What Is Live Resin? Everything You Need to Know

Meet live resin. It is the cannabis world’s new rising star. Live resin quickly turns heads among consumers thanks to its superb flavor and potency.

For seasoned cannabis enthusiasts, consuming THC products is like going to the gym. It is all about maximizing your gains. 

Many are searching for the ultimate experience, and consumers are in unison that cannabis products must be natural, potent, and, most importantly, create a pleasant experience.

Live resin has a great promise to do just that.

What’s the Difference Between Shatter & Live Resin? How tasty is it? As its name implies, live resin smells just like fresh and living cannabis plants. If you are searching for a high-potency concentrate brimming with natural cannabis flavors, look no further.

What Is Live Resin Sauce?

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate extracted from live plant materials before drying and curing marijuana. This is in contrast to most cannabis concentrates that undergo extraction after harvesting and curing. 

The main benefit is that it enables cultivators to harness the terpenes lost during the harvesting and curing. You can Buy live resin here and in-store in countries and territories where cannabis for recreational use is legal.

To obtain live resin, you need fresh flower buds and sugar leaves. But leave out the stems and the big fan-like leaves. 

Afterwards, preserve the necessary plant materials utilizing the flash-freezing process to maintain the original flavor from the cannabis plant. Live resin is famous for its flavor and aroma, providing enthusiasts with a premium dabbing experience.

The end goal of live resin extraction is to produce high-quality flavors and effects. By bypassing the traditional curing process, you can gather vast quantities of cannabis essential oils or terpenes, applicable for several things.

The Look and Feel of Live Resin Cannabis Concentrates

Live resin creates tons of different colors and forms. Many factors affect the appearance of live resin. For example, the type of cultivator or strain can alter the chemical and physical aspects of the concentrate.

As mentioned above, live resin is rich in terpenes and can appear in many forms. In contrast to other concentrates, live resin is stocked with more intoxicating terpenes. The increased cannabis amounts cause the live resin to appear more fluid or malleable. Typical forms of live resin are sauce, sugar, and budder.

Where Did Live Resin Come From?

If cannabis concentrates were already a thing even before the radars picked up on live resin, where did the need for it come from?

Cannabis Plants

Concentrates and flowers, in general, are already a good finish right after the flower has undergone the drying and curing process. It makes the cannabis plant material smokable and switches on certain cannabinoids you want to find in your concentrates or flowers.

When done right, curating is a crucial step towards a top-grade plant.

But as a caveat:

Manufacturers utilize solvents to separate the desired substances from the flowers, stems and leaves to make concentrates. This results in a watery substance subjected to evaporation to eradicate the solvents used.

This specific step is quite similar to how resin sauce is created. But the difference with live resin compared to other concentrates is the flower does not undergo the curation process. The flower is collected and flash frozen immediately after harvest.

The benefit to this is to optimally preserve the product and the cannabinoids that will eventually come into fruition in the final concoction.

How Is Live Resin Made?

In contrast to other cannabis concentrates, live resin aims to crystallize the significant cannabinoids and draw them out from the extract mix.

Ideally, the live resin must be crafted from premium and fresh frozen flowers that preserve the cultivar’s unique cannabinoid and terpene profile. This ensures maximum aroma, potency, and flavor.

The oils must never be separated or reconstituted. Hence, no fillers, no cuts, and no added terpenes. No non-cannabis ingredients, including additives, distillates, or THC boosters. Only the flower and nothing else.

It makes for an authentic and natural extracted product that gives you the full spectrum of benefits from an integrally preserved and original strain.

The Live Resin Extraction Process

The process of making live resin consists of several steps:

Harvesting

The plants harvested are at the peak of ripeness. The sugar leaves and the flower buds of the cannabis plant are used. The stems and fan leaves are not included.

Freezing

It is critical to process the plant material immediately after harvest to prevent moisture accumulation, drying, and light and heat exposure. Flash freezing the cannabis stops all these metabolic processes while retaining the entire plant’s components.

Extraction

After the plant material is frozen, the extraction process utilizes a chilled solvent like butane. Forcing the solvent through plant materials under pressure extracts the vital terpenes, THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids and leaves the expended plant materials behind.

