Are you getting the Most from Every Squash?

                          Are you getting the most from each press?

     When it comes to pressing rosin, the WHAT you’re pressing is CRUCIAL in order to understand how much heat, pressure, and time is required to produce the best possible result. Whether you’re thinking about pressing, or have been pressing for some time, this article could give you some insight on how to improve your technique.

 

      There are lots of suggestions in the community about how hot you should have your plates when you press. Flower and hash (Kief, Sift, Bubble hash) both share similarities between the temperatures they require in order to start expressing oil. One tip to remember, a good preheat of your resource is always recommended. This helps to loosen the oils and will help in your overall return

               

     Let’s start with Flower. We recommend squashing your flower at 220 degrees F for maximum yield, this will also prevent the terpenes from burning or suffering from any degradation in the process. Too much hotter will affect the preservation of the terpenes. Since THC-a has a higher melting point than THC, pressing at 220 degrees F ensures extraction of any THC-A that could potentially be left behind if pressed at a lower temperature. You might come to notice that pressing at a lower temperature could produce a lighter colored rosin, but (and a BIG one at that) you may be leaving behind some important cannabinoids in the process. 

        Dry hash or kief also presses best at 220 degrees F. If your hash has a lot of moisture in it, its recommended to start your press at 180 degrees to help evaporate the moisture, starting too hot on moist product could cause the moisture to turn to steam and will burst your micron bag, causing a "blow out".  

     However, just like with many facets of passion, you may hear quite different opinions and suggestions from one “hash artist” to another. Ultimately, you will have to decide what works best for YOU!

 

 

     So as we just discussed, the temperatures needed for flower and hash are virtually identical, but what about pressure?

This is where owning a pressure gauge for your pump (which we install for free when you purchase from us) becomes VITAL. Flower and Hash require drastically different amounts of PSI (Pressure per Square Inch) in order to start producing rosin. Since flower is fully intact with lots of mass to press, it would require more pressure or PSI to start expelling oil.

• A good starting PSI for flower should range between 5,000 PSI - 7,500 PSI and no higher than 10,000 PSI. This will provide the flower with enough pressure to begin to ooze that liquid gold we’ve all come to know and love.

• Hash is quite different, since the resins in hash have already been washed, or stripped from the bud, it will require a lot less pressure to begin to produce. We recommend your pressure range be between 1,500 PSI - 4,500 PSI* 

NOTE:
*This all depends on how "melty" your hash or kief is - Bubble hash tends to lean towards the lower end of this scale, where as dry sift may need the higher end of this range for maximum yield.

 

Applying any more pressure than the ranges we suggest will ultimately just lead to busted bags and a less than exceptional finished product.

 

                On the way to mastering your pressing craft, you will most certainly hear many differing ways, opinions, and techniques of pressing rosin. Rest assured, the team here at Sasquash is committed to providing you with the best quality and service money can buy and have your back every step of the way. When it comes to bringing you a superior squashing experience,  make Sasquash your first choice for everything Rosin. Inquire about how to get yours today!