Jun 12, 20216 min read

Gold Country Resin Presents: THE HASH ROSIN Rigmarole! Badder VS. Fresh-Press

Updated: Mar 14, 2023

Well, it's about time we welcomed a new brand into the HashWriter fold! I was lucky enough to meet the Gold Country Resin crew at the Byrd-man's hash class, along with several other industry pioneers. Having finished in second place in this year's Emerald Cup, Gold Country Resin showed up in support and to contribute to the larger conversations of hashish.

After hearing @Byrd_extracts_co preaching the merits of using a full-spectrum of wash bags for rosin (sizes 50 to 150-micron), something I've heard numerous times before, I finally experienced these added effects first-hand. The light tan Strawberry Cheesecake badder I was gifted appeared rather unassuming, but when the Entourage Effect kicked my high into over-drive, I realized I finally found a brand using the full-spectrum to their product and consumer's advantage. Many claim full spectrum, only to include less desirable washes in the rosin.

Coming out of Nevada County, CA, Gold Country Resin uses several of the standard Light-Deprivation greenhouses, with a modern-hash twist. In addition to the unique spectrum of Northern California sunlight, either LED or HPS lighting gives plants an added boost. Solventless farmers have made quick work combining the best of both worlds, indoor and out, to make these mixed-light "deps" an optimum environment of hash growing terroir.

After honing their chops under the direction of @TrueHashcompany, G.C.R. branched out to some early success. The Personal Use Solventless category runs deep in the Emerald Cup with competition coming from anyone, all over the state. Medaling back in 2019 primed them for the 2021 Emerald Cup, where Gold Country Resin earned the silver medal, quickly putting their name on the hash-map.

hash rosin — How's that for a fresh-pressed dab? Gold Country Resin

The question of "fresh press" rosin versus "cold-cure" rosin badder has been ongoing with vastly differing opinions. Claiming the demand has been greater for their cold-cure lately, I wondered if this was a result of wholesaler demand, rather than consumers. Regardless, we decided to put the two styles of rosin side by side for a little test.

The Great Rosin Debate of 2021

With The Great Rosin Debate of 2021 alive and raging, Gold Country Resin put their money where their mouths are, no wait... They put their hash rosin where their mouths are and left the talking to the professionals. These types of things are always best left to the professionals, if you know what I mean...

A bold move I must say and one that carried some significant risks. It would be one thing to put your fresh press rosin right out of the fridge up against a cold cure for review, but they risked reputations for a real-world comparison. With the understanding that buddered rosin is a part of the comparisons, let's Real-World Hashish, take 1!

Shipping & Storage

What better way to begin than by testing out their ability to arrive in prime condition? An ice pack was included and two days later I was amazed to be scooping this perfectly fresh and clear rosin from a lukewarm jar:

Fresh-Press Stability

Huge win for G.C.R., but normally the cold-cure wins this round hands down. It's that sun-grown Northern California cannabis with the killer stability in fresh-press. Any indoor rosin would have buddered long before reaching me.

Many of us became accustomed to rosin that budders-up in a matter of minutes from indoor producers, making the effort seem ridiculous. Outdoor hash and rosin has proven to have far greater stability outside of refrigeration and G.C.R. just helped to further this notion.

My General Beef with the Cure

The first aspect I notice in nearly all the cold cures I've smoked, is a doughy-type of "flavor-smell" that kind of mimics the "doughy" look of cold cure badder itself. I've been noticing this throughout the last year, but haven't had the opportunity for a direct comparison side by side. I want to say cold-cures take on a play-doh or almost a clay-like smell that I haven't been able to put my finger on. It's a smell that seems separate from the genetic itself or a common building block many genetics share.

"Smell-Images"

My initial reaction smelling the two jars confirmed my beliefs. The fresh press has a clear or more direct smell of the genetic, while the badder takes on a smell I can only describe as "doughiness". The fresh press scent I categorize as clean, crisp, sharp and clear. The badder scent I describe as "doughy", "cake-like", or thick and muddled, despite a slightly stronger scent overall. These are the "smell-images" years of rosin smoking chiseled into my brain as the usual descriptors.

