Live Sauce

Live Sauce Cannabis Concentrate: What It Is + How It’s Made

  • Cannabinoids and terpenes found in cannabis buds can be extracted and refined to produce a product called live sauce, or sap.
  • The color and consistency of live sauce is similar to that tree sap.
  • Live sauce has an extremely high terpene content making it a favorite of fans of cannabis concentrates. 
  • Live sauce can be smoked, vaporized, and also used in cooking. 

What is live sauce? 

It’s a form of cannabis concentrate that’s very potent and high in aromatic oils called terpenes. Because the product is high in terpenes it produces an entourage effect which greatly alters the effects while offering a super aromatic experience. 

These days, we all have access to a myriad of different cannabis concentrates our local marijuana dispensaries. They all receive their names from their appearance — color, malleability, and texture. Shatter looks like amber glass, budder looks like butter, crumble is crumbly, and sugar looks granular. 

Live sauce, Alternatively known as “sauce” or “sap” is another candidate. Live sauce has a viscous, tree sap-like consistency and includes both a solid and liquid portion. The solid component of live sauce is composed of minute cannabinoid crystals. And the liquid portion contains terpenes. If you look closely at a dab of live sauce you’ll see the gleaming cannabinoid crystals swimming in the amber liquid.

Live sauce is one of the priciest products on the market at the moment. The high price tag is due to its unwavering promise of pure quality hits,  pleasing flavor, and powerful, instantaneous medicinal effects. The manufacturing process involves a substantial amount of time and effort, special equipment, and highly skilled labor.

Medical marijuana doctors often recommend sauce made from an appropriate cannabis strain that’s high in specific terpenes. Live sauce made from marijuana must be purchased at a state-licensed dispensary. Live sauce made from hemp is high in CBD and contains negligible amounts of THC. It’s non-intoxicating and is legal nationwide. Anyone can buy live sauce online or at a smoke shop as long as its made from hemp. 

Let’s delve into the process required to extract this unique product!

How is live sauce made?

Most concentrates are extracted using heat, which can destroy a good portion of the terpene content. Terpenes evaporate very quickly when heated. For live-sauce extraction, the freshly harvested plants are cryogenically frozen at temps below -292F to preserve the integrity of the terpene profile.

The extraction process used for the hydrocarbon extraction of live sauce is a laborious one,  requiring ideal conditions, and high-end equipment to properly initiate the flash-freezing of cannabis flower.

The preservation of the high terpene content is precisely why this product is dubbed “live sauce.” After a cannabis plant is harvested and hung to dry, it loses approximately 70 to 80 percent of its terpene profile within the first week of curing. When the freshly harvested plants are immediately frozen, the terpene content is undisturbed and maintains a “live profile.”

The other steps in the extraction process for making “live sauce” are similar to those used for other extracts, in that solvents such as butane, supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2), and ethanol are employed.

One of the main goals in the making of live sauce is to ensure the crystallization of the cannabinoids and to separate them from the terpenes. These qualities are what make live sauce unique when compared to other extracts.

Live sauce also requires a longer processing period than cannabis concentrates. It takes extra time to completely remove the solvents. For example, the final solvent-purging process utilized in the making of shatter requires placing the substance in a vacuum oven for 24 to 72 hours. This amount of time ensures the removal of all remaining solvents.

However, live-sauce producers purposefully leave the solvent in the mixture for up to a few weeks to initiate the crystallization of THCA and CBDA cannabinoid compounds. Furthermore, some extraction experts attempt to create smaller or larger crystals by manipulating the temperatures used throughout the process. This essentially controls the length of time required for the evaporation of the residual solvents.

When the arduous process is complete and the residual solvents have fully evaporated, the result is the precious live sauce, abundant in cannabinoid-rich crystals and terpene-heavy oils.

How is “live sauce” used?

Smoking live sauce

You can smear Live sauce on a rolling paper, then sprinkle in some dried flower, roll it up, and smoke it. The live sauce will definitely boost the flavor and heighten your experience! However, use it sparingly or your joint will get smoky and not burn properly. You can also pack your favorite pipe or bong with some bud, then smear a little live sauce on the edge of the bowl (or right on top of the bud), and light it up. Just don’t touch melted sauce or it will stick to your fingers and burn you.

Vaping live sauce

You’ll need to talk to your favorite budtender at the dispensary and ask them for a vape pen designed specifically for vaping oily concentrates such as live sauce. Some dispensaries also sell special live sauce vape cartridges that will work with your regular vape pen battery.

Dabbing live sauce

Dab rigs are probably the best method for consuming live sauce. These devices are designed specifically for use with concentrates. Dabbing with live sauce can be a tad tricky as it can be runny. 

Making edibles with live sauce

You can also make edibles with live sauce. However, keep in mind that terpenes aren’t nearly as pleasant on the tongue as they are in the nose. They smell fragrant, but they taste awful. Using too much can make things like brownies taste “green.” To make edibles with live sauce simply melt it into some vegetable oil or butter and then use that in your recipe.

Keep in mind that live sauce is super potent. When used in small amounts it produces marvelous effects. However, when overdone it can cause an unpleasant experience, especially in the form of edibles which take some time to produce effects. Wait an hour or more before consuming more.

How to get live sauce:

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