Nov 03, 2023

Distillate vs. Live Resin Cart

Live resin and distillates are cannabis concentrates that are commonly found in vape pen cartridges or disposable vape products. If you want to know the difference between distillate and live resin concentrates to determine which option is the most ideal for you – this article will have all the information you need.

Key Takeaways

Live resin and regular vape carts are both cannabis concentrates derived from cannabis and hemp plants.
The extraction process between live resin and distillate varies, which makes these concentrates have major differences despite some similarities.
Live resin contains terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabis compounds. While distillate purely contains a specific cannabinoid, with THC being the most common.
Live resin produces a stronger aroma, darker color, and more flavors compared to the odorless, clear, and flavorless distillate.
Although one option is more potent than the other, both options have their own sets of risks and benefits.
Purchasing distillate and live resin from untrustworthy sellers and brands can be unsafe, so make sure you only purchase them from trusted brands and retailers to avoid the dangers of live resin.

What Is Live Resin?

Live resin is the result of flash-freezing freshly harvested cannabis or hemp plants and extracting the oil using solvents. It is a full-spectrum oil that contains terpenes, flavonoids, trichomes, and other cannabinoids, which are usually lost during other extraction processes.

These compounds are responsible for a more potent high, a stronger aroma, and better flavors in live resin carts and disposable vapes, making live resin products reminiscent of smoking actual cannabis in terms of the overall experience.

How Is Live Resin Made?

The process of extracting live resin starts by freezing freshly harvested cannabis or hemp plants. This process preserves the plant’s compounds, including terpenes, cannabinoids, flavonoids, trichomes, etc.

Once frozen, professionals use lab-grade equipment and solvents such as butane and propane to extract the live resin from the frozen plants. Although the process requires chemicals such as solvents, the final product would be solvent-free and safe to use – depending on the manufacturer.

After extracting the live resin extract, they are put into products, such as carts, disposable vapes, and more.

What Are The Uses Of Live Resin?

Live resin concentrates are used for making products like vapes, shatter, edibles, and more. But you can also use live resin by infusing it with your joint, bowl, or bong.

Live Resin: Risks And Drawbacks

Although live resin has many benefits, some of its drawbacks include getting really high, especially if you have a low tolerance. Vaping too much live resin can cause anxiety, paranoia, and fatigue – so make sure you don’t consume more than you can handle.

What Is Distillate?

Distillates are also cannabis concentrates. But unlike live resin, the extraction process is different and it results in pure extracts with a cannabinoid concentration of up to 90%. Although without the other compounds, the experience is rather different despite having higher concentrations of the psychoactive substance.

Distillate is not as thick as live resin, and it is basically colorless, flavorless, and odorless – which might not be appealing to smokers. However, it still has its uses.

How Is Distillate Made?

Distillate is made from dried and cured cannabis plants. After harvesting cannabis or hemp plants, they will be hung to dry and put into containers for curing. Once cured, the distillate is extracted using the same chemical solvents used in making live resin.

After the extraction process, it will go through the filtration phase which ensures that the product will result in pure THCA, which will later be converted into THC through a process called decarboxylation.

The last process is the distillation process which produces THC in its purest form, resulting in a clear liquid that is free from solvents, impurities, and other compounds.

What Are The Uses Of Distillate?

Distillate is consumed in the same way as live resin. You can find distillate in products like vape carts and be consumed using dab rigs. You can also sprinkle distillate on joints and bowls to add more potent THC to your experience.

Distillate: Risks And Drawbacks

One of the risks of taking distillate is its high concentration of cannabinoids, which could get users really high, anxious, and paranoid if it’s a psychoactive cannabinoid. Other drawbacks include its lack of flavor and aroma, which might be right for some users – but not for all.

Similarities And Differences Between Distillate vs. Live Resin Carts

As mentioned before, live resin and distillate carts are both concentrates. Here are some of their key similarities and differences:

Terpenes

Live resin contains around 4 to 12% terpene content. Distillate has little to no terpenes at all – depending on how filtered the end result is after the extraction.

