Live Resin—everything you should know; and why live resin is the best

Exploring the truckload of alternative cannabis products on your dispensary shelves can be overwhelming, even for experienced stoners.

To save you stress and inform your purchase decision, we'll be exploring the different forms of weed concentrates over time in our tutorials. 

In this blog, I'll focus on one of the newcomers in the concentrates world—Live resin. You'll find out the following:

• What live resin is
• Effective ways to smoke live resin
• How to store live resins
• Safe dosage instructions
• Differences between live resin and cured resin – why life resin is the best
• Common questions about live resins

Firstly, 

What is Live Resin? 

Live resin is a concentrate extracted from freshly harvested cannabis flowers.

The flowers used are fresh-frozen and soaked in solvents—commonly, propane, butane, or butane hash oil—to obtain all its valuable properties. The result is a thick, honey-like concentrate—an appeal that explains why the product is popularly dubbed "Honey oil."

The idea behind using freshly harvested buds is that the plant still has all the terpenes and positive characteristics that account for the smell, and flavors as well as all the effects and potential health benefits. 

Live resin's edge over other extraction methods is that the process skips the curing and drying stages – which degrade specific natural potential components – leaving users with strong aroma, rich terpenes, and a more potent buzz.

Different Ways to Use Live Resin 

With its honey-like texture, it can be tricky to figure out how to use live resin. 

Here are common ways around smoking live resins:

Dabbing 

Dabbing is arguably the most common way to inhale live resin. This involves using a multi-purpose vape device which heats the resins to release vapor.

The rigs, which filter the concentrate with water vapor, are found in smoke shops, like The Smoky Grass Station, and dispensaries. 

While this method offers an enjoyable vaping experience, the device is comparatively more expensive than most other methods.

Bowl or Joint 

Like smoking dried hemp flowers, live resins can be used in a bowl or joint and smoked similarly. However, caution is needed with the temperature, as too much heat can ruin the compounds and leave a burnt taste. 

Vaping 

Ready-to-use pods or cartridges are a new norm among manufacturers. Its out-of-the-box easy usage and convenience place vaping top among the most recommended consumption methods, particularly for first-timers.

For added convenience, some cartridges come with pre-filled live resin concentrate. 

Between Live Resin and Cured Resin—Which is best?

There's no universal best among the different types of resins. However, the votes on many platforms suggest live resin is the best—primarily because of its more-promising extraction process.

That said, here are quick comparisons to note:

Buds used for extraction

The key difference between live and cured resins is the herb used. Live resin is obtained from fresh marijuana herbs, capturing the whole plant matter. Cured resin, on the other hand, is made from dried, cured flowers.

End product's potency 

Being whole-plant, expectedly, live resin offers higher potency, as it delivers everything the plant has to offer—and in its live state. 

Flavor 

With live resin, expect a more pronounced taste that equals what's obtainable from the fresh flowers

Cured resin delivers a mix of subtle flavors.

Cost

A lot goes into the live resin production process—from freezing to extracting—which makes it a more complex output. Hence, expect to pay more for your live resin products than for cured resin.

Storage Best Practices

Owing to its extraction process, live resins can be slightly costlier than other marijuana concentrates. To maximize your investment, you want to preserve your live resin product's shelf life for as long as possible.

A change in color or texture could mean ageing or poor storage. This can be averted.

The best way to prevent degradation is to store your concentrate in an airtight container and, possibly, place it in a refrigerator. A cold area in your home should suffice. 

Plus, we always advise buying your resins in smaller quantities to avoid losing the potency and terpene-rich flavor, which are its most-valued characteristics.

Starting Out, Use with Caution

Typical of concentrates, use live resin cautiously. With its relatively high THC concentration, between 40 and 90 per cent, live resins deliver a remarkably more intense buzz than other THC-rich cannabis products.

Hence, it's advised to begin with the lowest possible dose and work up to a more suitable amount over time. 

FAQ

 Is live resin smokable? 

Yes. Sprinkle your resin on your bowl and joint, or use it as a stand-alone with a dabber.

Can I make my own live resin? 

Of course, you can. 

However, the process requires expertise and a licensed laboratory. Since you may lack these standards, we suggest you purchase a good quality live resin product from a reputable manufacturer. 

Live or cured resin—which is better? 

There's no one best, as individual preferences differ. However, when deciding, consider the unique benefits —preserved cannabinoid and terpenes, high potency, and rich flavor. These make most users say live resin is best. 

Now you know this much about live resin, feel free to explore Gold Spectrum for more helpful hemp consumption tips and industry-grade products. We are your one-stop shop for quality hemp-based products—and information!