What Are Cannabis Rosin Chips?

by Sam Rayes June 17, 2021

If you’ve ever had cannabis edibles or other products made using marijuana, you probably know what rosin chips are or at least have an idea. If not, the information provided will explain what they are, how they’re made, and the various ways you can use them.

Breaking Down Cannabis

Pot plants consist of different components. The following are the main ones, which will make it easier to understand cannabis rosin chips. This list starts from the bottom and works its way to the top of the plant.

Stem – Marijuana plants have a stem, which serves as the main support. Through the stem, nutrients and fluids pass to the other parts of the plant.

Pistil – This is the main portion of the female flower’s reproductive system. It consists of one ovule and two protruding stigmas. The stigmas are super thin hairs that extend from the female’s bract. Their role is to capture male pollen.

Fan Leaves – Cannabis plants have more than one type of leaf. The fan leaves are the large ones that grow the entire length of the plant. Although these are key to the weed plant’s photosynthesis while alive, they’re removed before harvesting.

Sugar Leaves – These leaves are the smaller ones, which grow all around the cupping buds of the cola. Unlike fan leaves, sugar leaves contain a high level of trichomes. So, they’re typically harvested. The trim of these leaves is excellent for making concentrates or edibles.

Trichomes – Located on the surface of a pot plant, these hair-like appendages not only protect the plant but also have resinous glands. These glands produce cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, the chemical compounds that give a plant unique effects and features.

Bracts – Surrounding the reproductive cells of a female marijuana plant are bracts. Once exposed to mail pollen, the bracts, or small leaves, shield the seed pod.

Cola – The cola is the primary part of the flower. It’s found at the end of a stem on a female plant and seen as numerous floral clusters. Typically, the heavier, larger, and denser the cola, the more trichomes.

Flower – Usually, a milky coating of trichomes covers the flower of a marijuana plant. On a female plant, the flowers have a teardrop shape. The heavier and denser the trichomes are, the better the plant.

Using Different Parts of a Cannabis Plant

Several parts of a marijuana plant get harvested for different purposes. For cannabis rosin chips, the plant’s flower goes into a press. The extraction process, called “rosin,” is where the chips get their name.

Whether using a handheld or a more sophisticated rosin press, the device uses heat and pressure to yield two unique byproducts of the flower. The first is a waxy type substance, which is highly concentrated. The second is the remaining flower material.

The press flattens the leftover flower material into small, round disks or cannabis rosin chips. Once dried, you can store them to use for cooking or baking and make other treats. Although rosin chips don’t have the same concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes as the wax-like substance, there’s still enough in there to make yummy treats.

The first round of cannabis rosin chips has the highest concentration. However, you can press them again. The second time around, you would need to increase the temperature slightly and apply a little more pressure. With that, you can get more chips, although less concentrated than the first batch.

You need to set the temperature of the press used to make the first batch of cannabis rosin chips at about 220 degrees F. If you decide to press the marijuana flower material again, increase the temperature to approximately 250 degrees F.

What Can You Do With Cannabis Rosin Chips

What Can You Do With Cannabis Rosin Chips?

That’s the fun part. They’re excellent for making edibles. However, to get the most out of them, it’s best to infuse them with either unsalted and unclarified butter or oil, preferably sunflower or coconut oil. Mixing the cannabis rosin chips with either heated butter or oil helps the cannabinoids to bind.

For the infusion process, crumble some of the dried cannabis rosin chips into semi-small pieces. Then, add the hot butter or oil. At that point, you can include the chips in almost any recipe. Not only are they delicious in baked goods but also in meat dishes. You can even make cannabutter, also used for cooking or as a spread.

There’s yet another possibility for cannabis rosin chips. If wanted, you can make capsules. For this, you would infuse the chips with MCT oil, which is coconut oil. Then, carefully place the cooled plant material inside an empty capsule. Just as with making edibles, this process is easy.

Helpful Tips for Making Yummy Edibles

Below are a few tips to ensure everything you make with cannabis rosin chips comes out perfectly:

For every two cups of butter or oil, you’ll need to use roughly two ounces of rosin chips.
When pressing the weed flower, be sure not to apply too much pressure. Otherwise, you’ll end up with plant matter in the waxy substance and not enough liquid in the leftover flower material.
Several factors determine the potency of cannabis rosin chips. Those include pressure, temperature, time, and even the quality of the marijuana. So, before making an entire batch of edibles or a complete recipe, try the potency of the chips first.
While some people decarb flowers before infusing them, by using the right press, you can skip this step. This is because the press device starts the decarb process while the infusion finishes it.

Conclusion

Cannabis rosin chips aren’t concentrated with cannabinoids and terpenes as the waxy substance. Even so, they contain enough to make delicious edibles and get some of the marijuana effects. To simplify the process of making rosin chips, it’s worth investing in quality rosin bags and a press.

When ready to use the cannabis rosin chips you made, infuse and then add them to cakes, brownies, cookies, chicken and beef recipes, sauces, and a lot more. With a press, you get highly concentrated rosin that’s ideal for dabbing, as well as chips for cooking and baking.