Live Sauce VS Live Resin: What’s The Difference?

Live sauce and live resin are two cannabis concentrates that concentrate connoisseurs consider the creme de la creme of concentrates. 

But what are they, and what are the differences of live sauce vs live resin?

Both of these highly popular extracts are made from freshly harvested, flash-frozen cannabis plants. But the differences in their manufacturing processes lead to two distinctly different products. 

Keep reading to learn about the differences between live resin vs live sauce so you can start to prepare to elevate your cannabis experience even higher. 

Key Takeaways: Live Sauce & Resin

• Live sauce and live resin are highly concentrated cannabis extracts made from freshly harvested, flash frozen cannabis plants. 
• Live resin contains a sap-like texture, while the texture of live sauce is a combination of a liquid and a solid.
• Live sauce is made by further processing live resin. 
• Both live sauce and live resin are high-quality cannabis concentrates with exceptional terpene profiles.

What Is Live Sauce?

Live sauce is a specific type of live resin. 

It’s made by extracting trichomes  from fresh flash-frozen cannabis plants, which retains optimal cannabinoid and terpene concentrations that would otherwise be lost during the drying and curing process. 

Preserving the flavorful terpenes in cannabis flower results in a high-quality product that has true-to-strain flavor. 

The consistency of live sauce is both liquid and solid, with a saucy consistency from which it gets its name.The liquid part of live sauce is sometimes called high terpene extract or terp sauce, and is full of cannabis aromas and flavors. 

The solid parts of live sauce are THCA crystals. These are the actual psychoactive part of the substance. These are often called THCA diamonds, or just diamonds. 

How Do You Use It?

The most popular way to use live sauce is dabbing. Dabbing live sauce requires a dab rig. 

To use live sauce, simply heat the sauce on the nail until it vaporizes. Then you can inhale it. Because live sauce has both a liquid and crystal texture it may not hit the same every time. 

You can also vape live sauce or add it to an edible recipe. 

Dab pens allow you to directly add concentrates like live sauce into a chamber or atomizer.  This heats up and vaporizes the product. 

You can also find disposable vapes and carts with live sauce from a handful of cannabis brands. 

Why Is It Popular?

Live sauce is so popular because it is an extremely potent cannabis concentrate with potent effects and exceptional flavor. 

Thanks to its high terpene profile it has a natural, true-to-strain cannabis taste. Made from flash-frozen plants, it has a fresh feeling that creates a smooth and enjoyable experience. 

In my experience, live sauce is more terpy and when its dabbed its a flavor explosion. Whereas live resin is less intense in respect to flavor, but more true to exact make up of the cannabis flower its extracted from.

The effects of THC sauce hit hard and fast, making this versatile concentrate awesome for different types of consumption. You can dab it, vape it or add it to your favorite infused edible recipes. 

Live sauce is also popular because it can be relatively cost-effective. The manufacturing process allows steps like drying, curing and trimming to be skipped, meaning companies can offer this high-quality product at a competitive price. 

What’s Live Resin?

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate also made by extracting trichomes from flash-frozen hemp or marijuana. 

Often referred to as the “champagne of cannabis concentrates,” live resin is a highly coveted concentrate reserved for those who won’t consume anything less than the best. 

It’s similar to live sauce, but it contains a sticky, sappy consistency. 

In my experience, you’re going to enjoy live resin more if you want to taste an extract just like the flower it’s been extracted from. Unlike live sauce, there isn’t a pool of terpenes for the concentrate to sit in and it’s more ‘real’ re the flavor profile, in my opinion anyway!

It’s important to note that live resin is different from cured resin because it is produced with fresh plant material. Avoiding dried and cured weed gives the concentrate  that connoisseur-level quality and sought-after flavor. 

Making live resin requires high-grade lab equipment and extreme processes. This is why we always recommend getting live resin from a reputable source that provides COAs to ensure safety and purity. 

How Do You Use It?

You use live resin by dabbing it or vaping it, just like live sauce. 

To dab it, you need a dab tool to handle the sticky product. You will also need a dab rig, torch and nail. Inhale slowly to experience the flavor to the fullest. 

Dabbing at lower temperatures will help preserve the flavor profile. So if you want to have a delicious hit then aim for somewhere around 400-500 °F. 

Dabbing at higher temperatures will sacrifice some of the beautiful flavor, but will deliver more intense effects. 

To vape live resin you can place it in a dab pen. 

You can also purchase a disposable vape or live resin cart that comes pre-loaded. This is a convenient way to consume live resin as you won’t have to worry about loading the sticky substance into your own pen or dab rig. 

