Live Resin Vs. Distillate

What Is Live Resin And Distillate?

The words “live resin” and “distillate” are used quite often in the cannabis community. 

On a very basic level, here is the difference between each:

Many people think they are the same, among other terms such as “shatter” and “hashish”.  

But, they’re not all the same.

However, it’s easy to see where the confusion comes from. All of these can seem the same when you don’t know the difference.

Thankfully, we’re here to debunk it all!

For simplicity, these terms can all be categorized as “cannabis concentrates” or “extract”. 

Each concentrate has a different method of creation and affects every individual differently. 

So, before we can figure out which is better for you, we have to answer two questions:

1. What are cannabis concentrates? 
2. What are the differences between live resin and distillate?

What Are Cannabis Concentrates? 

Cannabis concentrates (or extracts) are a potent form of cannabis created by extracting and condensing the essential cannabinoids, terpenes, and other active compounds from the raw plant material. 

Common Forms of cannabis concentrate include: 

• Live Resin 
• Distillate
• Wax  
• Shatter 
• Hashish 
• Sauce
• Rosin 
• Budder 

This article will discuss the similarities and differences between live resin and distillate.  

Live Resin

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate created by freezing fresh marijuana buds shortly after harvest.

This process preserves the terpenes, flavor, and potency of the cannabis plant material – resulting in a more flavorful hit. 

Live resin typically has a higher terpene content than cannabis distillate, which gives it a more potent flavor and aroma. 

However, live resin can also be more expensive than distillate.

How Is Live Resin Made?  

Well, it starts with trimming freshly harvested cannabis plants to remove any excess leaves. 

Next, the freshly trimmed flowers are quickly frozen using liquid nitrogen or CO2 to preserve their unique traits.

Once frozen, the buds are placed into an extraction tube in order to extract all of the essential oils from the plant material.

These essential oils are then heated at low temperatures where water and other contaminants can be separated. 

Finally, this mixture undergoes stirring and whipping until it becomes creamy like butter – creating what we know as live resin! 

Pros & Cons: 

• Pro: Live resin offers high concentration of cannabinoids. 
• Pro: Offers an intense flavor experience due to the preservation of terpenes.

• Con (Or Pro): Live resin is much stronger than regular flower buds.
• Con: Live Resin can be more expensive than distillate.

Distillate: 

Cannabis distillate is a highly concentrated form of cannabis that can be over 90% pure THC, making it one of the most powerful cannabis concentrates available on the market.

It can be used to make edibles, vape pens (cartridges), tinctures and other products.

How Is Distillate Made? 

It is made by using a process called molecular distillation to remove impurities and extract the desired compound from the plant material. 

The process of molecular distillation begins with the extraction of cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant material, using solvents (typically ethanol or butane).  

The extracted material is then heated and passed through a vacuum-sealed chamber, to separate impurities from the desired compounds.

Pros & Cons: 

• Pro: Distillate is highly potent and pure. 

• Pro: Distillate has a long shelf life.   

• Con: (Or Pro): Distillate has extremely high THC levels (effects in users can vary greatly) 

• Con: Distillate contains less flavor from terpenes.  

Additional Information On Cannabis Concentrates: 

Each concentrate can affect people differently depending on their individual body chemistry, tolerance levels, etc.

It is always essential to understand how your body could react before consuming cannabis concentrates for any purpose. 

Some types are much more potent than others, so proper dosing should always be taken into consideration when using them. 

There also may be a difference between smoking a concentrate and making edibles out of them.

Overall, cannabis concentrates offer users an enhanced experience compared to traditional flowers or edibles due to their high concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes.

Concentrates provide an intense psychoactive response along with potential therapeutic benefits such as pain relief or stress reduction.

Today, cannabis consumers enjoy a wide selection of high-quality extracts, including live resin and distillate. 

These two concentrates have drastically different characteristics, yet they both provide powerful effects to users. 

If you want information on other forms of concentrates, we highly recommend you check out these two articles from thrillist.com and CannabisTech.com.

Live Resin Or Distillate?

Generally speaking, those who prefer a more mellow experience may opt for live resin because it still retains some terpenes which can provide softer effects.

On the other hand, experienced users or individuals seeking powerful effects often go for distillates due to their potencies. 

At the end of the day, when it comes down to choosing between live resin and distillate there are many factors at play. 

Taking this information into account should help you find the right cannabis extract for you.

Be sure to check out our other articles on cannabis to make the best out of your usage.

Happy Blazing!