How to Make Rosin Jam

Rosin jam is simple to make if you have high-quality starting material and the right equipment. The most popular process for making rosin jam uses a sealed glass jar, pressure, and heat. In industry lingo, the process that we will describe in this article is known as Rosin Jar Tech or Rosin Jam Tech (when the end result is rosin jam).

When it's done right, rosin jam—which is also known as rosin sauce—should come out with a jam-like consistency (complete with globs of THCA) and a beautiful golden hue. What's especially impressive about this process is that it creates a fabulous texture without any need for solvents.

What Is Rosin Jam?

Rosin jam is a cannabis concentrate with a consistency that resembles jam. This consistency occurs when nucleated THC molecules "crash out" and separate from the lipids and terpenes in the rosin. The crashed-out THC resembles sugar crystals strewn throughout the gloopy terpene sauce.

Rosin jam is made using a hot rosin curing process rather than a cold curing process. Cold-cured rosin is typically budder-like in texture whereas heat-cured rosin can be jam-like, sauce-like, or runny, which is the texture that is used to make solventless rosin vape cartridges.

Benefits of Rosin Jam

Rosin jam has several benefits for extractors as well as cannabis consumers.

Benefits for extractors:

• The color and textural changes and THC nucleation that occur when heat-curing rosin enhance the jar appeal of the extract and are sought after by consumers.
• Rosin jam is more shelf-stable at room temperature than many other forms of concentrates.
• Rosin jam can be a good option for rosin that is extremely dry. Turning dry rosin into jam makes it more desirable to consumers.

Benefits for consumers:

• Heat-curing can "mellow out" volatile terpenes for a smoother dab.
• Rosin jam is very shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration.
• It is easy to handle and portion when dabbing. There is none of the popping or snapping that you can experience with fresh-press rosin.

What You Will Need to Make Rosin Jam

To make rosin jam, you will need:

• Full-spectrum rosin-grade hash
• A funnel
• 2 x 25µm rosin bags
• 1 x high-micron rosin bag
• A rosin press
• Food-grade parchment paper
• A heat-resistant glass jar with a metal lid
• An oven
• An oven mitt
• An oven thermometer
• A heat mat

How to Make Rosin Jam

We demonstrate the process for making rosin jam in our video: “Jar Tech: How to Make Live Rosin Jam with Kennnwall.”

The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Make Hash Rosin

Rosin jam turns out the best when you make it with hash rosin. If you use live hash rosin (AKA fresh frozen hash rosin), the resulting rosin jam will be live as well. We recommend using rosin with a high terpene concentration to achieve the best results.

1. Use the funnel to place the hash in one of the 25µm bags and fold over the end of the bag.
2. Sleeve the second 25µm bag over the first one for blowout prevention.
3. Insert the double-bagged pouch into a high-micron bag for stability.
4. Fold the parchment paper to match the size of the bags. You will want to use the Boat Tech fold so that the fresh rosin flows directly into the jar and is exposed to as little agitation as possible. We explain the steps of the Boat Tech fold in our article about parchment paper folding techniques and demonstrate it in our Parchment Tech how-to video.
5. Insert the bag into the folded parchment sleeve.
6. Place the parchment into your rosin press and begin the rosin extraction process. For 30 grams, we recommend pressing at 180°F and up to 16,000 lbs of pressure (900 platen PSI). Tip: Increase the pressure slowly to prevent blowouts.
7. Continue pressing until the rosin stops flowing. This might take a couple of minutes.
8. Allow the rosin to flow into the jar, then set the parchment aside. The rosin that remains on the parchment will be collected and added to the jar. Do not exceed 80% of the jar's capacity when filling the jar with rosin.

Step 2: Cook the Rosin in the Oven

The second step is to "cook" the rosin in the oven at low temperatures to start the nucleation process. You will see the rosin go through several stages of consistency. This is both normal and necessary.

1. 
   Preheat your oven to 225°F.
2. Once preheated, insert your jars into the center of the oven for even heat dispersion.
3. Allow the jars to sit in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour. The exact time will depend on the strain and how full each jar is.
4. Once the jar has reached the halfway point of liquefaction (half bubbles, half liquid), use the oven mitt to pull it out. Be sure to leave the jar sealed to prevent the terpenes from evaporating.

Tip: Keep watch over the rosin while it's cooking and don't just set it and walk away. Rosin burns quickly and the THC won't crash out if the rosin is overcooked.

Step 3: Heat-Cure the Rosin on a Heat Mat

This stage is much longer than the second stage and requires patient observation. In the third stage, the color of your cooked rosin will change from dark amber to a honey color and THC crystals should appear as the rosin cures.

1. Place the jar on top of a heat mat. The ideal temperature is 100°F.
2. Leave the jar on the heat mat for an extended period of time (one week or longer), until the THCA crashes out and creates a sugar-like consistency. It is important not to open the jar until the crystallization process is complete.

Pitfalls to Avoid

There are a few common pitfalls to avoid when making rosin jam:

• Burning the rosin: Watch your rosin carefully while it's in the oven so that it doesn't pass 50% liquefaction or burn.
• Overfilling the jar: The air in the top of the jar creates the necessary pressure to provoke THC nucleation (the lid must also be airtight). If you fill the jar to more than 80%, the process may fail or the lid might pop off.
• Using a low-terpene strain: The pressure in the top of the jar is primarily caused by the upward pressure exerted by evaporating terpene molecules as they leave the liquid and collide with the air. If you use a cultivar with a low terpene content, the process might not work.

How to Store Rosin Jam

Once your rosin jam is ready, store it in a cool room or refrigerator. Heat-cured rosin is generally more shelf-stable than cold-cured rosin. However, keeping it cool will help to prevent terpene loss until the product is purchased and consumed.

Time to Get Cooking!

There are few things more magical than watching a top-tier solventless concentrate go through changes in color and texture right before your eyes. It's a testament to the complex and awe-inspiring nature of the cannabis plant and all of its essential compounds.

For the most reliable process and the best results when making rosin jam, use a high-terpene cannabis cultivar and full-spectrum, rosin-grade bubble hash. We've found that these starting materials—coupled with the process described above—produce the most reliable results.