Do you know your way around cannabis concentrates? If so, then 'rosin' and 'resin' are familiar terms. Yet, there are distinctions between the two that most people don’t realize can impact their smoking experience.
Unlike smoking regular weed or flower, these terms only refer to concentrated extracts. Live resin and rosin come in similar forms: concentrates, vapes, or edibles. The process used during extraction is what determines whether you get rosin or resin as your final product.
It's easy to see how these similar names can lead to confusion, but the gap between them is significant. We’ll break down live resin vs rosin here and explain why getting this right matters when using cannabis.
How Are Resin and Rosin Extracted?
Through conventional methods, marijuana undergoes drying and curing before reaching the shelves. This process often results in the loss of cannabinoids and terpenes, which damages the potency of the finished cannabis product.
But to produce resin and rosin, marijuana must be flash-frozen. This method preserves more of these compounds before the extraction process begins.
The key difference between live resin vs rosin lies in their extraction methods. In short, live resin uses solvents or chemicals. Rosin is the finished product when no solvents or chemicals are used.
What Does 'Live' Mean?
Before diving into the differences between live resin vs rosin, let's explain what we mean by 'live.' This tag isn't just for show; it's a commitment to catching the plant's true essence while it's fresh.
The key part here is flash-freezing freshly harvested marijuana. This step keeps more of those delicate terpenes intact.
Terpenes are the elements that give each strain its unique flavors and smells. The plant’s natural profile stays by skipping the usual drying and curing steps. The outcome is a product that fans say gives a better, more genuine flavor.
So, when you spot cannabis labeled 'live,' it's not about a fancy name. It means the producers have focused on making the concentrate taste and smell fresh and 'alive.' It's like an invitation to enjoy the pure and natural character of the cannabis plant.
What Is Live Resin?
Live resin is a new cannabis product, first created around 2013. Production involves a solvent-based technique that's then applied to flash-frozen cannabis flower. When extractors flash-freeze marijuana, it preserves more of those compounds. Then the long-awaited and all-important extraction process can begin.
To create live resin, fresh frozen cannabis plants undergo a solvent extraction process using butane, propane, CO2, or another solvent. These solvents aren't unique. Consumers use butane, ethanol, propane, and supercritical CO2 all the time when inhaling.
Live resin stands out because it's made by flash-freezing fresh, harvested marijuana. This dissolves all the trichomes, almost like a chemical magnet. This can favor certain compounds and leave others behind.
The extracted oil transforms into various forms such as cartridges, dab pens, sauce, butter, badders, crumbles, sugar, and shatter. Users of live resin products can expect a flavorful, potent cannabis experience at an affordable price.
You can also add live resin to your bowls or sprinkle it on the flower before smoking. Both methods still let you take advantage of the potency.
Want to get the most out of live resin? Try dabbing it with a dab rig (pipe) and a nail (flat bowl) instead of using a regular pipe with a glass bowl. This way, you can heat it up more, have better control over how much you use, and adjust the temperature to your liking. It's like upgrading from a regular bowl to a fancy setup for a smoother experience.
What Is Rosin?
Rosin has become a sensation in the cannabis community since it hit the scene nearly a decade ago. This concentrate is solventless, meaning no solvents or chemicals are used. The outcome? A robust, clean, flavorful, pure, and terpene-rich taste.
The History of Accidental Rosin
In January 2015, Phil 'Soilgrown' Salazar, a Californian cannabis grower, mistakenly produced rosin. Typically, Salazar would press his cannabis into wafer-thin sheets using a hair straightener as he was trying to make hash.
Once, he pressed too hard and noticed oil beginning to escape. Not realizing the creation, Salazar pressed them back together to continue making the hash. After this occurred several times over the next few months, he went to press again and finally realized the momentousness of his discovery.
Nowadays, rosin is created by squeezing ice water hash, dry sift, or flower between heated plates. This process extracts the oil from the trichome heads. After pressing, the rosin can be refined for dabbing, vaping, and twaxing applications.
The Various Forms of Rosin
Rosin comes in different types based on what it's made from and how it looks. Squishing dried and cured plant material in a rosin press creates flower rosin. Pressed and refined kief creates dry sift rosin. Rosin pressed from hemp is hemp rosin or CBD rosin. Ice water hash (bubble hash) creates hash rosin and is super pure, with upwards of 85% THC.
Rosin’s other main advantage is its versatility. Dabbing it brings out the terpene content. Vaping with a vape designed to be used with concentrates has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years. Some people enjoy adding a chunk of rosin to the bud in their bowl or sprinkling dried crushed bits over their joint before rolling them together. There are even edibles infused with rosin.
Rosin vs Resin? You Decide!
Keep in mind that both live resin and rosin are more potent than most other forms of cannabis. It’s always wise to start small when trying any new marijuana product.
So, armed with this information on the differences between these two extracts, will you go rosin or resin? No matter which one you choose, you can expect a great experience as long as you use high-quality products and top accessories, like those you find at Purr Glass. But of course, the fun part is trying out both before determining your winner!
