Live Resin VS Distillate: Cannabis Concentrates Compared

Live resin vs distillate: it’s a cannabis connoisseur’s dilemma. While both concentrates offer potency and versatility, the choice between them can be tough. 

Having personally explored both of these concentrates, I’ve navigated their flavors, effects, and ease of use. Now, I’ve got my live resin and distillate routine dialed. 

Interested in finding out which one suits your preferences best? Just keep reading. 

Key Takeaways

• Live resin is a (90%+ THC) strong cannabis concentrate with a flavor profile that actually smells and tastes like weed.
• Pure distillate is a pure, versatile, and (95%+ THC) potent cannabis extractå free of plant materials and terpenes with zero flavor  
• Live resin is best for those looking to mimic the taste and experience of smoking weed in a concentrate or cart.   On the other hand, pure distillate is ideal for those looking for convenience, versatility, and precise dosing.  

What Is Live Resin?

Live resin is like the superhero of cannabis concentrates. 

Picture this: fresh cannabis plants, still dripping with life, are flash-frozen in an instant, locking in the flavors, aromas, and effects.

Then, through a careful extraction process, all those rich, complex terpenes – the compounds that give plants their smell and taste – are preserved.

What you end up with is a concentrate that’s not just potent, but also that actually smells and tastes like bud.

Drool worthy? Totally!

Sure, it sounds simple. However, this flash-frozen extraction technique produces a much different product compared to traditional extraction methods. There’s no drying and curing cannabis plants involved. 

Flash-freezing plants directly after harvest helps to lock in the plant’s freshness. It also helps to preserve the natural terpenes and cannabinoids. This leads to high potency and quality flavor. 

After freezing, a solvent like butane or propane is used to extract cannabinoids and other plant compounds. The result is a soft,  adaptable concentrate usually an amber or golden color. 

Live resin is a full-spectrum extract, containing THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Terpene preservation in live resin is what really makes it stand out compared to distillate. 

The most common products are live resin carts and dabs, as vaporizing live resin leads to a rapid onset of effects. Edibles can also be made from live resin, although onset time can take 1-2 hours. The effects of live resin edibles, however, last much longer than dabbing or vaping. 

The price of live resin products varies, however, a half-gram typically costs around $30-$60. 

What Is Distillate?

Distillate is a pure cannabis extract renowned for its purity and versatility. 

Distillation in the context of cannabis extracts refers to a purification process used to isolate specific compounds, like cannabinoids (e.g., THC and CBD) and terpenes, from crude cannabis oil. 

 This results in a refined cannabinoid extract free of all other plant compounds, including terpenes and flavonoids. 

Distillation involves multiple stages of heating and cooling the plant material. These phases separate THC and other desired cannabinoids from the plant matter. 

The end product is a pure product with (Isolated)  cannabinoid levels that can range from 90% or higher. Note – you can distill any cannabinoid, so a THC distillate would contain 90-95%+ THC. 

It’s distillates purity that makes it so popular, as it’s considered one of the purest extracts, just below isolate in terms of purity. 

It’s available in a wide range of products, including vapes, carts, tinctures, edibles, and more. You can purchase distillate from local cannabis shops or online retailers. 

Compared to live resin, distillate is considerably less expensive. A gram of distillate can range from $35 for a low-quality product and from $45-$60 for a high-quality product. 

Live Resin Pros & Cons

Like all cannabis products, live resin contains its list of pros and cons. 

One of the biggest pros of live resin is that it provides a connoisseur-level flavor experience. Live resin preserves so much of the natural terpenes it has a flavor profile familiar to traditional cannabis consumers. 

Skipping the drying and curing process by flash-freezing cannabis post-harvest maximizes freshness by preserving cannabinoids and terpenes. In my opinion, live resin is indeed  the freshest option next to flower. 

Because the entire plant profile is preserved, it retains all the cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids in the exact concentration found in the source material (the weed it is extracted from). 

Live resin’s potency and full-spectrum profile offer potent effects that make its potential therapeutic benefits and recreational effects shine. 

According to researchers, this can result in a more well-rounded experience as these compounds work together in what’s known as the entourage effect. This widely accepted theory suggests cannabis plant compounds work better together than their isolated counterparts.  

The weed-like flavor that comes with long-lasting effects makes live resin carts my go-to vape option. I always keep one in my bag for those day-to-day moments that call for a cannabis refresh. 

There are, however, some cons to be aware of when considering live resin. The main things to consider are the cost, availability, and quality of the products. 

Because it requires fresh, flash-frozen cannabis flowers that are extracted in a specialized extraction process, it’s typically more expensive than other concentrates. If price is one of your deciding factors, distillate is more affordable.. 

Another concern is that some manufacturers may make live resin without taking the necessary steps to make a safe end product. Solvents used in the extraction process can end up in final  products that can be harmful if consumed.  

This is why it’s always recommended to buy live resin (or any cannabis products) from reputable brands that offer a Certificate of Analysis (COA) by independent third-party labs. 

Distillate Pros & Cons

One of the biggest pros of pure distillate is its exceptionally high potency with zero flavor. Distillate is one of the most potent forms of cannabis available and the only one that can be flavorless.

Seriously, take too much and you won’t leave the couch for hours. I once ruined a date night by accidentally dabbing a tiny amount of distillate. Dine-in turned to take out in minutes as my brain turned to mush. 

Distillate is also one of the purest concentrates on the market. The distillation process creates an extremely clean concentrate, free of impurities, plant matter, and other contaminants. Its purity lends to a neutral flavor that many consumers prefer. 

Because it isn’t mixed with other compounds, distillate is usually easier to dose precisely than live resin. This precise dosing makes finding the right serving size and maintaining consistent effects much easier. 

I have had some superior edibles made with distillate. They were dosed perfectly. And there was zero hint of cannabis in the flavor. 

My Experiences With These Concentrates

In my experience with these concentrates, I find both are good options that will get even the most experienced stoner high. When it comes to which one I want to use, it depends on my mood and the type of session I want to have.

I like that distillate is pure and easy to dose. It is easier to handle and load up. Making edibles is easier because it has a neutral flavor that doesn’t need doctoring up in a recipe. Because of this, ten out of ten times, I prefer distillate for my edibles. 

But I like the more weedy flavors of live resin if I am going to smoke or dab it. That said, I hate handling live resin. I don’t like trying to dose out a little sticky grain of rice-sized dab. And because I always seem to drop my nail on the table, it leaves a little sticky mark to clean up later.

If I’m going to vape live resin I find it necessary to go for the convenience of a cart so I don’t have to handle the sticky substance myself.