What is Live Resin? Extraction Method and Uses of Live Resin

May 27, 2024

What is Live Resin?

Home Blog What is Live Resin?

Live resin is a honey-hued, terpene-rich cannabis extract made from the freshest flower possible. But it doesn't just pack a big flavor. Thanks to a full spectrum of terpenes and cannabinoids, live resin tends to lead to a highly pleasant, well-rounded experience — a marked difference from a THC or CBD distillate, which tends to hit just one note.

If you consider yourself a cannabis connoisseur, then you need to tap into the tasty world of live resin vapes and concentrates. But first, let’s explore what this premium product offers.

What Is Live Resin?

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate made exclusively with freshly harvested and flash-frozen cannabis flower. Most traditional concentrates (sometimes called cured concentrates) are made from dried and cured flower.

Because live resin is derived from plant material frozen within an hour or two of harvesting, it contains a greater spectrum of aromatic terpenes and minor cannabinoids. This flash freeze step leads to a golden, honey-like concentrate with an unmatched terpene content you just can't find in cured products.

Unlike a budder or shatter made from dried plant material, live resin captures the true essence of the living plant. Whether it's vaped or delivered in a dab rig, you'll get a fuller-bodied and more flavorful experience.

The Unmatched Flavor and Aroma of Live Resin

One reason why cannabis enthusiasts love live resin is the diversity of terpenes it can contain. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds produced by cannabis that create its incredible flavor and smell. Each strain of cannabis contains a unique bouquet of terpenes that make up its scent fingerprint, from skunky to gassy to sweet.

But terpenes don't just give cannabis the tantalizing aromas we all know and love. They also boost your overall experience. Thanks to the power of the entourage effect, terpenes help explain why an indica might feel deeply relaxing while a sativa might feel more uplifting and social (as just an example).

When it comes to terpenes, most cannabis extracts don't have much nuance. This is because the typical extraction process destroys most of the highly volatile terpenes. Volatile terpenes are hypersensitive and start to degrade immediately upon harvest. But the entire live resin process is built to preserve these volatile aromatic compounds from the moment they are harvested through to extraction.

How is Live Resin Made? Live Resin Extraction Process

Live Resin refers to cannabis or hemp resin produced from a solvent-based extraction using freshly frozen bud. Technically, provided the starting material is freshly frozen, the extraction process can work with any number of solvent-based methods, including butane, propane, CO2, and an increasingly popular solvent called R134a.

(This shouldn't be confused with solventless extraction, which also uses fresh frozen flower. As the term suggests, solventless processes use no solvents, resulting in live hash or live rosin. All live concentrates, whether from solvent or solventless extractions, are full-spectrum, high-terpene concentrates, but with different uses.)

All solvent-based extraction methods have a few things in common. First, it all happens at super-low temperatures to help preserve the strain's terpene profile as it was when first harvested. Second, while the equipment and complexity varies, the process tends to follow the same basic steps:

Soak and wash: Frozen flower is soaked and washed in solvent to gently strip the trichomes (terpene and cannabinoid-rich oils) from the plant material.
Filter: The non-spent plant material is removed from the solvent.
Solvent Recovery: The solvent is evaporated by heating to its natural boiling point, leaving a highly purified concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes with no solvent residues.

Every solvent has pros and cons, yet when it comes to live extractions, R134 stands out as one of the safest and most efficient solvents used today. This is because R134a, a hydrofluorocarbon, has an incredibly low boiling point (−15.34 °F), which ensures solvent evaporation can happen at room temperature without unnecessary heat.

No heat means superior terpene preservation — which is the name of the game of live concentrates. Thanks to this advanced R134a extraction, Hometown Hero Live Resin vapes are unlike anything else you've tasted.

What Are the Benefits of Live Resin for Cannabis Enthusiasts?

Full-Spectrum Effects

First and foremost, you'll experience a much greater range of effects from live resin than you would from cured cannabis products. A strain-specific profile, rich with terpenes and minor cannabinoids, leads to synergies that just don't exist with isolates.

Rich Flavor Profile

Just like other live extracts, live resin is tasty. Period. It perfectly preserves the flavor profile of the source material, meaning you'll get all the notes you love from fresh flower, just in a much more concentrated form. Whether it's Granddaddy Purple or Maui Wowie, you'll taste the original strain when you taste live resin.

Higher-Quality Product

From cultivation to extraction, a lot of care goes into making a live resin concentrate. When the goal is to reach the greatest possible terpene content, the highest possible standards are applied throughout the entire process.

Perfect for Vapes and Inhalables

Unlike most cured concentrates, the live resin has the perfect vape viscosity. Thanks to all those terpenes, the extract is super-saucy, meaning it doesn’t require any additional post-processing or diluents to make it work in a vape pen. Plus, because vaporization uses lower temperatures, you’ll get more flavor from a live terpene vape pen than if you were to smoke it.

Choosing the Right Live Resin Product for You

With live resin being such a coveted product, many companies are vying for connoisseurs' attention and money these days. So whether you're shopping for live resin vapes, edibles, or raw extracts, you should keep a few critical factors in mind before purchasing.

Do they test their products?

No matter what product you're interested in, the first step is always to check if it's been third-party tested. Rigorous testing not only ensures that it contains the cannabinoids and terpenes it says it does but also that it's free from any dangerous contaminants or lingering solvents.

(Find a real-time database of Hometown Hero's Certificates of Analysis (COAs) listed here.)

What extraction process do they use?

Because the manufacturing process influences the final product's purity, consistency, and richness, you'll want to ask which method sits behind that enticing vape cart or edible. Did they use butane, propane, CO2, or R134a? The extraction process really does impact the quality of your experience.

Is there a brand you can trust?

At Hometown Hero, we’re focused on maintaining plant integrity and uncompromising safety standards. To start, that means organic and sustainable farming practices, advanced R134a extraction technology, and batch testing by a Drug Enforcement Administration-certified (DEA) third-party lab. Your peace of mind matters to us.

Live Resin: A Cannabis Enthusiast's Concentrate of Choice

From the moment of harvest all the way through to extraction, the live resin process is entirely focused on creating a high-quality, terpene-rich experience. So, if you’ve been looking for a smoking experience that doesn’t just hit a single note but plays a symphony, look no further than live resin.

Our vast collection of 5-gram and 2-gram disposables features strain-specific live resin alongside a blend of potent cannabinoids to ensure your vaping experience brings you close to nature. With the living terpene profile from your favorite cannabis strain enhanced with hemp-derived Delta-8, HHC, THCP, or THCA Liquid Diamonds, you'll enjoy an aromatic and euphoric experience in every puff of our premium vapes.

Until next time, happy exploring, and mind your mind.

FDA Disclaimer: The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.