LIVE ROSIN AND THE DIFFERENT SOLVENTLESS CANNABIS CONCENTRATES

The popularity of cannabis concentrates is booming, hitting around three billion dollars in sales last year in the US alone. They're likely to reach a staggering 6.5 billion dollars by 2025. 

The reasons for their growing demand vary like the types of concentrate products offered. The different flavors and aromas, the psychoactive properties, and a greater diversity of sensorial experiences can be found with concentrates than with just dry flower.  

What are cannabis concentrates?

Cannabis concentrates are the result of extracting trichomes from the cannabis plant. These trichomes, or resin glands, are where the plant's unique cannabinoid and terpene profiles live. By isolating these compounds, extractors can create products with amplified aroma, texture, and cannabinoid richness compared to flower alone.

Solventless vs. Solvent-Based Concentrates

Cannabis concentrates generally fall into two broad categories: solvent-based and solventless.

Solvent-based extractions use hydrocarbons (like butane or ethanol) to pull trichomes from the plant material. These methods can be highly efficient, but they require post-processing to remove residual solvents.

Solventless concentrates, on the other hand, use physical processes—like pressure, heat, and filtration—to isolate trichomes without chemical solvents. These methods require more precision and labor but are prized for preserving the natural qualities of the plant.

Types of Solventless Concentrates

Kief and Dry Sift

Kief, often collected from multi-chamber grinders, is made by sifting trichomes off dried cannabis flower. This powdery, green-gold material is sometimes pressed into hash or added to pre-rolls for an extra layer of richness.

When kief is sifted through multiple micron screens and cleaned of excess plant matter, it’s known as dry sift. While easy to produce, dry sift can vary in purity depending on screen quality and technique.

Common Uses: Bowl topping, hash-making, or pressing into rosin.

Dry Sift Hash

When dry sift is collected and compressed under heat and pressure, it becomes dry sift hash—a soft, pliable material traditionally used for smoking.

While flavorful and affordable, dry sift hash often contains residual plant matter. It offers a great middle ground for consumers seeking something above flower but below top-tier rosin.

Rosin (Flower, Dry Sift, and Bubble Hash-Based)

Rosin is what many consider the pinnacle of solventless extraction. By using just heat and pressure, extractors can squeeze resin from flower, kief, or hash. No chemicals, no solvents—just trichomes and skill.

Pressed Flower Rosin is the most accessible version. Often called “rosin chips” when flattened into discs, this version can lack in terpene retention due to flower degradation during pressing.

Pressed Hash Rosin, made by pressing dry sift or bubble hash, offers higher purity and consistency. Depending on post-processing, it can become budder, sauce, or jam.

Rosin Budder, Sauce, and Jam

• Rosin Budder is made by whipping freshly pressed rosin to a thick, creamy consistency. It’s easy to handle and ideal for dabbing.

• Rosin Sauce & Diamonds result from separating cannabinoids and terpenes into two distinct parts. This mimics the structure of solvent-based “sauce,” but without chemical interference.

• Rosin Jam is heat-treated rosin, processed until its terpenes and cannabinoids semi-separate. This creates a semi-solid, jam-like texture prized by extract aficionados.

Each consistency caters to different user preferences, whether you prioritize ease of use, storage, or dabbing flavor.

Bubble Hash and Full-Melt Grading

Bubble hash is made by submerging flash-frozen cannabis into buckets of ice water and agitating the material. Trichomes detach and fall through stacked filtration bags known as bubble bags, with each bag capturing different grades of hash.

The cream of the crop is 6-star full-melt bubble hash—so refined that it melts cleanly on a hot surface, leaving almost no residue. This is considered the gold standard of solventless hash.

Hash Grading (1–6 Stars):

• 1-2 Star: Great for edibles or pressing into rosin

• 3-4 Star: Smokeable, but contains some plant matter

• 5-6 Star: Full melt, dab-ready, top-tier quality

Jar Tech

Jar tech involves storing rosin in sealed glass jars at varying temperatures to alter texture and encourage terpene separation. Warm storage yields sauce-like consistency. Cold storage gives a buddery, dense texture.

This post-processing method allows for customization in consistency and enhances flavor development over time.

The Rise of Live Rosin

Live rosin has surged in popularity for its unmatched freshness and flavor retention. The key difference? It starts with flash-frozen cannabis flower, not dried or cured buds. This preserves more of the original terpene profile throughout the process.

But rather than pressing the frozen flower directly (which can be inefficient), the flower is first turned into bubble hash, and then pressed into live rosin. This two-stage process filters out unwanted plant matter while maintaining the rich complexity of the original flower.

Live Rosin Budder or Badder

Once extracted, live rosin can be whipped into budder or badder—both creamy, easy-to-handle formats that retain much of the plant’s original aroma and taste.

Price Range: Depending on quality, strain, and processing, live rosin budder can range from $35 to $100 per gram.

Pros and Cons of Premium Solventless Concentrates

Pros

• No solvents or chemical residue

• Full spectrum cannabinoid and terpene profiles

• Small-batch and craft-produced

Cons

• Labor-intensive production

• Higher cost per gram

• Requires proper storage to maintain quality

• Limited availability due to batch size

At STIIIZY, we only use premium flowers for all of our cannabis concentrates, including solventless pods, live rosin badder and jam, and much more. Explore all of STIIIZY's products here.