You can also sprinkle some into a joint or onto a bowl to add some extra potency. 

Live Sauce VS Live Resin

As you can clearly see, live sauce and live resin share some big similarities. 

They’re both made with freshly harvested cannabis plants that are flash frozen, which offers an extraordinary flavor and quality loved by cannabis enthusiasts. 

But they also share some significant differences. 

The texture and consistency of the product are one of the most obvious. Live sauce is a liquid-like texture with crystals floating inside it. And live resin being a sticky, sap-like consistency. 

Live sauce goes through a few more processing steps before it is ready for consumption. And may have a slightly more robust flavor than live resin. 

But in my experience, both concentrates are extremely flavorful and potent. The type of strain seems to have the most impact on what the taste and experience are like.

I’ve tried live resin in disposable vapes and carts that are fire when it comes to flavor. But they didn’t seem to be any more potent than the THCP carts and THCA disposable vape carts by the same brands. 

But, hemp derived live resin (the kind that gets you lit anyway) is usually a mix of low THC hemp, live terpenes and a THC Isomer in isolation e.g Delta 8. Meaning, it’s not really a ‘live’ extract. It’s about as close to a ‘live’ concentrate you’ll get though if you want it to be Hemp derived AND get you high!

Nonetheless, when dabbing live resin or sauce straight from a dab rig, it was nothing but full-throttle flavor AND I got lit like a Christmas tree. Regardless if its cannabis or hemp derived.

Personally, I’d stick with getting live resin and sauce in the concentrate form and skip the disposables for the best experience. 

How It’s Made

Live resin and live sauce are made by taking freshly harvested cannabis plants and flash-freezing them at low temperatures, which preserves the plant’s natural flavors and cannabinoids. 

A dry ice or cryogenic freezing machine is usually used to reach super-low temperatures.

First we’ll look at how live resin is made, as live sauce is ultimately created from live resin.

Once flash frozen, plants are then put through an extraction process, which separates the precious trichomes that contain the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant matter. 

Solvents like butane, propane or carbon dioxide then get blasted through the plant matter, which is then pressed. This step is what allows the curing and drying process to get skipped. 

This is huge, as over half of the terpene content of cannabis can be lost during the curing and drying process. This is why live resin and sauce are renowned for being  such high-quality products. 

Finally, the extract goes through a purification process. This is done to ensure there are no residual solvents or contaminants in the material. 

One commonly used purification method is vacuum purging. This is where low pressures and temperatures evaporate the solvent. 

At this point, live resin is ready for packaging. It is most commonly stored in a glass container or jar. 

It should have a sap-like consistency and resemble honey or wax. It may be slightly unstable at room temperature but will stay stable with temperature control.

So at this point, live resin is done. It can be sold as is, or undergo further processing to create live sauce. 

These additional processing steps separate the terpenes from the THCA crystals in the extract. Low temperature and pressure techniques are generally applied to get this done. 

This creates a concentrate that is a liquid, saucy consistency that contains both THCA crystals and terpenes. 

Flavor

Both live resin and live sauce have a reputation for exceptionally rich and complex flavor profiles. This is because they are made from fresh frozen plants which preserves the terpenes in fresh cannabis. 

They have a natural taste that resonates with those who appreciate smoking the plant. This completely depends on the extraction process though. 

If the process is done well the terpenes in the resin translate into fresh hemp flavors. But if the process is botched the flavor will be too. 

Live sauce may have slightly more terpenes than live resin, meaning its flavor may be the most well-rounded. 

Effects

The THC and other cannabinoid content of live resin and live sauce can be very high. However, this is all dependent on the strain of cannabis and the extraction process. 

Live sauce may have higher potency due to the extra cannabinoids and terpenes in the sauce. 

Always check labels and COAs before trying a new product. 

Both can be extremely potent concentrates and definitely aren’t recommended for newbies. If you are new to live resin and live sauce, start with low doses to see how they affect you. 

Concentrates are a totally different experience than smoking flower or vaping oil (aka extremely potent), and if you go too hard too soon you may experience uncomfortable side effects such as anxiety and paranoia.  

Wrapping Up

Live sauce and live resin are the pinnacle of cannabis concentrates. 

With their vibrant terpene profiles, unparalleled flavor and potency through the roof, it’s no wonder canna connoisseurs are falling in love. 

When it comes to live sauce vs live resin there are small differences, mainly in their consistency. Live resin is sappy, and live sauce has liquid and crystals. 

But both taste amazing and have extremely potent effects. Their true-to-strain flavors provide an authentic experience even the most seasoned stoners say is better than most other products on the market.