What Is Resin Weed & How Is It Produced?
There are various ways to enjoy weed, from the traditional way of rolling up bud or using pipes and bongs to the modern methods of vaporizing resin. However, the term resin has several different meanings in cannabis, which can confuse some consumers.
Resin in weed can refer to several products, including live resin – a solvent-based concentrate made from live cannabis material, the tar-like residue that builds up in bongs, or the sticky organic compound secreted by the plant that makes weed buds sticky. This substance has a lot of uses in cannabis, but first, what is resin weed?
What Is Weed Resin?
If you have ever touched cannabis buds, you know they are very sticky. That sticky substance is what’s referred to as weed resin. It is similar to the sap produced by trees in response to injury, but unlike tree sap which is mainly made of sugars, cannabis resin consists of trichomes.
Various parts of the plant produce resin, but it’s usually heavily concentrated on the buds of an unpollinated female cannabis bud. Resin is valuable in cannabis because it contains high concentrations of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.
In live cannabis, resin functions as the plant’s immune system. This gooey plant byproduct contains substances that repel insects and some herbivores that may attack the plant. When the plant matures, the terpenes in resin produce a scent that attracts insects to help pollinate the flowers and aid the plant’s survival.
All weed strains produce resin, but it’s heavily concentrated in some more than others.
Cannabis resin varies in colour, but generally, it has an amber, golden tone when extracted. It can, however, change colour due to changes in temperatures or oxidation.
Weed resin can also refer to the tar-like residue in smoking implements like bongs or pipes. This ‘resin’ is formed as a byproduct of cannabis combustion and is mostly ash, tar and carbon. More on this type of resin later.
What Is Weed Resin Made Of?
Weed resin is secreted by glandular trichomes – the gorgeous sparkling bits on the buds that contain high THC levels. The cannabis plant can produce more than 100 different chemical compounds, and many of them can be found in this gooey substance called resin.
So what is weed resin made of? Cannabis resin contains three types of chemical compounds responsible for the cannabis experience as we know it. These are terpenes, cannabinoids and flavonoids.
Resin from the plant contains a wide range of cannabinoids, including THC, CBD, CBC, CBN, CBG, among others. THC is the cannabinoid responsible for the high effect you experience after smoking or dabbing weed.
Cannabis resin also contains a large number of flavonoids and terpenes, which make it a very fragrant and aromatic concentrate. Live cannabis extracts like this Sour Diesel live resin from LowPriceBud can preserve this terpene-flavonoid profile that is otherwise lost during drying and curing the buds.
5 Ways How Resin Is Collected From The Cannabis Plant
There are several ways to make resin weed. Techniques vary from simple physical extraction methods to complex processes that require ultra-modern lab equipment and trained operators. Basic techniques involve applying pressure and heat and can be done at home.
However, the resin weed you buy from online dispensaries is usually extracted using sophisticated equipment.
So how is weed resin produced?
1. Physical Methods – Hand Rolling
This is the traditional way of collecting cannabis resin and is still widespread in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. This process is not complicated and can be done by anyone with access to growing weed plants.
First, fresh buds are trimmed earlier in the flowering cycle before pistils begin to dry. The bud is then held between two hands and rubbed. As the speed increases, heat is generated, and the trichome resin glands start sticking to your hands.
When enough resin collects on the palms of your hands, scrape it and press into a hash-like pad or roll to create a malleable ball called ‘charas.’
2. Sieving
This is another physical method of creating resin, but instead of rubbing the buds between your hands, you rub them over a screen. This screen separates the fragile trichome resin glands from the plant material.
The powder collected is known as kief – it’s the same substance that accumulates in your grinder. Kief can be consumed as it is or pressed into hashish. Kief is sometimes heated to activate the cannabinoids and make it easier to shape.
3. Rosin
Rosin is produced by pressing dried and cured cannabis buds under a combination of heat and pressure to release a THC-rich resin. Some people place a few nugs between a piece of parchment paper and flatten it with a hair straightener.
This method will give you a quick and easy extract but not as much as you can get with a hydraulic press. This, however, means you can buy bud online and make some rosin yourself!
4. Solvent Methods – Live resin
Live resin is extracted from ‘live’ cannabis buds. To make live resin, cannabis plant material is flash-frozen to maintain the natural terpene and flavonoid profile. The resin is then extracted using solvent extraction in a process that maintains ultracold temperatures.
Live resin is popular because it contains a wide range of terpenes and flavonoids that would otherwise be lost during the curing process.
5. Butane Hash Oil
Also known as BHO, or honey oil, butane extraction is one of the most popular ways to extract resin. Butane separates the trichome resin glands from the plant material.
The end product is a pure, golden resin substance used to create several popular BHO concentrates, including wax, shatter, crumble, etc.
What Is More Potent? Weed Or Resin?
What is more potent, weed or resin? Resin contains the trichome glands that produce THC, terpenes and flavonoids. This means that it has a higher THC concentration than the flower itself, and it is also more flavorful due to the high levels of terpenes and flavonoids.
An example of potent resin products is BHO wax and shatter. These products can contain anywhere between 60-90% THC. Compare that to the most potent strains whose buds contain 30% THC at most. Regular buds contain between 15% and 25% THC.
That means resin can be anywhere between two to 6 times more potent than cannabis flower.
What About The Cannabis Resin In The Bottom Of Pipes?
The dark goop that collects on the sides and at the bottom of a cannabis pipe is also referred to as resin. This substance is mostly ash, tar and carbon, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so it can be reclaimed and used again.
However, this reclaimed resin is burnt resin. It has lost most of its THC, terpenes and is most likely not safe to use, especially if it has been sitting in a damp pipe for some time. We don’t recommend using reclaimed resin.
Smoking tar is harmful, and you probably won’t get much effect anyway. If you are out of buds, it’s better to buy cheap weed online or get some high-quality resin.
Where To Buy High-Quality Resin Weed Online In Canada
Don’t risk your health smoking the sticky byproduct in your pipe or dab rigs. Instead, buy high-quality buds from one of Canada’s leading online dispensaries at the lowest prices in the market today. LowPriceBud is a mail order online dispensary that stocks a wide variety of products, including live rein, hash, rosin, buds, and cannabis concentrates.
At LowPriceBud, we provide premium quality weed at guaranteed lowest prices in the market. Order weed online from us today, and we’ll deliver it to you anywhere in Canada.