is not a high quality hash, we believe it was worth the experiment – which you can watch on our IGTV. In addition, we have already visited an incredible place: OLIO, a company that produces various types of extractions legally in Colorado. There, @rosin.ryan showed us and explained how everything works – from cultivation to the final product.

Did you like this text? We loved making it for you! We hope that we have managed to clear some of your doubts about this very new universe within hashish. Don’t forget that you can always comment here and leave your questions and suggestions.

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