What is Live Resin – Everything You Need to Know

There are numerous cannabis concentrates and extractions. Live resin is among the newest on the market. It’s popular because it can preserve the flavors and aromas of the cannabis plant better than other concentrates. On top of that – it’s cheaper and easier to make live resin than other cannabis concentrates.

Live resin usually has a more complex terpene profile and delivers a somewhat more multiplex experience, which is what makes it so wildly desirable. If you are a layman in this field and don’t know the answer to “What is live resin?”, we might help by explaining in mundane terms.

Live resin explained

Each cannabis concentrate is described and named based on its consistency and texture. Some are brittle and hard, some are waxy, and others are like sauce. Live resin is a cannabis concentrate that usually has a dark yellow color but can sometimes be light yellow or even white.

Its structure is somewhere between saucy and waxy – close to taffy but not that wet. Like other cannabis concentrates, it is very sticky, and you won’t handle it without a dab tool.

When it comes to the potency of live resin, it does contain a lot of THC, is highly potent, and live resin users love it, especially because of its intense flavors and aromas that are very close to the original plant.

How is live resin made?

If you wish to know just how is live resin made and all about live resin extraction – we have you covered. Live resin is different from other cannabis concentrates because fresh frozen cannabis is used for its production.

That means that cannabis plants are frozen right after someone cuts them down at harvest. After that, these plants reside at freezing temperatures even during the extraction process. Being in freezing form, they skip the trimming, curing, and drying points of harvesting.

Therefore, keeping them at low temperatures essentially differentiates live resin from other concentrates that come from the cannabis plant.

These curing and drying processes of how other cannabis plants are usually processed have a terrible impact on their terpene content, aroma, and flavor. Terpene can be found in trichomes, which envelope each bud and the surrounding foliage of buds.

Chlorophyll and moisture leave the plant during the process where the plant is dried and cured. Trichomes are exposed to a higher temperature, i.e., heat, light, and oxygen, where the terpene profile loses its essence.

When the plant is freshly harvested, there’s a lot of moving around, so trichomes sometimes tend to break off. For this reason, freshly harvested cannabis is immediately placed under very low temperatures (flash freezing of cannabis flower).

This absence of heat allows the flash-frozen plant to preserve trichomes on buds, and the cannabis plant retains the valuable terpene profile from its original form, fragrance, and flavor. It does so during the whole extraction process to the final product.

Dried and cured plants lack this ability. After harvesting, the flash-frozen plants go through an extraction process, where solvents such as propane and butane are used. It’s only through the fresh frozen cannabis plant that the final product will preserve a higher terpene profile.

The drying and curing process is what kills the terpene. In a nutshell, it seems that it’s all about temperature, or in other words, the lack of heat that preserves trichomes and terpenes on each cannabis bud.

What’s the difference between live resin and other cannabis concentrates?

When you get to the point that you wish to buy cannabis concentrates, you may face a somewhat overwhelming process. Each day you’ll feel like there is a new form of them that you can try, each significantly different from the previous one.

Yes, the cannabis concentrate industry is constantly growing, but no, being able to distinguish one wax from another doesn’t have to be daunting.

Let’s now focus primarily on live resin and differentiate it from sugar wax, budder, and shatter. Comparing them and telling the difference between them will help you choose your favorite in the easiest possible way.

Live resin and shatter

Concentrates like live resin and shatter are different from one another, like night and day. Unlike live resin, shatter has a very low terpene profile. If you want to achieve a pristine structure, the wax has to go through the filtration and purification process.

Yes, this is perfect for getting the purest possible product, but it destroys terpenes in the plant material and its flavonoids. A translucent appearance will be achieved, but the taste will be very ordinary. Shatter is perfect for those who want an uplifting high state and a cannabis-induced fun experience.

Resin live, on the other hand, as we’ve already mentioned above, is much more pungent. Live resin is highly likely to be more potent than shatter, even if shatter has a higher concentration of THC in it.

Live resin is ideal if you want to induce relaxation or pain relief and thus achieve therapeutic benefits. With the drying and curing process avoided – Live resin is a better pick between the two since those who consume live resin can achieve therapeutic effects.

Live resin and sugar wax

Sugar wax is a cannabis concentrate that has, as the name suggests, a sugary texture. It usually appears in clumps and not in the waxy form everyone would expect. It’s not vicious and usually needs scooping to be consumed.

When compared to live resin, the appearance is similar. Both come in dark yellow color and are somewhat more solid than other cannabis concentrates. Live resin, though, is a bit more liquid in the material than sugar wax, as it is a perfect balance between the oil and sugar crystal.

Terpenes are much stronger in sugar wax extract, and the flavor is stronger than the flavor in any other concentrate (except for live resin). Even though they both have rich profiles in the concentrate world, live resin is richer in its aroma.

For a fun state of high, sugar wax is the perfect concentrate to choose. It will heighten your positivity and induce a clear mind with creative thoughts. Live resin, with a more fragrant flavor, stronger terpenes, can be much tastier.

However, both are perfect for dabbing, and the ease of creating dabs with them will give you a smooth flavor and the ability to use a dab rig to enhance the dab experience. You can find a dab rig cheaply and consume live resin neatly if you are into dabbing.

