Guide to Live Resin: The Best Concentrate in the Cannabis World

When it comes to cannabis concentrates available in the market, there is a wide choice of products available. However, live resin concentrates have quickly become an instant favourite with vapers and dabbers everywhere. Its aroma and taste are the finest in the cannabis market.

Live resin became well-liked among consumers and manufacturers because it preserves the flavour and aroma of cannabis plants more effectively than other extracts. In simplest terms, live resin is a cannabis concentrate known for its quality, potency, and aroma. Let us get to know more about live resin below:

What Is Live Resin?

After the cannabis plant has been harvested, it can undergo an extraction process that can change its flavour or alter its natural terpene profile. By the time the cannabis concentrates are ready to be consumed, the natural flavours and aroma may already begin to fade.

For instance, the curing extraction process can destroy almost 60% of the cannabis’ natural terpenes. Depending on how the cannabis concentrates are extracted and produced, more terpenes and natural plant compounds will be lost before you can even use them. 

Live resin is a light yellow concentrate derived from fresh and frozen cannabis plants, preserving as many terpenes as possible. Thus, it has a more excellent terpene content than other concentrates. Since the natural flavours are retained, live resin is often considered a high-quality cannabis concentrate.

Compared with many other cannabis concentrates, the live resin has more flavours and aromas since it comes from a live plant and does not undergo any drying or curing process. Check out High Voltage Live Resin and High Voltage Sauce, which provide pure, potent medicinal extracts of unparalleled flavour and aroma.

The Origins of Live Resins

Creating live resin was discovered in 2013 by EmoTek Lab founder and cannabis entrepreneur Jason Emo with cannabis cultivator William “Kind Bill” Fenger. Fenger began his first legal cultivation operation in 2010, focusing entirely on cannabis concentrate production in Colorado.

In the course of a harvest, for more than a month, Kind Bill wondered what extracts could come out of the cannabis plant. He thought fresh buds had better aromas than dried or cured buds. He then produced live resin through traditional extraction methods such as flash-freezing.

In September 2013, A production facility belonging to a medical dispensary in Colorado Springs received an extraction machine constructed by EmoTek Labs. The model was a closed-loop extraction system designed for commercial manufacturers to generate high-quality wax and shatter. Because the dispensary staff was having issues with the new unit, they decided to hire Kind Bill as a consultant to provide them with technical help.

After having a conversation with Emo and observing the OBE-Dos unit, Fenger was confident that the technology would enable him to create a method of extraction that was both efficient and successful. They worked together on the extraction method for more than a month, during which time they tried several different strains and techniques.

After undergoing an extraction process that lasted twenty-four hours, the two successfully produced a batch together and involved employing complete cannabis plants that had been flash-frozen. The batch yield possessed the smell and flavour traits Fenger had searched for. He gave both the method of extraction and the concentrate that was obtained the name live resin.

Live Resin and Its Terpene Profile

The thing that distinguishes living resin from other concentrates, shattered wax, dabs, and so on is that it is not made from dried plant material. Live is believed to retain more terpenes than a cured bud, a full spectrum concentrate, or other cannabis flower extracts.

Since live resin is extracted from a fresh flower or marijuana plant, the resulting concentrate retains many terpenes, flavonoids, and other essential compounds. Most of these plant compounds are often lost at the drying stages with other concentrates.

Generally, the extraction process after harvest may lead to a breakdown of 60% of its natural terpene content, making the flavour profile of the plant fade. A few terpenes and beneficial cannabinoids are also lost depending on the extraction process used.

Terpene is a natural compound found within cannabis that has a distinctive smell. It is produced in the trichomes—the sticky resin glands covering almost all plant parts. This aromatic compound gives all the plants a delicious scent.

The primary terpene groups in marijuana include monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Monoterpenoids are smaller molecules and cause light and fresh aromas. Myrcene, limonene, terpineol, and linalool are monoterpenes. On the other hand, sesquiterpenes have large molecules giving the herb a more aromatic flavour. Caryophyllene and humulene belong to this category.

A freshly grown cannabis flower contains higher quantities of monoterpenes compared with sesquiterpenes. When extracted, the plant matter can have many different characteristics and changes in taste and terpene profiles. When it is finally used in extraction to produce concentrates, the flavour of the plants may have faded.

How Is a Live Resin Produced?

Live resin is created with frozen cannabis and skips the trimming, curing, and drying phases of harvesting, which can devastate the terpene content. When the cannabis plant is dried and cured, moisture and chlorophyll will be eliminated, exposing the trichomes to heat, light, and oxygen, which can destroy terpenes.

The live resin extraction process involves freezing the plant immediately, then putting them through a solvent extraction process consisting of butane, propane, or other solvents.

The other natural plant compounds are often removed using butane hash oil. However, others, such as alcohol and carbon dioxide, can provide different results. Some resins tend to be runnier, harder, or more malleable, depending on the retained terpene profile.

Extracting compounds to produce live resin is not simple since it requires specialized equipment and complex extraction techniques. Thus, trying it at home certainly is not recommended. Live resin is made only by experienced manufacturers and dispensaries.

The Flash Freezing Process

Live resin is cannabis concentrate extracted in flash-frozen plant material. When a live resin is collected through the flash freezing process, most of its compounds are retained, specifically terpenes and flavonoids. Flash freezing involves slowly dipping the plant material into a container filled with dry ice or liquid nitrogen. 

The living plant is frozen for up to 36 hours through the flash freezing process. Then, the plant material will pass through a solvent which is then vaporized and cooled to -40℉ for extraction. The final product is further purged of solvents using a lower temperature.

