Best Cannabis Strains for Pressing Rosin
Viviane Schute
Cannabis enthusiast and student of the art of solventless extraction
✅ Updated 1/13/21
The quality of your starting material is the biggest contributor to the final quality of your rosin. It’s crucial to ensure you’re starting out with trichome-rich flowers and high amounts of terpenes. Although the skill of the grower and the growing environment play a significant role in the quality of the cannabis, the cannabis cultivar, or strain, being grown is an important factor not to be overlooked.
While the same strains will perform differently in the hands of different growers, it makes sense to seek out strains that are well known for their ability to produce lots of trichomes with a unique blend of terpenes. Here are some of the best strains we’ve found to date.
The Sours
Sour Diesel and its varieties make excellent rosin-ready flowers. The sour and gassy aromas of these cultivars indicate a unique and alluring terpene profile, not to mention the high cannabinoid content that most growers can achieve with this strain. Also, many of the sour varieties are known as high yielders, which contribute to the efficiency of your home garden.
Hash Varieties
Strains like Hash Plant and Hashberry are known for their high resin output, which converts to high yields at the press. While there are other strains with flavor and aroma profiles that may be more intriguing, it’s hard to beat the efficiency in production of the hash varieties.
White Widow
White Widow is a legendary strain that’s been a staple of the cannabis community for decades, and for good reason. White Widow has been used in the creation of many other well-known and highly desirable cultivars like White Rhino and White Fire OG, all of which put out copious amounts of trichomes. One of the biggest reasons to seek out White Widow for rosin is the ease in collecting kief and dry sift. Because the buds look like they’ve been dipped in sugar, you’ll be able to get a high yield along with top-notch potency.
Also, The White (which is not actually in the White Widow family) is another strain to look out for, which is most known for trichome production but not quite as unique with terpene content.
Chemdawg
Chemdawg is the source of Sour Diesel and OG Kush, so it goes without saying that this cultivar contains coveted genetics. The sharp and pungent, diesel-like nose on this spectacular flower leaves no doubt about its rich terpene profile. Look for Chemdawg and the many related crosses in this family for a fantastic rosin experience. The effects of this strain are balanced with a great mix of cerebral stimulation and heavy-bodied sensations.
Papaya
While Papaya is no slouch when it comes to trich production, this strain is mostly sought for its loud and proud terpene content, which is both fruity and sweet with peppery and spicy notes as well. This strain is reminiscent of biting into a mango, with a taste and smell that can seem out of this world. Although high in myrcene content, this cultivar is known to have more sativa-like effects, with relatively high limonene content as well.
GG4 (Gorilla Glue #4)
The greatest advantage of pressing this strain is that the flowers are some of the frostiest you’ll ever see. While the terpene content may not be anything to write home about, the yield you can expect more than makes up for the otherwise subtle flavor and aroma that you may find with this strain. That said, depending on the growing environment and special phenotypes that exist, you can definitely find pleasant surprises with a distinguished and rich terpene output.
GMO
A cross between Chemdawg and the famous GSC (Girl Scout Cookies), GMO is a hash-heavy cultivar that captures the powerhouse qualities of both of its parents. Also called Garlic Cookies, GMO will consistently perform.
Conclusion
This list of cultivars is a great place to start when looking to optimize your grow for rosin production, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. And as always, keep experimenting to find the best cultivar for you. Sometimes, the most unique and effective rosin comes from flowers with more modest trichome production. It depends on what you’re ultimately looking for, whether it’s the highest yield, a specific terpene palate, or a blend of both.
Also incorporate pheno-hunting into your search for the perfect cultivars for pressing rosin. Learn more about pheno-hunting here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best cannabis strain for pressing rosin?
There's no overall best. Consider factors of personal preference to consider and many excellent strains for pressing rosin. That said, one of the most popular strains for rosin is Garlic Breath, also known as GMO.
What is the worst cannabis strain for pressing rosin?
Strains that produce light and wispy flower structures with relatively low amount of trichomes are generally not well-suited for rosin production.
How can I get the best strains for pressing rosin?
Growing your own is a great option. Going to seed banks or dispensaries to source clones is useful, since they will have a variety of strains to choose from.
Can I press any strain of cannabis for rosin?
Technically yes, you can press any strain of cannabis for rosin. Some will provide better quality and yield than others.
How do you find the best strains for pressing rosin?
Experimenting is the best way to learn. Generally, if the flowers are covered in trichomes it has the potential to produce a decent yield. Phono-hunting is the method of finding the best strains for your purpose. Learn more in our article Why Is Pheno-Hunting Important for Rosin?
4 comments
Well documented guys!!
Haven’t ever pressed before but I would like to thank you for the information regarding best strains so when I do decide to press I can use the information provided by you to be one step closer. Thank You and continue to provide excellent information.
agreed , looking back to the late 70’s and smoking homey oil on a butterknife..i like press rosin
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