It’s an amazing time to be a cannabis lover – there is an abundance of quality and variety like never before, especially in places like San Francisco, California. Alongside this incredible range of choice, we also have more information about the flower we’re buying than ever before.
With so much on offer and all that information, one might assume that everyone always gets exactly what they want, right? Unfortunately not, as even regular dispensary visitors can find the sheer amount of choice and data overwhelming.
In our experience, not enough people are aware of the information they have access to in dispensaries, from the staff knowledge to the lab tests required for every cannabis product in that dispensary.
Most people just want to buy “good” cannabis, but aren’t confident in how to determine the quality of what is displayed in front of them. How do you tell what is “good” out of dozens of options, when you aren’t even sure of what makes something “good”?
This is our guide to buying quality cannabis by using all the available information, staff experience and a few cannabis science basics; to make the most informed decision you can.
Before Purchasing Your Cannabis – Be Prepared
Make sure you’ve got your ID to hand, decide on your budget, and get cash out before visiting – keep in mind, most dispensaries do not accept debit or credit cards. For extra brownie points, make a note of some personal preferences you have when it comes to flavor and effect.
If you have a rough idea of what effects you like and what flavors you find appealing, you’ll be better equipped to select a strain that will satisfy you. Having this information to hand is also a great way to help your budtender, as they’ll be more able to suggest strains that fit your preferences.
Research the Cannabis Brands
With all the choice and diversity we have available, it is more important than ever before to do some homework on any brands you are considering purchasing from.
A lot of California cannabis brands have a strong tradition and legacy that carries over from pre-legalization times, and many of these brands have proved over the years that they are committed to quality cannabis above all else. Sometimes these brands won’t have the most attractive packaging or fanciest marketing, but the proof is in the puffing!
There have been hundreds of new cannabis brands that entered the California market since 2018, and unfortunately many of them are not producing flowers that meet the criteria for making the shelves at Flore. For us, the flower itself, its aromas and the experience it provides the consumer will always be the main factor in deciding how much we like a strain.
Don’t Judge a Bud by its Cover
Often, the cannabis we’d enjoy the most is sitting in modest packaging, and might pass under our radar because other brands have created more eye-catching visuals.
So we advise everyone to check brand websites, learn about their story and their cultivation processes. Look for transparency about how the flower is grown, what medium it is grown in and what type of nutrients/food they give to their plants. This openness is usually a good sign of attention to quality.
As with most consumable goods, it’s worth remembering that “hype” isn’t always justified – and your personal preferences should come first!
Use Budtenders to Guide your Cannabis Purchase
Budtenders can be extremely helpful when you give them an outline of what type of cannabis you are looking for – help them to help you!
A good budtender will also assess the experience and requirements of each person they help. This should include asking the following questions:
- What level of comfort do you have with THC?
- What type of relief or effect are you seeking?
- What flavors do you find appealing in your cannabis?
Likewise, we recommend asking questions to your budtenders, such as:
- Have they tried the flower you are considering?
- What was their experience?
- How did they feel about its potency and effect?
It is also worth asking a budtender about their consumption habits to determine if they will be a good gauge for relating to your level of experience. If possible, speak to multiple budtenders to find out who most closely resembles your level of consumption, as they will likely be the best guides for your specific needs.
Smell Your Weed (if you can)
Quality cannabis will have a pungent aroma that bursts out of its container. This pungency indicates a significant terpene content, which usually means the cannabis you are smelling is fresh. If the aroma you detect when smelling cannabis is one you find pleasant, there is a good chance you will enjoy the experience of smoking that strain – the nose knows!
There is an incredible array of scents in cannabis, and everyone will have their own preference, but there are a few smells to be aware of that indicate quality.
Many cannabis strains have a gassy or skunky aroma, while others have a more citrusy or sweet scent. They can even be a complex blend of all the above and more, such as many of the quality strains currently available in California. The smells that suggest sub-par cannabis quality are: wet grass, hay or ammonia.
Inspect the appearance of cannabis you are interested in
Quality cannabis also has an appealing look, which can present in a range of colors, from rich purples to deep greens. It should have orange or red pistil hairs interspersed throughout its buds, and most importantly, its surface should be dense with trichomes.
Trichomes are the resin glands on the surface of cannabis buds that contain all the cannabinoids, terpenes and other plant goodness that makes cannabis so enjoyable and useful. To do a quick visual check for trichome content, the cannabis should appear to ‘sparkle’ when seen under light, and have a good coverage of these sparkly trichomes across its surface area.
Look for Trichomes
Trichomes = Terpenes & Cannabinoids
For bonus points – take a jeweler’s loupe along with you or ask the dispensary if they have one – sometimes the display jars even have magnifiers on them! Use the loupe or the magnifier to inspect the trichomes – if the majority of them appear to be cloudy or milky, that means that the cannabis was harvested at the perfect time. Cannabis that has been harvested early will have more clear trichomes, while cannabis harvested too late will have mostly amber colored trichomes.
Ask to see a Certificate Of Analysis or Lab Test
This is one of the major benefits of the legal market in California – all cannabis products in any licensed retailer or delivery service MUST pass rigorous testing that verifies potency, safety and ingredients.
