Distillate vs. Liquid Shatter vs. Live Resin: A brief comparison

There are differences between shatter vs distillate, we discuss it along with another popular type of extraction called live resin.

Cannabis extracts

Marijuana is gaining its popularity over the years in medical and recreational user groups. The cannabis extracts are used for vaping both by casual and medical users. Cannabis concentrates can be extracted in many ways.

This article explains the difference between live resin, liquid shatter, and distillates.

Before we discuss the difference between the extraction methods, we should take a look at the terpenes, available forms of cannabis briefly.

Different forms of cannabis

To consume marijuana you are given various options. You can choose from edibles, gummies, cannabis-infused drinks, distillates, live resin, etc for vaping.

What are Terpenes?

Terpenes are the essential oils present in the cannabis flowers. They give aroma and flavors to the cannabis strains. Cannabis plants are classified based on their THC content and also on the terpenes.

Each terpene has its own flavor and aroma. Terpenes also have medicinal properties. They help with many health conditions like anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic stress, and pain, etc.

The common terpenes are listed below

• Limonene
• Borneol
• Alpha Bisabolol
• Alpha-Pinene
• Caryophyllene
• Linalool
• Eucalyptol
• Delta 3 Carene
• Cineole
• Beta-Pinene
• Terpineol
• Myrecene

Did you know that distillates don’t have terpenes? That is the reason why shatter vs distillate is a common question among cannabis users.
What are distillates?

Distillate contains pure THC and has high potency than other types. It contains 95% potency that is not recommended for new cannabis users, as the pure form of THC might have severe effects on inexperienced persons.

Short path distillation, the cannabis extraction method that uses heat to separate contaminants and produce concentrates. The end product is a clear concentrate that is free from contaminants.

The molecules are separated and refined during the extraction process. Other extraction methods do not make such pure concentrates, for this reason, it is considered as the top-quality concentrate.

Though this method produces pure and high concentrate, there is a disadvantage. This method destroys terpenes. Cannabis buds are known for their terpenes – the natural compounds that give the aroma and flavors.

With this short path distillation, the end-product does not have terpenes. Some users are not happy with this as the natural content gets lost. The heat used to create the concentrate during the extraction process affects terpenes.

As a result of the heat and short path distillation, you can’t say whether it is Indica or Sativa. To improve the aroma and flavor of the extract, artificial flavors are being added. This makes it more like Sativa or Sativa dominant ones.

Distillates are available as e-juice and Fog Pods forms. Though it loses its natural form, many users like distillate for its high potency.

What is liquid shatter?

Liquid shatter is another potent form of an extract from marijuana. It contains about 80% of potency. In terms of appearance, it looks like honey with mild variations in transparency and colors.

The warm extract looks like thick honey and the texture changes to glass when it gets cold. Also, the cold, glass-like extract gets shattered when dropped, thus it got the name “shatter”.

This method of extraction involves the use of solvents. The commonly used solvents in liquid shatter extraction of cannabis plants are butane, carbon-di-oxide or propane.

The solvents are used during the extraction process and then they will be evaporated from the extract. As a result, you get the extract without solvents, this method extracts the chemicals from cannabis buds without destroying the terpenes.

Since the terpenes are not affected by liquid shatter extraction, you can differentiate the extract whether it is Sativa or Indica.

How potent is liquid shatter?

Liquid shatter is the second most extracted form of cannabis buds. You can get 80% high potent extracts, however, you should dilute them before vaping.

Though dilution can reduce their potency to a little extent. About 30% of the potency may be reduced because of dilution.

The advantage of liquid shatter is its varieties. You can choose from grape, ice, strawberry, banana, pineapple, or just plain flavors. As this method preserves terpenes you can also choose between, hybrids, Indica or Sativa based on your needs.

This makes the liquid shatter as a recommended one for both medical and casual users.

What is live resin?

Live resin is another method used to extract the concentrates from cannabis. This method is modern and popular. In other extraction methods like distillate or live shatter, there is no freezing involved.

Live resin helps you to keep the terpenes as they are. Since terpenes get destroyed or evaporated when they exposed to heat, this method is designed to overcome this problem.

Fresh cannabis flowers and buds will be flash-frozen immediately after they are harvested. This makes the terpenes to stay for a long time.

The frozen flowers and buds will be treated with butane during the live resin extraction process. Then the butane will be removed by treating with warm water which is less than 45 degrees. To get rid of the remaining butane, a vacuum chamber will be used.

As a result of the live resin extraction, you can get the flavorful and aromatic cannabis extracts.

Live resin is also considered as strong cannabis extract as they have the exact amount of terpenes from live plants.

Which cannabis extraction method is better?

With its psychoactive effects like euphoric, happy, relaxed – cannabis is used for medical purposes. The effect and potency of cannabis strain depend on the form you intake.

Live resin, liquid shatter, and distillates can be considered as a better way to consume cannabis as they retain the effects of terpenes.

One type of extract is different from the other, if you take shatter vs distillate, the potency of distillate is high and it is ready for consumption without dilution.

The effect of cannabis extract can last for hours depend on the dosage, potency, age, gender and the experience of the user. For new and inexperienced users smaller doses are recommended.

Cannabis is legalized in Canada and available for everyone’s consumption. Whether you are taking it as medicine or casual use, remember that marijuana takes time to kick in. Read the labels carefully before you take any type of cannabis products.