Live resin is arguably one of the most popular concentrates in today's market. Fans will tell you that it yields a fantastic flavor, while detractors will swear it doesn't. For us, it is one of the best products we can find to taste all the goodness of the cannabis flowers, and it has captured the imaginations of consumers and producers alike.
The process, however, isn’t as simple as with other cannabis extractions. In this article, we want to walk you through how live resin is made. Read on to learn some cannabis science and how to make live resin.
New to live resin? Check out our favorite products:
27657, 27658, 10739">
What is Live Resin?
The name “live resin” comes from the fact that fresh cannabis is used in the extraction process. You might wonder why anyone would want to use fresh cannabis instead of dried products—after all, isn’t that the common bud we all love and smoke? Some strains contain more cannabinoids than others, so they can actually be stronger than their dried counterparts if harvested at just the right time during their maturation period. Also, several compounds called terpenes found in fresh flowers give cannabis its distinctive tastes and smells (like citrus or pine), but these are mostly lost when cannabis is dried out. This is the part where live resin comes into play. It is a type of marijuana concentrate that looks like frozen and hardened wax. It's made by taking the fresh cannabis plant material high in terpenes and squeezing it through a filter to remove all of the plant matter. What remains is a thick, oil-like substance that is sticky enough to set into a chunk. It is the most potent form of marijuana and can be up to 10 times stronger than traditional cannabis concentrates.What's Live Resin Weed?
Live Resin Weed is a form of cannabis concentrate that has emerged in the last couple of years. The process for creating live resin weed involves extracting cannabinoids from the plant material using a solvent such as ethanol or butane, then purging the solvent from the extract in an oven until only the terpenes remain. The resulting product is similar to shatter or rosin, but its unique extraction method often has a more refined flavor and aroma than traditional concentrates. Live resin weed is typically made using trim (the leaves and stems) instead of buds, usually reserved for other concentrate forms such as CO2 oil and rosin. Because live resin weed is made with a trim instead of buds, it tends to be less expensive than other concentrates on the market. Another advantage of live resin weed is consuming it without additional processing or cooking. When added to joints or pipes, it melts into a liquid form that can be absorbed directly into your body through your lungs or mouth.Live Resin Process
Freeze Your Biomass: Plant Matter
First, the most important part of learning how to make live resin is freezing your plant matter before extracting it. If you don't do this, then the solvent won't be able to strip off all of the trichomes — and even worse, it could potentially ruin your material! Freezing your plant matter will lock in moisture and prevent oxidation, leading to unwanted colors and smells in your final product. When it comes time for extraction, you'll have better results if you freeze your herb first because only freshly frozen material will release its terpenes effectively when exposed to heat or pressure, depending on what method you're using.Live Resin Extraction Process
After freezing, the buds are then put in a solvent like butane, propane, or CO2 and extracted to produce a high-quality oil. This method is different from other extraction methods because it doesn't use heat. Many extraction methods use heat to extract cannabinoids from plant matter, but this can destroy the terpenes in your cannabis.Solvent Blend
The first step in live resin extraction is to choose your solvent blend. This combination of solvents will dissolve cannabinoids, terpenes, and other plant material into an oil-like substance known as hash oil or rosin. The most common solvent blends include ethanol, butane, propane, and CO2.- Ethanol
- Butane
- Propane
- CO2