No solvent
Solventless
The resin is separated using physical means only: cold, water, screens, heat and pressure, or food-grade enzymes. Nothing is dissolved and then taken out again.
- Dry sift
- Ice water hash
- Rosin
- Enzyme-assisted
Extraction, explained
How extraction works, and how we do it
Solventless or solvent-based, live rosin or live resin. A plain guide to the methods, and why we chose the gentlest one for our farm.
Live rosin, live resin, solventless. What’s the difference?
Cannabinoids and terpenes are made in tiny resin glands on the plant, called trichomes. Extraction collects that resin. There are two families of methods, and the names can sound alike. Here’s a plain guide.
Uses a solvent
Solvent-based
The resin is dissolved in a solvent such as ethanol, CO₂ or a hydrocarbon (butane or propane), and the solvent is removed afterwards. “Solvent” describes how a method works, not whether it is safe.
- Ethanol
- CO₂
- Hydrocarbon
What does “live” mean?
“Live” means the plant was frozen fresh at harvest, instead of being dried and cured first. Both live resin and live rosin start this way. The difference is what happens next.
Uses a solvent
Live resin
- Frozen fresh at harvest
- Resin dissolved in butane or propane
- Solvent purged out
No solvent
Live rosin
- Frozen fresh at harvest
- Resin separated without solvents, often by ice water or enzymes
- Gently pressed or refined, no solvent at any step
Resin uses a solvent. Rosin doesn’t.
The main methods at a glance
Solventless
Dry sift
Dried plant is tumbled or shaken over fine screens, so the tiny resin glands fall through.
Makes Kief, a fine resin powder
Solventless
Ice water hash
Plant is stirred gently in ice water. The cold resin glands snap off and are filtered out through screens.
Makes Bubble hash, often pressed into rosin
Solventless
Rosin pressing
Plant or hash is pressed between warm plates, squeezing the resin through a fine mesh.
Makes Rosin
Solventless
Enzyme-assisted
Food-grade enzymes free the resin at low temperature. No chemical solvent is used at any step.
Makes Rosin and oils
How we extract
Solvent-based
Ethanol
Plant is soaked in alcohol, often chilled, which dissolves the resin. The alcohol is then evaporated off.
Makes Oils and distillate
Solvent-based
CO₂
Carbon dioxide under high pressure acts as the solvent, then turns back into a gas. Often refined further with ethanol.
Makes Oils
Solvent-based
Hydrocarbon
Butane or propane dissolve the resin, then are purged out of the extract.
Makes Live resin, shatter, wax and other high-potency extracts
What we do, and why
We chose the gentlest way to extract, and we do it on the farm
Most extraction relies on solvents, high pressure or a lot of heat. We wanted none of that near our plants. So we extract with food-grade enzymes at low temperature, in the same place we grow, under the same organic certificate. It is a newer, more demanding way to do it, and we think it is worth it.
- Nothing added, nothing to take outNo hydrocarbons, ethanol or CO₂ touch the plant at any step.
- Gentle by designLow temperatures, with no high heat and no pressure vessels.
- Straight from the fieldFresh plant can go in soon after harvest, before it is dried or frozen.
- Lighter on the landFar less energy than conventional methods, and no flammable gases on the farm.
- Certified organic from soil to extractOur organic certification, SXC 26078, covers the extraction as well as the growing. As far as we know, no one else in Australia offers certified organic solventless extraction.
Are you a doctor or pharmacist?
Our healthcare portal has the full comparison, what it means for prescribing, and a printable guide for your patients.