When buying cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes, choosing the best quality is important to reap the maximum benefits. So, arming yourself with the right knowledge can ensure that you buy a high-quality product.
So, how do you tell the quality of cannabis? First things, first. If you’re growing your own green, then make sure you buy from the best seed banks that ship to the USA. Ideally, choose a bank based on different criteria, from the bank’s reputation to customer testimonials to guarantees and more.
Now, coming to the main point, how to tell the quality of cannabis. Let’s get started:
Things to look for in Good Cannabis
Following are the key signs to look into cannabis:
Smell
When you break the buds, the smell should overwhelm you. A strong smell is the first indicator of how good cannabis is. Cannabis strains with strong smells pack the most powerful punch. So if your bud has a smell of pine, citrus, fruits, or even diesel, it’s a sign of powerful cannabis.
Some cannabis buds have an earthy smell or even a body odor. It’s fine if the smell is pleasant. If your buds smell nothing, clippings, fresh grass, or hay, it means it’s of poor quality. So, avoid it altogether because it’s probably already infected and improperly cured before packaging.
Look
Are there seeds or stems in the weed? Seeds create a nasty smell and unpleasant taste when you combust them. Separating these seeds when crumbling your weed can be a challenge. In addition, they add weight and rip you off potent buds.
Next, coloration is equally important. You want green buds, not brown ones. Although other colors can be red, orange, or purple, you want overall green buds.
Another important thing to look at is the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) crystals on the trichomes. Crystals are where the THC is concentrated, which is why the trichomes can be an indicator of high-grade cannabis. This means the more crystals you see, the more potent your weed should be.
Please note that these crystals should appear cloudy and not clear. Clear crystals are undeveloped, and you may not get potent buds.
Taste
A properly harvested, dried, and cured marijuana strain carries a taste of glorious musk. Find out the weed with a clear and unique marijuana musk. This indicates that the buds are fresh and possess excellent terpene value.
On the other hand, bad weed has little to no cannabis scent. In worse cases, cannabis might smell entirely unfamiliar. If you get buds that smell like hay or freshly cut grass, this means the weed was improperly grown, dried, and cured.
Cannabis has chocolate-like sidenotes, which indicates the strain is Indica. On the other hand, citrus notes indicate a Sativa-dominant variety. As a rule of thumb, good quality cannabis has varying shades of green, from almost neon to a bland grayish.
Some quality buds may also have tints of purple or blue, which is because of the strong anthocyanin content. Never buy yellow, red, tan, or brown buds because they are low-grade.
Stickiness
When you touch or squeeze THC crystals, you’ll feel some stickiness on your hands. This is because crystals on trichomes act like a resin. So, if your cannabis buds feel sticky and not dry when you break them open, it’s a sign of high-quality cannabis.
Buds that crumble easily into dust are probably of low quality. These might have been overly dried. It should be easy to break the bud and snap the stems. It should not crumble or dry in your hands. Overly soft or wet buds also contain mold or mildew.
Bud Structure
Ideally, Sativa should be lighter and fluffier than Indica buds that are often dense and tight. When grown improperly, indica buds start looking like Sativa buds, with open buds and visible stems.
On the other hand, hybrid strains have structural traits like Sativas and Indicas. The pistils (little orange/red hairs) should be dispersed throughout the weed bud. Pistils should not be clustered in some areas.
Moreover, a well-grown and cured cannabis strain should produce buds packed with trichomes. Trichomes store cannabinoids and terpenes that lend taste, smell, and medicinal benefits to cannabis.
While you can easily spot trichome density with naked eyes, you may want to use a jeweler’s loupe to see the full quantity. Growers harvest marijuana when the trichomes have a milky white shade. Under a magnifier, they look like tiny bright mushrooms.
The Moisture Level
It’s important to check the moisture level of buds. Please note that poorly dried weed can negatively affect the quality of cannabis. It also negatively affects the taste and effects when consumed.
Weeds buds can begin to rot or mold inside the bag when not dried adequately before packaging. Moisture levels also impact the price of cannabis. If you pay by weight, you pay for the weight, which evaporates before it’s ready for consumption. So, it takes longer before cannabis is ready for smoking, and you end up with a smaller weight than what you paid for.
Tips to Store Your Weed Correctly
- Store cannabis in the right container. Don’t store marijuana in plastic bags and containers because these materials can affect trichomes due to static. This will also jeopardize the potency of your product.
- Store in a cool and dry place. Store your jars away from sunlight to maintain your cannabis’ freshness. Otherwise, it would make your green vulnerable to moisture, which causes molding. Also, don’t store them in a too chilly place to keep flowers from losing the trichomes. Instead, store jars away from your refrigerator.
Conclusion
Don’t underestimate the impact that poor-quality weed can have on your health. Low-quality cannabis can do more harm than good. So, make sure you always check wee for signs of low quality, like rotten, mold, bad smell, etc.
Try to buy your cannabis from reputable sources, like a reputed dispensary or a licensed local dealer. Always make sure you check legalities in your region (city or state) when considering buying cannabis or growing your own seeds.