Difference Between Live Resin and Regular Carts

The pleasures of vaping are different from those of smoking. While the safety of vaping is still a matter of debate, anecdotally, vaping is significantly safer. But in the world of cannabis, you find so many different options for vape cartridges and extracts that choosing the right one for you can get tricky.

It is best to be clear about what you want in a vape cartridge. This post compares these two popular cannabis extract vaping cartridge options: the "regular" or traditional distillate cartridges and the live resin cartridges. We will delve into the features of each so that you can choose the one that best suits you.

What is a 'Regular' Vape Cartridge?

A regular vape cartridge is a small container fitted with a heating element or coil and a mouthpiece for inhaling, filled with THC- or CBD-rich cannabis extract. But, currently, you can find vape cartridges that contain extracts of the wide variety of "new" cannabinoids available on the cannabis market, such as Delta 8, Delta 10, HHC, or THC-P, and others.

The contents of these cartridges contain much higher levels of cannabinoids than you would find in cannabis buds. The extracts in vape cartridges are refined substances of nearly pure cannabinoids made by extracting these compounds from plant matter and scrubbing away any remaining impurities.

One advantage of vape cartridges is that since the cannabis extracts they contain are more concentrated, you consume less to achieve the desired effects.

What Does Live Resin Cartridge Mean and What are They?

Simply put, a live resin cartridge refers to a vape cartridge containing cannabis live resin extract. Some people may have doubts about what exactly live resin is, but the truth is that it is not very complicated.

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate extracted from recently harvested plants to which a flash-frozen or fresh-frozen process is applied. This involves freezing freshly harvested cannabis to preserve as much of its cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids as possible.

After freezing, manufacturers extract the plant's organic compounds using solvents such as butane, propane, or CO2, the latter being the most convenient. This extraction process makes the live resin concentrate contain all the original aromas and flavors of the cannabis strain from which it was extracted. This characteristic makes live resin one of the most true-to-plant extracts on the market.

What are the Benefits of THC Carts?

Vaping seems to have an inherent advantage over smoking. It might not cause much damage to the airways and the body since it does not generate combustion residues like smoking cigarettes. Other additional benefits of THC carts are:

Easy to Use

THC vape cartridges offer a practical and convenient delivery method that is easy to use. It is often enough to connect the cartridge to a vaping battery to start using it. To use this cartridge correctly, you just have to regulate the battery voltage to the desired temperature and take slow puffs.

There are even many THC vape cartridges that come connected to disposable batteries that do not need to be recharged and that you can simply throw away once you have consumed the entire contents of the cartridge.

Convenient and Portable

Vaping devices are among the most discreet and convenient methods for taking cannabis, as you can easily keep them in your pockets or bag. Also, when using them, THC cartridges do not produce strong odors or smoke, which keeps you discreet and allows you to use them without bothering other people.

Another advantage of THC cartridges is that, unlike smoking, vaping preserves the terpene profile, allowing you to better taste the nuanced aroma and flavor of the different concentrates in the cartridges. Additionally, vapes evaporate cannabinoids more slowly and effectively, allowing you to get more out of a single cartridge.

Easy to Control the Dosage

The cartridges are perfect to better control the amount of THC you consume. The cannabis extracts in the THC cartridges are of almost total purity. This can be especially advantageous for beginners, as it allows for a much more controlled vaping experience.

It also makes it easier for users to consume the correct amount of extract to obtain the desired effects, reducing the risk of exceeding the ideal dose. Due to the purity of the THC content of the cartridges, generally, one to three puffs are enough to obtain its benefits.

Lots of Variety Available

Another advantage of THC cartridges is that there is a huge variety that is almost proportional to the vast array of cannabis strains out there. In fact, cannabis cartridges have the potential to be much greater since, in addition to containing the terpene profiles of different strains, they can contain extracts of different kinds of cannabinoids, as varied as THC isomers, and other cannabinoids are commercially available.

What's the Difference Between Live Resin and Regular Cartridge?

Both cartridges contain hemp extract coming from the extraction of the trichomes of hemp, so they are extracts rich in cannabinoids and terpenes. Nevertheless, the differences in the raw material and the extraction method result in different types of extracts. This is the point where the differences between regular and live resin cartridges start.

"Regular” cartridges are vaping cartridges that contain hemp resin oil made from dried or cured buds or parts of the plant. Manufacturers put raw buds through this curing process to remove extra moisture that could cause mold to develop.

However, the curing process significantly weakens the trichomes of the buds, which impoverishes the terpene profile and affects the final flavors and aromas present in the cartridge. Despite this, vape cartridges remain one of the most potent options on the market as the oil they contain is a highly refined from high-purity hemp-cured resin.

Live resin cartridges contain just that: live resin, a hemp extract made from buds and other parts of the plant flash-frozen immediately after harvesting. This freezing process preserves much more of the trichomes rich in cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, resulting in an oil that is much richer in flavors and even effects than traditional cartridges.

Additionally, the live resin contained in these cartridges generates the popular entourage effect caused by the interaction of the effects of each compound working simultaneously.

Another feature that differentiates traditional cartridges from live resin cartridges is that live resin oil contains more organic compounds from hemp plants. This feature makes it darker in color and thicker in texture than the cured resin oil contained in traditional cartridges.

So, to sum it up, we could say that the differences between “regular” cartridges and live resin cartridges are in their flavors and aromas, effects, appearance and texture of their content, and the final vaping experience.

Are Live Resin Carts Better than Regular?

This can be a tricky question since it all depends on the point of view from which you look at it.

Based on effectiveness and effects, live resin cartridges are better since the high content of compounds generates more complex and complete effects compared to regular cartridges. Regular cartridges also deliver the effects of the compounds they contain, but they generate more plant-like effects as they carry most of the active compounds that naturally occur in hemp.

