Live Resin vs Distillate in Canada: Pros, Cons, and How to Pick Your Perfect Hit

Live Resin vs Distillate: Which One Deserves a Spot in Your Stash?

The live resin vs distillate debate never seems to end as consumers who buy weed in Canada at our cannabis dispensary discuss why one is better than the other. But is living resin better than THC distillate?

In the dynamic world of cannabis, live resin and THC distillate stand out as two of the most unique terpenes. While both are potent cannabis concentrates, one is extremely powerful and the other very flavourful.

Distillate vs live resin differs dramatically in THC content, aroma, flavour and production methods. But is one better than the other?

In this guide, we pit two of the most popular cannabis concentrates at our online weed dispensary, living resin and distillate, against each other to determine which is better.

We will take a look at the differences, their benefits and how to consume them to help you make the best choice.

What is Living Resin?

Live resin is one of the most unique pot concentrates at cannabis stores in Canada. This concentrate is unique because, unlike other cannabis extracts, it is made from ‘living’ plant materials. Confusing? Let me explain.

The process of making living resin begins on the farm during harvesting.

Producers flash freeze the cannabis plant materials immediately after harvesting to preserve the delicate terpenes that would otherwise be lost during curing and drying.

The frozen materials are taken directly to the lab, where producers place them in an extraction machine and blast them with a solvent, typically butane and propane, to extract cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and other beneficial compounds. 

The extraction process also happens at low temperatures to help preserve the terpenes.

So, what is the main difference, and why is this exotic weed concentrate considered unique at an online dispensary in Canada?

The difference between live resin and other cannabis concentrates is the starting materials. Other concentrates, such as shatter, budder, and wax, are made using already dried and cured plant material.

However, since the starting material for living resin is flash-frozen immediately after harvesting, it is technically ‘live’ or ‘living’ during the extraction process. As such, live resin contains almost all the compounds in the live cannabis plant.

The extra terpenes preserved in live resin do make a difference. Living resin is considered one of the most flavourful weed concentrates by consumers who buy Canadian weed online.

Research shows that regular flower can lose up to 55.2% of their terpene content when air-dried and cured. That is more than half of the terpenes gone!

Terpenes are natural compounds in plants that determine their aroma and taste. These are the compounds that determine the smell and taste of each distinct strain of cannabis. 

However, these compounds do more than determine the aroma and taste. They have their own unique benefits, some of which can bolster the effects of THC and other cannabinoids, and they also support the entourage effect.

The concentrate in this live resin vs distillate guidebook is not to be confused with live rosin. Live rosin is also made from flash-frozen cannabis, like living resin, but it is extracted through mechanical extraction, mainly using a rosin press.

Distillate Vs Live Resin: What is THC Distillate?

You may have heard about living resin, but have you tried the other product in the live resin vs distillate debate? THC distillate, also called weed distillate or just distillate, is the most potent cannabis product at our online dispensary in Canada.

Distillate is a type of concentrate with a more complicated extraction process than other concentrates, including living resin and shatter. Weed distillate only contains one cannabinoid.

All cannabis compounds, including cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and oils, are systematically removed, leaving only the target cannabinoid, which can either be CBD or, in this case, THC.

This makes weed distillate the purest, most potent cannabis concentrate. If you have ever tried a distillate pen, you can’t forget how the first draw hits you. Purity and potency are some of this concentrate’s main advantages in the distillate vs live resin debate.

As the name suggests, weed distillate is made through the distillation of a cannabis extract. The process of creating a distillate pen begins like any other, with cured and dried plant material and solvent extraction, but it includes an additional step.

Distillation involves heating a cannabis oil extract, vaporizing the terpenes and cannabinoids and separating the target compound. Since cannabinoids have distinct boiling points, THC is separated when it evaporates and cools.

A THC distillate at our online cannabis store can be up to 99% pure THC, which is one of the reasons many live resin vs distillate enthusiasts choose it when they order weed online. This concentrate is often consumed by dabbing, vaping through a distillate pen or infusing edibles.

If you are looking to elevate your cannabis experience, a distillate weed pen could be the right option. However, keep in mind the high potency to avoid being overwhelmed by the effects.

