Resin, rosin, and everything between.
A cannabis concentrate is the resin separated from the plant. The useful division is how: solvent-based extraction gives live resin, distillate and diamonds; solventless gives rosin and hash, made with only heat, pressure, ice and water. Cannalab47 lists 550 concentrates.
Concentrate names are a mixture of chemistry, texture and marketing, and shops rarely separate the three. This page separates them. Everything below describes how a thing is made and what that changes, because method is the only part of a concentrate name that reliably tells you anything about what you are buying.
What are the main types of concentrate?
| Type | How it is made | Starting material | Texture | What actually distinguishes it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live resin | Solvent (butane or propane) | Fresh-frozen flower | Sauce-like, aromatic | Terpene-rich because the plant was never dried |
| Cured resin | Solvent | Dried and cured flower | Budder, badder, shatter | Cheaper than live resin; more of the aroma is lost in curing |
| Distillate | Solvent, then distilled | Any cannabis material | Clear, odourless, very high potency | Terpenes stripped out, sometimes added back |
| Diamonds (THCa) | Solvent, then crystallised | Extract left to form crystals | Crystal shards, often in sauce | Highest potency by weight; little aroma alone |
| Rosin | Solventless: heat and pressure | Flower or hash | Thick, opaque, sappy | No solvent touches it at any stage |
| Live rosin | Solventless: ice water, then pressed | Fresh-frozen flower | Pale, buttery, intensely aromatic | The most expensive to make, and priced like it |
| Hash and bubble hash | Solventless: ice water agitation | Flower trichomes | Sandy to putty-like | The oldest method here, and still one of the cleanest |
What does solventless actually mean?
That no chemical solvent is used to strip the resin from the plant — only ice, water, heat and pressure. It is not a purity claim: a properly made solvent extract is tested for residual solvent and has to come in under a state limit before it can be sold, which is one of the 47 analyses we run and publish. Solventless costs more because it yields less, not because the alternative is unsafe.
Why is live resin different from cured resin?
Timing. Live means the plant was frozen immediately after harvest rather than dried and cured first. Terpenes are volatile and a lot of them leave during curing, so freezing keeps a profile closer to the growing plant. That is what you are paying for: aroma, not potency. Cured resin from good flower can test just as strong.
What is CRC, and why do people argue about it?
Colour remediation chromatography — filtering an extract through media to lighten it. It can rescue a batch that would otherwise look dark, and it can also disguise poor starting material. It is not inherently harmful and it is not inherently honest; the argument is about disclosure. Colour is a poor guide to quality either way, which is why we publish the panel rather than photograph the jar.
Does higher potency mean better?
No. Diamonds test highest by weight and taste of almost nothing on their own, which is why they are usually sold in sauce. Live rosin often tests lower than distillate and is the more sought-after product. Potency sets a ceiling; the terpene profile decides the experience. Both are on every certificate we publish.
Questions people actually ask
What is the difference between live resin and live rosin?
One word and one big process difference: resin is solvent-extracted with butane or propane, rosin is solventless and made with heat and pressure after an ice-water wash. Both start from fresh-frozen plants. Rosin costs more because it yields far less.
What are cannabis diamonds?
THCa crystals grown out of an extract, then usually sold sitting in a terpene-rich sauce. They are the highest-potency concentrate by weight and have almost no aroma on their own, which is exactly why they are paired with the sauce rather than sold bare.
Is solventless better than solvent extraction?
Not automatically. Solventless avoids chemical solvents entirely, but a compliant solvent extract must pass residual-solvent testing before sale — one of the 47 analyses we publish. Solventless costs more because it yields less, not because the alternative is unsafe.
What does CRC mean on a concentrate?
Colour remediation chromatography: filtering an extract to lighten its colour. It can legitimately improve a batch and it can also mask poor starting material, so the objection is about disclosure rather than safety. Colour is a weak quality signal regardless.
Which concentrate should a beginner start with?
Something with a moderate potency figure and an aroma profile you like, in the smallest quantity sold. Concentrates are considerably stronger than flower by weight, so the guidance on the dosing page matters more here, not less.
