Maintaining a cannabis plant’s terpene levels during production has become vital for cannabis entrepreneurs. It’s not just for the sake of better flavours and aromas, either. Terpenes are said to contribute to the entourage effect, along with other compounds like THC and CBD. They all work together to change the types of highs a consumer experiences from different plants. “You get a more unique experience by trying different live resins, while experiences with different cured resins will often feel pretty similar”, Mat explains. “Live resins are more nuanced.”

Producing live resin comes with a certain set of challenges, though. Mat points out that it requires a lot more room for storage than dried plants. “On top of that”, he adds, “you have to keep live resin frozen — if it thaws out, it’s garbage.” In addition to the need for freezer space, it can also take much longer to get the same level of yield from fresh plants. The equipment used for extraction is based on volume, and you can fit twice as much of the dried plant into the chamber as the fresh plant. What this means, Mat explains, is that “it’s going to take you twice as long to extract the same amount of oil from the fresh plants, compared to dried plants.” Even once the live resins have been produced and stored properly, keeping them at a low temperature while they’re being delivered to new locations is important too. There are tons of advantages to enjoying live resin, but the costs of producing it can add up quickly.