While numerous cannabis consumers still often gravitate towards smoking various traditional cannabis flower products, there has been a widespread surge in many cannabis consumers experimenting more frequently with choosing to smoke, vape, and dab high-potency concentrates for a unique, newfound cannabis-consumption experience. This specifically involves both live resin and live rosin.
In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at what exactly live resin and live rosin are, how to smoke live resin, whether or not you can eat live resin, the live resin and live rosin extraction process, how live resin and live rosin are made, different live resin products like live resin gummies, and how you can properly store live resin and live rosin to ensure for an optimized shelf life for the products you invest in.
Key Takeaways:
- What Is the Difference Between Live Resin and Live Rosin?
- What Is Live Resin?
- How do you consume live resin and live rosin?
- What is better - live resin or rosin?
- How do you properly store live resin and live rosin to lengthen their freshness?
What Is the Difference Between Live Resin and Live Rosin?
Live resin and live rosin are each highly sought after, top-tier concentrates that possess a distinctly elevated level of aromas and flavors from the live cannabis plant. The additional terpenes that are successfully preserved translate to more pleasurably intense smells and tastes in various live resin and live rosin products. More terpenes can also mean more benefits for the body, including stress and pain relief.
The key difference between live resin and live rosin is how they are actually made. Live rosin requires the creation of live bubble hash, which is carried out through using ice and water and then heat and pressure to ultimately extrude the live rosin. Meanwhile, live resin involves using a solvent for the purpose of dissolving the resin. This solvent can then be discarded later on. When it comes to which product is more desirable between live resin and live rosin, consumers that are interested in purchasing a high potency, aromatic, cannabis concentrate that fits within a tighter budget will often elect to purchase a live resin product.
For the actual companies that are responsible for producing live resin and/or live rosin, they will generally decide on what to produce based on the startup costs, forecasted potential for profitability, and fluctuations in market demand. In general though, rosin presses pose a lower start-up cost when compared to the closed-loop hydrocarbon extractors, but can also be much slower when it comes to total ongoing output.
What Is Live Resin?
Shortly upon the successful harvesting of the cannabis plants, the recently harvested cannabis flower buds are then cryogenically frozen to -10 degrees or lower. These flower buds are typically frozen for no longer than 24-48 hours. Using state-of-the-art closed-loop extraction equipment and the light hydrocarbon solvents of butane and propane, the live resin is then swiftly extracted, and the solvent that was left behind is then removed during the comprehensive purging process that takes place within a vacuum oven.
To actually make live resin, the processors that are involved typically use a light hydrocarbon blend of 70% butane and 30% propane. In general, the higher the propane ratio is, the more terpenes that can then be pulled out. Due to the fact that lower temperatures can serve to amplify the overall effectiveness of the separation and preservation process, numerous processors will typically chill their solvent to a minimum of -40 degrees Celsius when making the live resin. It’s at this temperature that operators can reduce the water content in the process. Once the primary extract process has concluded, the solvent recovery process will use even lower temperatures than normal to evaporate any lingering solvents from the product, without implicating the overall terpene content as much. While this process can be more time-consuming, it’s ultimately highly effective when it comes to delivering a higher-quality cannabis concentrate.
When operators have wrapped up the live resin production process, the resulting extract is a lively amber color. In general, the extract itself will be of a soft texture and easily moldable. It’s consistency resembles that of sugar due to its markedly elevated concentration of terpenes.
What Is Live Rosin?
The creation process for live rosin involves the tactical incorporation of high heat and pressure that’s placed on marijuana buds, hash, kief, or trim. When the actual cannabis material is pressed, the resin will then dissolve off the plant material, and eventually be dispersed via a squeezing method, back onto the parchment paper for eventual collection. In keeping with a similar process in that of live resin, live rosin also uses marijuana buds that have been processed at distinctly low temperatures to conserve their cannabinoid and terpene content profile. The key difference here though is that the process for live rosin doesn’t use solvents to actually remove the resin. It’s for this reason that various health-conscious consumers will elect to consume live rosin because of its solvent-free extract. Lastly, live rosin is made with bubble hash. This process involves ice, water, and cannabis material, which is then mixed inside a series of mesh bags. This encourages the trichomes that are present to become brittle, and eventually sink toward the bottom of the bags after they’ve broken off. The last part of the process involves the collection of the resulting kief, which is hand-pressed into ice water hash, and then pressed via a mechanical method into live rosin. The consistency of live rosin typically ends up being more buttery and creamy. It’s worthwhile to note as well that the price point for live rosin can be higher than other solvent-based cannabis concentrates due to its more time-consuming and all-around labor-intensive extraction process.
How do you consume live resin and live rosin?
Cannabis consumers can consume both live resin and live rosin in very similar ways. These can include using a dab rig, concentrate vaporizer, or you can elect to take a traditional smoking method by using pipes, bongs, and joints. No matter which consumption method you end up taking, you can rely on consistently rapid effects.
The community of live cannabis concentrate consumers especially loves these concentrates for the fact that they generally possess higher than normal levels of terpene. This results in a highly impressive flavor and aroma profile. Should you decide to dab or vape live resin and/or live rosin, it's generally recommended that you make sure to use low temperatures hovering between 350 and 550 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures that you don't miss out on any of the cannabis plant's innate, natural flavors.
Both live resin and live rosin can be dabbed on a dab rig nail or on an e-nail for elevated temperature control. To successfully do this, you'll need a rig, a smaller-sized blow torch, a nail/e-nail, and an actual dabber with a scooping-friendly design. You can also enjoy your live resin and/or live rosin by using an easily portable vape pen. A vape pen is able to adequately heat up the pure cannabis concentrates so that their vaporized, but without the actual oil combusting during the process. Next, you can also use live resin or live rosin to add another layer to your next cannabis pipe or bong bowl experience. You'll just want to make sure that you apply soft pressure to the live resin or live rosin so that you don't fry the terpenes. Lastly, live resin and live rosin can be applied as a coating to the flowers in your next joint, spliff, or blunt. This process can require quite the delicate touch, so be prepared for a learning curve if you experiment with this live resin or live rosin consumption method.
What is better - live resin or rosin?
Ultimately, whether you should choose live resin or rosin will depend on your preferences. If you want a more budget-friendly option, live resin might be your best bet, as it is often sold at a lower price point due to its production process being less labor and time-intensive. However, if you're looking for a solventless extract, live rosin is the better choice.
It's also worth noting that some consumers also prefer distillates over live resin or rosin -- read more about live resin vs. rosin vs. distillate on our blog.
How do you properly store live resin and live rosin to lengthen their freshness?
The meticulously artful work that goes into making both live resin and live rosin are refined processes that are deserving of their own acclaim. With that being said, it’s absolutely crucial as a mindful cannabis consumer to properly store your live resin and/or live rosin so that they are adequately set up for an optimal longevity and peak overall freshness. For the best possible results, it’s generally recommended that you store your live resin and live rosin in airtight, UV-protected containers. Additionally, you’re advised to store your live resin and live rosin in a cool, dark, and dry place. A refrigerator can serve as the perfect place to store your live resin and live rosin.
Conclusion
Both live resin and live rosin are excellent options if you're looking for a high-quality concentrate that preserves some of the best elements of the cannabis plant. Live rosin is a particularly good choice for those who want a solventless extract. If you're curious to give live rosin a try, keep an eye out on Evn's website for our soon-to-be-launched Live Rosin Delta 9 gummies.