If you have been vaping cannabis distillates for some time, you might have encountered product terms like live resin vape, liquid live resin, or simply live resin. This concentrated and flavorful product is derived from flash-frozen fresh cannabis plants refined for vaping. 

There are several varieties of cannabis vape concentrates, but live resin vape is a standout because it captures the soul of the cannabis plant. If you’re currently browsing for the best vape concentrates, live resin vape is one of the must-try variants. 

This guide compiles a list of essential information for potential live resin vape users. Learn about the effects of live resin vaping, how it compares to its contemporaries, expert tips on how to use it, and more. 

What Is Live Resin Vape?

It’s essential to discuss the nature of live resin before describing its product form—the live resin vape. 

A live resin is a type of concentrate extract derived from freshly harvested cannabis plant materials flash-frozen at sublevel temperatures. Mixed with solvents like butane hash oil, cannabis plants are pressed to squeeze out the extract, which is then refined to remove the excess solvents. 

The unique extraction technique skips the highly destructive steps of curing and drying. This enables live resin extracts to capture the freshness of the cannabis plant. The compounds naturally present in plant materials before harvest are preserved in live resin extracts. 

Typically, live resins are added to bowls or cannabis joints to enhance their potency and flavor profiles. The consumption method has now evolved into something simple yet convenient—vapes. 

A live resin vape is a vaporizing device that uses a live resin-filled cartridge. Since vapes are small and sleek, you can conveniently smoke the full-spectrum power of live resin anywhere, anytime. 

You can choose from two types of live resin vape formulations. The first one is pure live resin, which, as the name suggests, contains 100% live resin. Meanwhile, the second type—live resin blends, contains additives and diluents. 

It’s important to differentiate between the two, as some consumers are sensitive about purity, and each formulation may offer different experiences. 

What Are the Live Resin Carts Effects?

It’s hard to pinpoint precisely how live resin carts would affect you in terms of “high,” as several factors can dictate the experience. 

First, you must understand that not all live resins are formulated similarly. Second, vaping devices operate differently, and varying voltages give different heat signatures, which affect flavor, hit, etc. 

Finally, not everyone will replicate the same experience even with a same-brand live resin vape. Also, our biochemistry and cultural backgrounds are too diverse to offer similar feelings and responses. 

What’s sure at this point is that live resin vape carts are known for their relaxing high and strong weed flavor. Knowing this, we can soundly conclude that some of the effects may be a combination of any of the following: mild euphoria, relaxation, rich cannabis flavor & aroma, and heightened senses. 

What Are the Live Resin Benefits?

Live resin, especially in vape form, offers its users a wide range of benefits. Combining its unique extraction process and the portability of vapes, here are some of the benefits you can expect from live resin vapes: 

Mild Potency

Contrary to popular marketing slogans, live resins are less potent compared to regular THC distillates. According to Rolling Stones, the THC percentage of live resin carts only hovers between 45% and 50%. 

Rich Flavor and Aroma

This is where live resin vapes shine the best—flavor and aroma. If distillates and other concentrates bank on their high levels of THC, live resin lets you smell and taste cannabis as if it’s still growing out of the ground. 

The Entourage Effect

Coined by Professors Mechoulam and Ben-Shabat in 1998, the entourage effect refers to the synergy between cannabis compounds that produces the “greater than the sum of its parts” effect. Another stellar trait of live resin carts is their proclivity to induce that effect. They can easily do so because their extraction process preserves most of the naturally occurring compounds in cannabis plant materials, such as cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, etc. 

Dosing versatility

You can control how much live resin you inhale from vapes by taking small, controlled puffs. Reducing or increasing the voltage level of the vape also helps you adjust the vapor volume. A higher voltage means increased heat. Hence, the bigger the vapor volume and vice versa. 

Discreetness

If you’re looking for a way to get high without being noticed, live resin vapes fit the bill. Vapes have long evolved from boxy mods to sleeker and smaller pens. 

What Are the Different Types of Live Resin?

While live resins are typically known to be extracts from fresh and flash-frozen cannabis, there are versions of this product that you might like to try. Here are other specific types of live resin available in the cannabis market (not all of them, though are suitable for vaping): 

Live Sugar 

Also known as budder or sugar wax, live sugar has a crumbly, sugar-like texture. Like the standard pure live resin, live sugar is known for its intense aroma and flavor. 

Live Badder

This type of live resin has a smooth and creamy consistency. It’s easier to handle and much more manageable than crumbly live resin types. 

Live Sauce

Also known as terp sauce, live sauce has a viscous, sauce-like consistency and is typically rich in terpenes. 

Live Diamonds

Sometimes called THCA diamonds, live diamonds are crystalline and contain pure THC and other cannabinoids. They are mostly added to other live resin products for enrichment and are prized for their intense psychoactive effects. 

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How to Use a Live Resin Vaporizer?

There are several types of live resin vaporizers. Thicker and creamier live resins use powerful vaporizers like pens, dab rigs, and desktop vaporizers. Meanwhile, low-viscosity, almost distillate-like live resin use cartridges. 

