Why We Don't Use Distillate

The Distillate Era

For years, distillate was the default for vape cartridges. The process is straightforward: take cannabis oil, refine it repeatedly until you’re left with nearly pure THC, sometimes 90% or higher. Then add terpenes back in for flavor.

It’s efficient. It’s consistent. And it strips out almost everything that makes cannabis interesting.

What Gets Lost

Cannabis contains hundreds of compounds: cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBG, and CBC, plus dozens of terpenes and flavonoids that work together to create the full experience. Distillation removes most of these, leaving a one-dimensional product.

The terpenes added back in after distillation are often botanical, sourced from fruits and plants, not cannabis. Even when cannabis-derived terpenes are reintroduced, the ratios are engineered rather than natural. The result tastes like a flavor, not a strain.

Why We Chose Differently

When we started Alive & Well, the question was simple: would we smoke our own product? Distillate didn’t pass that test.

We wanted a cart that tasted like the flower it came from. That meant preserving the plant’s natural profile through the extraction process, not destroying it and rebuilding something artificial.

So we went with cured resin and live resin. Single-solvent extraction from whole flower or fresh-frozen material. One ingredient. No reconstruction.

The Market Is Catching Up

When we launched our first cured resin carts, we were one of a handful of brands doing it at scale in California. Today, consumers are educated enough to read labels and ask questions. The demand for full-spectrum, strain-specific products is growing every quarter.

Dispensary buyers tell us the same thing: customers who try real resin carts don’t go back to distillate. The flavor difference is that obvious.

What to Look For

If you’re trying to move away from distillate, here’s what to check on the label:

• “Cannabis-derived terpenes” is better than botanical, but check if it’s a full-spectrum extract or reintroduced terpenes
• “Live resin” or “cured resin” means the terpenes were preserved during extraction, not added back
• Terpene percentage. Anything above 5% total terpenes usually indicates a quality extract
• Single ingredient. The best carts list just one: cannabis

Find Alive & Well carts at a dispensary near you.