On the other hand, regular cartridges may be more convenient. Live resin cartridges contain more terpenes and flavonoids, creating a richer flavor and aroma experience. But aromas can be a problem for users who want to stay discreet, as the vapor from live resin cartridges smells more like cannabis than the vapor from regular cartridges.

Therefore, classifying live resin cartridges as better than regular cartridges would depend entirely on the needs or preferences of each user.

Live Resin Cart vs Regular Cart: Pros and Cons

Like everything in life, regular and live resin cartridges also have their pros and cons. Let's unwrap the advantages and disadvantages of each cartridge.

Live Resin Carts

Pros

Better flavor: A higher terpenoid content is synonymous with a more intense flavor. By containing more terpenes, live resin cartridges allow you to closely taste the notes, flavors, and aromas of each strain. Users also describe the taste of live resin cartridges as fresher, more complex, richer, and cleaner than regular cartridges.

True-to-strain effects: As is well known, some strains are better for some purposes than others. Generally, Indica strains are better for rest or physical relief, while Sativa strains are better for stimulating energy or creativity. What determines the effects of a strain is not just the cannabinoids but also the terpene profile.

For this reason, the more abundant terpene content of live resin carts makes them capable of providing not only aromas and flavors but also the specific effects of the strain from which said live resin was extracted.

Entourage effect: The presence of more organic compounds in live resin also generates a more pronounced "entourage effect." This generates an experience more similar to smoking the plant buds but with greater intensity, a cleaner experience, and without combustion residues.

Thicker Smoke: The syrupy texture of live resin oil generates denser clouds of smoke due to the high trichome content of the raw flowers from which the live resin was extracted.

Longer shelf life: Many experts believe that live resin is more stable and has a longer shelf life due to the freshness of the compounds in the extract.

Cons

Easier to cough: Because live resin oil's texture is thicker and contains more organic plant compounds, it produces a thicker smoke that may make some people cough more easily.

More expensive: Live resin carts can be more costly than regular carts because the live resin extraction process is a bit more elaborate and expensive than traditional spirits. This might be the only real drawback for some people who may not be able to afford it.

Regular Carts

Pros

Regular but effective: Regular vape cartridges can also give you therapeutic potency. The distillate they contain is rich in cannabinoids. Although they contain fewer terpenes than live resin cartridges, they still have a load of terpenes that, together with the cannabinoids, generate powerful and solid effects.

They also carry flavors: Although the flavors and aromas are less intense than those of live resin cartridges, regular cured resin cartridges also carry the flavors of the strain from which the resin was extracted.

Cheaper: Regular vape cartridges are usually cheaper than live resin cartridges since the extraction process is simpler and more cost-efficient.

Less coughing: The cured resin found in regular cartridges contains fewer terpenes and organic compounds, making for a more liquid oil that creates more subtle, throat-friendly hits.

Cons

Fewer terpenes: The real downside to regular cartridges is that their cured resin is less rich in terpenes. Therefore, they do not carry the full potential of the strain from which the resin comes in terms of effectiveness, flavors, and aromas and generate a less pronounced entourage effect.

Are Live Resin Carts Stronger than Regular Carts?

Because of how live resin is made, the vape cartridges that contain it not only taste better and retain more aromas from the plant but also generate a more complex effect that we could classify as more potent than regular cartridges. Live resin cartridges usually contain between 45% and 50% THC, while distilled or cured resin cartridges can contain between 85% and 90%.

But the high content of terpenes and other cannabis compounds in live resin cartridges generates a pronounced entourage effect. So measuring the potency of a vape cartridge based solely on its percentage of cannabinoids is not always the most accurate.

Furthermore, the entourage effect not only increases the strength of THC cartridges. CBD live resin products can also carry increased therapeutic potency based on their terpene content. This is why CBD products such as CBD live resin cartridges, or even CBD live resin tinctures or oils can be more potent than others CBD extracts made from cured hemp flowers.

Final Thoughts: Live Resin Cart vs Regular Cart

Both cartridges deliver great results. Choosing the best or most convenient between live resin carts and regular carts depends on the specific needs of each user.

If you are a lover of the flavors and aromas of cannabis, you like to taste the notes and scents of the different cannabis strains in your concentrates, and creating clouds of smoke with a more evident cannabis smell, then live resin carts are the ones for you.

But, if maintaining discretion in public when vaping cannabis is your priority, regular carts may suit you better. Either way, both types of cartridges are fully capable in terms of therapeutic effects. Of course, the effects are somewhat different, so choosing the winner also depends on each person's preferences.

Where to Buy Live Resin Carts Online

Fortunately, live resin vape cartridges are a trend, and getting them at your local dispensaries and gas stations is easy. Nevertheless, the safest and most convenient way to obtain proven-quality live resin cartridges is to get them directly from reliable manufacturers or reputable brands. If you're wondering where you can get top-shelf-quality live resin cartridges, think Botany Farms.

If you want a balanced live resin cartridge with a delicious terpene profile, our Sour Space Candy Delta-8 live resin cartridges may be the one for you. These cartridges carry the savory lemon, diesel, and sour apple notes characteristic of Sour Space Candy and contain 52.8% Delta-8 and 13% CBD that generate flavorful clouds of smoke packed with a strong entourage effect that will leave you in the perfect mood to have an incredible time.

But if you love exclusive products and want a live resin vape cartridge with more calming effects, our Pine Walker Delta-8 and CBN live resin cartridges might be a perfect choice. These exclusive cartridges carry creamy berry notes with hints of pine accompanied by 62.3% Delta-8, 7.9% CBD, and 11.5% CBN which, in conjunction with Pine Walker's delicious terpene profile, generates a one-of-a-kind entourage effect.