For some, resin is the crème de la crème of cannabis concentrate. Highly fragrant, potent, and flavorful, live resin isn’t your average concentrate. A relatively new product in the world of commercial cannabis, we’re going to be seeing a lot more live resin in the future.
In this guide, we’re covering all the details of what live resin is, how it’s made, and how it differs from other common cannabis extracts.
What Is Live Resin?
Live resin is a potent cannabis concentrate made from fresh, flash-frozen cannabis plants. Rather than first curing the cannabis, plants destined to become live resin are frozen immediately after harvest, preserving the terpenes and unstable compounds within the plant. By not putting the plants through a curing process the final product retains the optimum levels of terpenes, creating an extremely fragrant and flavorful end result.
Life resin is sticky, malleable, and slightly crystallized, favored by dabbers, vapers, and adventurous flower smokers.
What Makes Live Resin “Live”?
The word “live” refers in this case to the freshness of the plants used to produce the concentrate. Because the plants are flash-frozen immediately upon harvesting they retain most of the qualities of the living plant. Processed without curing, live resin contains “live” terpenes which have not been altered by heat or dehydration.
How To Use Live Resin
Live resin is most commonly vaped or consumed using a dab rig. Extremely potent, a small amount goes a long way. Some people like to sprinkle a few crystals on their joints or use live resin as a bowl topper.
How Is Live Resin Made?
Live resin involves three main steps: Freezing, Oil Extraction, and Final Processing.
First, the freshly harvested plants are frozen, preserving as many of the fragrant trichomes as possible and preserving the terpenes.
Next, the fresh frozen plants are added to a solvent, which works to extract the oils in the cannabis plant.
The final process is to evaporate and process off the solvent, leaving the manufacturers with a pure cannabis extract.
Live resin may be processed further to be made into vape cartridges or may be immediately packaged for sale.
How Does Live Resin Differ From Other Extracts?
Most extracts are made from dried, cured cannabis plants. The drying process exposes the cannabis plant to heat and dehydration, which can cause the aroma-carrying trichomes to lose potency or fall off the plant altogether. By freezing the plant as soon as it is harvested, growers and live resin manufacturers preserve all of the aromatic compounds, creating a more fragrant and potent end product.
Other Common Cannabis Concentrates
Cannabis extracts and concentrates are typically named by describing their consistency and profile. While there are lots of concentrates on the market, live resin has quickly taken over the spotlight, and it’s easy to see why. Here’s a quick comparison of live resin and the other common cannabis concentrates.
| Type | Consistency | Potency | Live/Cured | Extraction | How To Use |
| Live Resin | Sticky, malleable, slightly crystallized | 75-90% THC | Live | Solvent-Based | Dab rig, vape, flower topper, edibles |
| Cured Resin | Sticky, malleable, slightly crystallized | 70-90% THC | Cured | Solvent-Based | Dab rig, vape, flower topper, edibles |
| Live Rosin | Syrupy, creamy, lumpy | 65-85% THC | Live | Heat & Pressure | Dab rig, vape, flower topper, edibles |
| Distillate | Sticky, molasses-like | Up to 99% THC | Cured | Solvent-Based | Dab rig, vape, edibles, topicals |
| Shatter | Hard, slightly pliable, taffy-like | 40-80% THC | Cured | Solvent-Based | Dab rig, vape, flower topper, edibles |
| Wax | Crumbly, sludgy, thick | 40-90% THC | Cured | Solvent-Based | Dab rig, vape, flower topper, edibles |
| Oil | Runny, oily, honey-like | 40-90% THC | Cured | Solvent-Based | Vape, edibles, tincture, sublingual, edibles |
| Hash | Powdery, sticky, dry | 15-60% THC | Cured | Ice Wash Processed | Vape, flower topper, edibles |
Notice how few concentrates are made from fresh frozen, live flower? By skipping the curing step, live resin has made an obvious mark on the world of cannabis. Cannabis consumers love the flavors and aromas of their favorite bud, but with most concentrates, the aromas are almost entirely lost. In many cases, cannabis concentrates are artificially flavored to make up for the lack of viable terpenes, but flavored vapes and live concentrates just can’t compare.
Live resin is packed with tons of incredible scent and flavor and retains those vital compounds that help to elevate the cannabis experience. Terpenes play a huge role in how we experience cannabis, and with live resin, you won’t miss out on any of the exciting, complex flavors of your favorite strains.
KLONE has an extensive selection of marijuana strains, producing high-quality clones and seeds featuring exciting genetic qualities. Some strains are better than others for creating resin and other extracts, but with the help of our team, you’ll make the right choice every time.
Contact us at sales@klonecolorado.com to discuss which strains are in stock, and what will provide the best extraction results.
