Rising in popularity as new methods of cannabis consumption become more widespread, live resin is a fresh and flavorful option for both newcomers and seasoned tokers looking for a quality concentrate.

What is live resin?

Live resin is a form of cannabis concentrate produced using fresh frozen material as opposed to dried and cured buds. This extraction method releases cannabinoids while retaining the terpenes and allows the extractor to capture the flavor of the live plant over the characteristics of dried and cured buds.

"Since these flavorful terpenes remain intact, live resin is considered a high-quality, connoisseur-level product."

A short history of live resin

  • 2010. William "Kind Bill" Fenger started the first legal grow operation dedicated exclusively to producing concentrates in Colorado, considering the idea of producing extracts from freshly harvested cannabis plants with richer aromas and flavors.
  • Initial attempt. Fenger created live resin with the Original Diesel cultivar using flash-frozen plant material to produce BHO, resulting in a flavorful but low-yield, dangerous, and aesthetically unappealing extract.
  • 2013. Jason "Giddy Up" Emo installed an EmoTek Labs OBE-Dos extraction unit at A Cut Above dispensary in Colorado Springs, with Fenger hired as a consultant.
  • The collaboration. Fenger and Emo experimented with various strains and extraction techniques for over a month.
  • First successful batch. They produced successful live resin using whole flash-frozen cannabis plants, naming both the process and product "live resin."

How to consume live resin

Live resin is a flexible cannabis concentrate consumable in various ways:

  • Vaporizing. Use vaporizers or dab pens designed for cannabis concentrates, heating the live resin to activate vapor inhalation via rig or e-nail.
  • Flower. Drizzle live resin on bowl tops or incorporate into joints or blunts to enhance potency and flavor, though this may not preserve terpenes as effectively as dabbing.
  • Infused into edibles. Add live resin to food, requiring decarboxylation to activate THC and cannabinoids. Store-bought options like Kiva brand live-resin-infused gummies are available.
  • Infused into tinctures or topicals. Infuse decarboxylated live resin into carrier oil or alcohol for sublingual/oral tinctures or skin-applied topicals for localized relief.

Benefits of live resin

The process benefits growers by allowing them to skip time-consuming drying and curing steps required for other concentrate forms.

"Live resin is one of the most flavorful forms of concentrate since the result is flush with cannabinoids, trichomes, and terpenes."

The extraction process produces higher potency products suitable for recreational and therapeutic consumers.