How To Make Live Resin? Everything You Should Know

There is a wide range of cannabis concentrates to enjoy out there, including shatter, wax, dabs, hash oil, and butane hash oil (BHO). Referred to as “the future of weed”, concentrates, are very potent forms of cannabis with an extremely high THC or CBD content. How to make live resin?

A cannabis concentrate is a live resin. The primary distinction between this concentrate and others is that it uses freshly harvested cannabis flowers rather than dried and preserved buds. Terpene concentration is increased as a result, leading to more nuanced flavors and aromas.

All the information you need to know about live resin is introduced in this article, so keep reading. Let’s start!

What Is Live Resin?

Most cannabis concentrates are created from buds that have undergone the same drying and curing processes as flowers that would be sold for smoking. The buds undergo an additional process to extract all of the contents from the solid and transform them into a liquid rather than packaging up and selling the dried, cured marijuana as is.

It’s not done with live resin. Live resin flowers are raised with the goal of producing resin. It has not been cured or dried. The fresh flower is processed into the extract. As soon as the flowers are harvested, they are flash-frozen to preserve their maximum freshness. They never undergo drying or curing. Until the day they turn into resin, they are frozen in time.

This procedure significantly alters the game. More than half of a plant’s essential oils are lost when it is dried and cured. By the time the marijuana reaches you, the terpenes that give it its flavor and aroma have been reduced by half. By skipping the drying and curing processes, the terpenes are guaranteed to end up in the live resin, resulting in a fantastically delicious smoking experience.

What Does Live Resin Look Like?

Resin that is still living has a dark yellow hue, though occasionally it can appear more orange. It has a thick, textured appearance that resembles a pile of caviar or raw honey.

Some live resins may have a slightly runnier appearance, resembling syrup, depending on the manufacturer, while others may be more solid, resembling wax candles.

Difference Between Live Resin And Other Weed Concentrates

Using fresh marijuana rather than dried and cured bud is what makes live resin so distinctive. Terpenes in the plant are preserved when using fresh marijuana. Terpenes have a variety of advantageous medical and psychoactive effects on cannabis users. Since most other concentrates are made from dried and cured marijuana, they lack the same dynamic properties as live resin.

You lose some of the therapeutic benefits provided by terpenes when cannabis is exposed to elements like air, heat, and light because the terpenes start to break down.

How To Make Live Resin?

Step 1: Freeze Your Biomass

When compared to other concentrates made with a hydrocarbon solvent, live resin’s material preparation is probably the single factor that distinguishes it the most. Before extraction, you’re going to deep freeze the biomass rather than drying or curing your plant material. Why? Because freezing it will maintain the “live” plant’s essence, which will ultimately be reflected in your extract. Therefore, “live resin” was coined.”

Terpenes are specifically what we mean when we speak of a plant’s “essence” when we use that phrase. Terpenes hold the scents and aromas of the plant, which must be preserved in order to create an artisanal concentrate. The smells and flavors of the biomass will deteriorate through drying, oxidation, and heat. So it’s best to keep your live resin frozen when making it!

How to freeze biomass

• Only your best whole plants, including the flowers and sugar leaves, should be used. Leave out the stems, roots, and leaves of the fans.
• Freeze the biomass at -10F or lower in a deep freezer.
• Your biomass should only be frozen for 24 to 36 hours.
• As soon as the frozen biomass is taken out of the freezer, start your extraction.

Step 2: Extraction

Solvent Blend

A light hydrocarbon mixture of butane and propane solvent is what the majority of processors will use to create live resin. It is not unusual for a blend to contain 30% propane and 70% butane. However, we frequently observe processors using a blend of 30% butane and 70% propane, as well as a 50/50 mixture. The ratio you select will depend on a number of variables, but keep in mind that the more propane you use in the mixture, the more terpenes you will extract from the biomass.

Chilling Solvent

It’s crucial to chill your solvent, just as it’s crucial to reach a very low temperature for the preparation of the biomass. We advise chilling the solvent to at least -40C when making live resin. Better yet, if you can reach -70°C or -80°C. The water-soluble parts of the plant can be locked out at that low temperature, and in this situation, using less water is always preferable.

Closed Loop Extraction

Your frozen biomass will be washed with the chilled solvent once it reaches temperature using a commercial-grade, closed-loop hydrocarbon extractor. When the solvent and trichomes have formed a homogenous solution, the trichomes will transfer to the collection vessel.

The collection tank will then be heated in order to evaporate the solvent from the extract. The heat applied to the collection tank will be at a slightly lower temperature than any other hydrocarbon processes you might be running. Why? Because you don’t want to unintentionally burn off the terpenes that you worked so hard to capture in the first place. The solvent recovery process will take a little bit longer when making live resin due to the lower heating temperature, but it will be worth it!

