What is Cannabis Resin?

Resin is the ‘sticky icky’ that gives cannabis its intoxicating and therapeutic power. After being processed, resin can come in many different forms, naturally leading to some confusion among visitors to any New Westminster dispensary. Here’s the down-low on cannabis resin and what you need to know about this special part of the cannabis plant. 

What is Resin?

Resin is a sticky, brown, sap-like substance found in the trichomes of the cannabis plant. It is loaded with potent cannabinoids and flavorful terpenes, making it arguably the most valuable part of the entire plant. Resin can be found in many different places on the cannabis plant, but it is mostly concentrated in its flower buds. 

There are many different ways to squeeze it out and just as many different ways to enjoy it. Products made from resin are called cannabis concentrates, and we’re going to talk about some of our favorite kinds in this article. 

Cannabis Resin Roots

Before we get down to exploring the kinds of concentrates that you’re most likely to find at your local New Westminster dispensary, let's look at a simple one to get a better idea of what resin really is and how you can use it.

Charas are a simple type of resin concentrate made from fresh cannabis flowers that are typically produced in parts of India, Pakistan, and Nepal. They are thick brown balls of resin that are handmade through a simple process. 

To make charas, a fresh bud is picked off the plant and trimmed. It is then gently rubbed in the palm of one’s hand, slowly increasing in speed so the trichome glands warm up and begin to rub off on the maker’s palms. After a while, that sticky resin can then be transferred to a storage container.

You won’t find any of this stuff at your local New Westminster dispensary, but there are several other types of resin concentrates that you definitely will!

Hash

Charas are just one type of resinous hash. Hash has been around for hundreds of years and is produced in many different ways. While most cannabis hash comes in the form of solid bricks, it can also be made by mechanically shaking loose the resinous trichomes to produce a variation called ‘dry sift’ hash. Hash is easy to make and easy to consume, which is probably why it has remained a go-to concentrate for so many people for practically eons. 

Live Resin

Live resin is a cannabis concentrate that is made by flash-freezing freshly harvested plant matter. The plant matter is eventually thawed before going through an extraction process that leaves behind a sticky kind of resin that is loaded with tasty terpenes. 

By using fresh plant material, the best possible concentration of the plant’s natural flavor is preserved. Plant matter destined to become live resin skips the curing process that is key to getting buds ready for smoking. For resin purposes, curing destructs terpenes and degrades flavor. Conversely, a live resin extract made from uncured plant material is one of the tastiest you will find and one of the most enjoyable to dab. 

If you like cannabis concentrates, then we really recommend trying out some live resin for yourself. Most good dispensaries will carry at least one or two varieties of live resin on their menu, so take a look around for a local New Westminster cannabis store where you can find some. 

Rosin

Rosin is another kind of resinous concentrate that you’re likely to find at your local New Westminster dispensary. It’s made through a pretty simple process that basically uses heat and pressure to squeeze the resin right out of the plant. In fact, it’s so simple that some people can even successfully do it at home with a curling iron, some parchment paper, and their favorite buds (not that we’re recommending this route). 

Additionally, many people prefer rosin to other kinds of resinous concentrates because, like hash, it is produced through a mechanical process that does not require the use of any solvents. Clean, potent, and tasty, rosin is definitely one to keep an eye out for next time you’re down at your local New Westminster cannabis store.

Butane Hash Oil (BHO)

At one point, BHO was probably the most common type of cannabis concentrate. Nowadays, it’s taken a back seat to extracts such as live resin and rosin, but many people still enjoy vaping, dabbing, or smoking BHO extracts. 

This type of concentrate is made by using a butane solvent to strip plant material of its resinous trichomes before purging that solvent back out, leaving a final product that contains many times more cannabinoids and terpenes than plain flower. BHO is a more potent concentrate than hash and is usually even more potent than rosin, but it can often lack terpenes, and as a result, have a lackluster flavor. 

Burnt Resin

Desperate times have called for desperate measures. If you’ve ever run out of cannabis to smoke, you may have scraped some resin from the inside of your pipe or the stem of your bong. This is the black and tarry-looking stuff that collects inside of your smoking utensils after some time of regular use. 

This stuff is still resin, but it is burnt resin. What’s the difference? Burnt resin has already lost most of its psychoactive material and is much weaker than other kinds of resin. It’s also much harsher to smoke and tends to contain a lot of carbon from ash. Basically, it’s not going to get you very high, it’s going to taste awful, and it’ll probably have you coughing up a storm. We recommend against this option.

It’s worth mentioning that resin pulled from the stem of a water pipe, such as a bong or a bubbler, may also contain mold or mildew, depending on how long it’s been sitting there. So maybe leave it alone. Better yet, clean your stem.Skip the resin in your pipe, too (or clean it) and make a trip to your local New Westminster cannabis store instead for some fresh, tasty, and highly effective concentrate options.