What is Live Resin?
Live Resin has become increasingly popular among concentrate users in the recent years. This is likely due to it having a more complete and fuller terpene profile which contributes to a flavor that is unmatched by other types of concentrates. This is especially true in the world of CBD concentrates, where natural and complete terpene profiles are hard to come by in a market filled with terpene and isolate mixtures that use artificial and even botanical terpenes for flavoring.
So, What is Live Resin?
CBD concentrates come in all different types of consistencies from crumbly to saucy. Live resin usually sits somewhere in the middle of these two consistencies and may lean towards more of a sauce or a wax depending on the individual product. The real defining characteristic of CBD Live Resin though is not the consistency but the flavor. Live Resin is created using fresh frozen plant material which means the full terpene profile is present and the flavor is that of the raw & fresh plant material at harvest.
How is Live Resin Made?
Fresh frozen plant material is the key to creating live resin concentrates. CBD live resin is created using hemp plants that are frozen immediately after harvesting. This immediate freezing prevents terpenes from degrading and being destroyed which is exactly what happens when hemp and cannabis plants are dried and cured. During drying and curing plants are exposed to oxygen, light, and heat. This degrades terpenes and negatively impacts flavor and aroma. The drying and curing process can also damage trichomes which not only contain terpenes but cannabinoids as well.
Without the initial freezing after harvest, live resin products would not hold the original flavor, aroma, and cannabinoid content of the starting plant material. This frozen plant material is put through an extraction process that uses a solvent such as butane or propane to extract the terpenes and cannabinoids. What’s left after this process is the finished product, flavorful and potent CBD live resin!
Why is Live Resin So Popular?
Concentrate connoisseurs love live resin because they are extremely terpy compared to other concentrates which fail to retain the flavor profile of the original plant. The immediate freezing of the plant material after harvest also preserves cannabinoids which makes live resin more potent than many other concentrates.
In the CBD world, CBD live resin is a refreshing experience that allows users to enjoy the natural terpene profiles of their favorite cannabis strains without the high of THC. CBD live resin offers a very similar experience to THC concentrates in terms of flavor and aroma without inducing the psychoactive effects that come along with them.
How is Live Resin Consumed?
The most common method of consuming live resin is dabbing. To dab live resin, a dab rig is used to vaporize ‘dabs’ of live resin. This vapor is often filtered through water and inhaled. Dabbing this way is usually much less harsh than smoking and it is one of the quickest ways to introduce cannabinoids into the blood stream. To get started dabbing live resin, you will need a dab rig, a torch or an e-nail, and a dab tool.
Dab rigs come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all use a ‘banger’ or a ‘nail’ which is heated using either a torch or an electronically heated coil. A dab tool allows users to ‘scoop’ up a small dab of live resin and place it inside the hot banger/nail to be vaporized. This may sound complicated if you are new to dabbing, but trust us, it’s not!
Remember, low temperatures are always best for terpene rich concentrates like live resin, start out at around 530 degrees Fahrenheit for the best flavor. High temperatures can damage those delicious terpenes!
Another common way to consume live resin is using a portable vaporizer. These portable vaporizers or ‘dab pens’ have a small coil inside a chamber that the live resin dab can be placed in using a dab tool. The tip of the dab pen is then placed over this chamber, a button is pressed to heat the coil and the live resin is vaporized and inhaled. This method is a bit easier, and in those on the go situations, much more practical than using a dab rig. Of course, live resin can also be infused with food and drink or even placed on top of a bowl/joint!
Storing Live Resin
Keeping live resin in a fridge is the best practice for preservation. Room temperature will also usually be just fine but the colder the better. Be sure to avoid leaving live resin containers open, as exposure to air, light, and heat will degrade the terpenes and dry the product out.
Cost of Live Resin
CBD live resin is often the most expensive CBD concentrate on the market, but this might be changing. We offer many affordable live resin options and as live resin becomes more common in the CBD market, the price will likely fall closer to other types of common CBD concentrates. Of course, live resin is a superior product with superior flavor and potency which means the price will likely always be a little higher in comparison to other concentrates.
When shopping for CBD live resin, $35-$50 per gram is a reasonable price to pay for a quality product. Exotic terpene profiles could go for $50-$75 per gram and low-quality live resins might go for $25-30 per gram. Always check for a COA when purchasing and beware of imposter concentrates claiming to be live resin when in fact, they are just isolate based knock offs.
There Are Different Types of Live Resins?
Yes. Live resins may differ in appearance and consistency. Some live resins may be very saucy, some may be identical to wax, and others might be as stable as crumble. Viscosity is often a result of terpene content, and different extractions contain different concentrations of terpenes which is why we see the variations in consistency.
Different extraction artists use different extraction processes as well which may contribute to the differences. In some cases, live resin concentrates are altered after extraction to create a desired consistency. Sap like concentrates may be whipped into a ‘budder’ for example.
Is Live Resin for You?
When deciding if CBD live resin is right for you, the first thing to consider is THC content. Broad spectrum CBD live resin is rare, and in almost every CBD live resin product you will find THC. If you are a regular user of THC products, this will likely have zero noticeable effect considering THC must be below .3% in all CBD products. On the other hand, if you are new to THC or don’t use it often, even this small amount can cause psychoactive effects.
If the THC content of live resin is something you are comfortable with, the next thing to consider is the full spectrum of cannabinoids present in live resin. If you are seeking full spectrum dabs, look no further. Along with the higher terpene content, live resin often contains higher percentages of cannabinoids as well which contributes to a stronger ‘entourage effect’ than most CBD concentrates can create. This is one reason CBD live resin is so highly desired by many, but if you are sensitive to THC or any cannabinoid in particular, this entourage effect may be slightly overwhelming.
Finally, flavor! Most concentrate users are terpene enthusiasts, and it is hard for us to imagine there are people out there who would rather NOT taste the plant terpenes, but surely these people exist. If you love terpenes, live resin is for you! If you don’t enjoy the raw and fresh taste of cannabis/hemp, you may want to try something a little less pronounced.
If you are interested in purchasing CBD live resin or have any questions, feel free to contact us for more information!
