What Is a Distillate Cart?

“What is a distillate cart” is a common question posed by newbies who may feel overwhelmed by the number of vaping options on offer at their local dispensary. Dispensaries, including our locations in Seattle, WA, will typically stock two types of oil more abundantly than others: distillate and live resin.

For people who are new to vaping, it's important to know the difference between these two oils. The question of which is better ultimately comes down to personal preference. However, understanding the main differences can help you choose the products that best fit your needs.

What Is Distillate?

Distillate is one of the purest forms of cannabis concentrate; it consists of almost 100% pure cannabinoids. During the distillation process, all plant material including lipids and fats—as well as other compounds like the plant's terpenes—are removed. This leaves an extremely pure form of the desired cannabinoid; this is commonly THC, but could also be CBD or CBG. The resulting oil won’t contain the flavors or aromas associated with the plant it came from. For that reason, it is commonly used as a base for edibles and vape cartridges.

When purchasing a distillate cart, it’s vitally important to understand the difference between THC and CBD. Whereas THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that causes you to feel high, CBD is not psychoactive and is more commonly used for therapeutic reasons.

Because of its extreme potency—distillates can reach over 99% purity—THC distillate is a product that should be used sparingly. This is especially true for inexperienced cannabis users or those who haven’t tried distillates before.

How Is Distillate Made?

Distillate is made using specialized equipment to extract the active compounds from the cannabis plant and then distill this extract to isolate the target cannabinoid. 

During the first stage, a solvent like CO2, ethanol, butane, or propane is used to dissolve the active compounds from the plant biomass. Fats and waxes are also typically extracted along with cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes. The crude oil created through this process will typically contain 60-80% THC. This oil is then further purified via distillation to separate the target cannabinoid from the rest of the extract’s components.

Distillate vs Liquid Live Resin (LLR)

Distillates and liquid live resin are both cannabis concentrates. Though distillate and liquid live resin share some characteristics, there are some fundamental differences that change how the user will experience the product.

The main difference between distillate and liquid live resin is that live resin retains almost all of the cannabinoids and terpenes found in the plant at the time of harvest whereas distillates don’t retain any terpenes after the refinement process.

There are also other important differences in the extraction process, potency, and smoking experience of distillate vs LLR:

Concentrate	Starting material	Extraction process	Characteristics	Potency
Live resin	Fresh-frozen cannabis plants	Solvent-based extraction, typically using a mix of butane and propane	High terpene content Rich flavors and aromas Sap-like consistency	Highly potent, but less potent than distillate
Distillate	Cannabis extracts	The process has multiple steps:  Extraction Winterization Decarboxylation Short-path distillation	Virtually odorless and flavorless No terpenes Thick, sticky consistency Highly refined	Extremely high potency, THC or CBD concentrations may exceed 99%

How to Choose Between Distillate and LLR

Both of these cannabis concentrates are excellent options for people looking for an intense high. However, you may wish to take the following into account when choosing either a distillate cart or LLR.

	Distillate	Live Resin
Price	Higher price point than live resin because more processing is required to produce it	Lower price point than distillate as it takes fewer steps to produce and is less concentrated
Goal	If you prioritize pure THC over flavor and aroma, distillate is for you.	If you’re looking for a more sensory experience and enjoy the different flavors and aromas of cannabis, live resin may be a good choice. Live resin made with flammable solvents may also have longer-lasting effects.
Profile	Potent but lacking the full spectrum of flavors and aromas	Full range of flavors, aromas, and effects
Experience	Extremely intense high with up to 99%+ THC	Very intense high with around 65-95% THC

The budtenders in your local dispensary can advise you which product may suit you best given the experience you want to have.

FAQs

These are a few frequently asked questions about distillate cartridges.

Does Distillate Get You More High?

Cannabis consumers may experience a different high when using distillate compared to other cannabis concentrates. Distillate offers a more potent high than regular weed because it has a much higher percentage of THC.

It’s important to note that the experience when using a cannabis distillate will be different from the experience when consuming whole flower. Many chemical compounds like terpenes, flavonoids, and minor cannabinoids contained in the cannabis plant contribute to the aroma, taste, and effects of the product. This “entourage effect” is absent with distillate unless terpenes have been added back in.

Can You Smoke THC Distillate?

Yes, distillate can be smoked. You can vaporize THC distillate using an e-nail or a dab rig to inhale the vapors or use a vaporizer or vape pens as long as they can reach a temperature high enough for the concentrate to vaporize. Ready-made distillate carts are intended for vaping.

Alternatively, you can add a drop of distillate to cannabis flower in your pipe or bong to increase the THC level in your smoke. For those who prefer to avoid inhaling, distillate can also be consumed sublingually, in edibles, or used in topical preparations.

What Does a Distillate Cartridge Taste Like?

Because all of the cannabis plant's terpenes are removed during the purification process, distillate carts don't taste like the cannabis flower they came from. Your cannabis cartridge may contain reintroduced terpenes to improve the smell and taste, as without them, distillate has very little taste.

Versatile, Potent, and Pure

Distillate carts are extremely versatile compared to many other cannabis products. You can consume them as a standalone product or use the contents to add a THC-loaded kick to edibles, joints, vapes, dabs, and bongs.

Because of the high potency of distillate, beginners should use distillate carts with caution. However, when approached responsibly, distillates can add a powerful boost and enhance your experience.