Unless you keep up with cannabis trends, you might not have heard of live resin or live rosin. Perhaps you’re still trying to figure out the difference between live resin vs distillate. If you’re feeling lost in the (terp) sauce, look no further. We’re about to explain the similarities and differences between two of the most luxurious and flavorful concentrates on the market: live resin vs live rosin.
What Makes Resin and Rosin ‘Live’?
The addition of ‘live’ to resin and rosin has to do with the cannabis. Concentrates and extracts like budder, shatter, and crumble were once made with dried buds and trimmings, often as a way to use up what wasn’t good enough to sell as top-shelf nugs. This was a perfectly acceptable way to make hash, and it still is. However, dried herb doesn’t quite have the same punch as the fresh cannabis plant.
If you’ve ever been around a cannabis farm near harvest, you probably recall being bowled over by the unique scent filling the air. It’s a little skunky, a bit sweet, kind of like fresh grass and a flower you can’t quite name. But as soon as the plant is cut down and begins to die (and dry) the scent starts to change. While you might not realize it yet, the flavor is changing, too. The process of drying and curing is ideal for preparing smokable herb for market, but we can do better for extracts.
So, live resin and live rosin are named as such because they are made with live cannabis plants. There’s no drying or using up leftover trimmings. Instead, the plants are flash-frozen immediately after they are cut from the stalk. Usually, this happens by dipping the plants in liquid nitrogen and putting them into a freezer. Once back at the extraction lab, extraction techs will process them straight out of the freezer.
While there are plenty of differences comparing live resin vs live rosin, the one similarity is that they are both made with fresh frozen cannabis. This critical step preserves the plant’s maximum potential, resulting in an extra flavorful and full-spectrum product.
Live Resin Overview
To get a full view of the difference between live resin and live rosin, we need to look at the manufacturing process. From there, the appearance and testing profiles give us an excellent capture of what to expect.
How is Live Resin Made
The most significant distinguishing difference between live resin vs live rosin is that resin is made with solvent extraction. Extraction techs place the fresh frozen plant matter into a column inside a closed-loop extractor. Butane, propane, or CO2 are used to separate the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant material. Once outside the extraction chamber, they put the oil in a high-pressure vacuum to purge any residual solvents off of the oil. The final product is clean, pure, and ready to package.
Appearance
Live resin takes on a few different appearances. However, it’s usually marigold or bright orangeish amber with crystalline pieces all forming together. It might remind you of the honey that crystallizes at the bottom of the jar. It’s very sticky and viscous and requires a dab tool to handle.
Flavor Profile
The emergence of live resin that exploded onto the shatter, wax, and PHO market left cannabis connoisseurs gobsmacked. In fact, the flavor is the most notable thing about live resin, setting it apart from other extracts by a long shot. After all, that’s the intention behind using live cannabis. The taste and aroma are like hyper-concentrated snapshots of the original plant.
Cannabinoid Profile
In a similar vein, live resin’s cannabinoid profile is quite impressive. While working hard to preserve those terps, much of the cannabinoid content is also saved. The extraction process focuses on keeping as much of the concentrated material as possible, as opposed to distillate or broad-spectrum extracts. Because of the abundant cannabinoid and terpene profiles, live resin offers a true entourage effect experience.
Live Rosin Overview
Still wondering how live rosin differs from live resin? There is plenty to note about these two types of concentrates, starting out with how to make live rosin.
How is Live Rosin Made
Live rosin’s biggest difference from resin is that it’s a solventless extract. No additional hydrocarbons, chemicals, or additives of any kind are used in the multi-step process. Instead, live rosin focuses on maintaining the plant’s integrity to the fullest. The first step is making bubble hash, just like the good old days using ice water to agitate the terpenes and cannabinoids from the plant. They’re collected, dried, and then pressed into rosin. Pressing hash gives the rosin a more manageable consistency.
Appearance
Live rosin is typically lighter than live resin, taking on a spun gold to translucent color. It’s waxy and sticky, but easily handled with the help of a dab tool. Unlike live resin, it isn’t crystally, but instead forms altogether as a cohesive concentrate.
Flavor Profile
The tedious process of making live rosin all comes down to the flavor profile. This is what it’s all about! Live rosin is undoubtedly the best-tasting cannabis concentrate on the market. Because of its high value, it often comes with a bit of a steep price tag, but it’s always worth it for this superbly excellent taste.
Cannabinoid Profile
Live rosin lets nothing go to waste, so whatever formed from that cannabis strain will come through in substantial amounts in live rosin. It’s not simply high in THC percentage but a celebration of all of the plant’s natural compounds. Much like live resin, live rosin provides a long-lasting, whole body and mind melting high.
How to Smoke Rosin and Resin
Live resin and live rosin are full melt extracts, meaning you can top a bowl and spark it right up for added flavor to your herb. The same goes for joints. Add a bit here and there to elevate your doobie power. These are good options, but to truly appreciate the beauty of live extracts, you should vape them with a dab rig, dab pen, or in a cartridge or disposable vape cart. On their own, the flavor is impossible to beat.
Which is Better: Live Resin vs Live Rosin
Torn between live resin vs live rosin? When it comes down to which reigns supreme in the concentrate world, there is no sole victor. Both options are a feast for the senses. However, if you’re new to extracts, perhaps you should try live resin first. Then, once you become familiar with its effects and flavors, give live rosin a try.
