What is Rosin?
What is Rosin?
Rosin is a simple but powerful method for cannabis oil extraction. Originally, the technique was developed for a wholly different purpose—the lubrication of violin bows.
Rosin works through the application of heat and pressure, and may be used on flowers, kief, or hash. Is rosin the same as shatter? The resulting product can be quite similar, and can certainly rival shatter in terms of quality. Indeed, it may be far more pure.
The problem with other extraction methods is that they require you to introduce propane, butane, or other light hydrocarbons into your cannabis while you are processing it. Once initial processing is complete, these impurities remain, so you must then subject the product to a further purge process.
Even after that is complete, chances are good there will still be some leftover hydrocarbons in your cannabis oil. Needless to say, that is not something you want to put in your body.
The rosin press removes the hydrocarbons from the picture entirely. Since they are never introduced in the first place, there is no need to purify your oil afterward—it is already pure.
In all other respects, the product the rosin press produces is virtually impossible to tell apart from shatter. It has the same clear, amber-like appearance, and it is comparable in terms of scent as well as flavor. It also is just as rich in terpenes.
Another benefit of the rosin press is that it saves time.
Traditional extraction methods are far more involved and time-consuming, but the rosin press can produce an extract within a matter of mere seconds.
In effect, you are getting all the benefits of high quality shatter without the drawbacks of hydrocarbon contamination. This makes it a great option for personal or commercial cannabis oil production.
Different Types of Rosin Presses
There are actually a number of different types of rosin presses which you can make or buy.
DIY Rosin Press: If you have a hair straightener and a clamp, believe it or not, that is all you really need to make a basic rosin press. You also need some parchment paper, a tool to use to collect the oil, and gloves to protect your hands from the heat. Alternately, you can modify a hydraulic shop press by adding heat plates and use that instead.
Manual Rosin Press: If you want to keep operation simple and costs down low, consider purchasing a manual press. These devices tend to be smaller than their hydraulic counterparts (see below), so they offer the advantage of portability. You operate them using a hand crank.
Hydraulic Rosin Press: With this type of press, you use a hand pump to produce hydraulic pressure. They are reasonably portable, and offer a kind of “in-between” option between a manual and pneumatic press.
Pneumatic Rosin Press: This type of press is basically like a hydraulic press, but it includes an extra feature in the form of an air compressor. This frees you from manual labor. There is no cranking and no pumping. You can adjust the pressure level precisely just by pressing a button. Because of the air compressor, portability is limited.
Electric Rosin Press: This type of press gets you away from pumps and compressors altogether. Powered through a basic wall outlet, the electric rosin press offers convenience and ease of use and is ideal for processing large batches.
Hybrid Rosin Press: This type of rosin press is designed for large scale commercial use, and offers ultimate flexibility. It can run pneumatically or electronically, or you have the option of using a pump manually if you prefer.
There is no single “best” type of rosin press.
You just need to make sure that you are shopping for a press that will fit with your needs.