Live Resin vs. Rosin – What’s The Difference?

Between 2011 and 2013, a group of cannabis farmers and extractors in Colorado came up with what is known as live resin. This invention was revolutionary because it is the closest experience to smoking flowers and had retained its terpenes and consistency. The creation of rosin can be traced back thousands of years into the past. It made its way into the world of cannabis though in 2006 and, although their names sound similar, there are many differences between rosin and live resin. The way live resin and rosin are extracted is very different and, these processes lead to the unique potencies and flavors of live resin vs. rosin.

What is Live Resin?

Live Resin is a cannabis concentrate in different consistencies and textures such as shatter, waxy, hard, and brittle, and sauce. Shatter style live resin is challenging to find. The most common form of live resin lies somewhere between sauce and wax. The consistency is sticky. An example of the texture would be taffy but drier.

Typically, live resin is a dark yellow color but, it is also known to come in white through light yellow. Live resin is prepped by flash freezing cannabis plants from freshly harvested cannabis plants. The cannabis plant materials are then either dipped into liquid nitrogen or stored with dry ice. This aids with the flash-freezing process. The cannabis plant materials stay frozen until it is time for extraction. Extraction happens less than 48 hours after the cannabis plant materials are thaw.

A fresh flower is used in the process to create live resin as opposed to dried buds. Live resin also retains terpenes, the naturally occurring chemical compound found in cannabis responsible for the smell and taste. Live resin is considered the more superior and sought-after product between live resin vs. rosin.

What is Rosin?

Rosin is also a cannabis concentrate that does not use the flash-freezing process as live resin does. Instead, it is processed using heat and pressure to extract the resinous sap from the cannabis plant material to create the Rosin. Hash, kief, and marijuana can all be used in the process to make Rosin. The extraction process allows terpenes to be lost instead of live resin, whose process reserves and retains terpenes. The best way to describe the consistency of rosin is buttery. Buttery means it is a malleable and frosting-like consistency, soft with yellow coloring.

Depending on the extraction process and the quality of the materials used will affect the texture of the Rosin. The taste of Rosin also depends on the quality of the cannabis plant materials used in the extraction process.

Live Resin vs. Rosin – Conclusion

When it comes to the extraction process of live resin vs. rosin, extracting live resin is harder. The Rosin extraction process does not use any chemicals, so it is a more natural product. Live resin’s extraction process includes chemicals. Dabbing is one way to consume both rosin and resin. Dabbing is the process of putting concentrated doses of THC into a dab pen (similar to a vape pen) by using a dab tool. Once the dab pen is ready, adjust the temperature and inhale. The easiest way to consume rosin and live resin is to buy pre-filled cartridges and attach them to a vape pen.