Overwhelmed by the plethora of cannabis concentrates available? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. It can be challenging to navigate the market with options ranging from wax to jelly. But there’s one concentrate that’s been making waves lately, and that is live resin. So, what is live resin, and why is this product creating such a buzz?
Live resin is a cannabis concentrate well-known for its top-notch quality, impressive potency, and enticing aroma, making it a favourite among vapers and dabbers. Its unique extraction process includes flash freezing, which preserves the plant’s natural terpene profile, resulting in a more flavourful and aromatic concentrate than other extraction methods.
In this blog post, you’ll discover more about this unique concentrate, including key information, different types of live resin products, and more!
What Is Live Resin?
It’s a type of cannabis concentrate made with fresh frozen marijuana plants. Unlike other concentrates — which are made with dried and cured buds — live resin is produced with fresh frozen buds. This is why you may have seen some cannabis products on the market labelled as “live.”
Live resin extraction, which involves the use of solvents (i.e., butane, butane hash oil, or propane), preserves terpenes and cannabinoids better than other forms of extraction due to the flash freezing that takes place during harvest. As such, some people prefer live resin for its higher quality flavour and potency.
Below are some things you should know about this popular form of cannabis concentrate:
- Live resin extracts involve flash-freezing the harvested cannabis plants before they enter the extraction process.
- The resulting product has an intense aroma and flavour profile due to the high concentration of terpene molecules.
- This type of extract also offers more potent effects because it contains a full spectrum of compounds found in fresh buds.
- It can be consumed through dabbing or vaping as well as incorporated into edibles.
- Live resin production requires specialized equipment and expertise, which makes it more expensive compared to other types of concentrates.
What Do Terpenes Have to Do with Live Resin?
Live resin has a lot to do with terpenes. Terpene content and profiles are some of the most essential characteristics that make up live resin. It’s all about producing concentrates that preserve the flavour, aroma, and effects of fresh flower buds so you get the whole experience.
The aroma of cannabis is attributed to the presence of aromatic compounds known as terpenes. These natural substances can be divided into two main categories:
- Monoterpenes – Fresh and light. They have smaller molecular structures and are the masterminds behind the fresh and zesty scents of marijuana, including delightful terpenes like limonene, alpha-pinene, terpinolene, and myrcene, among others.
- Sesquiterpenes – Deep with heavy undertones. They have larger molecular structures with the subtle woody, musky, and earthy scents of caryophyllene and humulene.
A newly harvested marijuana plant contains an abundance of fresh monoterpenes, but during the curing process, they tend to evaporate quickly due to their smaller molecular structure. This often results in a final product that is rich in sesquiterpenes and lacking in monoterpenes, leading to a heavier aroma.
Live resin, however, offers a refreshing departure from this process as it contains a whopping 2% increase in monoterpenes, making it a standout in terms of fragrance. Compared to non-live resin products, the live resin contains a delightful 11% less of the earthy sesquiterpenes, providing a truly unique aroma experience.
How Is Live Resin Made?
Just a quick note: Making live resin isn’t easy, and you shouldn’t try it at home. Why? Because it needs special tools and a thorough understanding of how the process works. In other words, it’s best to let the pros handle the production of live resin as they have the experience and know-how to get the job done right.
Here’s a brief overview of each of the live resin processes involved, making it easier to understand and remember the key steps involved:
Step 1 – Harvesting the cannabis plants: The plants are harvested at their peak when they contain the highest levels of terpenes and cannabinoids.
Step 2 – Flash freezing: The freshly harvested plants are immediately flash-frozen. This is typically done either by tossing it into a freezer packed with dry ice or by gently immersing it in an insulated container with liquid nitrogen to preserve the plants’ delicate terpene profile.
Step 3 – Solvent extraction: A solvent, such as butane or propane, is used to separate the desirable compounds from the plant matter. The extraction process often takes place no later than 36 hours after the plant material has been allowed to thaw.
Step 4 – Purging residual solvents: The concentrate is heated and vacuum-purged to remove any residual solvents, leaving behind a pure and potent substance.
