Two vape carts can sit side by side on the shelf, in near-identical hardware, and give you completely different experiences — because the thing that actually matters isn't the pen, it's the oil inside it. The two you'll see most often are distillate and live resin, and they sit at opposite ends of one simple trade-off: how much of the original plant made it into the cart. This guide is about that oil — what each one is, how they taste and feel different, and how to pick the one that matches what you're actually after.

If you're still deciding between an all-in-one disposable and a reusable battery, that's the *hardware* question — our disposables vs 510 carts guide covers it. This one is one level in: once you've got the device sorted, distillate or live resin is what you choose next.

What's the real difference between distillate and live resin?

It comes down to how much of the plant survives the process. Both start as cannabis; they part ways in how far the oil is refined and how much of the plant's aroma is kept along the way.

• Distillate is cannabis oil refined down to nearly a single ingredient — the cannabinoid itself, stripped of almost everything else. The plant's natural terpenes (the aroma compounds) are largely removed in refining, which is why plain distillate is clear-to-pale gold and tastes like almost nothing on its own.
• Live resin is made from cannabis that was frozen fresh right after harvest instead of dried and cured first. Freezing locks in the delicate terpenes that normally fade during drying, so the finished oil carries the plant's own smell and taste — loud, layered, and true to the strain it came from.

So the short version: distillate is the stripped-down, high-purity oil, and live resin is the full-flavor, keep-the-plant oil. Everything else about how they behave flows from that one difference.

Which one tastes like more?

This is the clearest split you'll notice, and it shows up the moment you inhale. Live resin tastes and smells like the plant — the citrus, pine, fuel, gas, berry, or floral notes the strain is known for come through because the terpenes that make those smells are still in the oil. For a lot of Vermont craft fans, that plant-true flavor is the entire reason to buy it.

Distillate, on its own, is close to flavorless — that's not a flaw, it's the point. Because it's so neutral, makers often add terpenes back in to give a distillate cart its flavor, sometimes cannabis-derived, sometimes botanical (fruit or dessert flavors, for instance). That's why a distillate cart can taste like sharp candy or a clean fruit note rather than like flower. If you want a specific, consistent flavor — or no strong flavor at all — distillate delivers it predictably. If you want the messy, complex smell of the actual plant, live resin is the one that keeps it.

Why does distillate usually show a higher number?

On the label, distillate tends to read higher on the potency line than live resin, and there's a simple reason: refining strips the oil down until cannabinoids make up almost the whole thing, leaving little room for anything else. Live resin deliberately keeps a slice of the oil for terpenes — so a smaller share is cannabinoid, and the number on the label comes in a little lower.

It's easy to read that as "distillate is stronger," but the fuller picture is more interesting. Many shoppers report that live resin's combination of cannabinoids and the plant's full terpene profile makes for a rounder, more complete experience than a higher number alone would suggest — while distillate's stripped profile can feel cleaner and more straightforward. Neither is objectively better; they're different characters. Effects vary from person to person, so treat the label as one data point, not the whole story.

What do they look like in the cart?

You can often tell them apart by eye before you even read the label:

• Distillate is usually clear to light gold and thin-to-syrupy — it looks clean and uniform, almost like honey or cooking oil.
• Live resin tends to be darker and more golden-amber, sometimes cloudy or grainy, and can look thicker or more textured. That's the terpene content and the less-refined nature showing through.

Color isn't a quality grade on its own — a clean, light oil isn't automatically better than a darker one, or vice versa. But it's a quick tell for which type you're holding, and it lines up with the flavor difference you'll taste.

So which should you get?

Match it to what you actually want out of the session:

• You want it discreet and neutral: distillate. Minimal smell, minimal flavor, and a clean draw — the low-key pick if you'd rather it not taste or smell like much of anything.
• You want a specific, consistent flavor: distillate, with terpenes added back. If you like a reliable fruit or dessert note that tastes the same every time, this is the more predictable route.
• You want the plant's real character: live resin. The full terpene profile means it smells and tastes like the strain it came from — the pick for flavor-first shoppers.
• You want the fullest, most complete experience: live resin. Many shoppers reach for it precisely because the whole-plant profile feels rounder than a stripped, single-note oil. (Effects still vary by person.)
• You care most about the number on the label: distillate usually reads highest — just remember that's about purity, not a promise of a better experience.

A note on the in-between options

The shelf isn't strictly two boxes. You'll also see cured resin carts (terpene-rich like live resin, but made from dried-and-cured flower instead of fresh-frozen — often a middle-ground price and flavor), and "sauce" or "high-terpene" carts that push the terpene content even further than standard live resin. And plenty of carts blend a distillate base with live-resin terpenes to get high potency *and* real flavor in one. If a label's wording is confusing, ask staff what's actually in it — the name on the front isn't always standardized brand to brand.

Does the oil change how I should vape or store it?

A little. Live resin is more terpene-heavy, which can make it thicker and more temperature-sensitive — many people run it at a slightly lower heat to bring out the flavor without scorching those terpenes, which is exactly what an adjustable 510 battery is good for (more on heat in the disposables vs 510 carts guide). Distillate is more uniform and forgiving, and tends to sit fine across a wider range of settings.

Storage is the same sensible rule for both: keep the cart upright, away from heat and direct sun so the oil doesn't thin, separate, or leak — the same logic in our keeping-it-fresh guide. And whichever you buy, the hardware still holds a lithium battery, so a dead disposable or empty cartridge goes to battery or electronics recycling, never the household trash.

What's on Float On's shelf

You'll find both routes in stock and clearly labeled: live resin cartridges and disposables for the flavor-first, whole-plant crowd, and distillate carts for a cleaner, more neutral, potency-forward draw — including flavored options with terpenes added back. Where a product sits between the two (cured resin, sauce, blended carts), the menu and the package label spell it out. Everything is Vermont-grown or Vermont-packaged and lab-tested when it leaves the store.

Browse what's in stock right now on the live menu, or come compare them at our shop in downtown Burlington, just off Church Street. New to vapes entirely? Start with what to expect your first visit. It's adult-use for 21 and older, public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in Vermont, so keep it for private use at home, and cannabis can't legally cross state lines.