There are so many different types of cannabis concentrates these days, it can be overwhelming. If you’re looking at your concentrate options, you might be looking into the differences between live resin vs shatter.
And when trying to make a decision as to whether shatter vs live resin is better, it’s important to define them individually. Some people will argue that shatter is better, while others will insist that live resin takes the cake as the best cannabis concentrate on the market.
In order to compare live resin and shatter, let’s take a look at what live resin is and then we’ll discuss shatter in detail, too! By the end of these next 2 definitions, you’ll have a better understanding of the differences between live resin and shatter.
What is Live Resin?
Live resin refers to one of many types of cannabis. Categorized as a cannabis concentrate, live resin is nearly identical to both shatter and wax. However, the fact that it has a different name is explanatory enough, meaning that live resin must be different from both wax and shatter.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have a totally different name! The main differentiating factor between live resin and the other types of cannabis concentrates is that live resin contains a much higher concentration of terpenes in comparison to the other concentrates on the market. If you’re unfamiliar with terpenes, don’t worry!
We’ll cover them now so that everyone is on the same page before we dive into further details. Essentially, terpenes are a naturally-occuring compound in cannabis, just like the cannabinoids CBD and THC. They are cannabis-derived oils that are responsible for the scents that various strains of marijuana exude. Without terpenes, cannabis would not smell the same way nor would it have such powerful and flavoured palettes.
Tying terpenes back around to the cannabinoids CBD and THC, the 3 cannabis compounds are created by the same marijuana mechanisms, which are also known as glands. More specifically, these glands are called the resin glands, which are located in the flower of cannabis plants.
Many people report live resin as being so flavoursome that it becomes overwhelming to the senses, but other people genuinely enjoy and appreciate the potency. It’s all about your personal preferences!
All in all, live resin is taken from the entire plant before it has undergone any processing, as opposed to being extracted from plants that have already been altered.
Live resin quite literally comes from live cannabis plants, whereas other forms of concentrates are extracted from plants that have already been through a process known as decarboxylation.
What is Shatter?
As we mentioned, compared to shatter, live resin has a much higher concentration of terpenes, and subsequently, much weaker scents, as well as less flavorful tastes. Shatter is created as a result of the extraction process that draws out essential oils.
While shatter is massively potent in large doses, it is not the same as live resin, especially due to the fact that it is a hard glass-like substance, whereas live resin is gooey and sticky.
Shatter is basically dried resin – but don’t confuse that as meaning shatter is the same as live resin. Both live resin and resin are different, despite the names sounding identical. The word live is a key term as it sets 2 different forms of resin apart.
Resin is what results from concentrates that have been smoked, and as a result, resin usually sticks to the insides of paraphernalia. Live resin, on the other hand, is extracted from plants before they are even dried to make concentrates that become resin.
Shatter vs Live Resin: Which One is Better?
When deciding which concentrate is more appropriate for you, the best thing to consider is potency, followed by your tolerance levels. Ask yourself if you like a concentrate that contains higher concentrations of terpenes and cannabinoids, or if you appreciate a less potent form of cannabis.
It’s always easier to decide on a form of cannabis when you know yourself and what you want your cannabis to offer you! For example, people who lean towards a more potent type of cannabis will argue that live resin is better, whereas people with lower tolerances might reach for shatter instead of live resin.
Is Live Resin Stronger than Shatter?
Live resin is one of the very few and far between compounds that is actually stronger than shatter. While doing your research into determining whether live resin is more potent than shatter, it’s highly likely that you stumbled upon a word spelled R-O-S-I-N.
Now that you know more about live resin, let’s talk about how it compares to rosin. For people who’ve never seen that word before, it often looks as though resin has been misspelled by accident. But actually, you might be confusing rosin and resin – they are actually very different! Like all forms of cannabis, the difference comes down to the process by which each one is made.
What is Rosin?
Rosin is created as a result of pressurized heat, but shatter is made by introducing a solvent known as butane to the concentrate. If you are looking for a more natural form of cannabis concentrates, then rosin is certainly the better of the two concentrates because nothing toxic is used when creating rosin, whereas shatter is made from the incorporation of butane, which is a dangerous substance on its own.
Rosin vs Shatter: A Summary
One final difference is that rosin has higher THC concentrations than shatter, on average. So, that is definitely something you should keep in mind as well. This fact makes shatter more potent, and therefore stronger, than rosin.
Keep your tolerance in mind when choosing a cannabis concentrate, and if you decide that rosin is the concentrate for you, always start out with a smaller dose to begin with. You can always take more but you can’t undo the decision to take more than you can handle, so proceed with caution!
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