So what exactly is Rosin?
Rosin is a relatively new term that is being thrown around a lot in the cannabis industry these days. In short, it is a catch-all term used to describe a new extraction method that does not use any chemicals or solvents like ethanol, CO2, butane etc. Instead, only heat and pressure are used. There are different techniques that are used depending on the starting material which we will get into further below, but in the end the final process is the same – squishing cannabis between two heated metal plates at extreme pressure (usually over 1 ton).
Why do most companies use chemicals/solvents for extraction?
Two main reasons – cost & end product. Solvent/chemical based extraction has a MUCH greater yield, meaning if you take 50 pounds of cannabis and turn it into rosin, you will get a significantly reduced yield as opposed to using a solvent. In essence, solvent based extractions are more profitable. Furthermore, rosin production is a very hands on, labor intensive process that cannot be automated to the degree solvent based extraction can be. Replacing humans with machines is standard practice for most profit driven cannabis companies.
Second reason is end product. Most solvent based extractions end up being turned into what is referred to as distillate. Since distillate is a highly refined product it is easy to remove the THC from it or manipulate the consistency of the oil. Our Broad Spectrum CBD cartridges are distillate based because you are not able to refine the THC out of rosin like you can with solvent based extraction methods. We have zero issues with distillate and solvent based extraction methods as it is the only way to produce Isolates, Distillates, THC free products etc. which will always be desirable in the cannabis industry.
LEts get more in-depth with rosin – what do you do with it?
There are a variety of different rosin based products and even types of rosin on the market. You may have seen/heard terms like Live Rosin, Hash Rosin, Flower Rosin or even Rosin-Infused. Generally, there are two distinct types of Rosin – Flower Rosin and Hash Rosin. These both refer to the starting material. Flower rosin is simply rosin made directly from pressing the flower. Hash rosin is rosin made from pressing hash. “Live” hash rosin is simply rosin made from pressing “live” hash aka hash made from fresh, undried cannabis. Most hash rosin is sold as-is and is meant to be dabbed/smoked. Flower rosin is often sold as-is too, but is less popular to dab than hash rosin due to it containing more lipids, fats and chlorophyll than hash rosin. We like to use a mix of flower and hash rosin in our tinctures and gummies. This gives it the potency boost from hash rosin while also containing healthy lipids, fats and chlorophyll found in the flower. Common rosin based products include tinctures, gummies, salves and cartridges. Rosin products will always be more expensive than their solvent based counterparts but are the best way to experience a true to plant, full spectrum product.
