The Rosinberg Process
Pressing Flower
My basic process:
I get asked all the time, so here is a run down on me pressing.
Bag size has always been 2x4. No need for larger so far for me. I do use rolls as well as individual bags, but always 2” bags.
Micron size, I use 120u down to 50u for flower. My reason is just because. Its what I have available. I have not come across a noticeable difference in yield between micron sizes.
Paper:
I use store brand parchment paper most of the time. Nothing special.
Flower:
I use flower from various sources. I have noted many things with such variety over the years... Oily rosin, beautiful sugar, or budder rosin right off the paper. Absolute crap as well. I have now come to look for the “budget flower” to press when I go to a dispensary. Many times, what smokers want isn’t what I would want to press; and inversely the smoker’s preference wouldn’t be the same as mine usually as my flower friends would say. I know this will come off strange, but I like a little bit of fluffy weed. I want more “square footage” so to speak for trichome’s to cover.
Process:
I break my nugs into small, pop corn size or a little bigger. This is to remove the larger stems from the bud. I prefer only bud structure in my presses.
I like my humidity between 62-65% but press between 60%-67%.
I have found a personal sweet spot for flower to be between 3.5g to 5.5g. This is for yield. If I have one ounce or less to smash at a time, I will take the pains of using the 3.5g to 5g approach because I will yield more vs the larger amounts. I use BOTTEL TECH for flower when pressing. If pressing more than one ounce at a time, I will likely go up to 7-10g squishes but still bottle tech. I do not press flower flat or using the rectangular molds. This is a personal preference.
Pressure:
Psi range for this is 1200psi (3.5g) low end to 1600psi (5g) on the high. PSI always follows the amount of flower you are pressing. You get NOTHING more by putting all 10 tons on your puck vs 1200 psi when pressing 3.5g of flower. *Note, you will only be adding chlorophyll into your extracts.
Temps and times: *[min:second]
These are dependent on one another. Temp is how I decide my time frames. If I run 180F my time tends to be a 0:45 to 1:10 warm up… then press under pressure once the bag is moistened well.
Under psi, the time will be 3 mins to 4 or longer if its still flowing.
My trick here is HOW I press. I don’t just ramp up to pressure. I have noticed the better stuff budders quickly which will bock flow through the bag, losing rosin and burning in the process. This is the dark ring right around the flower puck and the lighter rosin is away from the bag more. That clogging is what I want to address. If you ramp up fast to full psi you can’t do anything but release the pressure. If you go SLOW, and I mean your arm hurts slow. For example, on a 3 min press I am continually adding psi for 2 of the 3 mins. This keeps the flow moving through the bag. Not sitting, clogging, burning…
Another big thing I have noticed in the home presser world is everyone wants to see the drip. The need for this has causes new pressers to use a lot of flower right off the bat not taking any learning curve into account. I have advised people for some time now to purchase good hemp from our nations hemp farmers and press this to learn on. However, this also has people teaching online (YouTube) and in pic (reddit, fb, IG) where the puck looks like a slim wedge. It should look flat completely compressed like an accordion smashed vertically. This is from people putting (and teaching to put the) puck towards the front of the press plates to allow the drip to be seen. This causes the press plates to look like a duck bill where one side is open further in the front and the back side of the platens are closed with psi against the plates causing the back side of the bag to be cut like scissors and this looks like a blowout. This is all my opinion, however based on my personal observations of my own work as well as that of online observations but maybe the read will help a few folks out.
Back to time, I rarely go over 200F (as a personal preference) but when I do my time is adjusted. So if 180F would be 3 to 4 or even 5 mins… 190F would be 2, 3 or 4 min, and so 200F would be 2 to 3 mins max. Thus 220F would be a 0:45 to 1:20 second squish under psi.
*PSI is based on the Grams being squished.
*Time is based on Temp pressed.
Post press collection:
FIRE in gets FIRE out. Good quality material seems to give me easily collectable rosin. Any cool environment would be suitable for collection. I use a dab tool and like to roll my tool over the rosin rolling it up on the tool. I do at times have to blot it off, make my tools cold, use a cold plate (anything cold from the fridge - a dinner plate, frozen pizza, cheap marble cutting board) and if need be set the paper on your cold item and help collect it. I have even used a cold pack once.
My preferred post collection process is simple. Room temp (66F – 69F) for 24 hours usually. I flip between putting the glass jar on the plates as they cool to warm up the rosin and melt it all together, or other times, I pack it down into the jar. This pushing down acts to make more of a crumble. For budder, I do not do that, I will whip the rosin post press or post room temp cure for 24 hours. At times, I whip both times. I always store my rosin cold after this first 24 hours.
I do NOT hold firm to any of this by the way. I fluctuate and learn as much as I can. I encourage you to do the same when pressing, curing or wherever in the process you feel you want to learn more. Take notes on your presses and refer to them down the road. These are the best pieces of advice I can give honestly.