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Rosin is one of the most common questions in solventless cannabis extraction, and the answer comes down to source material, press temperature, and quality. Rosin is made without the use of any solvents unlike shatter and crumble which is made using butane. If you are looking for the cream of the crop, the top dog, the bees knees, then you are looking for rosin. Not only is rosin the best choice for consumers, but you can safely make rosin in the comfort of your own home! There are many guides available to walk you through the process of how to press hash rosin or how to press flower rosin.
There are two types of rosin: Flower Rosin and Hash Rosin. Each is made using the same principles of heat and pressure, but the resulting end product can be wildly different. In this article we discuss how both flower rosin and hash rosin are made, the differences in quality, color, and consistency, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
How Each Is Made
Both flower rosin and hash rosin are made by placing either flower or bubble hash into nylon mesh bags called rosin bags. Filled rosin bags are then placed onto the plates of a rosin press. The plates will warm up and then be pressed together either manually or with hydraulic/pneumatic pressure. This combination of heat and pressure pushes cannabinoids and terpenes out of the cannabis trichomes and through the nylon mesh bags which are then collected and dabbed by you. There are a few differences in the specifics depending if you are pressing flower rosin or hash rosin. These include: prepress steps, micron of your rosin bag, temperature of your rosin press plates, pressure applied.
Prepress Steps
Flower rosin does not require much preparation. You must use properly humidified flower (not too wet or too dry). Other than that, you just have to break the buds into smaller pieces (small to medium sized nugs) and stuff them into the rosin bag.
Hash rosin requires you first have hash to press. Bubble hash is made by placing flower into a bucket with ice and water. When mixed, the trichomes of the plant will freeze and break off. The trichomes are filtered through nylon mesh bags called bubble bags. Once filtered, the hash needs to be dried. The entire process is tedious and time consuming, but you end up with hash and there is nothing better!
Micron
Flower rosin is generally pressed using rosin bags with microns ranging from 90 micron to 220 micron. Although, from time to time, you may come across someone who presses flower rosin using 37 micron rosin bags. The larger micron size allows for more material to pass through the nylon mesh rosin bag. This is ideal for flower rosin because you will be collecting an unrefined rosin extract compared to hash rosin. Hash rosin was refined in the process of making bubble hash before being pressed into hash rosin. With flower rosin, you inevitably end up with some flower in your rosin.
Hash rosin is pressed using rosin bags with microns 15 micron up to 75 micron. The smaller the micron, the cleaner your hash will be (meaning it will be free of plant matter and lipids). Smaller microns also mean a lower yield. When bubble hash is made, it goes through a filtering process which allows you to press hash rosin using relatively smaller micron rosin bags.
Technique
The traditional way to press rosin is to lay the packed rosin bag flat and horizontal on the rosin press plates.
When pressing flower rosin, you may choose to place the bag vertically on the rosin press plates. There are two techniques known for this: Bottle Tech Style and Chottle Tech. This can help you to increase yields and decrease your chance of the bag ripping (known as a blowout).
When pressing hash rosin, the horizontal lay is the best technique. But you may consider using 2 or 3 bags at a time. This technique, known as Double Bag Tech, increases the strength of your rosin bag so you can crank up the pressure of the rosin press without worry that the bag will blowout and rip.
Temperature
Flower rosin generally requires higher temperatures to extract. The most common temperature range for pressing flower rosin is between 180℉ and 200℉. Hash rosin is best with lower temperatures so you can retain the terpenes. Sticking between 160℉ and 190℉ is most common.
Pressure
Flower rosin usually requires higher pressure to extract compared to hash rosin. Flower rosin benefits from higher pressure because the trichomes are hidden within plant material and that makes them harder to get to. Hash rosin is just trichomes and limited plant matter. Therefore, you do not need high pressure to extract hash rosin.
Quality: Color, Consistency, and Taste
Nine times out of 10 hash rosin will have superior quality to flower rosin. That being said, there is some extremely good flower rosin out there, made by some very talented individuals. Flower rosin may contain lipids and other plant matter. Hash rosin is free from these because the hash is refined when being made. This affects the color, the consistency, and the taste.
Hash rosin is just cannabinoids and tasty terpenes so the overall aroma and taste of your dabs is out of this world. It is very pleasant and distinct. Flower rosin may taste a bit more plant-like which is undesirable to most. Aside from taste, the extra plant matter also means that flower rosin has a darker color than most hash rosin.
Consistency of hash and flower rosin has to do with many factors, some of which are out of your control (like the plant’s genetics). Rosin can be a sap, budder, shatter, or jam. It can also be changed through a curing process. Flower rosin is most commonly sap and less commonly budder.
Flower Rosin
Advantages
- Easier to do than hash rosin
- Does not require making bubble hash
- Lower price than hash rosin
Disadvantages
- Lesser quality
- Less appealing taste and color
- Harsher to smoke
Hash Rosin
Advantages
- Incredible taste
- High potency
- Smooth to smoke
Disadvantages
- Time consuming
- More knowledge needed to make
- Higher price
Frequently Asked Questions: Flower Rosin vs. Hash Rosin
What is the main difference between flower rosin and hash rosin?
Flower rosin is pressed directly from cured cannabis flower at 180-200°F using 90-220 micron bags. Hash rosin is pressed from bubble hash (ice-water-extracted trichomes) at 160-190°F using 15-75 micron bags. Hash rosin is generally cleaner, more flavorful, and more potent because the trichomes are pre-separated from plant matter before pressing.
Which is better, flower rosin or hash rosin?
Hash rosin is higher quality nine times out of ten. It contains no plant lipids or chlorophyll, has a brighter color, smoother smoke, more pronounced terpene profile, and higher potency than flower rosin. Flower rosin’s advantages are speed, simplicity, and lower cost, making it more accessible for home pressers and budget-conscious consumers.
What temperature should I press flower rosin at?
Flower rosin is best pressed between 180°F and 200°F. The higher temperature is needed because cannabinoids and terpenes are still locked inside the plant’s trichome structure and surrounding tissue. Use higher pressure than hash rosin and 90-220 micron bags. Properly humidified flower broken into small to medium nugs presses most consistently.
What temperature should I press hash rosin at?
Hash rosin presses best between 160°F and 190°F, lower than flower rosin to retain volatile terpenes. Use 15-75 micron bags (smaller microns yield cleaner rosin with less yield). Apply lower pressure since the trichomes are already exposed. The Double Bag Tech (2-3 bags stacked) lets you safely apply higher pressure without bag failure.
How is bubble hash made for hash rosin?
Place cannabis flower in a bucket with ice and water, then agitate. The cold freezes the trichomes brittle so they break off when stirred. Filter the slurry through bubble bags of progressively finer microns. Collect the trichome heads from each bag, dry them thoroughly, then press into hash rosin.
Is hash rosin worth the higher price?
For most concentrate consumers, yes. Hash rosin delivers cleaner flavor, smoother dabs, and higher potency than flower rosin, with no residual solvents and minimal plant matter. The price reflects extra time, equipment, and yield loss during the bubble hash step. Flower rosin remains the better choice for cost-conscious home pressers.
