At a time when cannabis concentrates are flooding Michigan’s cannabis market, few producers are delivering the kind of consistent, flavorful, and clean hash rosin that Eastside Alchemy puts out with every batch.
Founded by friends with years of experience making hash, Eastside Alchemy is a small, tight-knit operation based in Lansing. The team has built a reputation for producing some of the state’s most reliable live rosin, a solventless extract known for its purity and terpene-rich flavors.
“We’re the most anti-corporate hash brand out there,” Aaron Strachan, one of the partners behind Eastside Alchemy, tells me. “There are five of us, and it’s legitimately owner-operated. We all step up and help in different areas. We pack orders ourselves. We bust our ass.”
And it shows. Their offerings are fun and flavorful, with strains like Trix, Burnt Orange, Bloo Octane, Strawberry Pie, and Zazul #2. No matter what profile you’re looking for — fruity, funky, gassy, candy or floral — Eastside Alchemy produces it.
Their rosin comes in distinctive tin packaging with bright artwork.
Eastside Alchemy is also known for rosin collaborations with high-quality flower cultivators like Hytek, Michigrown, Peninsula Gardens, Tip Top Crop, Exotic Matter, and Kai. The collaborations show that top-tier growers know that Eastside Alchemy is a leader in producing good rosin and will bring out the best in their strains.
Eastside Alchemy also regularly releases flavorful blends like “Tri-Pie Funk,” a combination of three rosin strains, showing off the team’s creativity.
“We do some really cool blends,” John Vogl, owner of Eastside Alchemy, says. “We’ve done a lot of them, and we’re done it consistently.”
As the crew leans more into genetics, Eastside Alchemy is increasingly producing single-source, in-house rosin that is unique and dialed in.
“We wanted to be confident in our genetics and what we put out,” Vogl says. “Now a majority of what we have coming out comes from in-house.”
Statewide, more than 300 dispensaries sell Eastside Alchemy products, which is a testament to the popularity of the rosin.
Eastside Alchemy’s rosin usually comes in one-gram jars and sleek half-gram vapes with glass tips. By focusing exclusively on those products, the crew can focus on quality and production.
“We’ve always had the mindset of quality over quantity, even if that’s perfecting just the jars and carts before expanding,” Vogl says.
Strachan adds, “We always want to produce something that we would get off the shelves for ourselves. We are pretty selective.”
The jars generally range from $45 to $55 and can be found in many dispensaries in metro Detroit. But here’s a little secret: The best prices for Eastside Alchemy is at the Refinery in Detroit, which also has one of the largest selections of the brand’s rosin.
For those who prefer the convenience of rosin vapes, Eastside Alchemy is the way to go. While most vape pens are made of plastic, Eastside Alchemy’s sleek devices have a ceramic atomizer and glass tip. There’s no power button. Just take a pull for a clean and flavorful hit.
You get the added benefit of knowing you helped a veteran-owned business in Michigan. Unlike many vapes that are made in China, these devices come from Monroe County-based O2Vape.
“We have the best disposables on the market,” Vogl says.
After Eastside Alchemy began using the devices from O2Vape, other rosin producers followed suit. But the market is still dominated by plastic vapes made in Asia.
The vapes range from $32 to $45.
While vapes are convenient, I prefer electronic rigs, or e-rigs. They offer precise temperature controls and deliver smoother, more flavorful hits.
If you’re new to dabbing or don’t want to spend a lot, a popular choice is the Puffco Pivot, a discreet, pen-sized dabber. For the ultimate dabbing experience, though, look no further than Dr.Dabber and Puffco Peak.
“The e-rigs are very user-friendly,” Rob Poniatowski, a partner at Eastside Alchemy says. “They work right out of the box. That’s been a game changer.”
Later this year, Eastside Alchemy plans to extend its lineup with hash holes, which are massive joints usually stuffed with 1.5 grams of flower and 0.5 grams of rosin.
Eastside Alchemy’s success comes at a time when more consumers are choosing concentrates such as rosin. In Michigan, concentrates are now on pace to surpass $1 billion in annual sales, grabbing a larger share of the recreational cannabis market than ever. In May 2025 alone, concentrates, including vape cartridges, generated $108.2 million, nearly matching flower sales of $117.9 million.
Concentrates now represent 39% of Michigan’s recreational cannabis sales, a significant increase from May 2022, when they accounted for 30% of the market with approximately $49 million in sales, according to cannabis analytics firm Headset.
In a market dominated by cheap, mass-produced concentrates, cultivators like Eastside Alchemy are standing out for prioritizing precision, consistency, and quality. Top-tier rosin tastes better, hits cleaner and smoother, and produces a more dynamic high.
By getting it right, Eastside Alchemy has become one of the elite rosin producers in Michigan.
“One thing I don’t ever have to worry about is getting a call from someone saying it’s a bad product,” Vogl says. “It makes my job a lot easier.”
Despite the rapid growth in concentrate sales, Vogl says many people still don’t fully understand what rosin is or why it matters.
“When you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s intimidating as shit,” he says. “I think we need to do a better job demonstrating that.”
For me, rosin’s appeal lies in the experience. It doesn’t hit with the harshness or crash often associated with other concentrates. The effects are smooth, uplighting, and long-lasting.
I sampled five of Eastside Alchemy’s jars and two vapes, and all were impressive. What initially struck me was how consistently smooth, creamy, and uniform they all were. It was obvious these guys know what they’re doing.
