Is Resinator’s Live Dried, Cryo-Trim™️,Crop-to-Cure™️ flower any good?
At MJBizCon 2023, I got to try a jar of Node Labs grow of Compound Genetics’ Apples and Bananas that had been “live dried” by The Original Resinator. It wasn’t the exact cultivar but it was the same winning team behind the recent Emerald Cup award for Innovative Product: Consumable. The question that the Original Resinator asked on their ‘gram was:
A note on the texture of live dried flower: The nug was so large, it was impossible to take out of the jar. Instead, I tried as much as I could, but any part of the nug I grabbed and exerted pressure on, crumbled to dust. I was able to remove tiny “dabs” of flower dust which made it very easy to skip my grinder and pack a bowl. That’s how crunchy it is. Some might view this as the equivalent of bringing Colorado or Nevada style flower to Cali.
A note on the dominant smell of the live dried flower: chlorophyll from the less than ideal trimming conditions. When you trim before drying and curing, you end up with that mowing-the-lawn-in-the-rain smell. Once you break open the nug, you get one nice smell of how loud the flower used to be, then it’s gone forever. Certainly not going to be run into again during the smoking process.
For flower that’s just going to get powdered anyways and stuffed into prerolls destined for plastic tubes, and consumption within a few days, it might suffice. But we all know that’s not how long products sit on the shelf before they’re bought. This live dried cannabis flower is going to be a sad imitation of real properly post processed flower no matter what form factor you put it in. The only use I can think of right now is if the end goal is to make plant matter infused kief.
Let’s be clear, compared to conventional drying, curing, and trimming techniques, the Resinator creates an inferior product from a connoisseur perspective. It only makes sense if you’re only about the bottom line and are willing to sacrifice the quality standard of your flower to make an extra buck. As an economist though, I imagine that this will be a popular item in the race to the bottom and from that end, there’s no denying the industry impact of this type of tech. Especially once you consider the time you’re potentially saving. 24 hours versus 24+ days.
There’s also such a dearth in proper post processing techniques that it’s entirely possible that cannabis executives see this live-dried product, identify it as superior to the boof they’ve been putting out, and think that this new post-processing will get them a better finished product. There’s no doubt that it looks nice, but that’s as far as the appeal goes for me.
Honestly, seeing Node Labs flower get this treatment makes me a little sad. This is the state of the industry. Having seen cure-en-route’s effects on market quality, this “innovation” doesn’t surprise me – just makes me sad for all the dispo custies that won’t be able to see flower in all its glory because of cost saving measures like this.
Editor’s Note: A fellow Ganjier let me know that this freeze dried flower will sponge up whatever humidity is or isn’t in the air. I opened it up in a bathroom after a shower and boy did the texture change. Frankly speaking, considering I first popped the jar in Nevada’s desert, I think it’s reasonable to assume that your first experience with Resinator’s live dried is almost guaranteed to be better than mine. I can now almost see how in certain microclimates, popping a jar of this open and letting it “breathe” like a bottle of wine could resemble a nice experience. Like how that Mountain House meal tastes just right on Day 6 of the trip at 10000′.
“What did you think of the live dried?!”Here’s my answer which I hinted at in my MJBizCon 2023 recap article:
“If you as a consumer ever see the words “live-dried” i suggest you run-don’t-walk away. I got to try a giant nug of freeze dried “cryo-trimmed” and “live-dried” flower. The cultivar was Compound Genetics’ Apples n Bananas x PF1 #3 and it was grown by Node Labs which I’ve tried flower from when it’s properly dried, cured, and trimmed (in that order). The nug was too big to come out of the jar, all I could do was pinch it and take out perfectly finger ground dust one pinch at a time.”
Live Dried cannabis flower just isn’t that good
A note on the texture of live dried flower: The nug was so large, it was impossible to take out of the jar. Instead, I tried as much as I could, but any part of the nug I grabbed and exerted pressure on, crumbled to dust. I was able to remove tiny “dabs” of flower dust which made it very easy to skip my grinder and pack a bowl. That’s how crunchy it is. Some might view this as the equivalent of bringing Colorado or Nevada style flower to Cali.
A note on the dominant smell of the live dried flower: chlorophyll from the less than ideal trimming conditions. When you trim before drying and curing, you end up with that mowing-the-lawn-in-the-rain smell. Once you break open the nug, you get one nice smell of how loud the flower used to be, then it’s gone forever. Certainly not going to be run into again during the smoking process.
For flower that’s just going to get powdered anyways and stuffed into prerolls destined for plastic tubes, and consumption within a few days, it might suffice. But we all know that’s not how long products sit on the shelf before they’re bought. This live dried cannabis flower is going to be a sad imitation of real properly post processed flower no matter what form factor you put it in. The only use I can think of right now is if the end goal is to make plant matter infused kief.
Let’s be clear, compared to conventional drying, curing, and trimming techniques, the Resinator creates an inferior product from a connoisseur perspective. It only makes sense if you’re only about the bottom line and are willing to sacrifice the quality standard of your flower to make an extra buck. As an economist though, I imagine that this will be a popular item in the race to the bottom and from that end, there’s no denying the industry impact of this type of tech. Especially once you consider the time you’re potentially saving. 24 hours versus 24+ days.
There’s also such a dearth in proper post processing techniques that it’s entirely possible that cannabis executives see this live-dried product, identify it as superior to the boof they’ve been putting out, and think that this new post-processing will get them a better finished product. There’s no doubt that it looks nice, but that’s as far as the appeal goes for me.
Honestly, seeing Node Labs flower get this treatment makes me a little sad. This is the state of the industry. Having seen cure-en-route’s effects on market quality, this “innovation” doesn’t surprise me – just makes me sad for all the dispo custies that won’t be able to see flower in all its glory because of cost saving measures like this.
Editor’s Note: A fellow Ganjier let me know that this freeze dried flower will sponge up whatever humidity is or isn’t in the air. I opened it up in a bathroom after a shower and boy did the texture change. Frankly speaking, considering I first popped the jar in Nevada’s desert, I think it’s reasonable to assume that your first experience with Resinator’s live dried is almost guaranteed to be better than mine. I can now almost see how in certain microclimates, popping a jar of this open and letting it “breathe” like a bottle of wine could resemble a nice experience. Like how that Mountain House meal tastes just right on Day 6 of the trip at 10000′.Founder of The Highest Critic
Unpaid /r/trees mod
Certified Ganjier
Kine bud enthusiast
Bravo,keeping the consumers informed!!
Thanks Ochoooo.