June 15 2022
Under the umbrella of ‘concentrates’ is live resin. It gets its name from the process, fresh frozen, by which it is made to keep the plant and its components as ‘live’ as possible. Most marijuana products use marijuana buds after they have been dried and cured, but not with live resin. While the plant is still alive and the buds are sticky and fuzzy, the buds are clipped and immediately frozen (preferably vacuum-sealed and deep frozen to temperatures between -10 and -40 Fahrenheit).
This immediately freezing keeps the ‘live’ buds as close to the natural state of the living plant as possible to avoid any oxygenation, dehydration and other degradation. The goal is to preserve the flower and as much of its terpenes and trichomes as possible.
These frozen buds are then put through the extraction process to isolate the concentrated amounts of the cannabinoids, terpenes and other components into malleable, golden-colored concentrate (think taffy, only a little stiffer). The resulting product is a robust, pure and high-quality marijuana product.
Almost all marijuana concentrates are produced the same basic way: taking the plant and isolating the ‘good stuff’ (the THC, CBD cannabinoids), terpenes, and other components that give marijuana its effects). But most concentrates – and other marijuana products, for that matter – start with dried, cured marijuana buds. With each step of the harvesting and producing process, the marijuana loses a tiny bit of its potency, flavor and aroma. In fact, up to 95% of the terpene profile is lost before the weed even makes it to the extraction process.
This is important because terpenes give marijuana its smell, flavor and works synergistically with the THC, CBD and other cannabinoids, and other components in the marijuana – also known as the Entourage Effect.
For marijuana patients, having the purest and most concentrated form of marijuana is just what the doctor (or budtender) ordered. But also having such a clean marijuana product also means more therapeutic benefits and purer effects.
Without getting too science-y, the marijuana is put through an extractor that uses a solvent to bind with, isolate and extract the desired components (you can isolate just CBD or THC, CBD other components depending on the end product). The solvent is what actually breaks down the molecular structure of the part of the marijuana plant that has all the cannabinoids, terpenes and other components. Basically, the solvent pulls the specific parts of the plant needed for the particular marijuana concentrate.
The extraction method for marijuana is an art. It’s a combination of solvent, the pressure at which the solvent is used and the temperature of the solvent. And the extractor must also consider how each of these variables might affect other plant components or the potency of the final product.
Solvents include butane, propane, ethanol and CO2. As you probably already know, most of these are highly flammable, so great care must be taken to ensure the safety of the extraction facility. This is why, unlike making canna-butter or oil, most marijuana users usually do not try to do the extraction process themselves.
Smoking live resin? No, not really. Traditionally live resin has been consumed by dabbing it. Dabbing involves heating up a surface and then dropping (or spreading in the case of live resin) concentrated marijuana on it to the point where it vaporizes. The user then inhales the vapors for a potent and pure hit of marijuana.
Dabbing rigs are contraptions that are made for this process and usually involve multiple pieces and a heating device, sometimes a small blow torch-type of blow heater. Needless to say, they can be clunky and expensive – not to mention cleaning them is a pain in the neck!
The easier and more affordable way to use live resin is by using a vape pen. Most people are familiar with vape pens, but the easiest – in my opinion – are the disposable vape pens. These are already loaded with a live resin-filled cartridge and are usually ready to go, right out of the packaging. Also, if you have a rechargeable vape pen, you can also purchase loaded cartridges that can screw right onto the pen.
We use subcritical CO2 extraction to ensure the safest, most effective and best quality product for Missouri medical marijuana patients. These vape pens also make it easy to take smaller or larger doses of marijuana, depending on your needs.
While heavy users like Live Resin vape pens because they pack a powerful punch, even new users who are ‘easing into’ their medical marijuana usage can benefit from simply taking smaller puffs.
As always, the budtenders are available to answer any questions you have.
Happy partaking!
