What Are the Benefits of Whipping Rosin?
🇺🇸 Retired veteran, father, rock-climbing expert & rosin connoisseur
What does it mean to whip rosin? Whipping rosin involves rapid stirring and agitation to fold air into the cannabis concentrate. Whipping brings about rapid exposure to oxygen, impacting terpene content, texture, and consistency. Like beating cake batter or whisking eggs, whipping rosin is a manual process that requires no more than some rapid, repetitive movements with your wrist. Whipping rosin is basically a quick-stirring technique, allowing you to beat air into the rosin.
Although whipping isn’t an essential step in creating premium rosin, it can make a quality product even better in terms of appearance and ease of use.
Why Whip Rosin?
The main reason that extractors choose to whip rosin is to modify the consistency, making it stable at room temperature. Whipping can turn a rosin that’s like sap or shatter texture into a nice creamy, buttery texture. Rosin that takes on that smooth, creamy look is often referred to as “budder”, and many extractors like to whip rosin to achieve that look.
Whipping can also be used during the curing process, in order to reintegrate terpenes that have separated out of the rosin. As terpenes separate and the THC nucleates, or “crashes out” during the cure, whipping the rosin can mix everything together to create a homogenous consistency.
Main Upsides to Whipping Rosin
Stabilizing the consistency of rosin is the main upside to whipping rosin. Whipping rosin incorporates the terpenes, lipids, and cannabinoids together in a thoroughly blended mixture that is less likely to separate out over time. It’s also more resistant to changes in texture and consistency if there are temperature changes, for example in transport from the lab to dispensary shelves.
Whipped rosin is more stable and it’s also easier to handle. Rosin that’s like a sap, shatter, or jam can be difficult to manage with a regular dab tool, but budder rosin is much easier. Budder is a lot easier to drop on a nail or load in a dab pen.
Another advantage is the enhanced flavor that comes with whipping rosin. Take a dab of fresh rosin, then whip that same rosin and dab it again. You will likely taste a smoother dab after whipping, a result of the changing terpene profile that occurs with whipping rosin. Whipping is similar to rapidly aging the rosin, like an accelerated curing process, and this comes out in the taste. Along with flavor, you’ll often notice that the smell of rosin intensifies after whipping, although this comes at a loss to terpenes.
We can't forget visual appeal. Currently, a smooth and creamy budder look is in high demand. You can lighten up the color of rosin in the immediate term through whipping and then stretching like taffy. This might be a quick fix, but it won't last.
Finally, if you have an assortment of different rosins that you want to combine, whipping them is an easy way to aggregate the different batches into one jar.
What Are The Downsides to Whipping Rosin?
The number one downside to whipping rosin is the loss of terpenes. Terpenes are extremely volatile and can readily sublimate from the rosin with exposure to oxygen and friction from whipping. Whipping rosin creates the heat and the air exposure that encourages the concentrate to off-gas its delicate terpenes. The overall therapeutic effect of cannabis is diminished with terpene loss, not to mention the enjoyment of the dab.
Since whipping rosin is essentially accelerating oxidation, the degradation of cannabinoids is also inevitable. Oxidation is a natural and unavoidable process that will happen to all cannabis products, causing cannabinoids to lose their therapeutic value. The best way to slow down oxidation is to store cannabis in an air-tight container. Whipping rosin does the exact opposite of air-tight storage. It actually speeds up the aging process.
Finally, whipping rosin causes color to darken. After an initial lightening in color that occurs right after whipping is finished, rosin will actually darken faster due to oxidation. While whipping and stretching freshly-made rosin is a nice way to quickly lighten up the color, over time the rosin will become darker than it would have otherwise, thanks to the increased oxidation. Although color isn’t the most reliable indicator of overall quality in rosin, it is a factor that consumers will consider. And lighter color is more desirable.
How To Whip Rosin
Whipping rosin can be done with a standard dab tool and a glass jar. After loading the rosin into the jar, rapidly whisk the concentrate with small, fast circles throughout the entire mass of rosin. The goal is to expose the maximum surface area of the rosin, folding rosin from the inside out and the outside in.
The action is virtually the same as beating eggs, vigorously swishing the dab tool back and forth through the rosin with quick movements of the wrist. If any terpenes had separated from the rosin, be sure to fold the liquid back into the mix.
Rosin is most commonly whipped right after production in preparation for a cure. However, whipping rosin can also be effective during the curing process. Whether cold curing or warm curing, terpenes often separate and THC can begin to nucleate. If a rosin jam consistency is your goal, then whipping isn’t a good option as it will reverse the jam or sauce consistency. However, whipping is a great way to homogenize the rosin during the cure as the components begin to separate.
Conclusion
Although whipping rosin is a popular approach, the benefits may not outweigh the downsides for many extractors. Whipping is accelerating the loss of very precious terpenes that are so diligently cultivated and preserved throughout the entire production process. While terpene loss is a sure consequence of whipping rosin, it’s all a matter of personal preference. Sometimes a stable consistency and smooth, buddery texture is more of a priority than maximum terpene preservation. No judgement here!
It’s worth experimenting with whipping rosin, even if it’s just a gram or two from every batch of rosin you press.
Do you like to whip it? Let us know in the comments!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long should you whip rosin?
Whipping only takes 3-5 minutes depending on the amount of rosin you’re whipping at once. Thoroughly mixing the rosin and reintegrating any liquid terpenes that separated is all that’s required. Once the consistency changes to budder and the color lightens up, you can stop whipping. The longer you whip rosin, the more oxidized it will become.
Is it bad to whip rosin?
The worst part about whipping rosin is the loss of terpenes, but overall whipping rosin is not a bad thing if your priority is buddery texture and stable consistency.
What is the main reason to whip rosin?
The main reason to whip rosin is to stabilize the consistency and make a budder-type texture. Budders are easier to handle and less prone to metamorphosis with temperature changes.
How do you make budder rosin?
While the consistency of rosin will be determined largely by the cultivar, quality of material, and the cure (cold cure vs warm cure) whipping rosin helps create a budder texture rather than a shatter, sap, or sauce/jam texture. Pressing with low temps is also conducive to a budder consistency.
How do you whip rosin?
Whipping rosin is like beating eggs. Rapidly whisk the concentrate with small, fast circles throughout the entire mass of rosin. Vigorously swishing the dab tool back and forth through the rosin with quick movements of the wrist.
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