Live Resin, Rosin and Diamonds: A Plain-English Guide to Concentrates

Concentrates are cannabis with the plant material stripped away, leaving the cannabinoids and terpenes behind. They are considerably stronger than flower. The naming is where people get lost, so here it is plainly.

Solvent vs solventless

• Solvent-based extraction uses butane, propane or CO2 to strip the compounds out, then purges the solvent. This is how most resin is made. Done properly it is clean and efficient.
• Solventless extraction uses only heat, pressure, ice and water. Rosin is the main example. Nothing is introduced that has to be removed later, which is why some people prefer it.

Neither is inherently better. Solventless is harder to produce and usually costs more.

Live vs cured

This describes the starting material, not the method.

• Live means the plant was flash-frozen immediately after harvest. Terpenes are volatile and start degrading as soon as the plant is cut, so freezing preserves more of the aroma.
• Cured means the plant was dried and cured first, as it would be for flower. The result is usually less aromatic but often cheaper.

Diamonds and sauce

Diamonds are crystallised THCA — the acidic precursor that converts to THC when heated. They are close to pure, which is why they are potent. Sauce is the terpene-rich liquid they form in. Sold together you get both potency and flavour, which is the point.

A note on dosing

Concentrates are strong enough that the amount is genuinely small. If you are coming from flower, start well below what feels intuitive and wait before adding more. This is the single most common mistake.

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