Best Strains for Rosin Production (2024)

"Fire in, fire out" rings true when choosing the best strains for rosin. You want cannabis strains that are thickly frosted with trichomes to maximize your rosin yields. You also want trichomes with clear abscission points so that they wash well if you make bubble hash before pressing.

The best strains for bubble hash are the same strains that will give you the highest yield and quality of rosin. You can identify high-yielding strains by performing a test wash and examining the trichomes under a microscope or jeweler's loupe. These are some of our favorite strains and strain families for rosin pressing.

Cake Strains

Cake strains are known for their sweet, dessert-like flavors and mood-boosting qualities. They are also known for being rich in trichomes, which is typical of indica-leaning strains and ideal for pressing rosin. Try the following strains in your rosin press (preferably perform ice water extraction first) for top-quality rosin:

Cake Crasher

Wedding Cake X Wedding Crasher
70% indica/30% sativa
22-26% THC

This is a powerful indica-dominant hybrid strain with an average of 22-26% THC. It is known for its berry vanilla cake flavor and happy, unfocused effects that settle into couchlock and a case of the munchies.

Grape Cream Cake

Grape Pie X Wedding Crasher
70% indica/30% sativa
20-25% THC

This delicious strain has a creamy, sweet, cherry taste with nutty and vanilla overtones. The initial effects feel like an expansive tingle in your mind that spreads throughout your body and relaxes you from head to toe.

Wedding Cake

Triangle Kush X Animal Mints
60% indica/40% sativa
25-27% THC

Wedding Cake is famous for its cherry and vanilla flavors as well as its relaxing, uplifting effects. This strain has a high concentration of trichomes, making it ideal for pressing.

GMO Variants

Papaya Strains

Papaya is ideal if you're looking for a potent strain with good disease resistance and early maturation. This fruity, mango-flavored strain is perfect for cross-breeding and the resulting crossbred strains (including Papaya Juice) are great for water-processed hash. Papaya's effects are known to be joyful, focused, and long-lasting.

Pie Strains

Pie strains are known for their bakery-like aromas and mouthwatering flavors. The original pie strain was Cherry Pie—an indica-dominant cross between Granddaddy Purple (sweet taste) and Durban Poison (earthy taste).

Other notable pie strains include:

Apple Pie
Cherry Cream Pie
Key Lime Pie
Pie Face OG
Poon Tang Pie
Strawberry Pie

Zkittlez Strains

Zkittlez is an indica-dominant cross between Grape Ape and Grapefruit with low-moderate THC levels (13-15%). It tastes of sweet berries and citrus and offers a euphoric and creative high. Strains in the Zkittlez family are brightly colored and coated in cloudy white trichomes.

They are perfect for rosin pressing because this method preserves the intricate flavor profile that Zkittles enthusiasts cherish. Unlike solvent-based extraction methods, rosin pressing maintains the delicate balance of fruity terpenes that make Zkittles so sought after by consumers.

Additional Cannabis Strains for Pressing Rosin

The following strains don't fit into any of the families described above but are high-yielding and produce flavorful rosin:

Banana GOD
Banana OG
Banana Shack
Black Maple
Blueberry Muffins
Candy Fumez
Chem De La '91
Dulce De Uva
Garlic co*cktail
Garlic Juice
Gary Payton
Grape Strudel
Honey Banana
JOMO
Lemon Heads
Mandarin Cookies
Melted Strawberries
Panda Puffs
Peach Maraschino
Peach Oblivion
Poon Diesel
Purple Ice Water
Sour Diesel
Spritzer
Starburst OG
Strawberries and Cream
Strawguava
Superboof
Tally Mon
Trop cookies
Wilson

Top Genetics Providers for Solventless Extraction

High-quality genetics providers make the search for the best strains for rosin easier. We recommend the following seed companies:

Farmhouse Studio Genetics - Farmhouse Studio Genetics is based in Portland, Oregon, and is the creator of JOMO (one of our recommended strains for rosin).
Bloom Seed Co - Harry Palms is the pioneer at the head of Bloom Seed Co. He is famous for his Tropicana Cookies strain, which is a cross between Girl Scout Cookies and Tangie.
Archive Seed Bank - Archive Seed Bank was founded in 2006 with ties in Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. This provider has become a leader in cannabis genetics. Archive Seed Back—led by "the Docta" Fletcher—is especially well-known for its Face Off, Dosi-Do, and Moonbow strains.

Maximize Your Rosin's Flavor with Live Hash

All the strains mentioned above are ideal for rosin and will produce healthy yields on a rosin press. However, you'll get the best flavor if you press rosin from live bubble hash—bubble hash that is washed from fresh frozen cannabis material—rather than non-live bubble hash, kief, or flower rosin.

Live hash rosin is typically more flavorful than its non-live counterparts because the terpenes haven't had time to degrade and the starting material is already quite pure with very little plant material. Live solventless extracts also fetch higher prices in dispensaries thanks to their perceived quality and complex flavors.

Experiment Until You Find Gold

Rosin pressed from hash washed from aromatic, trichome-rich strains is a treat for anyone who loves to dab. The aromas and flavors are complex and the effects are true to each strain.

The strains that we've mentioned here are an excellent starting point for anyone who's new to pressing rosin. Experiment and taste-test a variety of these strains and you’ll soon come up with your own shortlist of favorites!

Article written by

Levi Lanzrath

Levi Lanzrath is a cannabis extraction expert and founder of Lowtemp Industries.