1. What is Live Resin?
Live Resin and Distillate are cannabis extracts. They are in products like vape pens, concentrates, and edibles.
Live Resin is a concentrate made by extracting cannabis with solvents like butane. Live Resin uses fresh harvested cannabis that is “alive” hence the name. Sometimes Live Resin is called BHO, or Butane Hash Oil.
Butane dissolves terpenes and cannabinoids in the plant’s trichomes during Live Resin extraction. It’s used because butane leaves behind unwanted compounds like fat and chlorophyl.
Live Resin is a form of ‘crude oil’. So it’s the first concentrate made from extracting cannabis material. This is a key difference to distillate explained in the next section.
Since it’s made from fresh flowers, Live Resins usually have strong flavors.
We discussed What Is Live Resin in depth. Check it out.
2. What is Distillate?
Distillate describes the end product from a distillation process. Distillation evaporates a compound (liquid to vapor) then condenses it (vapor to liquid).
Distillation enables processors to separate mixtures of compounds based on their boiling points. This is a purification technique.
‘Distillate’ refers to distilling cannabinoid crude. Crude is made by extracting plants with butane or ethanol. If the cannabis crude is from fresh frozen “live” flowers, then the end result is Live Resin. If dry trim used in extraction, it will make dark crude that is great for distillation.
Distilling crude evaporates the cannabinoids and terpenes into a collection flask. What remains behind are heavier undesirables such as pigment compounds.
Distillate is very potent with D9-THC (the decarboxylated, active version). The crude is heated to make distillate (liquid to vapor), so the THC gets activated (D9-THCa to D9-THC). Unlike crude oil. Crude oil contains the unactivated THC compound: D9-THCa.
3. Differences: Live Resin vs Distillate
While both concentrates are in similar products, they have key differences. Live Resin is from extracting fresh harvested, frozen cannabis flowers with butane. This makes yellow ‘honey oil’ cannabis crude containing D9-THCa and terpenes.
Distillate is made by distilling cannabis crude oil. It purifies the cannabinoids and removes undesirables like chlorophyl.
Live Resin Profile
- Color: pale yellow, amber, orange, brown
- Appearance: opaque, apple sauce, wet sugar
- Cannabinoids: D9-THCa
- Total THC: 60-90%
- Terpenes: 5-20%
- Flavor: cannabis essence
- Common Uses: dabs, edibles (activated), vapes (activated), joint infusion
Distillate Profile
- Appearance: Clear, liquid, oil
- Color: pale yellow, yellow, orange, amber
- Cannabinoids: D9-THC
- Total THC: 85-97%
- Terpenes: 0-10%
- Flavor: flavorless
- Common Uses: vapes, edibles, syringes (edibles), joint infusion
Sometimes distillate has no terpenes. Operators capture the terpenes separate from the cannabinoids when making distillate. This is useful in gummy formulation for a THC ingredient without terpene flavors.
Effect Differences
Live Resin and Distillate give a similar high effect, depending on the person. It also depends which product you consume since edibles have a different high than vapes.
Live Resin gets processed one less step, so it may give a more ‘full spectrum’ high. The other goodies in Live Resin (other cannabinoids, CBD) result in a stronger high. Some people call this the ‘entourage effect’.
4. Is Distillate Bad?
No! Distillate got a bad rep in the beginning of cannabis legalization. It was so effective at purifying cannabinoids. So some operators could turn low quality crude into high quality distillate.
Distillate is an ultra-pure form of activated THC (D9-THC) used in edibles and vape pens. Brands prefer distillate for its purity and quality. It makes formulating specific milligrams (mg) in edibles easier and more repeatable.
Always buy distillate vape pens from a licensed shop. This ensures your vape pen is high quality and safe. Find the Certificate of Analysis (COA) on the brand’s website to verify product safety.
5. Best Live Resin and Distillate in California
Raw Garden Live Resin is the most popular dab form of Live Resin in California. Raw Garden utilizes their fresh frozen outdoor flowers. They make the most flavorful and potent Live Resin in Cali’s recreational market. Raw Garden Live Resin costs between $20-30 per gram (before tax) in 2022.
Stiiizy Distillate Vape Pens have become California’s favorite value vape pen. Consumers love it for the affordable price and high potency. Stiiizy distillate costs $30-$40 per 1 gram 510 vape cart at licensed dispensaries in 2022.
FAQs
What color is distillate?
Pale yellow, yellow, orange, amber
How much does distillate cost?
Distillate vape pens cost between $25-$55 per gram (pre-tax) at licensed shops in California in 2022.
How much does live resin cost?
Live Resin 1-gram dabs cost between $20-$40 per gram (pre-tax) at licensed shops in California in 2022.
Does distillate have terpenes?
Sometimes. Distillate used in edibles usually do not have terpenes. Distillate in vape pens is often mixed with terpenes for flavoring.
Is live resin solventless?
No. Live resin is made by extracting cannabis flowers with hydrocarbon solvents like butane.