How to Make Tincture from Rosin

Rosin tinctures are easy to make and offer potent effects without any need to vaporize the rosin and inhale it. Cannabis tinctures are typically made by soaking cannabis flower in alcohol so that the active compounds are absorbed into the liquid. However, our instructions for making a rosin-based cannabis tincture via emulsification are far simpler, don't require any alcohol, and only take a few minutes to complete.

What Is a Tincture?

A tincture is generally understood to be a concentrated herbal extract made by soaking plant matter in food-grade alcohol or vinegar. The active compounds are then pulled into the solvent to make a concentrated liquid.

Today, non-alcohol-based tinctures can be made using liquids such as glycerin or oils (such as MCT oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, fractionated coconut oil, and others) using technologies that encourage emulsification.

What Is a Rosin Tincture?

A rosin tincture is a liquid form of rosin that is created by emulsifying rosin with a carrier oil or soaking it in food-grade alcohol. Both versions are very potent because they are made with a cannabis concentrate from the outset.

While you can get similar physical effects from both oil-based and alcohol-based rosin tinctures, our preference is to use the same process for making rosin tincture that we use to make rosin-based cannabis oil for rosin capsules (i.e. emulsification). We find this process simpler and faster, and it comes with the additional benefit of being alcohol-free.

Benefits of Tinctures

Tinctures offer several benefits compared to other types of cannabis products:

• They have longer-lasting effects compared to inhaling cannabis smoke or vapor.
• They make it easier to ensure consistent doses and regulate your THC intake.
• Tinctures offer an odorless and discreet way to consume the desired cannabis compounds.

How to Make Tincture from Rosin

This is the process we use to make rosin tinctures, using a carrier oil and a high-speed mixer.

What You'll Need

To make rosin tincture, you will need:

• Rosin
• A glass container - We use a wide-mouth mason jar with a sealable lid.
• Parchment paper
• A baking tray
• A timer
• A heated stirring plate
• A stirring tool
• A carrier oil, such as MCT oil or olive oil
• Lecithin - When working with lecithin and MCT oil, use about 1/4 of a teaspoon of lecithin per 8 ounces of MCT oil.
• A high-speed immersion blender
• 30 mL dropper bottles

Step 1: Decarb the Rosin

Rosin needs to be decarboxylated before it can be mixed with a carrier oil for consumption. The cannabinoids in the raw cannabis extract that flows from the rosin press are still in their acidic forms (THCA, CBDA, and so on) and will not cause psychoactive effects unless they are heated. When you dab rosin, the act of vaporizing the extract decarbs the cannabinoids instantaneously. For rosin tincture, we will decarb the rosin much more slowly using an oven to conserve as many terpenes as possible.

To decarb rosin:

1. Preheat the oven to 240°F.
2. Place your rosin in a sealed glass container that's resistant to heat. It's important not to leave the container open as terpenes will off-gas into the air when the rosin is heated.
3. Place the glass container on top of parchment paper on a baking tray. Carefully slide the tray into the preheated oven. Set your timer to 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Check the rosin every 10 to 15 minutes to see whether it's still bubbling. The bubbling will stop when the decarboxylation process is complete.
5. Once the rosin has stopped bubbling, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool.

Step 2: Emulsify the Rosin into the Carrier Oil

Now that the rosin is decarboxylated, you're ready to emulsify it into the carrier oil.

1. Combine the MCT oil, lecithin, and rosin in a wide-mouth mason jar with the lid sealed. Place the saucepan on a heated stirring plate on the high-speed mixing setting and maintain a temperature of 165°F for 2 hours. 
2. Use a homogenizer or immersion blender for 2-3 minutes to break down the rosin particles and ensure the mixture is homogenized. This mechanical action can help achieve a more uniform mixture and prevent separation. 
3. Allow the mixture to cool gradually while continuing to stir. This helps ensure that the rosin particles remain dispersed in the oil as it solidifies.
4. Measure out the rosin tincture into dark-colored dropper bottles, label them, and store them in the fridge.

How to Use Rosin Tincture

There are three main ways to use rosin tincture:

1. Sublingual: Place a few drops under your tongue and leave it there for at least 60 seconds for the cannabinoids to be absorbed through the mucous membrane under your tongue and pass through the capillaries into your bloodstream.
2. Swallowing: Swallow a few drops of tincture directly. It takes longer to feel the effects using this method compared to the sublingual method because the tincture needs to pass through your digestive system and be metabolized by the liver.
3. Adding it to food and beverages: You can also consume rosin tincture orally by adding a few drops to a beverage such as tea or coffee, to an oil-based salad dressing, or to sweet foods like smoothies and non-baked desserts. Remember to label any food products with rosin in them carefully so that anyone who raids your fridge or pantry knows these products contain cannabis.

How to Dose Rosin Tincture

It's essential to calculate the cannabinoid content of your tincture so that you can work out the most appropriate dose.

To calculate the amount of THC in your rosin:

1. Multiply the THC percentage of the rosin by the number of grams of rosin you used to make the tincture.
2. Divide the total THC in the tincture by the number of drops in the bottle. One drop = 0.05 mL. 

A good starting dose for beginners is 2.5 mg of THC, which equates to around one drop in a 30 mL dropper bottle that contains 3 grams of rosin with an initial concentration of 60% THC (in this case, each drop would contain 3 mg of THC). Place one drop of tincture under your tongue and wait for 60 minutes to see how you feel before having more. If you want a stronger psychoactive effect, repeat the same dose every hour or so until you hit your sweet spot.

Important note: Rosin tincture that is intended for sale will need to be tested in a laboratory for cannabinoid content and safety and labeled according to your state’s requirements before you can distribute it to dispensaries for sale. In Colorado, marijuana tincture labels must state:

• The number of milligrams of active THC and CBD per serving
• The number of milligrams of active THC and CBD per container where the container contains more than one serving
• An additional warning statement for Edible Retail Marijuana Products that states “The intoxicating effects of this product may be delayed by up to 4 hours.”
• The expiration or use-by date
• The production date
• A statement regarding refrigeration if the product is perishable

Experience Cannabis in a New Way with Rosin Tinctures

Rosin tincture is a great new application for food-grade rosin and a lucrative opportunity for solventless extraction professionals. The emulsification process we've described converts rosin into a liquid form and disperses the particles throughout the oil evenly for precise dosing.

For best results with your rosin tincture, start with high-quality food-grade rosin and keep temperatures to a minimum during decarboxylation and mixing to preserve more of those valuable terpenes. Cannabis connoisseurs might not necessarily consume tinctures for the taste, but maintaining a chemical profile that's as faithful as possible to the starting material will ensure the best experience and maximize the tincture's therapeutic benefits.