Distillation

The final step involves purifying the solution to eradicate wax and other unwanted elements. This results in a pure product with highly concentrated aromatic essential oils and cannabinoids.

The Characteristics of Live Resin

Live resin’s chemical and physical properties depend on the fresh plant matter and cannabis strain. Overall, the higher the terpene content, the more flexible and fluid the resulting live resin. Live resin comes in varying forms and degrees of viscosity, such as the following:

• Sap
• Jelly
• Butter
• Shatter

• Wax

Live resin’s terpene profile accurately resembles that of the living cultivar. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds and the most precious component of live resin. Cannabis varieties have more than 100 unique types of terpenes. Examples of these are the following:

• Myrcene
• Limonene
• Alpha Bisabolol
• Alpha-Pinene
• Beta-Pinene

These terpenes have unique medicinal and therapeutic properties, including alleviating insomnia symptoms, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression.

Live resin is also chock full of cannabidiol (CBD). This cannabinoid has stellar therapeutic properties. The THC of live resin ranges between 65% to 95% and will be dependent on the cannabinoid profile of the plant material.

The Best Strains for Live Resin Production

Any strain can effectively produce high-quality resin provided it undergoes the correct extraction process.

But some strains naturally produce superior yields and effects. The best strains for creating live resin cannabis concentrate must have a high terpene and flavonoid content and a distinct aromatic profile.

Ideally, the strain must be a Sativa-Indica hybrid with a 17% THC content or even more. The scent of the strain will have a significant impact on the experience. To give you an idea, Northern Light live resin produces a different high than a Fruit Spirit live resin.

Examples of popular strains used for live resin are the following:

• Sunset Sherbet
• Sour Diesel
• Northern Lights
• White Widow

Live Resin Versus Sauce: What’s the Difference?

The source marijuana plant material is the defining factor distinguishing live resin from the sauce. As mentioned, live resin is created by gathering the fresh flower buds and sugary leaves then flash freezing them to maintain the fragrance of the living cannabis plant.

On the other hand, although sauce can be created with fresh plant materials, this is not a requirement. Traditionally, cultivators or extractors use cured buds to make a sauce. In comparison, the live resin method produces the most massive quantities of terpenes because you don’t lose any of it during harvesting and curing.

Live Resin vs Shatter

Shatter is a concentrate that can serve as an alternative to live resin. It is distinctive for its brittle consistency. Shatter utilizes a solvent-based extract as its raw material. It is then spread on a drying tray.

This material is then broken up into tiny fragmented pieces. Hence its moniker: shatter.

Live Resin vs Wax

Wax is another type of concentrate found in either of these two main consistencies: crumble or butter.

Like shatter, wax is made utilizing a solvent-based extraction after heating and drying the flower. The substance created is agitated right after extraction, causing the oil to crystallize and solidify. This gives wax its thick consistency.

Depending on how the process is done, the end product can crumble or budder. Crumble is a gritty wax, whereas budder is gooey and dense.

To give you a visual, budder looks a lot like solid ghee. Crumble, on the other hand, is a crystallized version of that.

Live Resin vs Cured Live Resin

The goodness of live resin stems from the fact that it is processed before the curing process.

But there is also the option of curing the flower first and flash freezing it after. Thus, this version earned the name cured live resin. But what is the benefit of this?

It may seem that creating cured by resin abandons the entire idea behind live resin. 

When harvested, flowers are curated and dried. The cannabinoids and other plant compounds undergo a series of chemical changes. This changes the cannabinoids and affects their power and effects on the body.

The harvested flower bud’s component composition will change as more drying time passes. Growers with a lot of experience dry the flowers during a specific period to trap the cannabinoids and other compounds they need for their product. After that, they flash freeze the plant material to preserve them.

Live Resin vs Distillate

The distillate is distinct for its honey-like consistency and is a much more refined concentrate form.

While live resin keeps terpenes and other heavenly elements intact, the dregs in distillate are mostly pure cannabinoids. But there is a reason to love both. Consumers must individually analyze live resin versus distillate to find what suits them best.

