Most people who are into dabbing don’t attempt to make cannabis extracts at home and just leave it to the pros, however rosin is one concentrate that’s safe and easy to make. Once you see the crazy prices of buying rosin dabs and how quick it is to do, you’ll never go back to the dispensary for rosin again! Read on to learn the step by step process on how to make rosin at home.
What are rosin dabs?
Rosin is a cannabis extraction method and also the name of the solid resin extract itself. The process uses heat combined with pressure to squeeze out resinous sap from plant material. Rosin dabs can be made using dry herb, hash, or kief. This method and the term rosin was originally used by string musicians, particularly violinists who would rub the solidified sap on the hair of their bow to create friction. Violinists still use rosin made from pine trees in this way.
Live rosin vs hash rosin
Hash rosin or simply rosin is the cannabis concentrate we explained above that is created using hash, dry herb, or kief. On the other hand, live rosin is made using “wet” cannabis flower that has not been dried or cured during the harvesting and trimming process. Oftentimes the flower is then frozen until it’s ready to be made into a concentrate. Because it’s made with herb that hasn’t been dried, many people believe live rosin has more terpenes and flavor than hash rosin.
How to make rosin at home
Rosin is one of the easiest and safest cannabis extracts to make at home and is growing in popularity. This is because it’s so versatile, can be made from whatever you have on hand (flower, hash, or kief), is inexpensive to make, and most importantly, the process does not involve a solvent. Other types of cannabis concentrates require flammable or dangerous solvents like butane or CO2 that many DIYers don’t want to mess with at home.
How do you make rosin press at home?
The best way to make rosin is to use a rosin press, which is a machine made specifically for that purpose. A rosin press has two heated metal plates that put pressure on the cannabis evenly, which will give you the highest yield. If you’re making rosin at home every once in a while for fun and just for your own personal use, you don’t need to invest in a rosin press. A hair straightener also works! Choose a hair straightener with manual heat settings and that you don’t mind getting dirty. Always set it to the lowest setting. Dry herb should never be heated over 300°F or the cannabinoids and terpenes may begin to deteriorate.
How to make rosin dabs
Equipment
- Hair straightener
- Dry herb, hash, or kief
- Unbleached parchment paper
- Dab tool
- Heat resistant gloves (optional but recommended)
Steps
- Cut a few pieces of parchment paper into roughly 4-inch squares.
- Set the hair straightener to the lowest temperature setting and preheat it. The straightener should be somewhere between 280 to 330°F.
- Place your cannabis on one half of a piece of parchment paper in a line to match the size of the metal heating plates on the straightener. Fold the paper in half so that all of the material is within the paper.
- Put on your heat resistant gloves for protection and place the filled parchment paper onto the heating plates of the straightener. Be sure all the material is being heated.
- Press down very firmly with the straightener for 5 to 7 seconds until you hear a sizzling sound. This means the resin has left the plant material.
- Open the parchment paper and carefully use a dab tool to remove any plant material and maneuver the rosin. This will be very sticky. Keep the rosin dabs in a folded piece of parchment paper and put them all together in an airtight weed storage container.
- Congratulations! You’re now a dab expert.
Now that you learned the art of making rosin at home, it’s time to pick up some dab accessories to test out your creations. Get yourself a brand new glass dab rig, e-rig, vaporizer, dab pen, dab tool, carb cap, wax storage container, dab mat, and more at our online smoke shop.
