The hemp world has changed a lot in the last couple of years, and two terms that you may hear coming up over and over again are “live resin” and “distillate”.  Ultimately, these terms refer to two different kinds of hemp extracts – aka extracts derived from the hemp plant, which are rich in the plant’s valuable chemical compounds, like different cannabinoids and terpenes.

So, what exactly are these extracts, and how much do they matter when it comes to choosing a hemp product?  Let’s compare them, because as you will find out, each one serves its own unique purpose when it comes to formulating vapes and other popular hemp products.

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What is Live Resin?

First, let’s start with live resin – a huge buzzword on the hemp scene right now.  Live resin is a specific type of extract – a full spectrum extract in most cases – which is made from fresh, flash-frozen hemp flower buds, as opposed to the more traditionally dry-cured buds.  

Dry-curing the buds of cannabis is a long-standing practice done before selling flower.  By curing them in a dry environment for a prolonged period of time, they become resistant to mold, as they no longer have enough moisture to become a host.  But, as a consequence, dry-curing ends up subduing the trichomes that coat the buds, where we find all of those cannabinoids and terpenes that we know and love.

Flash-freezing fresh flower keeps the trichome count higher.  As a result, making an extract from flash-frozen flower, which is what live resin is, gives us a much more potent end result.  You can tell just by looking at it, in fact – live resin is visibly darker and thicker than traditional extract (sometimes called dry resin), showing us that its terpene count is a lot higher.  And, that explains why live resin’s flavor is superior as well.

What are the Advantages of Live Resin?

Live resin offers some pretty distinctive advantages that we’ve already touched upon briefly.  The big advantage is that its effects are stronger, because ultimately, each milliliter of live resin has a higher concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes than an extract made from dry-cured flower.  More potency means you don’t need as much product to get the effects you’re looking for.

We also pointed out that live resin is going to have a better flavor, because of the increase in terpenes.  That’s definitely a big advantage if you’re someone who loves tasting the subtle differences between strains.

The final benefit that’s worth mentioning is that live resin is more shelf-stable than “dry resin”.  Because the trichomes of the raw plant material have not been compromised in any way, they are more resilient to things like heat, light and humidity.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should disregard all of the proper storage methods for hemp products.  You should still try to keep your live resin in a dark, dry and cool place, sealed, when not in use, to make sure that the compounds don’t degrade.

What is Distillate?

While live resin is all about big terpene flavor, distillate is terpene-free.  It refers to an extract containing a single cannabinoid, like delta 8 THC.  Distillate is basically a way to infuse products with an “active” cannabinoid – like mixing THC-P distillate with MCT oil to make a THC-P tincture.

Distillates tend to have about 90-95% purity levels, meaning 90-95% of the one cannabinoid, and the remaining amount being trace amounts of other compounds in the hemp plant.  It’s made by applying distilled steam in varying amounts of pressure and temperature, to essentially evaporate away the unwanted compounds according to the temperature and pressure levels that cause them to evaporate.  This leaves behind only the desired cannabinoid in a pure form.

In a variety of ways, distillate is the opposite of live resin.  For one thing, distillate contains zero flavor or odor, since it’s terpene-free.  Also, distillate can only be made through heat, while live resin is made from frozen plant material.

Also, distillate is inherently decarboxylated – meaning that its cannabinoid has been “activated” through heat, converting it from its acidic form into the cannabinoid that we know, like turning THCA into delta 9 THC (with only the latter form being psychoactive).  Live resin does need to be decarboxylated after it’s produced in order for it to have the properties that we associate with cannabinoids, including those that are psychoactive.

What are the Advantages of Distillate?

Distillate is the most effective and efficient way to make a single cannabinoid extract.  It offers a high purity level while keeping the chemical stability of the cannabinoid, so that it can enjoy a long shelf life.  Distillate is not supposed to be an alternative to live resin, or vice versa.  As you can see, each type of extract serves a distinctive purpose – one to create a pure cannabinoid extract, and the other, a vibrantly potent full spectrum extract.

Can You Have Distillate and Live Resin at the Same Time?

Yes, you can.  In fact, many, many products on the hemp market contain both.  Take, for example, a THC-H vape cartridge that contains live resin rich in terpenes, and a THC-H distillate to offer a potent concentration of tetrahydrocannabihexol.  The majority of live resin products contain a cannabinoid distillate, to give you the best of both worlds, so to speak.

Live Resin and Distillate: Two Great Ways to Enjoy the Properties of Hemp

At the end of the day, live resin and distillate each offer a way for us to enjoy the compounds of hemp in a variety of ways.  And, when comparing them, it’s not about which one is better.  Each type of extract exists for its own purpose, and even serves its function well.

One thing to keep in mind is that while the majority of cannabinoid products are made using distillates, live resin is a bit rarer.  So, if you want to benefit from live resin, you’ll want to make sure that you’re choosing a product advertised as such – like the Live Resin products available at Binoid. 

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