Rosin vs Resin: What’s the Difference?

While rosin and resin are both delicious concentrates, there are slight differences between these two. Live resin utilizes a solvent to extract, removed before the finished product.

On the other hand, live resin extraction involves intense pressure and heat. The main difference is rosin uses no chemicals. Because of this, live rosin is often more favored than resin.

How To Store Live Resin?

Part of live resin’s allure is the mesmerizing aroma and flavor it gives. It is a scent you want to preserve for as long as possible. Store it safely away from exposure to light, moisture, open-air, and heat to maintain live resin’s quality. 

It is recommended you have an airtight and lightproof container to preserve the consistency and quality of the live resin. This will ensure the cannabinoids are safe from degradation as time passes and the terpenes within them do not evaporate.

If you want your live resin to maintain the highest quality and most extended lifespan, you must store them in a cool area like a fridge or cold room.

Why Is Live Resin So Flavorful?

When a plant is freshly harvested, it is at its peak in flavor, scent, and overall cannabinoid content. But to make the flower consumable, growers will trim the flowers during harvest and curate them.

The curing process involves drying the plant over several days, maybe even weeks.

But in the live resin process, the flower is flash frozen immediately after harvest. In this way, growers can preserve the plant’s vital components and chemical integrity. This makes for a bolder flavor because the terpenes are preserved specifically for this end.

What Type of Buzz Do You Get From Live Resin Versus Other Types of Cannabis?

The experience of cannabis consumption varies from person to person. But right off the bat, live resin gives a recognizable euphoric feeling. After about an hour or so, the sensations die down and settle in a more relaxing and comfortable vibe.

If you are a novice to cannabis, it is best to try less potent products before exploring the derivatives. But if you want to enjoy cannabis concentrates the correct way, live resin is the best choice because it is purer and cleaner than dabs.

Ways To Consume Live Resin

For those who delve deep within the world of concentrates, you probably already know that dabbing is one way to consume live resin. Dabbing is the process of smoking that utilizes a dab rig or water pipe with a nail. It veers from traditional smoking methods like rolling a joint or a blunt.

The goal is to heat the nail to the optimum temperature and cause the nail to glow red. After that, the consumer quickly adds in the concentrate, live resin in this case, and inhales the smoke produced via the rig. But don’t worry, the materials used to create the nail are high heat-resistant.

A good rule of thumb is to heat it erring on the side of caution when heating the nail. That is, to preserve the live resin’s full flavor. But if you fail to heat it to an optimal temperature, you will likely be unable to properly activate the terpenes or cannabinoids. The best temperature range to heat the nail for the live resin is between 315°F and 400°F.

How to Smoke Live Resin

Although smoking is undoubtedly an option, it must be noted that there are better ways to enjoy live resin. Experts recommend you either vape or dab it.

But some people like to smoke. And we get it. Perhaps you don’t have a dab rig or a vaporizer on hand. In that case, the following is the best method to smoke live resin.

First, top off your bowl with live resin. Another option is to line your joint or blunt with this substance. If you want to avoid this hassle, pair it with the flower of your choice to smoke instead of using a vape or rig.

What Is the Best Dosage for Beginners?

For novice users, a single dose is excellent.

However, consuming live resin the traditional way can be a challenge. It is especially the case if someone isn’t an experienced smoker.

If you are in this category, don’t worry. There are other ways to experiment beyond smoking. You can also purchase vape cartridges like live resin carts, making everything more pleasant for non-smokers.

How Much Does Live Resin Cost?

Compared to other concentrates found in the market, the live resin has a higher sticker price. But the price of this product can also fluctuate depending on your location and the market volatility. 

But expect to shell out anywhere between $10 and $50 per gram for live resin. Live resin costs much more because of the extraction process utilized for this particular concentrate. 

Bear in mind that live resin is not stronger compared to other concentrates. Instead, it is more flavorful and therein lies its value. When you purchase live resin, the flavors are what you are paying for.

Wrapping Up

Live resin is a holistically crafted and potent concentrate for vaping. Because of flash freezing the live plant, the optimal chemical structure of the cannabinoids is captured and preserved to be enjoyed in the final product.