What Is Live Resin: Your Full-Flavored Guide

 

This complicated, but elegant process keeps all the magic of cannabis a-“live”, so you can enjoy a richer experience.

Live resin is a bold-flavored, full-bodied cannabis concentrate. It's every connoisseur's choice for a more potent high and can contain up to 90% THC. Live resin refers to a more refined oil extraction process that seeks to create a full-spectrum product, which retains more beneficial properties of the cannabis plant than other cannabis concentrates. 

The process produces cannabis oil that contains more terpenes and cannabinoids––the chemical compounds that give cannabis its flavor and effects–– than can be created by any other extraction process. Live resin is available at Farnsworth in oils, cannabis concentrate, pre filled vape cartridges, and edibles. 

All the options can be confusing, even to a seasoned shopper. So, we put this guide together to help everyone understand what live resin is, what makes it different, its various forms, and why you might like to try it the next time you visit. 

What is live resin? What makes it so good?

To make live resin, flower is frozen within two hours of harvest then delicately extracted to retain a wide range of cannabinoids and terpenes. This imparts a full-spectrum, true-to-plant high. Using frozen plant material conserves the terpenes typically lost in the traditional drying and curing process and results in a more potent and flavorful product. 

When cannabis plants are frozen, the terpenes remain in the plant's live resin, which is where the live resin cannabis concentrate gets its name. Terpenes are the chemical compounds that determine the flavor and aroma of a cannabis flower. 

Cannabis products made using the frozen extraction process are referred to as full-spectrum because they retain more of the original chemical profile of the plant, with all its beneficial properties, than other concentrates.

Lost Farms has created an amazing new line of edibles that uses the live resin process. Full Video below

How is live resin made?

Live resin was created in 2013 in Colorado by the expert grower and concentrate enthusiast Kind Bill. He was passionate about concentrates and knew that the typical drying and curing process destroys up to 95% of the terpenes in cannabis plants. 

He sought to circumvent this process to create a live resin oil that retained qualities closer to the original cannabis plant. Although others had the idea to produce live resin by freezing cannabis plant material and extracting the oil directly from the frozen natural plant compounds, it required industrial machinery and cryogenic freezing machines. But thanks to the legalization of cannabis in Colorado, there were finally resources to research these methods in a safe, industrial lab. 

Image for illustrative purposes only.

The flower is flash frozen in order to preserve all its beautiful, biological secrets.

The extraction process starts by flash-freezing fresh cannabis plants in liquid nitrogen or at very low temperatures in a cooler with dry ice. The frozen plant material is then stored in a tank inside a closed system dedicated to holding it free of oxygen. The solvent, typically butane, is chilled and passed through the plant material, releasing trichomes. Heat is then applied to remove the solvent, and once the original plant material cools, it solidifies into the live resin concentrate.  

Some folks are shy of butane hash oil (BHO) due to the butane, however, fear not, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission and Department of Public health require testing of all live resin products and cannabis concentrates at higher rigor than rainwater that falls outside or fruit you buy from your grocery store.

How do you store live resin?

Live resin is carefully extracted to preserve the terpene profile, so it is essential to take extra measures to store the concentrate. When you store live resin, you should keep it away from heat, light, moisture, and air. An airtight and UV-proof container will protect the terpenes from evaporation.

What does live resin look like?

Live resin oil ranges from yellow to brown and is available in most of the traditional forms of other concentrates such as shatter, hash, sugar, and sauce.

How does live resin compare to other concentrates?

Live resin refers to the quality of the extraction of the cannabis oil used. Almost any product, besides flower, can be made with a live resin extraction process, from gummies to shatter. Live resin products are one of the highest-quality available due to how the complex extraction process preserves the flavor profile and potency. 

Ways to consume live resin

How much does live resin cost?

Live resin is one of the more expensive cannabis concentrates due to its highly intricate extraction process that can only occur at specialized industrial labs. That said, it packs a superior punch, so connoisseurs find it to be well worth the extra price and will seek out live resin for its taste, aroma, and potency. Live resin concentrates typically range around $100/gram and can contain up to 90% THC. 

Knowing what type of live resin product is right for you

If all this still seems confusing, we are more than happy to help answer any questions you might have and provide guidance as to which product or consumption method is right for you. Please do not hesitate to reach out or stop by the store; one of our cannabis concierges will assist you. In the meantime, here are some tips for selecting live resin products.

 

To roll it all up

Live resin is a premium product that both regular and first-time users can appreciate. Essentially, it results from a process that seeks to preserve the most full-spectrum qualities of the cannabis plant–namely potency and flavor profile–for a more holistic high. Live resin also has a concentration of up to 90% THC, which is why it is a sought-after by cannabis connoisseurs. Live resin is now available in edibles, vapes, and almost every kind of concentrate. We carry many forms of Live Resin products at Farnsworth Fine Cannabis and would love to help you find the right experience. 

 
Esther Hershkovits