What Is Live Resin & Why Is It Getting So Popular?

Discover Live Resin, Its Benefits & The 3 Best Ways To Consume It

Cannabis concentrates are slowly making their way into the mainstream cannabis market. One of the most recent entrants is live resin. In this article, we look at live resin, its use, and its benefits. First, what is live resin?

The typical cannabis preparation process includes drying and curing the raw plant before extraction. However, there is a downside to drying and curing weed before extraction. When the cannabis plant is dried, the more volatile terpenes evaporate, changing the flavour of weed.

One study found that fresh cannabis buds can lose approximately 31% of terpenes during the first week. Cannabis producers have a way around this – live resin.

Live resin utilizes a different extraction process to preserve the full terpene makeup of the plant. Read on to find out what live resin is and why it’s considered a premium, connoisseur-level product.

What Is Live Resin?

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate obtained from fresh cannabis flower instead of dried and cured plant matter.

The fresh raw materials set this concentrate apart as it retains most plant compounds usually lost during the curing process, such as the delicate terpenes and flavonoids. This means it retains the flavour and scent profile of a “live” plant.

Live resin is a malleable concentrate that’s between wax and sauce in texture and consistency. Generally, the higher the terpene content in live resin, the more malleable and fluid it will be.

The concentrate is typically dark yellow but can vary from light yellow to white depending on the extraction process. 

Live resin is typically extracted using butane, which is why many people consider it a butane hash oil (BHO), but it can also be extracted using ethanol or CO2 extraction.

How To Make Live Resin

The process of making live resin starts during harvesting. The first step is to harvest the cannabis buds at the peak of the plant’s ripeness. The parts used for live resin extraction are the buds and sugar leaves. 

Immediately the buds are harvested, they are flash-frozen to prevent moisture accumulation or drying, skipping the drying, curing and trimming harvesting phases. By freezing the plant immediately after harvest, the trichomes are well preserved, ensuring the final product – THC concentrate retains its terpene profile, flavour, and scent.

A solvent such as chilled butane is then pushed through the plant material under pressure, extracting terpenes and cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, leaving behind the plant materials. 

The final step is purifying the extract and purging the solvent residues to ensure its safe for human consumption.

Benefits Of Live Resin, Is It Worth A Try?

Live resin is typically more expensive than other weed concentrates, but is live resin worth it?

Like most cannabis consumption methods, live resin has its strengths, but budget and personal preferences also come into play.

Dabbers love live resin for its high terpene concentration, which makes it more flavourful than other concentrates, including shatter and wax. But if flavour is not a significant consideration when buying weed concentrates, you may be left wondering what all the hype is about.

Live resin may also have an edge in therapeutic benefits since it preserves more of the whole plant compounds than dried flower. These compounds play an important role in the cannabis healing power, including supporting the entourage effect. 

The high terpene content can also enhance your high and overall cannabis experience.

Growers also like live resin but for a different reason. As we mentioned before, live resin is made from frozen buds. That means growers don’t have to go through the long and labour-intensive process of drying, curing and trimming. Instead, they can just cut the plants, freeze and send them directly to the extractor, saving time and money.

What Is The Difference Between Live Resin, Shatter And Other Cannabis Concentrates?

Both live resin and shatter can be made from BHO. However, they are not the same product.

The major difference between shatter and live resin is the preparation method. When making shatter, the cannabis plant materials go through the drying and curing process before they get to extraction. On the other hand, live resin is extracted from frozen live cannabis. 

Shatter has a brittle consistency that tends to “shatter” when handled, while live resin is malleable. Another difference is the terpene content. Live resin has a higher terpene concentration than other wax concentrates, including shatter, which means it may have better flavour, scent and well-balanced effects. 

If they are this different, then what is live resin shatter?

It’s possible, at least in theory, to have live resin in any consistency. However, shatter has a brittle consistency, which may be difficult to accomplish with live resin. The terpenes’ liquidity prevents it from hardening. 

However, live resin shatter can be achieved with live resin if the strain used has minimal terpene content – something you probably don’t want in live resin.

What Is The Difference Between Live Resin And Live Rosin?

Both live rosin and live resin are produced from frozen plant materials. However, the live resin extraction process utilizes a solvent such as butane, while the live rosin extraction process is solventless. 

Live rosin is extracted using heat and pressure through a press.

What Are The 3 Best Ways To Consume Live Resin?

Wondering how to use live resin? This concentrate can be consumed in several ways.

1. Dabbing

Most people dab live resin. To do so, you’ll need a dab rig, torch and nail or an e-nail. Live resin is sticky like most wax concentrates, so you need a dab tool to handle it. You will want to dab the concentrate at low temperatures (around 530°F) to preserve the terpenes and get the best flavour.

2. Using A Dab Pen

A dab pen is similar to a vape pen but designed for concentrates. Use a dab tool to put the live resin in the oven/ bowl of the pen, select the temperature and vape away. You can also get live resin cartridges.

Wondering what a live resin cartridge is? It’s a device similar to a distillate cartridge, but instead of cannabis oil, it contains live resin. To use, screw it on a compatible battery, turn it on and inhale.

3. Topping Off Joints, Blunts

You can also add some live resin to a joint or blunt to improve the flavour and potency.

Where To Buy Live Resin Weed Online In Canada

Live resin is now available in most cannabis dispensaries and online stores in the country. However, not all live resin is created the same. Some producers may cut corners in the extraction process, and you may end up with low-quality live resin or even a product with solvent residue.

For high-quality live resin products, we recommend that you purchase your weed from West Coast Cannabis – the best online dispensary in Canada. West Coast Cannabis stocks a wide range of live resin products from different weed strains, so be sure there is something for you.

All our products are tested, effective and safe to use. Order weed online from West Coast Cannabis today and have it delivered anywhere in Canada fast and safely.