Cold curing is a type of post-production treatment that you can apply to your freshly-made rosin. It’s a simple process that doesn’t require much input or equipment to execute, the main ingredients being a few days and some patience. Although the name itself implies the need for cold temperatures, relatively speaking even normal room temperatures will do the trick. With a sealable glass jar, dab tool, and cool ambient temperatures, you can easily set up an environment for your rosin to benefit from a cold cure. 

Curing allows various compounds within the rosin, such as cannabinoids and terpenes, to settle out and interact in ways that can enhance the overall quality of the extract. While there are a couple different approaches to curing rosin, both require an airtight glass jar in which to hold the rosin while it cures. This is known as Jar Tech, with cold curing and warm curing being the two main categories of Jar Tech.

You can learn more about the differences between cold curing and warm curing in the article Cold Curing vs Warm Curing Rosin.  

Benefits of Cold Curing

Cold curing brings specific benefits to the quality of your rosin. Let’s take a look at a few of them. 

Consistency

Also check out our Guide To Different Rosin Consistencies.

Terpene Preservation

Another contrast to warm curing is terpene preservation. Cold curing maintains more of the terpenes in rosin, which are otherwise evaporated away with exposure to heat. Cold curing keeps the rosin away from any heat sources, which means more of those volatile terpenes stay integrated within the extract. 

Flavor/Smoothness

Curing rosin enhances flavor and smoothness of the dab. As some of the lipid content in the rosin is degraded thanks to the solvent-like characteristics of terpenes, the flavor can really shine through with robust complexity. While you can dab rosin as soon as it’s been pressed, curing it for at least a few days will really amplify both the smoothness and depth of the flavor. 

Stability

Cold curing and reintegrating terpenes that separate out will lead to greater stability. Often during the cold curing process terpenes will separate in liquid form, but they can be “whipped” back into the rosin. Whipping causes some terpene loss, but the upside is the prevention of future separation. This is why many commercial producers like to whip their cold cured rosin, to extend the shelf life of the product in its current form. 

Learn more about whipping rosin in the article What Are The Benefits of Whipping Rosin?

Another method to recombine the terpenes with the rosin that’s less aggressive than whipping is a simple spinning of the dab tool within the rosin. Poke the dab tool into the center of your rosin and spin it around. Rotate the tool throughout the rosin as you’re spinning, which will mix the terpenes back in while at the same time minimize terpene loss.  

What Equipment You Need To Cold Cure Rosin

If you plan to stir or whip the rosin during the cure, have a clean dab tool ready too. 

Finally, establish a cool environment for the cure. A room in your house where temps hover around the low 60’s will suffice. You can place the rosin in the refrigerator, but there’s no need to chase cold temperatures. Avoiding heat exposure is the goal. 

How To Cold Cure Rosin

The process of cold curing rosin is very simple. 

1. Move rosin into your curing jar after pressing. If you have a lot of rosin flowing from your parchment while pressing, you can let the rosin run directly into the jar during extraction. Try to use a jar that closely matches the amount of rosin you will be curing, to avoid the amount of empty space there will be inside the jar. This will reduce the amount of oxidation that takes place. 
2. Seal the jar. You want an airtight environment while curing.
3. Place the jar in a cool environment. A wine cooler or refrigerator will work, but you really only need room temperature in the low 60’s. Also be sure that the rosin is not exposed to light. If curing in the refrigerator, allow the jar to come to room temperature before opening the lid. Also wipe away any condensation that forms around the inside of the jar. 
4. Some people like to recombine terpenes as they separate from the rosin into tiny pools of liquid. Other people like to keep it just as it is. If you want to mix the terpenes back in, open the lid after 24 hours to whip or stir, then close the lid again. Whip again at 72 hours.
5. Let the rosin cure like this anywhere from 72 hours to one week. 

Be sure to check out these Top 10 Rosin Cold Curing Tips.

Conclusion

There’s no absolute right way to cold cure rosin. The whole goal is to allow the cannabinoids and terpenes in rosin to interact with each other for a few days which has a positive impact on the flavor and smoothness of the dab. Temperature, time, mixing terpenes or not, these are all variables to how you want to cure your rosin. Try a few different approaches and see what delivers the most ideal outcome for you.  

Thoughts? Let us know by joining our secret Facebook group. Hang out with a community of like-minded solventless heads like yourself. Ask our head extractor questions, share your latest press and learn from hobbyists and experts in the industry.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What equipment do I need to cold cure rosin?
All you need is an airtight glass jar, dabber tool, and an environment with cool temperatures around 60 degrees. You can also use lower temps in a wine cooler or refrigerator. 

Do I need to place rosin in the refrigerator for a cold cure?
You do not need to put rosin in the refrigerator to cure, but it’s okay to do it. If you do, be sure to let the rosin return to room temperature before opening the lid in order to minimize condensation in the jar. Wipe away any condensation that forms inside the jar once you open the lid. 

Are there other ways besides a cold cure to cure rosin?
Yes, you can also use a warm cure to cure rosin. Learn more about warm curing in Top 10 Rosin Warm Curing Tips.

What is the main advantage to cold curing rosin?
There are several benefits, but one of the main benefits to cold curing is achieving a badder-type consistency in the rosin. This goes hand in hand with better stability over time.

How do you cold cure rosin?
Cold curing rosin involves keeping rosin in an airtight glass jar at cool temperatures for several days. You can also whip or spin the rosin with a dab tool in order to reintegrate terpenes as they separate out of the rosin into small liquid puddles.