The term “closed loop” refers to a process in which the solvent is recovered from the collection tank and put back into the original solvent tank with the help of a gas compressor and condensing tank.” It is referred to as “active solvent recovery” when a compressor is used for recovery. The ability to operate “passively” is a feature of extraction systems.

The fact that an inline dewax column won’t be required in this case to capture the lipids and waxes that can occasionally be found during hydrocarbon extraction is important to note. The moisture won’t have a chance to thaw and won’t need to be filtered as a result of the vessels being jacketed to keep the temperature extremely low.

Step 3: Post Processing

Skip Winterization For Live Resin

You can avoid winterization and filtration of your extract by running your extraction so coldly for this concentrate. No additional chillers, heaters, or filter presses are required for the reaction vessels in this situation.

Residual Solvent Purge

You will need to purge the remaining butane/propane solvent out of your extract before continuing, just like with pretty much any solvent-based extraction. This is accomplished with a vacuum oven. In order to effectively purge the solvent out of our live resin without causing any harm or losing those terpenes, a vacuum is pulled on the oven to remove the atmosphere inside.

It should be noted that the solvent purge may be performed at a slightly different time depending on the type of end product you are producing, such as when making sauce.

Step 4: Making Live Resin Products

If you have ever spent any time in a dispensary learning about concentrates, this is where things might actually start to get a little confusing. In reality, “live resin” is the extract we gathered after extraction, even though the term “live resin” is frequently used to refer to a finished product on the shelf. In order to create a finished end product, processors apply a variety of different post-processing techniques to the live resin extract, such as whipping to create badder, for instance. What is frequently referred to as “live resin” in the dispensary is actually better known as “sugar.” It is essentially wax with crystals in it and has a visually sugary, grainy appearance.

The following items can be produced using live resin:

• Pull & Snap (a shatter-like product but more taffy-like)
• Sauce
• Badder
• Waxes
• Sugar

You’ll need a dabbing tool to consume the majority of the live resin products, which are frequently packaged in tiny glass jars. Although less common, it is also possible to create live resin vape cartridges. People who purchase live resin products will typically pay a higher price in dispensaries, and they are frequently more seasoned and discriminating consumers who can recognize and value the “fullness” of a high-terpene, full-spectrum extract (HTFSE).

Advantages Of Live Resin

For any seasoned cannabis user, live resin is definitely worth a try. It is a pure and powerful product that embraces terpenes’ healing properties. THC concentrations as high as 95% can be found in some live resin varieties. This suggests that beginners who use cannabis should proceed with caution. Negative side effects like anxiety, paranoia, and nausea may result from consuming too much THC.

Using a vaporizer, the live resin can be consumed. Some vaporizers have temperature controls, allowing you to maintain them at particular temperatures preferred for particular terpenes. Terpenes are thought to cooperate with cannabinoids to enhance the therapeutic effects of cannabis, according to scientific research on the subject.

How To Use Live Resin?

If kept cold, live resin keeps its freshness longer. Always keep your live resin tightly closed in the refrigerator. Just before using it, take out only what you absolutely need. Never leave the lid off or the container outside. It will start to harden and lose quality if you forget to put it back in the refrigerator or if you don’t close the jar. To avoid forgetting to put it away once you start smoking, make sure to do so before you do.

Smoking live resin out of a bowl, a bong, or a piece of paper is probably not a good idea. All of these procedures involve exposing the live resin to a flame. For such a long time, the cannabis was kept cold thanks to the manufacturer’s arduous efforts. They saved all of those lovely terpenes, which is good for you. If you overheat your live resin, it will be destroyed.

A dab rig is the most well-liked tool for using live resin. To apply live resin to your nail, use a dabber tool with a scoop because it can be sticky and uncooperative. The flavor and aroma are preserved entirely by the live resin. You won’t fully enjoy the experience if your nail is at the incorrect temperature.

The ideal temperature for the best flavor and hit is 350 degrees; aim for that. Although live resin can technically be heated to 550 degrees, doing so will essentially murder the terpenes. A low heat hit is what live resin is designed for. Avoid raising the temperature above what is necessary.

How To Consume Live Resin?

There are a few ways to take live resin in:

• Dabbing: Using a dab rig equipped with a butane torch, nail, and Healthstone is the most typical way to consume live resin. It will be thick and sticky, requiring a dabber tool to scoop it up.
• Using a dab pen while vaping A dab pen can be used to vape live resin. A dab pen is a special kind of vape pen designed for concentrates.
• On top of a bowl: Think about putting some in a bowl or even a joint. It may be hard to roll up a joint given how sticky it is

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Conclusion

Live resin can be prepared outside of a laboratory. As long as you have all the necessary supplies on hand, making your concentrate will be simple. Make sure your live resin is safe, whichever method you choose to use.

Additionally, it ought to produce top-notch concentrate. Your concentration won’t produce the desired results once the quality has been compromised. Make your own live resin today to avoid paying high prices for cannabis concentrates!

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