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WHAT IS COLD CURE?

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When staring at dispensary shelves, rosins generally come in two main varieties: Fresh Press and Cold Cure. So today, let’s talk about the differences between cured and uncured rosin and ask which one is superior?

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

The difference is in how rosin is handled after it’s been squeezed. Cold curing is when hash or flower rosin is sealed and stored at specific temperatures to become a more stable product. Freshly pressed rosin comes out in a saplike stream, running down parchment paper and dripping into jars. For grading purposes, we refer to this as “fresh press.”

This glassy state is impressive to look at and incredible to smoke but is also particularly vulnerable to shifts in temperature. Cured rosins don’t rely on the same level of precise refrigeration or storage to maintain that same taste and consistency. Still, they represent a changed state and, therefore, a slightly changed flavor profile.

It’s a little like choosing between drinking maple sap straight from the tree or waiting to boil it down into syrup.

HOW IS COLD CURE ROSIN MADE?

Unlike the name suggests, “cold curing” happens when fresh press is sealed in jars and kept at 40-70 degrees. For example, FIELD Cold Cure rosins rest at about 65 degrees. These jars cure for around one to two weeks, periodically being opened, then stirred and whipped to mix together any terpene layers that might have started to separate.

The resulting rosin has a gummy, malleable texture like wet taffy and is vastly more shelf-stable, presenting fewer issues in delivering batches to the consumer in peak condition. Besides ease of transportation, cold curing also coaxes out different aspects of the flavor profile, giving you a chance to discover new tastes in your current favorites.

IS COLD CURED ROSIN BETTER?

 Cold Cure is more of the old pocket n’ purse option. Though best stored in the fridge for good measure, they’re easy to throw into your travel bag, backpack, or dopp kit without too much worry. It does lack that hypnotic, galaxy-in-a-drop effect that you get looking at Fresh Press and some of the subtle flavors that can play at your mind. With their own dramatic and flavorful expression of a strain, regardless of which you prefer, it’s just a question of who’s your favorite Spider-Man—each one its own dynamic portrayal of an icon.

Watching Fresh Press change texture can be an exciting journey that makes you feel like a mad scientist or a nature photographer, watching the transformation with every dab. However, it can also make you feel like the museum caretaker, battling to keep precious works of art from the constant beat of time. These are the jars that tend to live exclusively in the fridge and rarely make it out to the sesh.

There’s a neverending back and forth over which offers a more faithful representation of a strain once the rosin makes it to a smoker’s rig, but – like so many things we talk about – it’s a simple issue of choice.

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Matt Jackson

Matt Jackson

A writer, content creator, & event coordinator, Matt Jackson is a polymath whose been working with cannabis for almost two decades. Check out more of his work.