3 Reasons Why Live Resin Represents the Future of Cannabis Products

The skyrocketing expansion of the legal cannabis industry leads to serious advancements in technology and how different cannabis products are processed.

This expansion stimulates the growth of every branch of this industry, including cultivation, extraction, packaging, and consumption.

Yet, perhaps the greatest overhauls in methodology and identity are happening in the extraction field.

Cannabis extractions had to abide by current industry compliance standards, as well as good manufacturing practices (GMP) — reinventing their technology, processes, and branding. Throughout the years, we’ve witnessed many the creation of many amazing types of concentrates, from wax to shatter and everything in between.

However, none of those products received so much hype and attention as live resin.

Experts argue that live resin represents the future of cannabis products, and truth to be said, we couldn’t agree more.

Why are live resin concentrates considered the holy grain of cannabis products and the next milestone for the booming industry?

Continue reading this article to find out.

What is Live Resin?

Live resin is a hydrocarbon extract that is made using butane, propane, or a combination of both.

Live resin is typically sourced from fresh cannabis plants that get flash-frozen after the harvest.

This form of concentrated cannabis was invented in Colorado — home to new innovations in the cannabis industry.

The primary advantage of live resin over other products is that fresh cannabis flowers have a more distinct aroma and flavor than dried and cured buds. If you’ve ever grown or trimmed fresh cannabis, you know that fresh flowers are strikingly pungent to the dried material.

The distinct aroma and taste of live resin concentrates are both tied to terpenes in the cannabis plant. Terpenes are fragrant volatile molecules that are produced by the resin glands of cannabis flowers. Not only do these terpenes give your weed its unique fragrances and flavors, but they also play an important role in modulating the effects of any given strain. 

Unfortunately, many of these terpenes evaporate as the cannabis is harvested, dried, and cured — the main reason for flash-freezing living plants. Subcritical temperatures preserve these terpenes, allowing the user to cherish the full character of their strain.

3 Reasons Why Live Resin Represents the Future of Cannabis Products

Live resin concentrates have become so popular because they carry the highest terpene content of all types of cannabis extractions. This, in turn, allows the user to cherish the full flavor of their cannabis strain while boosting the therapeutic properties of that herb.

Most extracts are achieved through standard CO2 extraction, which destroys a lion’s share of terpenes due to high temperatures the plant material is exposed to. Live resin is produced slightly differently. Before the extraction, the plant material is flash-frozen to retain as many terpenes as possible — resulting in potent and flavorful liquid that you can load into your vape cartridges or dab in a rig.

Here’s why live resin represents the future of cannabis extract.

1. Live Resin is Superior to Other Products in Terms of Quality

As mentioned, live resin is produced through hydrocarbon extraction, which is the true representation of these concentrates. The majority of vape cartridges are made with inferior quality cannabis, sometimes even dirty trim; manufacturers later remediate that extract, destroying the majority of terpenes and replacing them with artificial fillers. With live resin, though, there’s no room for cutting corners.

Producers of live resin will change the way we consume cannabis from vape pens. Why inhale adulterated extract when you can enjoy the essence of your plant and favorite strain without harmful additives? Your answer is as simple as that — you didn’t know any better. Now that we’ve enlighted you, do yourself a favor and invest in a premium quality liquid for your next dabbing session.

That quality can only be achieved with the aforementioned flash-freezing method before extraction. This technique allows the manufacturer to get the maximum of the cannabinoid and terpene content associated with the living flower. 

As more consumers are turning to live resin concentrates, these distillates may soon take a dive into other formats, such as tinctures, topicals, capsules, and other manufactured goods.

2. Live Resin Is Safer For Cultivators

Usually, it takes around 90–120 days from planting the seeds to harvesting the plants, with 2–4 weeks added to fighting the mold, mildew, and pests — then another few weeks through the drying and curing phase. Once there, cultivators need to trim their buds using very expensive equipment before they finally make it to extraction.

With live resin concentrates, you harvest the full plant, put it in a super cold freezer, and sell it, or pay somebody to process it into the live resin and enjoy a superior product — not to mention that the live resin technology may soon cost less than regular distillate to produce.

Let’s say you live in California and have access to the best-quality weed there. Still, the cultivation tax per pound of flower is $148, whereas live resin cultivation is taxed as low as $20.64 per pound. While live resin gives lower yields versus distillate because of water weight, supplies from cultivators are rapidly increasing. The market is full of inferior distillates that won’t have any appeal for any educated costumers. Although the prices of distillates are tanking, the prices of trim and lowers are increasing. That’s anything but sustainable.

The only reason why cultivators take the incremental risk of drying and curing is that the market is favoring distillates right now. However, this will soon change.

3. Live Resin Helps Extraction Companies Stand Out from the Crowd

Live resin is best produced using hydrocarbon extraction, which currently features a limited number of licensed processors. This extraction method calls for expensive infrastructure that creates barriers to entry for extractors when compared to alcohol or CO2 extraction.

However, those who take the leap of faith and decide to invest in the extraction equipment for making live resin, the juice becomes worth the squeeze. Companies offering premium cannabis products are quickly becoming leaders in their niche, which is a very good move before the live resin branch booms and the market becomes saturated.

Do you also think that live resin represents the future of cannabis products? Let us know in the comments!