However, it is vital to note that not all live resin is produced using the abovementioned process. Some manufacturers modify the process to make more unique products.

Why Are  the Curing and Drying Processes Skipped When Making Live Resin?

Curing or drying the raw plant material is an integral part of the procedure used to prepare medical marijuana for extraction. Drying the cannabis after it has been harvested allows the moisture accumulated during the production process to be removed without the terpenes being degraded or lost.

Some terpenes would inevitably be lost during the curing and drying process. The most volatile terpenes are the ones that are most likely to evaporate when cannabis is dried for an average of seven to ten days. The drying process causes a change in the overall flavour profile of the flower.

In a study conducted in 1995 at the University of Mississippi, the terpene profile of freshly harvested cannabis plants was compared to the terpene profile of cannabis plants that had been dried for varying amounts of time. Terpene levels dropped by 31% when the plant was dried at ambient temperature for a week.

Compared to concentrates manufactured with nug run or trim run cannabis, a live resin produced by using fresh cannabis plant matter offers a dabbing experience characterized by flavours that are more flowery, fruity, and spicy.

How Is Live Resin Different From Other Concentrates?

There are two types of resin, live and cured resin. Cured resin is made from cured or dried plant material, while live resin is made from frozen ones.

Cannabis concentrates are often distinguished based on their textures and consistencies. For instance, shatter is hard and brittle, while wax is thick and gooey. Live resin is a malleable cannabis concentrate with taffy-like wax but not as wet as a sauce. Check out more differences between live resin and other concentrates below:

• Live resin and rosin both originate from freshly frozen plants. However, live resin is extracted differently. Live resin is only extracted using very low temperatures. Meanwhile, rosin can be produced in the presence of heat if needed.
• Live resin smells less pungent than shatter, which contains fewer terpenes.
• In some ways, live resin is considered a full-spectrum extract since both products intend to capture the maximum cannabinoids and terpene profiles possible. But not every full-spectrum extract is created from fresh, frozen plants in the laboratory.
• Live resin comes only from fresh and frozen cannabis, while sauce uses plant matter that undergoes a curing process.
• Distillates are a type of cannabis oil with no terpenes, which is different from the flavourful live resin.

Benefits of Using Live Resins

Dabbers prefer live resin because it is richer in flavours than other cannabis extracts. By preserving terpenes and keeping the cannabinoids intact, live resin retains the original taste of the marijuana plant. The preservation of the trichome also keeps the cannabinoids in place, making the resin produce potent effects.

Moreover, growers tend to prefer cultivating plants for live resin. Having fresh frozen starting material plants means farmers can avoid the lengthy trimming, drying, and curing process. It can save the growers enormous labour, time, and money.

Types of Live Resin Products

It can be fun to consume live resin since this cannabis concentrate comes in various forms. Take a look at some of them below:

• Live resin carts: You can use a live resin cartridge with a battery responsible for heating up to vaporize the cannabis and extract the maximum amount of terpenes possible.
• Live resin dab pens: Using a live resin dab pen gives you complete control over the temperature. You have the option to heat whatever concentrate you like, including cannabis oil, wax, butter, crumbles, and more.
• Live Resin Sauce: The consistency of live resin sauce can be described as sticky but liquid. Both live resin and sauce retain the maximum amount of terpenes possible.
• Live resin sugar, budder, and crumble: These terms relate to the myriad forms that concentrates can take. The intensity of the effect is usually the same. Still, some people might favour one over the other depending on how easy it is to heat up, how consistent it is, or how readily available it is.
• Live resin shatter: Shatter is a concentrated form of cannabis. Live resin shatter is highly uncommon because the terpenes in live resin have a consistency similar to a liquid. It is challenging to heat live resin shatter without destroying many active terpenes. Check out Burn Shatter, which contains lab-tested all-natural terpenes.

The Best Ways to Consume Live Resin

Live resin may be consumed via dabbing that involves a dab rig, a nail, and a dab tool. The flat bowl called nail is often used for smoking flowers and made using materials capable of resisting high temperatures. To dab a live resin, use the dab tool to place the concentrate on the nail.

Then, heat the nail with a gas-powered torch until you have activated the cannabinoids and terpenes on the live resin. The optimal temperature to reach this is between 315 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You can now smoke live resin once it vaporizes.

Live resin can be found in pre-filled vape cartridges with batteries that infuse heat to produce maximum terpenes. These cartridges, also known as dab pens or vape pens, allow for the temperature control and heating of oils, waxes, and other extracts to produce a rich flavour. To vape live resin, heat the coil and vaporize the concentrate as you would with a dab rig.

If you have dried flowers, you can sprinkle live resin on them when using a bong. However, ensure you do not directly light the live resin to prevent burning the cannabis compounds. To avoid burning the concentrate, wrap it around your blunt.

How to Store Live Resins

To store live resin, place it where no heat or light can penetrate. Airtight containers with light proofing will retain their consistency and potency since they can be protected against degradation from terpenes evaporation. Heat can increase the degradation of the live resin, so store it at cold temperatures, preferably in the fridge.

Preserving the live resin smell is vital to enjoying using the cannabis concentrate. To do this, keep the product away from moisture, open air, light, and heat. Look for silicone or glass bowls so you can quickly get the parts of live resin that are stuck inside.

Conclusion

Live resin has come a long way since the first legal grow operation in 2013. Since it is a high-quality concentrate, live resin costs relatively higher than other cannabis products. Fortunately, Ahuevo carries a wide range of cannabis products to ensure that we meet your needs!

Order now and receive your discreet parcel within the day through our same-day delivery service around Metro Vancouver.

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