Both consistencies are of Goodtimes OG, a mixed genetic that seems to suit every palette. A real "people pleaser" genetic that has layered tastes and smells. Numerous intricate notes of fruity-flavor ride high on a base-line of solid and at times, funky OG Kush gas. I experienced a depth of flavor on the fresh press that the cold cure lacked. I'm sure it's no surprise I prefer the fresh-press, but I didn't expect some of my more generalized expectations, to apply so perfectly to the situation.

Safeguards of Fresh Press

To be specific, while confirming one of the safeguards to fresh press rosin mentioned here, both jars are labeled as Whole Plant Fresh Frozen from 40 to 179-micron bags, but only the fresh-press clarifies what "pull" or "wash" it's from. The fresh-press says "1st & 2nd Pull" meaning only the first two washes are included in the fresh press, while the badder may contain additional washes. As is always the case, fresh-press will be your safest bet at buying the best of every batch (right after ice water hash).

This is the plant in its least adulterated or manipulated form of rosin. It lets you determine the rate it budders and gives you the opportunity to try all of its phases. G.C.R.'s rosin hit on the perfect consistency of fresh press reminding me of my favorites. Considering how difficult a good fresh press is to achieve and even harder to come by, I was blown away by the quality, stability, and depth of flavor.

hashish — A Big Fat Swirl of Stable Fresh Press Rosin. GCR

Cold-Cure Badder

As much as I absolutely loved the fresh press rosin, the cold-cure was nothing short of exceptional. I wouldn't want a world without the occasional badder. Check out this bucket of grease, cured up into a shining and wet looking masterpiece.

hash — Gold Country Resin Cold Cure Badder of Goodtimes OG

And with some minimal changes in lighting and camera angle, here she is looking like a ripe mango ready for the picking, or smoking.

The Synopsis

Rosin badder or cold-cure badder (same thing) turn the semi-clear fresh press rosin into a shelf-stable, homogenized, and uniform badder. The advantages of not requiring cold-storage are many, with the convenience or ease of use and accessibility badder allows. While the badder is often preferred due to aspects of convenience, fresh-press is often preferred for reasons stemming from quality alone.

Back From The Grave

A part of comparing fresh press to badder is what happens after the fresh press dries and cures, since this is why many people shy away from it. Myself and others have often wondered if and how the #baddertech badder differs from cold-cure badder intentionally performed by producers. I figured it was best for the full cold cure to happen prior to the sale, but after some side-by-side comparisons, I'm no longer sure. In fact, dried fresh press that has been turned to badder might be preferable over producer sold cold-cures. The reasons, however, have less to do with what happens or doesn't happen during the cold-cure and everything to do with the safeguards of a fresh press rosin.

#baddertech fresh press rosin — #Baddertech on Fresh Press Rosin

So, I left some of the fresh press out to budder, used the #baddertech, and have the results here to compare. The #baddertech not only resulted in a lighter colored rosin (thanks to the safeguards), but the same crisp smell and taste exists for that one. I thought they would smell the same by this point, but there's still a distinct difference. I'd have chosen the #baddertech badder over the cold cure if I had nothing but color and smell to judge by.

A Terpene Related Affair

One explanation is that the fresh press version retains more of the lighter and more volatile terpenes, that would explain the more distinct, crisp smell. That is assuming that these volatile terpenes evaporate and leave behind a familiar smell of more common and less volatile terpenes in the cold-cure badders. This is most likely what causes a similar smell for most cold cure badders. Surely some aspect of this is at play, but until much more advanced research and testing is done, common sense holds its place. There is something to be said for the occasional cold cure, where terpenes change and increase, but that's for another article.

Conclusion

I was initially drawn to Gold Country Resin for showing up to a hash class taught by this year's winner. For the ones on top, it truly is a lifestyle and a labor of love that is felt, smelt, and smoked in all of their products. It's easy to get petty and look at brands as direct competitors but takes wisdom to understand that we all simply contribute to history's long-running conversations on the best hashish. Hash makers have it right in collaborating, sharing, and teaching one another to the benefit of us all.

Keep an eye out for Gold Country Resin and don't sleep on a chance to try them out yourself! You can check them out right here!