Concentrates Explained
I saw a pack of gummies that said ‘Live Resin’. What is that?
“Live resin” is basically the fancy / premium form of cannabis extract — and in the THC gummy world, it means you’re getting something a little more authentic than standard distillate.
Quick Breakdown: What Live Resin Means
Most gummies use distillate, which is a highly processed THC oil that has most flavor and other plant compounds stripped out.
Live resin is different:
| Regular Distillate | Live Resin |
|---|---|
| Made from dried/aged cannabis | Made from freshly harvested, flash-frozen cannabis |
| Mostly just THC | Includes terpenes, flavonoids, and aroma compounds |
| Strong but kind of one-note | More full-spectrum — richer, potentially more balanced/nuanced high |
Why It Matters for the High
Because live resin keeps more terpenes (the aromatic compounds like limonene, myrcene, etc.), people say:
- The high feels more “full-body” or rounded
- Some find it less anxious/jittery than pure distillate
- It may hit faster or feel cleaner depending on the strain
In Plain Terms
Live resin = fresher, more flavorful extract with a broader cannabinoid profile.
Think of it as fresh-squeezed juice vs concentrate.
If you want, you can send me the strain name / terpene profile on the bag and I’ll tell you:
- What kind of high to expect (sleepy / giggly / energetic / floaty)
- Whether it’s a sativa, indica, or hybrid effect
- If it’s good for daytime vs couch-locking
Want me to?
How do they make distillate?
THC distillate is made by stripping cannabis down to pure cannabinoids using heat, pressure, and filtration. The goal is to remove everything except the THC (or CBD), so you end up with a thick, clear, nearly flavorless oil. Here’s how it works, step by step in normal-people terms:
🌿 1. Start with cannabis plant material
Dried flower or trim gets broken down to prepare for extraction.
🧪 2. Extract the crude oil
They pull the cannabinoids out of the plant using one of these methods:
- CO₂ extraction – clean, common in commercial products
- Ethanol wash – fast and efficient
- Hydrocarbon extraction (butane/propane) – used in a lot of concentrates
This gives you crude oil — dark, thick, and full of waxes, fats, chlorophyll, terpenes, and cannabinoids.
🔥 3. Winterization (clean-up step)
The crude oil is mixed with cold ethanol and frozen.
- Fats, waxes, and lipids solidify
- They get filtered out
- Ethanol is evaporated off
Now you’ve got a cleaner oil.
🌬 4. Decarboxylation
They heat the oil to “activate” the THC — turning THCA into THC so it actually gets you high when vaped/eaten.
Temperature is usually in the 220–250°F range.
🔁 5. Distillation (the main magic)
They use a process called short-path or wiped-film distillation:
- The oil is heated under vacuum, which lowers boiling points
- Cannabinoids vaporize off first
- They recondense on a cool surface and are collected separately
- Impurities, plant compounds, and leftovers stay behind
This is done in multiple passes to get higher and higher purity.
What comes out?
👉 A golden, honey-like oil that’s usually 85–99% THC.
✨ Optional: Add terpenes back in
Since most flavor/aroma compounds get removed, some manufacturers add strain terpenes back in for carts, dabs, or edibles.
✅ End Result: Distillate
- Nearly pure THC (or CBD)
- No real flavor or smell unless terpenes are added
- Perfect for carts, vapes, edibles, topicals
If you want, I can explain the difference between distillate vs live resin vs rosin vs hash oil — just say the word.
Please elaborate on rosin and hash oil
Absolutely — here’s a clean breakdown of rosin and hash oil, how they’re made, and how they compare to distillate and live resin.
🌿 1. ROSIN
Solventless. All pressure and heat. No chemicals.
✅ How it’s made
- Cannabis flower, hash, or kief is pressed between heated plates using pressure (usually 1–2 tons).
- Heat + pressure squeezes out the resin (cannabinoids + terpenes + oils).
- That sticky stuff is rosin.
✅ Why people like it
- All-natural — no solvents or chemicals.
- Keeps a lot of the plant’s original terpenes (flavor + effect).
- Considered one of the “cleanest” extracts.
✅ Downsides
- Yield is lower than solvent-based methods.
- More expensive.
- Quality depends heavily on starting material.
🌿 2. HASH OIL
Umbrella term for cannabis extracts made using solvents.
But when people say “hash oil,” they usually mean butane or ethanol-based extracts.
✅ Common methods
BHO (Butane Hash Oil)
- Buds are blasted with butane.
- Butane dissolves cannabinoids + terpenes.
- The solvent is purged off with heat/vacuum.
- Result: shatter, wax, budder, crumble.
Ethanol Hash Oil
- Plant material is soaked in ethanol.
- Oil is filtered, then ethanol is evaporated.
- Cleaner than BHO but may remove some terpenes.
✅ Why people like hash oil
- Strong, flavorful concentrates.
- Versatile (vape carts, dabs, edibles, etc.).
- Efficient to produce at scale.
✅ Downsides
- Requires proper purging — leftover solvents = bad.
- Quality varies a lot between companies.
🆚 Quick Comparison
| Extract Type | Made With | Solvents? | Flavor Level | Potency | “Natural” Feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosin | Heat + pressure | ❌ None | High | Medium–High | ✅ Cleanest |
| Live Resin | Flash-frozen buds, solvent | ✅ (usually butane) | Very High | High | ✅ Full-spectrum |
| Hash Oil / BHO | Dried buds + butane | ✅ | High | High | 😐 Depends on purge |
| Distillate | Refined crude oil | ✅ | Low (unless flavored) | Very High | ❌ Most processed |
🧠 Bottom Line
- Rosin = solventless, flavorful, “craft” concentrate. Think cold-pressed olive oil.
- Hash oil = solvent-based concentrate (BHO, ethanol, etc.), strong and versatile.
- Live resin = hash oil made from fresh frozen plants, high terpene content.
- Distillate = ultra-refined THC with most flavor stripped out, used in edibles/vapes.
If you want recommendations for best gummies / dabs / carts by extract type, or what’s best for flavor vs effect vs high, I can lay that out too. Just say the word.