Sep 28, 20205 min read

Let's Get Solventless Consistencies Straight: A Quick-Start Guide to Hash and Rosin Products

Updated: Mar 11, 2023

Storage tech and consumption of the best solventless hash needs a serious refresher course. With solventless hash finally starting to take off it's time to clarify a few things and get everybody on the same page. Here's the fundamental basics differentiating the variety of solventless or SHO products hitting the shelves and what to do with them.

In order to never mention it again, flower rosin and bubble hash do still exist as other solventless options outside the process explained below. Bubble hash is washed from dried or cured cannabis rather than fresh-frozen cannabis and flower rosin is pressed directly from flowers, rather than extracting and pressing ice water hash into rosin. Flower rosin is the reason I usually avoid rosin badders, since it's easily mimicked by these older extraction techniques. Storage temperature for these products has little to no influence on the hash. Flower rosin aside, let's cover the key concepts in modern hash-making every consumer should understand.

AND NOW, WE BEGIN

Stage Numero Uno: ICE WATER HASH

Everything begins with the hash. All consistencies of solventless rosin begin as an ice water hash extraction, making this the crucial first step for all live rosin processes to follow. Remember to let your jars of hash warm-up before opening to prevent condensation from forming! Frozen cannabis is mixed in water and ice allowing the trichome heads to gently break free from the plant. The water is then strained with mesh bags to remove and dry the isolated trichome heads before being sieved into a loose, sand-like texture. The hash will start to solidify or "grease" the moment it's removed from the freezer. It can be sold as ice water hash or undergo further refinements.

Always keep ice water hash frozen between uses. Allow it to thaw completely before opening. Let your hash reach room temperature before dabbing and return it to the freezer after each use. Dried out or caked-up water hash has no remedy, which is why constant freezing is so important.
Water hash can be dabbed like normal or pressed into Hash Flags as explained here.
Water Hash needs to be dabbed cooler than any other extract at around 500 degrees F. Read more on dab temps here.

6-Star or Full-Melt Ice Water Hash by @710Labs. Here it has reached room temperature and is perfect to dab.

Fresh-Press Live Rosin

Taking the same ice water hash as seen above, it's packaged inside small mesh envelopes. These envelopes of hash are placed between heated metal plates that use immense pressure and minimal heat to squeeze the ice water hash into the highest-grade live rosin. This fresh-press rosin can be packaged and sold or undergo additional processes.

This is the stuff that requires freezing or refrigeration to prevent it from buttering-up or drying out. Freezing rosin halts the process. While some fresh-press rosin increases in flavor while buttering, others lose their flavor just as fast. You will find a relative balance between refrigeration and the time spent at room temperature for each dab. The rosin will naturally butter or begin turning opaque and solidifying more with each use, or time out of the fridge.
Always let your rosin warm up prior to dabbing. If your rosin was well cared for and remains translucent like below, it should be dense, but soft and gooey when warm enough to dab.
You can taste a noticeable decline in terpenes once fresh-press dries out or cakes-up completely. For dry and buddered rosins there's no going back to the clear translucence it once was, but using the #baddertech shown here, will work wonders to revive dry-buttered rosin.
Fresh-Press rosin is the most difficult consistency to achieve with the stability necessary. This is why so many producers elect to whip their fresh-press into a uniform badder.

Fresh-Press Rosin Perfectly Conserved. Garlic Juice #6 by @papas_select.

Fresh-Press Rosin in 3 Phases.

Hash Rosin Badder

Electing not to sell the fresh-press rosin, which requires constant refrigeration, the fresh-press rosin can be whipped into a stable badder consistency. Refrigeration isn't necessary. Producers use the cold-cure technique to finalize their rosin into an even and stable badder. Whipping, stirring, and changes in temperature help to turn fresh-press into a light colored rosin badder that can almost be white.

As long as we are certain it is indeed hash rosin badder and not flower rosin disguised simply as "Rosin Badder", it can be some of the tastiest and most potent dabs around.
While I say no to rosin badder from unknown producers, Papas Select, Rosin Tech Labs, and Frosty-fresh, Have-Hash are a few exceptions to this rule.
These types of badder maintain their appearance and don't require the care or cold-storage that fresh-press demands. Refrigeration never hurts, especially for longer-term storage, but I prefer to leave my rosin badders at room temperature after opening a new jar.

Cold-Cure Rosin Badder from RosinTechLabs

Hash Rosin Sauce (Persy Rosin sauce)(Jar-tech)

Recently, Rosin Sauce has become a thing. These mimic the consistency of BHO live resin sugars, but remain solventless. These rosin sauces follow the same pattern of steps as outlined above before some final touches (jar-tech) turn soft rosin badder into a crystalline-like texture known as sauce.

These rosin sauces come in a range of consistencies unique to the genetic. Some have large noticeable diamonds, while others remain an apple-sauce consistency.
Regardless of consistency, rosin sauce is stable at any temperature and designed for on the go use. That said, cold-storage never hurts, but isn't needed. I leave rosin sauce at room temperature where it's always ready to be dabbed.

Hash Rosin Sauce Garanimals by @papas_select

To Summarize

Different forms of rosin begin as a fresh-press rosin of warm, dripping, and clear trichome juices like the shot below. Brands can sell it as fresh-press rosin or whip, stir, heat, cool, and cure their fresh-press rosin to create all kinds of other textures and consistencies. Rosin badders and cold-cures are homogenized, meaning they come in an even and stable consistency and won't change. Only two solventless products, ice water hash and fresh-press rosin, rely on temperature to maintain their appearance during storage. Make sure to freeze your water hash and keep fresh-press below 45 degrees if you don't want them to butter . Each method has its advantages, and disadvantages, but fresh-press rosin is the true measuring stick for clarity, quality, and success.

Fresh-Pressed Rosin Dripping from the Rosin Press

Best Dab Consistency

Everyone always asks the best consistency to dab fresh-press rosin and the answer is all of them! Each cultivar is best at different stages in the buttering process. Sometimes rosin can have some distinct changes in flavor as it butters and quite often a cultivar will lack the nose until warming up. I always want to try rosin as fresh as can be and at different stages of buttering. 710Labs rosins are often bland until starting to butter, whereas @Papas_Select rosin smacks you in the mouth from the first clear-stringy dab.