California regulations require testing to be conducted by a third-party, state-verified laboratory. Furthermore, retailers must have the Certificate Of Analysis or lab tests on hand for each specific batch of all cannabis products they are selling, and dispensary customers can ask to see them at any time.
COA’s and lab tests check for several characteristics of cannabis flower, the most important are checking that it has passed all requirements for any toxins, mold or microbials.
Look for Terpene Content first, then THC percentage
Another piece of vital information on a cannabis flower COA is the Terpene percentage and variety – this data will give the best indicator for what effects you can expect if you are unfamiliar with a particular strain.
Finally, we can look at the THC and total cannabinoid percentage. Many strains on the California market test around the 20% mark, which is potent enough for most of us if other cannabinoids and terpenes are present.
The access to this helpful data and key safety measure is one of the best features of the current California market, please make sure to take advantage of it!
Look Beyond THC Percentages and Check Batch Labels
THC is important, but not the only molecule that matters when smoking or vaping flower. A higher THC percentage on an older batch of flower will typically be less enjoyable than a lower THC percentage on a fresher batch of flower. This is because the older flower contains less terpenes, which are central to the ‘entourage effect’ of cannabis, and are constantly in a state of evaporation due to their volatility.
Therefore, like most consumable goods, cannabis is best enjoyed when it is fresh. In this case, that means once a cannabis harvest has been properly dried and cured, then packaged.
Fresh Cannabis is Often the Best Cannabis
California cannabis regulations require that companies display the harvest and packaging dates – occasionally labeled as manufacturing and packaging dates. We advise that you inspect the labels on cannabis packaging to make sure you are aware of how long it has been on the shelf.
This is yet another reason to smell your bud and verify its content by asking to see the lab test. By doing this, you can use your sense of smell to detect how pungent a flower is, which is a solid indicator of its freshness and how recently it was packaged. You can also use the scientific data to ensure that the batch of cannabis you are buying contains a range of terpenes, sufficient THC, and other cannabinoids.
Other Useful Information for Buying Cannabis Flower
Terpenes
Terpenes are the aromatic oils that are partially responsible for the scent of cannabis. When inhaled via vaporizing or smoking, the terpenes in cannabis have their own therapeutic effects which also contribute to the psychoactive experience. This is known as the “Entourage Effect” which theorizes that the interaction between cannabinoids and terpenes is what determines the type of effect a particular strain has. Different terpenes are associated with different effects – Linalool and Myrcene are typically more sedating, whereas Limonene and Pinene are usually stimulating. At Flore, we organize our Wall of Flowers by four categories – Active, Creative, Calm and Sleep. We’re always happy to show customers the terpenes on a strain’s lab test, so they can get a better indication of what effect type to expect.
Sungrown or Indoor?
Most of the cannabis available at dispensaries is grown indoors, as it is what the mainstream consumer is accustomed to. What many may not be aware of, is that Sungrown cannabis can be just as enjoyable when grown well! For a full explanation of the differences of each, check out our guide to Sungrown and Indoor flower.
Indica or Sativa?
Neither! Or should that be both..?
Almost all commercially available cannabis has been hybridized, as a result of decades of cross-breeding all strains with one another.
Despite the perception, the visual appearance of a plant’s structure and growth style does not indicate its physiological effects.
After all, everyone experiences cannabis differently and many of us will have seen how the same strain can offer two people opposing effects. When speaking of a strain’s effects, we tend to describe types of cannabis as being somewhere on a spectrum of “Sedating” to “Stimulating”.
Can I buy CBD flower?
Yes! Even though the majority of cannabis strains around these days are often less than 1% CBD, we are seeing more and more CBD-rich flowers make their way to dispensaries.
We’re big fans of both CBD-balanced strains and CBD-dominant strains, as they are great for offering relaxation and stress relief with less intoxication than high-THC flower.
CBD-balanced strains are usually a 1:1 ratio of CBD and THC, offering the best of both worlds, and a ‘softer’ intoxication.
CBD-dominant strains can be as much as 20:1 ratios of CBD to THC, with almost no intoxicating effect, while still offering positive effects and symptomatic relief.
After Purchasing your Cannabis – Hone Your Senses
As you try more and more types of cannabis, you will become better equipped to tell if a particular strain is of a good quality. Each of these experiences will help you in figuring out if a strain you’ve never tried before will be a good fit.
Take notes as you toke!
To really nail down the specifics of what you like about a particular flower, we recommend keeping a simple journal to make notes of your experiences. This is a great way to keep track of what you enjoyed, while expanding your knowledge and familiarity with the tremendous variety of cannabis out there.
Making notes of each strains’ dominant terpenes, smells and flavors will expand your cannabis vocabulary, which will allow you to better explain what you are looking for in future purchases.
You will also gain a deeper understanding of how you respond to various types of cannabis and whether your experience aligns with the effects that are typically associated with that strain.
These are the main factors that we encourage everyone to be aware of when buying cannabis – by using the tips in this guide, you will become exponentially better at identifying “good” quality cannabis and selecting strains that match your desired effect and flavor profiles.
