Have you ever visited a dispensary and been puzzled by all the products labeled “resin”? Trust us, you’re not alone. As a trusted family of dispensaries, we get these kinds of questions all the time.
With so many unique cannabis products entering the market every year, all the nuances can get a little confusing, especially when it comes to similarly labeled items like cured resin and live resin. And that’s not to mention the almost-identical sounding but totally different product—rosin.
So what’s the deal, and what separates cured resin from live resin? Don’t worry, we’ve got all the details. Learn how both products are made, how to use them, and which one might suit your needs best. By the end, you’ll be browsing our menus to try them yourself.
What Is Resin?
Resin is a popular style of cannabis concentrate, the highly potent and flavorful class of products that hit the cannabis scene about 25 years ago. Since concentrates are made by extracting—or concentrating—cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, along with various aromatic terpenes, they pack a far heftier punch than plain cannabis flower. While the strongest flower tops out at around 30% THC, some concentrates can exceed 90% THC.
Resin is made by removing the cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis flower with the help of a solvent, such as CO2, butane, or ethanol. After those “active ingredients” have been separated from the flower, the solvent is gently purged, leaving the concentrate known as resin. Typically sticky and gooey in consistency, resin can remain in this format or be made into other consistencies. This is how we can get softer, more pliable products such as wax or harder, candylike ones such as shatter.
Resin—whether cured or live—ranges in color from a very pale amber to an almost toasted walnut hue. To many consumers, these golden and honey-like tones only add to the sensory experience, providing a rich and flavorful mouthful filled with the scents of aromatic terpenes such as myrcene, humulene, and linalool.
What Is Cured Resin?
While resin can be enjoyed as-is, some manufacturers take the extra step of “curing” it, meaning that they age it for a period of days or weeks in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. This process is done to bring out the very best expression of potency and flavor in the end product. Not every resin ends up being cured, but for cannabis fans who desire a truly special experience, cured resin is one product that’s worth seeking out.
As with most cannabis products, you’ll find a distinctive mix of floral, spicy, sweet, and earthy notes. While a proportion of terpenes are lost during extraction, a cured resin will typically retain an intense, concentrated aroma.
What Is Live Resin?
Live resin is similar to cured resin, with one very important distinction. Instead of being made with dried and cured flower, which is what you’ll typically find in dispensaries being sold in jars and used in joints and blunts, live resin is made from fresh, just-picked cannabis that’s been flash-frozen. As a result, the process preserves a far higher proportion of delicate terpenes—far more, in fact, than any flower you’d ever smoke.
Bursting with the aromas of just-picked cannabis, it truly earns the name “live.” You may feel as though you’re actually in the grow room, inhaling the spicy and unforgettable scent of live cannabis plants. It delivers flavors and aromas that had never before been experienced until its invention around a decade ago, so if you’re into the intense sensory capabilities of cannabis, live resin should be at the top of your list of products to try.
Live Resin vs Cured Resin: How to Choose
For the sake of argument, let’s say you have to pick just one resin—which will it be?
Consistency
Live resin and cured resin are slightly different in terms of consistency. Due to the higher terpene content and the use of fresh flowers during extraction, live resin tends to be more viscous and syrupy. Cured resin, on the other hand, usually produces a more solid consistency that ranges from brittle to crumbly. Both resin consistencies will vary depending on various factors, such as the particular cultivar used or the method of extraction.
Potency
Here’s where things start to get interesting. When harvested cannabis flower is cured, the process, by nature, causes some degradation of terpenes and cannabinoids. Since live resin is made with uncured flower, it’s typically more potent than cured resin. However, cured resin is still plenty potent, with THC levels typically falling in the 80-90% range. But if maximum potency is your goal, live resin wins this round.
Aroma
While a well-made cured resin has a rich and alluring sensory profile, live resin is just worlds apart. Sorry, cured resin, there’s no way you’ll win this one. Live resin boasts unreal proportions of terpenes, even when allowing for the natural degradation that occurs during the solvent extraction process.
Versatility
There’s not much difference between live resin and cured resin regarding versatility. Both can be consumed in a variety of ways; the most popular include:
- Dabs: The gold standard of concentrate consumption methods, dab rigs are specialized devices tailor-made to enjoy cannabis concentrates such as resin.
- Vapes and Vape Carts: Many handheld vaporizers can accept concentrates. For those new to these products, vapes are a great way to get your feet wet without investing in a dab rig and the maintenance it requires. Some vape producers offer resin and live resin in cartridge form, allowing you to enjoy these products with maximum convenience.
- Edibles: Resin and live resin are sometimes incorporated into edibles—both store-bought and homemade ones. If you’re making your own edibles, be aware that the strong flavor and aroma of live resin may clash with the flavors of the edibles themselves.
- Mixed With Flower: If you’re looking for a boost in flavor and potency, you can add a tiny dab of cured or live resin to a bowl, joint, or bong. For best results, sandwich the resin in the flower to promote a more even burn.
Whichever way you choose to consume it, you’ll be met with a flavorful and potent experience from both types of resin.
Price Point
Live resin tends to be pricier than its cured cousin due to the expense and special handling involved in flash-freezing cannabis before the extraction process, so it’s considered a premium product and thus tends to be spendier.
Find Quality Cured and Live Resin at Green Goods
Cured resin is a cannabis concentrate made from dried and cured cannabis flower. In contrast, live resin is made from freshly picked cannabis flower that’s been flash-frozen to preserve its fragile, aromatic terpenes. At the end of the day, neither is better than the other—they’re both potent, flavorful cannabis concentrates that each deliver a different type of experience.
If you’re looking for a solid and versatile concentrate, cured resin may be the best bet. If you’re looking for an unusually flavorful and unique cannabis experience, you may want to give live resin a spin.
Start at the Green Goods location nearest you and search our lineup of premium resin products. Shop a wide range that will appeal to a variety of tastes, budgets, and experience levels. Stop by our shop, say hello, or order online for extra convenience.
Have more questions about all things cannabis? Ask any of our friendly budtenders or drop us a line—we’re always here to help!
