LIVE RESIN VS ROSIN
Differences
Live resin
Rosin
Characteristics
Soft, malleable, amber-colored, sugar-like texture
Yellow to off-white depending on the final product
Extraction
uses solvents like propane, butane, and ethane
Solventless
Taste
Potent flavor thanks to the ability to alter terpenes during manufacturing
True-to-strain. Also, taste varies based on the cannabis flower used.
Cost
Cheaper, typically between $35 and $100 per gram
Costlier at least $50 per gram
For a beginner consumer, it’s easy to assume that there isn’t much of a difference between live resin and rosin. However, this isn’t the case as the two concentrates differ in several ways—from features to their extraction process.
Live Resin vs. Rosin: Understanding the Difference
Before we break down the differences between these two, we think it’s essential to explain what we mean by “live.” Live concentrates are cannabis concentrates that undergo extraction immediately after harvesting. Therefore, concentrates like wax which undergoes the drying and curing process, are not live concentrates.
What is live resin?
Live resin is an amber-colored cannabis concentrate that utilizes uncured flowers. It’s highly potent because it retains its terpene profile and cannabinoids even after extraction. Also, the only difference between live resin and resin is that the latter uses dried cannabis. Both use hydrocarbon solvents during production.
What is rosin?
Rosin, a.k.a. sap or solventless hash oil, is a cannabis concentrate that ranges from yellow to off-white, depending on the end product.
The primary difference between rosin and live resin is that rosin uses a solventless extraction process.
What is live rosin?
The only difference between rosin and live rosin is the base product, like resin vs. live resin. Rosin uses cured cannabis, while live rosin uses freshly harvested flowers. Both are solventless.
Live Resin vs. Rosin: Extraction
Live resin
Live resin is also referred to as a fresh frozen whole plant.
The uncured flowers go into a freezer immediately after harvesting, typically within 36 hours. This freezing step in temperatures between -20 and -40 degrees Fahrenheit helps preserve the terpenoids.
The production team will pass hydrocarbon solvents like butane and propane through the frozen flowers during the extraction process, turning them into a honey-colored resin product.
Afterward, this resinous mixture undergoes a separation process that removes the solvents to leave you with the concentrate. Two main methods exist open blasting and closed-loop extraction. The former involves blasting the resinous mixture under pressure to separate the solvent and concentrate. Unfortunately, open-blasting is less eco-friendly as it releases the solvents into the atmosphere and is a hazard that could lead to an explosion if poorly dispersed.
On the other hand, the closed-loop method is much safer and resource-efficient. It uses a vacuum pump. Therefore the solvent does not go into the atmosphere. Instead, the vacuum oven captures it for reuse.
In the final extraction step, the concentrate goes into a vacuum oven for up to ten hours under high temperatures to remove any trace amounts of solvents. The final product is an amber-colored resin. A cannabis company can add or reduce the terpenes, altering the live resin’s flavor, scent, and effects.
Rosin
Rosin extraction is solventless. Instead, it uses pressure and heat to convert the dried flower into resinous sap.
Unlike live resin, rosin extraction cannot use frozen flowers because the heat would boil up the moisture, ruining the end product. Instead, rosin production uses kief, dried plant, or hash.
In the case of live rosin, meaning fresh uncured plant, the production team will place the frozen cannabis into an ice water bath that separates the trichomes from the rest of the cannabis. The team will then filter the trichomes in mesh bags to eliminate any hints of plant matter. Afterward, these trichomes go into a freeze dryer, converting them into bubble hash.
Finally, the bubble hash goes under a rosin press on low pressure and heat settings, where it converts to live rosin, which is more potent and flavorful than rosin.
At this point, the company can choose to warm or cold-cure the rosin product. Warm curing involves collecting the rosin in glass containers and introducing about 90 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit heat. The heat makes it possible to siphon the rosin for use in cartridges and sauce.
As the name suggests, cold curing involves placing the rosin under low temperatures of about 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The result is a badder-like rosin product.
How to make rosin at home
While the quality of DIY rosin won’t match the commercially made one, you can create one if you feel you’re up to it. You’ll need
A dabbing tool
Parchment paper
Your favorite flower strain
Flat iron hair straightener
Ideally, you should use a hair straightener that doesn’t exceed 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turn on and leave for at least 30 seconds to heat up. Take your cannabis and place it inside the parchment paper. Position the piece between the flat iron plates before pressing both sides to clamp down the cannabis for thirty seconds. Take out the parchment paper and use a dabbing tool to collect the rosin concentrate.
How To Consume Live Resin and Rosin
You can smoke, dab or vape live rein and rosin.
Vaping provides a discreet option for consuming these concentrates. They may be available in e-cigs, carts, or portable vaporizer forms.
You can also decide to use a dab rig or pipe. We recommend micro-dosing to avoid experiencing unpleasant aftereffects.
Live resin is available in different forms. These include
Sugar. This resin concentrate is believed to have almost true-to-strain properties
Sauce. The live sauce is resin with a more robust terpene profile and THCa crystals, antecedents of THC.
Badder. This concentrate is cookie dough-like and yellow-brown colored
Diamonds. Diamonds are similar to sauce crystals and have high THC and terpene content levels.
Which One Is Right for You?
Both live resin and rosin are potent concentrates. Therefore, knowing which one is right for you means you have to bear particular things in mind.
First, live resin and rosin have varying terpene profiles. For live rosin, the potency, aroma, and taste will depend on the quality of the original plant material. Remember, live rosin doesn’t allow for any modification. In comparison, live resin enables the addition or reduction of terpenes. As a result, live resin products offer a more comprehensive range with a more enhanced aroma, concentration, and flavor.
Secondly, the two have different extraction processes. Live resin uses solvents while rosin does not. And if you are a health and environmentally conscious toker, you might gravitate towards rosin. Moreover, since live resin contains THCa and not THC, it’s not safe to use in edibles. Moreover, due to the solvent use in live resin, it is essential for users to only consume from licensed manufacturers to avoid consuming trace amounts of solvents which can be harmful.
Finally, these two have different pricing options. Live resin is cheaper per gram than rosin. The only upside is that you can make rosin at home as long as you have the aforementioned tools.
Whatever cannabis concentrate you go for, the most important thing is to purchase it from a licensed and reputable dispensary. At Hikei, you can rest assured that you are getting authentic cannabis concentrates, flowers, edibles, and CBD products. If you are a beginner, our customer support team is ready to answer any questions or concerns you might have before choosing the right product for you. Visit our San Diego store or check our site to make your order.
