There has been an explosion in the popularity of cannabis concentrates in recent years, with a number of potent options becoming more easily available. The extraction processes of concentrates are different and each method produces different extracts.
Sometimes the production process involves the use of chemical solvents, and most of the concentrates you'll find in your average dispensary will probably be one of these. But other concentrates are made without the use of solvents.
Solvents aren't necessarily something you have to avoid: the chemicals are removed from the concentrate after the process is over. But they may remain in tiny trace amounts. For some people, this concern is enough for them to stick with solventless cannabis concentrate.
Traditional cannabis concentrates that don't use solvents include hash and kief, and you might be familiar with one or both of those. But one of the most popular new concentrates out there is rosin. Rosin concentrate can take a variety of different forms: it could be sap-like, have a softer, budder-like texture, or be harder, like shatter.
All rosin is considered full spectrum, meaning it contains all the cannabinoids and the terpene profile of the original plant. Some cannabis lovers theorize that there is an entourage effect among these ingredients, giving you a better experience when they are combined instead of extracted in isolation.
Some rosin can also be what's called live rosin, which is made with cannabis flower that's frozen immediately after harvest. Live rosin (not to be confused with live resin) is a high-quality cannabis concentrate known for its purity, taste, and strength. But it's also more expensive.
What is Rosin vs Live Rosin?
The difference between rosin and live rosin is pretty simple: it refers to whether the cannabis used to make the rosin was cured and dried beforehand.
If the cannabis didn't go through the drying and curing process, and was flash frozen immediately after being picked, then it can be made into bubble hash. And it's that bubble hash that can be pressed into live rosin.
The best live rosin is made using full melt bubble hash, and full melt live rosins tend to score highly in the hash industry's 6-star rating scale.
Extraction process: pressing cannabis plant material
In order to make rosin, high pressure and heat is applied to cannabis until it squeezes out a translucent substance that looks a bit like sap. The source material can be marijuana flower, kief, or hash.
Live rosin involves several additional steps. After the cannabis plants are harvested, the flower is immediately flash frozen. The cannabis is then stirred to rinse the trichomes loose. Remember, trichomes are where the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) and terpenes are found. They're the compounds that give cannabis its special effects.
The water is filtered through a series of fine mesh bags until only the trichomes are left, creating bubble hash. The bubble hash is then freeze dried, and then squeezed in the high-powered presses to create live rosin.
Which is better, live resin or live rosin?
One thing you should know before we continue talking about live rosin. There's a concentrate out there with a very similar name, but it's a completely different product. Confusingly, it's called live resin.
Live resin is also a potent cannabis concentrate, and the "live" part of its name also refers to the fact that the cannabis was flash frozen right after it was harvested. But live resin is different from live rosin because solvents are used in the process.
Typically, carbon dioxide or butane are used to make live resin. Live resin can also be found in a variety of forms, from sauce, to diamonds, to badder/budder.
Live resin is definitely considered a top-quality concentrate, and includes all the cannabinoids and terpenes from the original weed. However, live rosin is considered to be even better than live resin by most cannabis concentrate lovers. With the added benefit of being chemical free.
Why is Live Rosin So Expensive?
Live rosin may offer amazing flavor and a potent experience but it definitely comes at a price. How much is live rosin? It will usually be the most expensive concentrate per gram at a dispensary.
The reason it's more costly to make live rosin vs other forms of concentrate, is that the manufacturing process requires a lot more labor. Also, because it's a specialty product, the batches tend to be smaller and more artisanal.
Regular rosin is already expensive, but live rosin adds even more to the cost.
How much does live rosin cost?
In the United States, you can probably expect to pay between $40-80/gram for live rosin at a dispensary. You can definitely find product prices above that range, going up to $125/gram.
Some of those high-end live rosins might be an incredible experience, but they’re probably not worth the cost for the average consumer.
Is live rosin worth the price?
For cannabis lovers who want the ultimate concentrate, made without any solvents in the extraction process, live rosin is definitely the ticket. The flavor and effects from a quality live rosin will rival any other cannabis product on the market.
However, if you're at all on a budget with your cannabis spending, you'll want to save live rosin for a rare treat. To keep costs low on a regular basis, you're better off going with less expensive concentrates and dry herb.
Best Way to Vape Cannabis Concentrates
The most popular way to enjoy live rosin is vaping it. You can smoke rosin if you want, although you will miss out on some of the effects because smoking rosin is less efficient, and some of the cannabinoids will be burned away before you get to enjoy them.
It's also possible to ingest rosin, but you'll need to heat it up first to decarboxylate it and activate the THC. It'll also take longer to kick in if you eat it.
To vape rosin, you can use a concentrate vaporizer or a dab rig. If you enjoy both dry herb and cannabis concentrates, you should consider a dry herb vape that can handle both. That way you don't have to deal with multiple vaporizers, especially if you're trying to keep things portable.
Many high-end dry herb vapes have accessories that allow you to safely vape concentrates. These are inserts or liquid pads that you can insert in the vaporizer's heating chamber. Then you can vape concentrate without fear that oils will spill out and damage your vaporizer's parts.
Dry herb vaporizer for concentrates too
In practice, these solutions work okay, but are still messy, inconvenient, and time-consuming. Furna's dry herb vaporizer takes the hybrid model to another level entirely. Furna has multiple ovens, and you can instantly swap one for another.
Whenever you want, you can instantly swap one oven for another, making it simple to switch between dry herb, concentrates, and even 510 oil cartridge-compatible ovens. You don't even have to wait for them to cool down, making it easy to enjoy longer uninterrupted sessions with friends.
Multiple ovens also means you can pack your bowls in advance, which is extremely convenient since cleaning and reloading a vape can be a pain when you're on the go. Check out the Furna vape today and see how fun it could be to have all the options you want at your fingertips.