Experience

Although distillate contains only one cannabinoid, the experience is different in both options. Because live resin contains more cannabinoids and compounds from the original plant, users report getting a more complete and satisfying high from live resin – which is known as the entourage effect.

Cannabinoids

Distillate is the result of extracting only one cannabinoid. While live resin contains more cannabinoids, such as Delta-9, Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC, CBN, and a whole lot more.

Products

Live resin is used to make products like, sauce, shatter, diamonds, butter, sugar, crumble, vape oil, badder, etc.

On the other hand, distillate is made for making products like beverages, edibles, and topicals – thanks to its odorless and flavorless characteristics.

How To Decide Between Distillate vs. Live Resin Carts

Deciding whether you want to use live resin vs. distillate is easy. Just think of live resin as a more potent option that gives you the experience of smoking actual cannabis flowers without the hassle of grinding and loading it into a bowl.

On the other hand, if you want to get high without feeling overwhelming effects and don’t like the strong and pungent aroma of weed – distillate makes a good choice.

When To Use Distillate vs. Live Resin Cart

The only times we can think about using distillate over live resin cart is when you want to cook a cannabis-infused dish without having it taste like cannabis – or if you don’t like the smell of cannabis but want to experience getting high.

Although cannabis contains terpenes and flavonoids that could complement the flavor in some baked dishes, other dishes might not taste as good when combined with cannabis. With that said, distillate makes an excellent choice for instances like that.

But if you want to experience the taste, aroma, and weed experience without smoking flower, vaping live resin is one of the best and most convenient ways to get high! If you are looking for the best live resin vapes in the market and want them shipped straight to your door, Melee Dose has a bunch of live resin disposable vape products just for you!

If you are into exploring various effects and flavors in live resin vapes, we have a wide selection of vape products here at Smokeless, and here are some of the best-selling options:

Final Thoughts

Although many users prefer live resin over distillate, that doesn’t mean that distillate is no good. Some users prefer using distillate for cooking cannabis-infused dishes because of its lack of aroma and flavor. In addition, many people who want to experience odorless and colorless pure concentrations of any cannabinoid can use distillate.

However, with all that said, live resin is still the more popular option because of its benefits, like the entourage effect and overall higher potency. If your goal is to get high and enjoy a euphoric journey – live resin is definitely the way to go!

Distillate vs. Live Resin Cart: Frequently Asked Questions

Are Live Resin Carts Better Than Distillate?

If you are wondering if live resin carts are better than distillate, the answer depends on the user. While many users prefer a strong aroma and delicious flavors when vaping carts, others use distillate because it does not smell or taste like anything, which is probably discreet in most cases. However, many users prefer live resin carts because of their higher potency and various flavors, reminiscent of smoking actual cannabis flowers.

Does Distillate Get You More High Than Live Resin?

Vaping distillate can get you higher than live resin if you smoke enough of it. Distillate is often pure THC, meaning it contains more of the main psychoactive substance. However, live resin contains more cannabinoids and compounds that are usually lost in the extraction process when making other concentrates like distillate. With that said, live resin contains more compounds that work in synergy to offer a better and more satisfying high.

Do Live Resin Carts Give A Different High?

Compared to distillate and other concentrates, live resin carts do give a different high because of the mix of cannabinoids and terpenes. These compounds don’t only add delicious flavor and aroma to the cart, but the compounds also work together to produce the entourage effects– which is a more intense high that cannot be produced by distillate carts.

Is Live Resin Stronger In Carts?

There are many ways to consume live resin, such as dabbing, infusing with joints and bowls, and more. However, the most convenient way to consume live resin is by vaping since you don’t need to bust out a dabbing rig or roll a joint. It might not be the strongest way to consume live resin, but vaping live resin can still get you pretty high without the hassles of using various tools.