A cart or cartridge serves two purposes. First, as a container for the live resin, second, as the vessel to be attached to a 510-thread battery.

How to Put Live Resin in a Cart and Use It?

You can’t put live resin in a cart since it’s already pre-filled upon purchase. Simply take the cartridge out of its package, attach it to your cartridge battery, let it heat up, and inhale through the mouthpiece. 

How to Use Live Resin Vape?

Step 1: Whatever device you’re planning to use for thicker live resins, always charge the device to its total capacity before loading the live resin. 

Step 2: Once ready, activate the device and preheat it to your desired temperature. The high temperature will soften the live resin, making it easier to load afterward. 

Step 3: Open the chamber designed to contain the live resin. Scoop out a rice grain-sized live resin concentrate using a dab tool and carefully load it inside the chamber. Clean out the excess. 

Step 4: Put the pieces of the devices back in their rightful places and turn on the vaping device. 

Step 5: Adjust the temperature and draw out the vapor from the mouthpiece automatically, or push the activating button to draw out the vapor from the mouthpiece. 

Step 6: Inhale and enjoy. 

✏️ Note Not all live resin vaping devices are the same, so read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions before tinkering with the device’s buttons. Also, it’s crucial to load live resin only into vaporizers designed to utilize live resin concentrates.

What Is the Best Battery for Live Resin Cartridges?

Sure, there are brands known for offering powerful and stylish cartridge batteries out there, but when it comes down to choice—your preference trumps everything. 

For example, if budget is a concern, the best battery of your choice will be within the affordable price range. Ultimately, the best cartridge battery will meet your needs or exceed what you asked for. 

Take the time to decide on the features you want in a battery and research online for products that offer them. With that in mind, here are some of the factors that would influence your shopping decision for batteries:

• Vaping habits
• Features you prioritize most
• Compatibility
• Battery capacity
• Size and portability
• Budget
• Brand reputation 

On an odd occasion, a product comes along that offers almost everything you would want in a cartridge battery. Stylish yet affordable? Powerful yet portable? That’s the promise of the Ziva Incognito Cartridge. 

What Is Live Resin Vape vs. Regular Vape?

As you know by now, live resin vapes use live resin as their main ingredient for vapor production, while regular vapes use regular THC distillate. The main difference between the two lies in the intensity of the effects. 

If a live resin vape produces a mild high, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the intensity of effects in regular hemp vapes.

Dig deeper into their contrasts as you keep reading about the differences in their extraction methods, cannabinoid content, flavor, and more. 

Extraction Technique

Live resin vapes use a vaping concentrate derived from frozen, fresh cannabis plant materials. As for regular vape, the device uses traditional hemp concentrate extracted using the curing and drying process.

Processing Temperature

During the live resin extraction process, a lower temperature is needed to preserve the terpenes and cannabinoid contents of the cannabis plant material. 

With regular vapes or THC distillates, high temperatures ranging from 200°C-300°C (392°F-572°F) are needed to purify and isolate cannabinoids like THC. 

Cannabinoid Content

There’s more manufacturing freedom when it comes to regular vapes, as manufacturers can add or reduce the percentage of cannabinoids. For example, they can tweak the ratio between THC and CBD to virtually anything. 

With live resin, the goal of the extraction process is to capture or replicate the exact ratio of the cannabis compounds present when the cannabis strain is still alive. 

🍃The Hemp Doctor YouTube Channel Alert! Get to know the basics of CBD (cannabidiol)—cannabis’ major non-psychoactive cannabinoid endowed with nature’s benefits in this quick video.

Flavor Profile

When it comes to flavor, live resin vapes beat regular THC distillates. Live resin carts retain almost 100% of the naturally present terpenes of the cannabis plant. It only follows that the flavor and aroma of these terpenes will present themselves during the final production. 

THC distillates may or may not have a flavor profile, depending on the manufacturer’s intention. Even if THC distillates don’t inherently exhibit flavor and aroma, manufacturers can add synthetic flavor during processing. 

Pricing

Although regular distillates undergo the most processing steps, they’re relatively cheaper than live resin vapes. However, prices can still depend on the brand, cart volume, packaging, quality, and more. 

Is Live Resin Safer Than Distillate?

Live resin and regular distillate can be enjoyed safely when consumed responsibly and purchased from legitimate sources. However, as products, they differ in several areas, which can impact safety. Here are some of those areas:

Extraction Process

Both concentrates use solvent-based extraction, but distillates can sometimes opt not to. Whatever processing course these concentrates go through, the key is to thoroughly purge any residual solvents in the refining stage. 

Purity

THC distillates are better known for their attention to purity. They are refined to the point where the extract is stripped of other cannabis compounds, and the only ones left are specific cannabinoids like CBD or THC. 

Alternatively, live resins retain most of the natural cannabis compounds. This may be a blessing or a curse, as it can enhance the concentrate’s flavor but may also introduce unwanted compounds to the end product. 

