Live resin and distillate are both concentrated cannabis oils that can be vaporized, dabbed, or smoked for different effects. You have the freedom to customize these products according to your preference.
Distillate concentrate is created through an intricate extraction process that purges all impurities from the plant, yielding a product with an impressively high percentage of THC.
What is Live Resin?
Live resin is a cannabis concentrate that’s becoming an increasingly popular option for dabbers and vapers. This highly potent extract is packed with terpenes, natural cannabis flavors, and cannabinoids.
Live resin is extracted directly from fresh frozen cannabis plant matter, unlike traditional dried and cured buds which can lose much of their terpene content during drying and curing. This saves you time and effort during the extraction process, unlike dried and cured buds which take days to cure and dry.
Live resin contains more flavor than other concentrates and can be utilized to create various consistencies such as sap, sugar, badder/budder, and sauce.
Consuming live resin is most commonly done by dabbing or vaping it. However, some people also combine it with dried marijuana plants for even stronger effects.
How is Live Resin Made?
Live resin is created by rapidly freezing fresh cannabis plants during harvest, allowing growers to skip the lengthy drying and curing process.
After freezing plant material, it is processed into a terpene-rich concentrate commonly referred to as “full-spectrum”. This extraction process preserves an impressive percentage of the original terpene profile of the plant which results in more appealing flavors and smells than dried buds do.
Once the cannabis buds have been processed, they are immediately cooled to an extremely low temperature (around -40C). This helps protect the trichomes and prevents them from burning off when the solvent evaporates.
After the frozen biomass has been extracted, a light hydrocarbon solvent such as butane and propane is usually employed to extract the trichomes. This combination is popular due to its low water content which will preserve the trichomes.
What Are The Differences Between Live Resin And Distillate?
Distillate and live resin are both cannabis concentrates, yet their composition, cannabinoid/terpene content, flavors/aromas, appearance, and more all differ significantly.
Distillate is a concentrated extract of cannabis that prioritizes cannabinoids over terpenes and other phytochemicals, making it more potent. As such, distillates are often chosen by manufacturers when formulating specific ratios or flavor profiles.
However, this can also be a pricier option. Usually, it is created from parts of plants that would otherwise go to waste.
Live resin may not be as potent as distillate, but it offers a more robust flavor and aroma. It can be smoked, vaped, dabbed, or used in edibles and topicals. Furthermore, the live resin contains a full spectrum of cannabinoids that may provide an entourage effect.
Which is Better For me?
When it comes to cannabis products, there is no shortage of choices. But when it comes to gimmicks, few stand out above the rest. So which is best? We’ve put together a concise guide with all of the most important information in one place so you can easily identify which winners stand above all others. After testing each contender thoroughly, we have put together this list of top contenders sure to please any cannabis connoisseur looking for something special to start their sock-clapping festivities off right!
