Know Your Cannabis: Live Rosin

To continue our look into the history of cannabis and cannabis extracts, we're starting off with extraction technology!

Since 2015, cannabis extraction technology has become more advanced. The processes have been scaled to meet the demands of growing legal medical and recreational markets. This includes the ability to fill hundreds of distillate cartridges and modern "vape" pens that have become popular due to the large number of dispensary purchases.

Another advancement in extraction technology came from Phil "Soilgrown" Salazar- the solventless "live rosin."

Solventless extracts are considered one of the most premium types of hash oil among dab enthusiasts. Solventless refers to using temperature changes, or physical pressure to separate trichomes from the plant material. Most high-end solventless hash oil products are made with an industrial sized rosin press.

The first step in achieving live rosin starts with fresh flower. The flower used in this process does not go through the drying and curing phases. The flower is extracted live to preserve terpenes.

Bubble hash is considered solventless because the cannabinoids and terpenes are extracted from the plant using only ice water, instead of a chemical like butane that must be purged later.

THC and terpenes are extracted from bubble hash using rosin press, which applies heat and pressure. This process keeps all the desired parts together, so nothing needs to be re-introduced later.

Many medical cannabis patients who use hash oil may be familiar with DIY at-home methods of heat or pressure extraction to get the rosin from flower. A common method includes using a hair straightener and parchment paper to apply heat and pressure. This method is not recommended as it requires a lot of plant material for a low yield, excess plant material will need to be removed from the resulting rosin and can cause burns or fires if not done safely.

Live rosin can be filled into a cartridge but it is not the ideal consistency for vaping. To achieve the correct liquid consistency, terpenes can be added or further processing via winterization may be done.

For more information about cannabis extracts, check out our Know Your Cannabis Classes!

Sources: MIT, Smithsonian, High Times Interview with Soilgrown