Contaminant Testing

Live resin and distillates are products marketed for human consumption. Needless to say, it’s only appropriate for companies to be obligated to employ multiple quality tests, such as contaminant checks from residuals, pesticides, heavy metals, and other microbial entities. 

This is where COAs, or “Certificate of Analyses,” come in handy. These laboratory-prepared documents are often linked in product pages online for potential customers to check. 

Vaping Habits

How you consume live resin and distillate vapes also affects their safety level. There shouldn’t be a problem if only consumers vape within the limits set by the manufacturer’s manual and only consume within dosing limits. 

How Long Does Live Resin Last?

Live resin is a non-perishable concentrate that deteriorates once stored for too long. The most significant change it will undergo in its aging process will probably be the transformation of cannabinoids like THC to CBN. 

Another aging process that takes place is called nucleation, where cannabis compounds trigger the separation of minerals and other compounds in the extract. A tell-tale sign that minerals are starting to separate is the darkening of the extract’s color. 

Concerning the longevity of the cart or vape, a standard 500 mg offers around 130-140 puffs, lasting you over a week. A 1000 mg yields approximately 500-600 puffs. However, these are rough estimates only. 

Lifespans are usually dictated by how frequent the session is and how hard you draw out per puff. 

Do Live Resin Carts Burn Faster Compared to Other Concentrates?

Live resin carts don’t necessarily burn faster than other vaping concentrates. The rate at which they burn is influenced by factors such as voltage, inhalation techniques, and dosing. 

How Long Does Live Resin Smell Last?

🙋🏻Quick Answer: The smell of live resin carts and other vaping concentrates can linger for 5 to 10 minutes.

Compared to cigarette smoke, which can last for at least 30 minutes, vapor dissipates faster because of its innately volatile nature. 

If you’re concerned about live resin carts lingering longer than you would like, here are some things to avoid:

• High-wattage vaping mods
• Conduction type of vaporizers
• Issues with ventilation

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How to Make Live Resin Carts?

Before proceeding with the steps for making live resin carts, it’s strongly advised to leave the handling of the production process to experts, as there are steps only qualified professionals can perform. 

For demonstration purposes, here’s the step-by-step process of creating live resin carts:

Step 1: Freeze the cannabis plant material. 

Using only quality plant sources, select the flowers and sugar leaves. Exclude stalks, leaves, stems, and roots. 

Freeze the flowers and sugar leaves at -10F or lower. Leave the biomass to freeze for 24-36 hours. The extraction should start immediately after taking out the materials from the freezer. 

Step 2: Extract using the three sequential methods: solvent-based, chilling solvent, or closed-loop extraction. 

Here’s how the three extractions are carried out:

Solvent-Based Extraction

This type of extraction uses a blend of butane and propane. Processors are often seen using a 50:50 ratio of butane and propane. Others employ the 70:30 propane-to-butane ratio. The more propane is added to the mixture, the more terpenes are destroyed. 

Chilling Solvent

At this point, the solvent blend is chilled to a minimum of -40 °C. The water-soluble is locked or contained in the plant materials. 

Closed Loop Extraction

The frozen plant material will finally be washed in the closed-loop hydrocarbon extractor. The homogenous content will then be transferred to a vessel. 

Heat will evaporate the rest of the solvent. A gas compressor and a condensing tank will assist in regaining the solvent into its original thick, homogenous form. 

Step 3: Initiate the post-processing stage. 

A vacuum oven is needed to purge the last of the residual solvents. The vacuum removes the atmosphere inside the oven, helping trigger the evaporation of the remaining residuals. 

Is Live Resin Legal?

At the federal level, live resin is only considered legal if it doesn’t contain more than 0.3% Delta 9 THC. As per the 2018 Farm Bill, cannabis products containing less than 0.3% THC are now considered hemp and are, therefore, legal in the US. 

However, the legality of a cannabis product, like a live resin, depends on state laws. In many states where cannabis is legal for medical and recreational use, live resin carts are freely sold, given that they’re from licensed manufacturers. Moreover, some states have unique laws about vaping in public. 

Before purchasing or carrying any type of live resin product in your pocket, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with local laws about cannabis. This also includes researching age restrictions, limitations in possession, etc. 

If you’re unsure about the legality of live resin vapes in your area, it’s better to err on the side of caution and not engage in the purchasing, possessing, or using of the product. 

Final Thoughts: Are Live Resin Carts Good?

At their core, live resin carts are for people who prefer a quality high to the one-dimensional high offered by distillates. If you believe in the power of the entourage effect and are willing to splurge a bit, live resin carts and vapes may be worth the shot. 

At The Hemp Doctor, our dispensary-grade Delta 8 and HHC cart concentrates are some of the cleanest formulations in North Carolina. Made only under the strictest purification process, our Delta 8 translucent oil can contain as much as 90% of D8. Explore our selection of vapes and carts now and get converted instantly. 

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