Again, a low temperature essential for this extract to be produced, thus avoiding the curing process, made dabbing fresh and made live resin a perfect concentrate to consume with a dab.

Live resin and budder

Budder is more solid in the material than grease but more liquid than sugar – it’s very similar to butter, to be exact. It can be scooped with a tablespoon and has a particular texture.

The grease used in the creation of budder extract contains THC after extraction from the plant material, which is then cured. We get a material that can be whipped during the phase of its purification, after which a consistency much like frosting is created.

That makes this fresh extract wildly cherished. Like live resin, budder has fragrant terpenes and is a very flavorful and aromatic marijuana concentrate produced through cannabis extraction.

Naturally, you have to be at least 21 years old to purchase this marijuana-generated sauce-like substance that was cured carefully. Both coming from marijuana flower, live resin, and budder preserve the plant’s terpenes and are free from pesticides, metals, and toxins.

Due to its buttery structure, it can be said that budder is easier to work with and will make dabbing seem like a walk in the park. New methods of plant material extraction from the flower of the cannabis plant that preserve terpenes make all canna plant material easier to work with.

Numerous other cannabinoids such as Delta-8 THC that many people shop for as vape cartridges go through similar extraction methods. The millennial generation especially prefers cartridges and vaping to traditional smoking of the flower.

Numerous studies have shown that vaping is, in fact, much healthier than consuming traditional cigarettes. Consequently, those who vape liquids containing cannabinoids such as, say, Delta-8 are more likely to make a less harmful impact on their health.

All about the drying and curing process of live resin

Cured live resin is made with the aid of a technique that preserves the cannabis plant material and prepares it for the method for extraction where a live resin is actually converted into a concentrate of cannabis.

As stated in the very name of the method, a curing technique is involved and what we get as a product is cured resin. Curing means removing moisture in monitored environmental conditions from the cannabis flower.

The process of drying

In the very beginning, after the very harvest, the plant is kept in the darkroom at a temperature that ranges between 60-70 Fahrenheit. The humidity has to be between 45-44%.

These temperatures and humidity require a fan to be used, a dehumidifier, as well as an A/C unit. The drying lasts from 5 to 15 days, but the real sign that your plant is ready for the next procedure is when the flowers become a bit crunchy, and the branches tend to snap when folded.

The concluding curing

After the initial phase, the buds get separated from the branches and are placed in a container that has to be airtight. Those containers can either be oven bags, jars, plastic vessels, ceramic vessels, and other containers alike. When the container gets sealed, it has to be kept in a dry and cool place.

As the first week of curing progresses, the containers must be opened occasionally to let the buds breathe a little. This stage can take from 2-3 weeks, but perfect results can be expected after eight weeks. Some specific cannabis strains can even take up to 6 months to cure.

Yes, it’s a long procedure, but it’s what elevates the quality of the product you get in the end.

Types of cannabis resin products that come from the cannabis plant

Some of the most common types of resin products include:

Hash

This concentrate has been used for decades. When you consume it, the hash can induce a euphoric feeling. It is made by separating first the trichome crystals and then rolling the whole substance into a ball, then pressed into a brick.

Hash butane oil

BHO is one of the most popular concentrates in this field. People mostly consume it with dabs because it is very potent and has a fast onset. BHO is made by first clearing all the fatty trichome resin glands using butane to remove them from the cannabis plant.

Live resin

As thoroughly described above, live resin comes from the cannabis plant that is flash-frozen right after the harvest. By doing this, the degradation of terpenes and other compounds in the cannabis plant won’t happen.

Rosin

Rosin requires no solvent to be used. It’s made by applying heat and pressure to cannabis plants that have previously been dried.

CO2 oil

This is yet another type of canna concentrate that also comes from the cannabis resin. This resin has previously been extracted from the plant by a solvent. However, instead of using butane, CO2 is used here.

How to smoke live resin

The type of product you have decided to buy will determine how exactly you smoke live resin. Hash concentrates can typically be found on the market in cartridges connected to a smoking device afterward. Other concentrates, such as dabs and rosin, are best consumed with a dab pipe or a rig.

If you wish to make sure that you have used all the resin you placed in your pipe or bong, you should be aware of this hack. Namely, to be certain that nothing is left unused, you should apply heat to the outer part of the bong (to the bong’s surface).

This will cause the resin to evaporate, and you as a consumer can inhale all the vapors and use up your resin to its fullest.

Conclusion

Whichever product you decide to opt for, remember that they are potent and should be used with great caution. Concentrates are indeed far miler in their effects than the traditional smoking of the flower, but they still contain THC.

Due to all these reasons, understanding your medical condition beforehand should probably be a step you have to take. Sometimes consulting a doctor can really help in this field. Naturally, make sure you are of legal age before you purchase any of these products.

Moreover, don’t use any of the above-mentioned products if you are using any prescribed medication, are nursing, pregnant, or operating a vehicle. Yes, the products are safe for consumption, but they all come from the cannabis plant and are therefore keen on altering some instances in the body.

Even though most can help alleviate pain or promote your appetite (especially if you are struggling with weight loss), they are not meant for curing, preventing, or treating any particular disease. With these precautions at hand – you are good to go live resin shopping.