But not all live resin is made the same way. Other concentrate makers get creative and may experiment with the process to come up with some pretty unique stuff.
How to Store Live Resin
Store live resin in a cool, dry place, ideally in a refrigerator and not in the freezer. This will lock in the terpenes, keeping the flavour and aroma for longer. If you leave the container open, air, light, and heat will destroy the terpenes and diminish the flavour. As a result, it will dry out and become hard, making it tough to work with.
And to make sure you get the best-tasting dab, use live resin within a year of when it was made. If you keep the extracts in a cool place, they will stay good for up to 24 months (2 years). Aside from storing live resin in airtight containers, silicone is also a good option for any leftovers.
Types of Live Resin Products
Here are 5 different types of live resin products you can find on the market:
1. Dab Pens
Live resin dab pens are small and portable vaporizers that allow temperature control and the liberty to vaporize oil, wax, butter, crumbles, and other cannabis concentrates. With such a vast array of options, you can enjoy the flexibility to choose which concentrate best suits your needs.
2. Live Resin Carts
These are pre-filled live resin cartridges that you can use in vape pens. They come in various strains, flavours and aromas, offering a convenient and discreet way to enjoy the potent and flavourful effects of live resin vape on the go.
3. Shatter
This product is uncommon because shatter is a hard, glass-like type of concentrate. Live resin’s terpene content is nearly fluid-like, so it can be challenging to heat it to the stiff, peanut-brittle form of shatter without destroying a lot of the terpenes.
4. Sauce
This concentrate has the appearance of transparent crystals submerged in a yellowish-amber liquid. It’s said to take the amount of terpenes to a new level.
5. Sugar, Butter, Crumbles, or Badder
The appearances and varying textures of these live resin concentrates are what make them different from each other. Even though they are usually about the same strength, how they are used depends on what is available and what people like based on consistency and how they are heated.
How Is It Different from Other Concentrates?
The level of terpenes is the ultimate defining distinction. Terpene levels in live resin are much higher and can be up to more than four times greater by weight.
- Rosin and Live Resin – Live resin and rosin both originate from freshly frozen cannabis plants, but the methods of extraction differentiate them. Resin is taken out by using chemical solvents, but all you need to do to get rosin out is through pressure and heat.
- Distillate and Live Resin – Distillate boasts pure THC or tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinoids but, unfortunately, lacks the aromatic essence as it has no terpenes. To add a personalized touch, the flavour profile must be added later to the distillate oil.
- Shatter and Live Resin – When compared to live resin, shatter has lower terpene levels.
- Sauce and Live Resin – While live resin is made purely from frozen plant material, some choose to use the cured buds to produce sauce.
Final Thoughts
Live resin is the real deal. It’s a unique product that contains more of the good stuff than just your average marijuana flower could ever dream of providing. So if you want to take your cannabis experience beyond the ordinary, check out some live resin today and experience firsthand how harvesting cannabis at its peak can make or break any smoke session.
FAQ
What is the benefit of live resin?
Live resin has more terpenes and can taste better than other types of cannabis concentrates like wax, shatter, or hash oil.
Is live resin better for you?
Vaping medical cannabis live resin has long-term effects that are not well understood. However, it is a healthier option than smoking as it does not produce harmful toxins or carcinogens.
Why does live resin get you higher?
The amount of THC in live resin concentrates is high. It produces an intense high that may be better for people who have used cannabis before than for those who have never tried it.
How powerful is live resin?
Like a lot of other concentrates, live resin can have anywhere between 50% and 90% potent THC levels.
Does live resin get you higher than wax?
The amount of THC in whatever you smoke or vape will always determine how high you get. When it comes to getting high, a 70% wax won’t get you as high as a 75% live resin, and vice versa.
Can you inhale live resin?
Yes. Live resin is most commonly consumed through dabbing.
What is healthier, live resin or distillate?
Neither is healthier or inferior to the other. Just consider the product’s purity and overall quality when choosing an extract.
Sources:
Molecules – The Cannabis Terpenes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7763918/
High Times – Live Resin: What Exactly Is Live Resin? https://hightimes.com/grow/what-is-live-resin/
