Resin vs. Live Resin vs. Rosin: What’s the Difference?

One of the most staggering things about cannabis today is the sheer variety of forms it comes in. While many users stick to the tried-and-tested indica, sativa, and hybrid strains of weed, you can get an even more powerful high by using cannabis concentrates. Popular concentrates include shatter, wax, and hash, but three which often get confused are resin, live resin, and rosin.

Cannabis concentrates are products made using various extraction processes to take the most potent parts of the plant and turn them into all kinds of unique forms. For instance, Hash is a hard, brick-like concentrate whereas shatter is thin and glass-like. Resin, live resin, and rosin are among the many kinds of cannabis concentrate you can find on the market today. Yet despite their similar names, the three products differ quite significantly.

Whereas resin can be found all over cannabis plants and extracted using basic methods (including simply using your hands), live resin is a completely different kind of extract which takes some technical equipment to make. Rosin is another alternative that is made using a fairly simple extraction process, yet it looks and acts very differently to Resin. So resin vs. live resin vs. rosin: what’s the difference? Here’s an in-depth guide to these three fascinating cannabis concentrates, how to get them, and which one you should use.

What is Resin?

You can find resin in many forms, but it generally refers to the sticky, brown substance you find on the outside of cannabis flower. Resin comes from the trichomes of marijuana- the parts which produce most of the THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids of cannabis. As such, when Resin is extracted you’re left with the most potent part of the plant and using resin on its own will result in a stronger high.

Resin can be extracted and used in many ways. You can extract resin yourself simply by rubbing your hands across your weed and compressing the resin together. However, usually, more complex extraction methods are used to extract Resin. Resin is often compressed to create Hash, although it can also be used in other ways.

Cannabis plants actually produce resin as an evolutionary defense mechanism. It helps to deter pests and shields them from UV light. Coincidentally, the resinous trichomes produced by cannabis plants are also responsible for both the psychoactive effects and medical benefits of cannabis, making cannabis resin very sought after.

Although you’ll get the effects of resin by smoking or vaping cannabis, some people prefer to separate it from the rest of the flower for a highly concentrated product. Some users also collect kief- the dusty resin particles which fall from your weed when you grind it. Using this can also result in highly-concentrated THC effects.

What is Live Resin?

While Live Resin is a product based on resin, the two products differ quite significantly. Live Resin is the name for a type of cannabis concentrate extracted using specialist lab equipment to leave you with a potent, sticky substance. Live Resin is more similar in appearance to products like shatter and wax than resin itself.

Live Resin is often extracted from freshly frozen marijuana plants using solvents. While other solvent-based extracts often lose much of the terpenoid profile of cannabis, Live Resin retains all of the trichomes and cannabinoids, resulting in a potent and flavorful cannabis extract that is becoming increasingly popular.

Due to the complex extraction process, Live Resin is also harder to come by, and some users may confuse resin or rosin for live resin. However, those who get their hands on Live Resin will be impressed by its highly-concentrated nature. Live Resin is soft and pliable in its texture, making it very easy to scoop up for use in a dab rig, bong or even to mix into a joint.

Live Resin usually looks soft, amber, and sugary. It’s usually more expensive than other cannabis concentrates as it’s harder to make, but it offers some of the most powerful psychoactive effects and medical benefits.

How to Get Live Resin

Live Resin is difficult to make, often involving expensive lab equipment. As such, you won’t be able to make high-quality Live Resin at home. Additionally, due to its nature, it’s somewhat rarer and harder to find than other cannabis extracts. However, you can still find many strains of Live Resin in various cannabis stores and online.

Puregreenexpress.com offers high-quality Live Resin extracts available for delivery across every province and territory in Canada. While these may cost more per gram than your average weed strains, they’re much stronger, and only a small amount is needed for an intense high.

What is Rosin?

Some people might hear the term “Rosin” and mistakenly think it’s the same as either Resin or Live Resin. However, Rosin refers to a type of extraction process used to make potent cannabis extracts which look similar to shatter. While Live Resin is made using frozen plant material, Rosin involves using extra-high heat to extract the resin and THC from the rest of the plant.

The resulting product from using the Rosin extraction process is an amber substance similar to extracts such as shatter and budder. However, the process is quite different from the solvent-based extraction processes used to make most concentrates.

Making marijuana rosin involves a solventless technique where marijuana is exposed to high heat and pressure to separate the resin from the rest of the plant. It’s often seen as an alternative way to make shatter without the need to purge the finished product of residual solvents.

High-quality rosin is usually made using specialist equipment as it takes is a high amount of heat and pressure.

Resin vs. Live Resin vs. Rosin: Which Should You Use?

All three of these extracts are great to use. All of them will give you intense effects in a compressed and easy-to-use form. Which one is best to use largely depends on what you prefer, although you should try out all three.

Resin, you can squeeze resin into hash or add it to a joint, bowl, vape pen or dab rig for a powerful hit. Resin is less potent than Live Resin or Rosin, but still a great product to use.

Live Resin is generally the most powerful of the three. However, due to the complex extraction process used to make it, it’s also harder to come by. It’s ideal for users who want extra intense THC effects.

Rosin is an alternative to Shatter and can be added to a joint or bowl or use in a dab rig. It may not be quite as hard-hitting as Live Resin, but it’s perfect for users who want a hard-hitting concentrate.

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