What’s the Difference Between Live Resin and Rosin?

Hey, cannabis connoisseurs! It’s no secret that people are crazy about cannabis concentrates these days. Have you ever heard of live resin and rosin? If you have, do you know what the difference between them is? For those of you who aren’t already familiar with the terminology, here’s a quick rundown of some of the most common products on dispensary shelves:

It might be new to you when you hear the phrase “rosin” when it comes to cannabis. But it’s not as new as you might think. Rosin has been around for ages. And what is rosin? It’s a solid and sticky substance made from the sap of pine trees, and it was used back in the day to make things like turpentine and wood varnish (and even pine pitch, which is still used today!).

Today, we’re talking about a kind of cannabis concentrate known as “live resin”. If you’ve ever seen live resin in all its sticky glory, you might wonder: what is the difference between this stuff and rosin?

Live Resin: A concentrate extracted from fresh, uncured cannabis flowers. It can be consumed in various ways, from dabbing it straight to making edibles and topicals.

These days, live resin extracts are especially popular thanks to their increased terpene content and potential for longer shelf life over other concentrates. Terpenes are what give cannabis its distinctive flavor and aroma; they’re also thought to play an important role in cannabis's therapeutic effects.

And unlike rosin, live resin is made using solvents that are naturally occurring (such as alcohol) rather than non-naturally occurring (like butane). So while both live resin and rosin involve heat and pressure to create a potent concentrate, the latter involves some pretty serious risks (explosion, anyone?).

Rosin: A cannabis concentrate created by heating and applying pressure to a solventless extract or shake (i.e., trim or fan leaves).

So, are live resin and rosin consumed differently than other cannabis extracts, like shatter or wax?

Technically, both forms of cannabis concentrate can be consumed any way you’d consume other forms of concentrate. Live resin and rosin are extracted using the same processes as other concentrates; they just use a different kind of trim instead of dried flowers.

Reviews from live resin and rosin consumers indicate that the most popular consumption method is to break the concentrate off into a small piece and dab it on a nail or bong. Live resin and rosin are typically sold in small vials for this reason—they aren’t intended to be smoked in joints, blunts, etc.

Live resin is often eaten by itself or used as an ingredient in foods. It’s also popularly used to make hash or dabs.

Rosin is also commonly eaten and dabbed, but it’s most popularly used as an ingredient in making other edibles.