What is Rosin?
Ice water hash rosin is one of the purest and most sought after cannabis concentrates on the market today. It’s made using only solventless processes, with every step aimed towards preserving the plant’s natural cannabinoid ratio and terpene profile for an elaborate and complex bouquet with maximum therapeutic benefits. Unlike distillate, which is extracted from plant material using ethanol, carbon dioxide, and even butane, rosin is considered solventless. All forms of cannabinoid processing have just one goal: separate the cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoid oils produced by the trichome heads, from the cellulose, fats, and other plant debris. Distillate extractions use chemical separation to this end. Solvents are all at least partially non-polar (oily), and go to work dissolving the similarly non-polar trichome membranes to release the cannabinoids into the solvent. That solvent is then evaporated and recovered, leaving a cannabinoid-rich oil. Rosin extraction, on the other hand, is mechanical. Instead of using the chemical properties of a solvent to dissolve trichome membranes, ice water is gently agitated, the mechanical motion knocking those whole trichomes from the rest of the plant material.
Rosin vs. Resin
It’s important to understand the difference between rosin and resin. The words are deceptively similar, and often incorrectly used interchangeably. Rosin is a concentrate that is always made without any chemicals, using the methods outlined here. Rosins are the purest form of concentrate, unadulterated by solvents and environmentally-friendly, since the only things needed to process them are water, temperature, and pressure. Though resin appears very similar to rosin, it is always processed using hydrocarbon solvents, usually butane (it’s a form of BHO). While resin, like other BHO products, can be almost entirely purged of that solvent, almost is the key word there. We believe that any residual butane at all is too much butane. If you’ve heard of live rosin and live resin, those feature the same processes, but start with flash frozen plant material rather than dried.
The Process
Making solventless rosin requires using the very highest quality cannabis. Trichomes must be perfectly intact in order to be gathered, and since the processing is minimal and emphasizes the natural properties of a given strain, any impurities in the plant will be evidenced in the final product. Manufacturers must emphasize sourcing the most potent, therapeutic, and delicious cultivars available, and only the best of those should go into making rosins.
Step 1: Ice Water Agitation
The chosen cannabis buds are first agitated in ice water, where the loosened trichomes are collected, run through sieves, and dried. While technically water is a solvent, this process is considered solventless due to the nature and purity of the reverse osmosis water used throughout the process.
Step 2: Filtration
The trichome-rich water is then run through a series of filter bags, which sort the trichomes into different batches that can either be processed separately for a customizable product, or together for a full-spectrum hash.
Step 3: Freeze Drying
Batches are then freeze-dried to remove any moisture left in the hash. Freeze-drying improves the product’s quality and shelf-life by quickly removing any moisture through sublimation. In this process, solids transition directly to gases, without undergoing a liquid phase, essentially drying out the hash without degrading it or stimulating oxidation (a process that negatively impacts the quality of the final product).
Step 4: Add Heat and Pressure
To get from ice water hash to hash rosin, the trichomes have to undergo one more process. Once the hash comes out of the freezer, it is hand pressed in small batches. This entails loading the hash into micron bags and pressing them between heated metal plates. The micron bags hold the plant material while allowing the rosin to press out. To get a rosin that truly reflects all of the benefits and bouquet of the original plant, we press using low heat and high pressure. By keeping the heat low, we make sure that our rosin retains all of its natural terpenes, giving it the entire spectrum of flavor, complexity, and therapeutic benefits of the original plant.
No other extraction method leaves consumers with a product that more accurately reflects the chemical profile of a given plant.
Extraction methods often strip the delicate terpenes, and even consuming the flower directly doesn’t render as complex and delicate an experience. When smoking plant material, more than 50% of the biomolecules are lost through pyrolysis and side smoke, or masked by combustion. For patients and connoisseurs in search of complex flavors, full-spectrum benefits, and a truly artisanal experience, no other product comes close to hash rosin.