Live Resin Vs Distillate: How Are They Different?

What are the differences between live resin vs distillate? The two cannabis products are worlds apart, from how to produce live resin vs distillate, to components, THC concentration and their effects.

The obvious difference in this live resin vs distillate comparison is the starting material and extraction process. Live resin is extracted from fresh cannabis material that is flash-frozen immediately after it’s harvested.

THC Distillate, on the other hand, starts with a typical solvent extraction process but takes things further by heating the concentrate and then cooling it back after isolating one cannabinoid. Notably, both concentrates in this live resin vs distillation article are obtained through solvent extraction. 

The other difference is the THC concentration. Both concentrates are potent, but weed distillate takes things further. It is basically pure THC, as most products at our budget bud dispensary test at 99%+; some contain between 90% and 95% THC.

Living resin at our online dispensary in Canada contains between 60% and 90% THC, depending on the strain it is extracted from.

The other live resin vs distillate difference is the content. Live resin contains all the compounds in the living cannabis plant, including terpenes, THC and other cannabinoids, flavonoids and other beneficial cannabis compounds.

THC distillate, on the other hand, contains up to 99% pure THC. Living resin is a full-spectrum product, while distillate is an isolate. 

The contents also affect the type of high and benefits you will experience. Live terpene vs live resin consumers report that living resin produces a more satisfactory overall high than consuming just one cannabinoid.

This is because of the entourage effect.

The entourage effect is the mechanism by which cannabinoids and terpenes work synergistically to produce more intense and comprehensive effects. With THC distillate, you won’t experience the benefits of this effect.

Distillate Vs Live Resin Comparison Table

Pros and Cons of Live Resin

Before we get to what you should choose, live resin vs distillate, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of living resin and the differences between live terpene and live resin.

Live terpene is a cannabis product made by separating the terpenes from live resin. This is done by stripping off the other cannabinoids and other plant materials. Consumers at our cannabis dispensary prefer live resin because of the effects and benefits of THC.

Many consumers choose live resin because they prefer a well-rounded, potent high. In this live resin vs distillate comparison, we’ve determined that distillate is only one cannabinoid while the live resin is a full-spectrum cannabis product.

And guess what? All these compounds play a role in the overall experience. With live resin, you can experience the intense benefits of the entourage effect. 

Enthusiasts also prefer live resin vs distillate because of the intense aroma and flavour. Live resin contains almost twice the terpenes in your regular concentrate, making it more aromatic and flavourful.

If you appreciate the fragrance of a specific strain, live resin is the product to order at an online dispensary. Live resin is also very potent. Although it is not as potent as distillate, it can contain between four and six times the THC in a regular bud.

On the downside, the strong aroma and taste may be off-putting to new cannabis consumers. It also makes it hard to enjoy this concentrate discreetly.

Advantages and Disadvantages of THC Distillate

When comparing THC distillate vs shatter or live resin, you’ll realize that its main advantage is the elevated THC content. THC distillate will get you really high. Out-of-this-world high.

As such, consumers who prefer THC distillate vs shatter or resin do so because of the high purity levels and strong effects. No product is as potent as distillate.

If you need a high dose of THC or have developed a very high THC tolerance, distillate is the product to get when you buy weed online in Canada.

Distillate is also cheaper per gram than live resin. And since it is so potent, you will only need a very small amount to experience the desired effects.

On the downside, distillate lacks terpenes and other cannabis compounds. As such, it cannot provide strain-specific effects. Proponents of live resin vs distillate see this as its main disadvantage.

Distillate also has no taste or aroma, which is an advantage for consumers looking to infuse edibles. But if you want to vape distillate, the blandness of this concentrate leads to a less than satisfactory experience.

Live Resin Vs Distillate: Which Should You Choose?

Which is the best concentrate, live resin vs distillate? It all comes down to personal preference and the effects you are after. 

If you want a flavourful cannabis experience with strong effects from all cannabis compounds, living resin is the best option. If you want a high dose of THC or to infuse edibles, distillates edge out all other concentrates.

Both distillate and living resin are potent cannabis concentrates, and we recommend starting with a low dose and gradually increasing it until the desired effects are achieved.