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Entirely new categories of cannabis consumables have come on the market in the last few years. It can be challenging for consumers to keep straight the differences between rosin, resin, distillates and other types of cannabis consumables one might find at a dispensary. Much like a casual alcohol consumer may not be able to readily identify the differences between fine wine and budget bottles based on name alone, the differences between best-in-class and middle-of-the-road cannabis edibles aren’t always clear to the uninitiated.
To make matters more confusing, some products look quite similar, but have key differences at the molecular level. Here, we’ll break down two such products: distillate gummies and hash rosin gummies. While both types of gummy feature a cannabis extract, the nature of the final product and the corresponding experiences are quite different.
Distillate gummies are confections with distilled THC added in. Cannabis distillation is like a high-tech version of an experiment you might have done in chemistry class (with a material you definitely weren’t supposed to have at school). Cannabis is heated to the melting point of its cannabinoids. Then, the compounds are separated out. This process is precise enough that distillates can have incredible potency, up to 99% THC. This makes for an efficient system to add this one particular cannabinoid into gummies and other products.
However, any cannabis scientist will tell you that there is much more to cannabis than THC and CBD, and this is where distillation can fall short. The cannabis plant actually has over 100 cannabinoids, as well as an array of terpenes, the compounds responsible for scents and flavors. If you are satisfied with a typical edibles high, distillates will do the job. However, if you are more interested in a smoke-free experience of the full plant, hash rosin may better fit your aesthetics.
Live rosin comes from a recently developed extraction process, which, unlike other extraction methods, does not use any solvents or chemical processes. That means that you won’t have to worry about the trace residue of a manufacturing process in your edible. To isolate the plant’s natural components, rosin extraction relies on physical forces—cold, heat, agitation and pressure—to yield a cleaner product and consumption experience.
The live rosin process starts by freezing the plant immediately after harvest, which helps to preserve the trichomes that contain the cannabinoids and terpenes. Next, the plant material is placed in an ice-water bath and gently agitated to separate the trichomes from the rest of the plant material. The trichomes are filtered out, creating water hash (aka bubble hash or ice hash), which is then turned into gooey, potent live rosin using heat and pressure.
The result of this process means that the cannabis plant is fully expressed, with the strain’s complete suite of cannabinoids and terpenes. This makes the live rosin experience less generic, and more specific to the cultivar from which it came. All of what you’d get from smoking cannabis flower is preserved in the live rosin, which is the key ingredient in äkta gummies.
We go a step further with our gummies, using a nano-emulsion infusion process that makes them fast-acting. You can feel the first effects in 15-20 minutes, and the full experience comes on in about an hour. That’s because the cannabis components are emulsified in such a way that they are primarily able to enter the bloodstream without first going through the digestive system.
Because making live rosin does not involve any solvents or chemicals and it converts cannabis into a tar-free medium, this form of concentrate is considered by many to be the best option for health-conscious cannabis consumers.
Connoisseurs prefer live rosin because it brings the full profile of the plant into a form that can be used in several different ways, depending on the preferred mode of consumption. For cannabis enthusiasts interested in a health conscious, nuanced edibles experience, live rosin äkta products are an excellent choice.