Live Resins and Live Terpenes: What the Heck Does Live Mean?
You might have come across the term live resins before in your journey in the cannabis world. It’s a special type of cannabis product and surprisingly many people do not know much about live terpenes. Not to worry, this article will provide you with all you need to know about live resins and live terpenes. It will also include how they are made, how they can be used and stored, and a brief history of the products. so read along as we explain what makes these cannabis products live.
What is Live Resin?
Live resin is a special type of cannabis concentrate that is gotten from fresh marijuana flowers. This is unique because the common source of other cannabis concentrates are dried and cured buds. With this method of using marijuana flowers, live resins are able to protect the terpenes that are normally lost during the drying and curing of buds. This makes live resin a high-quality product due to the presence of flavorful terpenes. Live resin also has a rich percentage of trichomes and cannabinoids which is not common to other concentrates. The consistency of the end product is such that is lower than other cannabis concentrates.
How is Live Resin Made?
Before delving into how live resin is made, it must be stated that this is only to be done by professionals. The manufacturing process of live resin is very dangerous which is why it should not be tried ordinarily. Liquefied petroleum gas such as propane or butane is used as a solvent used for extraction. This has led to many people classifying live resin as a form of butane hash oil, though this is wrong. Carbon dioxide and ethanol are also used for extraction though it is to a lesser degree.
The first step after harvesting the marijuana flowers is to have them flash-frozen. This is done by slowly dipping the harvested plant material into an insulated cylinder containing liquid nitrogen. A cooler containing dry ice which is frozen carbon dioxide can also be used in place of the liquid nitrogen. The cannabis is then packed using extractors into tanks that will hold it for its extraction process. A precaution that is always taken at this step is to ensure that the tank is purged of oxygen in order to avoid explosion while butane or other solvents are being passed.
The passage of the chilled solvent across the plant material leads to the removal of trichomes. Once this is done, the removal of the plant solvent from the plant material is done by applying heat to the mixture. Once the heat is applied, the solvent used turns to vapor and rises to the solvent column. There the solvent is quickly cooled and condensed back to liquid for recovery. Temperature is very important to extraction as it can make or mar the process. Too much heat can evaporate important terpenes and it can also trigger decarboxylation of the cannabinoids. This is why the process is usually done by professionals with important attention being paid to safety precautions.
What is Live Rosin?
This is a special wax-like cannabis concentrate that is formed from cannabis flowers. The concentrate has a distinct amber color which helps in distinguishing it from other concentrates. Live rosin is very rare because its manufacturing process is very extensive and free of solvents. This rarity also influences the cost of the product as it is one of the most expensive cannabis products. Live rosin has a very high terpene count which is higher than other marijuana compounds to give a fulfilling cannabis experience.
How is Live Rosin Made?
Live rosin is made through a special manufacturing process that is similar in some ways to that of live resin. The first step in the manufacturing process is to remove stems and leaves that contain small content of trichomes. This is easily seen visibly as the leaves contain a limited number of trichomes. The collected plant material is then placed into plastic sleeves, vacuum-sealed, and stored in the freezer.
The process of freezing the cannabis flower helps to ensure that the natural oils and moisture in the plant are preserved. The next step is known as bubble hash production. This involves the processing of the frozen cannabis buds to give a fresh-frozen concentrate. Live rosin is solvent-free which means it is less harmful to the lungs when compared with other types of cannabis waxes. The product is used in different ways such as smoking it with a dab rig directly or mixing it with dried cannabis buds through twaxing.
Why Are They Called Live?
The name live is attached to live resins and live terpenes because they are gotten from fresh cannabis plants. As stated earlier, most cannabis concentrates are gotten from plant material that has been cured or dried. Live resins on the other hand make use of fresh flower buds and sugar leaves while leaving out the stems and large fan leaves. Another special characteristic is the flash-freezing of the plant material which helps to retain the terpenes, cannabinoids, and trichomes. This helps in ensuring the final products have special flavors and aromas thanks to the terpenes.
The drying and curing process is used on plant materials because ingesting fresh cannabis will not get you high. Thus, drying helps to remove the accumulated moisture gotten during cultivation without evaporating or degrading the terpenes. Though this is the expected result, unfortunately drying and curing are bound to lead to the loss of some terpenes. Moreso, the curing process sees volatile terpenes evaporate while changing the flavor profile of the plant.
Bottom line
Live resin and live rosin are special types of marijuana concentrates. It is easy to see that their distinctiveness is thanks to the absence of drying and curing in their manufacturing process. Likewise, flash-freezing helps in protecting quality materials that are useful for the flavor and aroma of the product. There you have it, this is why live resin and live rosin are in high demand and why we call them live.
LIVE RESINS AND ROSINS, READ MORE...
WHY SMOKING LIVE RESIN IS THE BEST, READ MORE!
OR..
