FRESH PRESS
Fresh press is rosin straight off the press plates, sealed into a jar immediately. Typically translucent, amber to gold, viscous like thick honey.
Fresh press preserves the most volatile terpenes — you get the brightest citrus, gas, or floral top notes.
Shelf life at room temp: hours to days before auto-buttering begins.
COLD CURE
Cold cure is fresh press that's been aged in a sealed jar at low temperatures (36–40°F) for 1–14 days. The fats and waxes separate, producing a buttery, opaque, homogeneous texture.
Cold cure is more stable on the shelf than fresh press — you can travel with a jar and not worry about it separating into oil and solids.
Terpenes concentrate slightly as the lipids drop out, giving cold cure a more intense aroma than the fresh press it started as.
SUGAR
Sugar is cold cure with visible THCa crystal formation throughout. The texture is grainy, like wet brown sugar. Aesthetically striking in the jar.
THCa crystals form when the ratio of cannabinoids to terpenes is high enough that the cannabinoids precipitate out of solution. Usually seen in high-potency single-cultivar presses.
SAUCE
Sauce is the liquid-heavy opposite of sugar — a terpene-rich terpene-liquid with cannabinoid crystals suspended in it. Often the upper layer of a separated cold-cure jar is called sauce.
Sauce carries the most aromatic punch of any rosin texture. Diamond hunters dip into sauce for flavor.
DIAMONDS
Diamonds are isolated THCa crystals pulled out of a rosin sauce. Extremely high-potency (often 98%+ THCa), nearly flavorless on their own — diamonds are usually dabbed with a small amount of terp sauce for flavor.
Diamonds from rosin are rare and command a premium. Most commercial "diamonds" come from BHO extraction.
JAM
Jam is a consistency term used for rosin that sits between cold-cure and sugar — semi-separated, with visible crystal formation but still a spreadable texture. Jam often has the best balance of potency and terpene aroma.
