New strains and different types of weed provide weed users with a wide range of options. This is the reason why it is always tricky for first-timers to shop good quality weed in Orange County.They can’t figure out what’s good and what’s bad.
If you are one of those, we are here to help you. In this article, you will also learn how to spot bad low-quality weed.
Picking out cannabis is a lot like selecting fresh produce or flowers — you’re looking for something that looks appealing, has a good color, and produces an enticing aroma. Additionally, you want to avoid any glaring defects like mold and mildew, insects, and discoloration. Different qualities can come from the same plant; for example, I’ve seen many dispensaries that separate the prized colas from the small wispy buds found on low- hanging branches (I call these “popcorn nugs”).
Keep in mind a few key points when assessing the visual quality of your cannabis:
- Quality standards vary based on your location and access to cannabis, your personal experiences with the plant, and local cannabis laws.
- There are many other attributes to consider when choosing the best strain for you, including the price, the smell, desired effects, and quantity available.
- A high concentration of trichomes indicates a strain with advanced cannabinoid production, which leads to potent cannabis. However, potent cannabis is not necessarily indicative of high quality — it could be lacking the flavor profile you are looking for, or, for example, it may be a stimulating sativa when you prefer a mellow indica.
- Test data can go a long way in visualizing and understanding the various attributes of each strain, so always look for current and accurate test results from a trusted third-party laboratory.
Let’s check out some examples of low, medium and high-quality cannabis so you can better assess the quality of the buds you’re acquiring.
Low-Quality Weed, Shwag, Dirt Weed
Low quality cannabis (a.k.a. shwag, dirt weed, brick weed, ditch weed, popcorn, bottom shelf, and shake) is brownish with hints of green. Usually compressed into bricks for transit, you’ll find a mix of of seeds, stems, and shake as well as dry, compacted nugs. Once you tease a single bud out of the bunch, you’ll notice that it’s light and leafy, lacking girth, like picking up old dead sticks and leaves out of the dirt.
On the nose, shwag is generally earthy and pungent, often tasting harsh and spicy. Cannabinoid concentration is usually quite low due to improper environmental controls such as superfluous heat, causing the buds to bloom prematurely. There are no bulbous, glittery trichomes present in low-grade cannabis.
Due to harsh environmental elements and improper handling, curing, and storage, bottom-shelf bud often tests high in cannabinol (CBN), a result of THC deterioration; when THC oxidizes, it transforms into CBN. Cannabis high in CBN causes marked drowsiness and sedation, not much elevation. By keeping your low-quality nugs in an airtight receptacle, you can slow down the degenerative process a bit. While high concentrations of CBN may be a sign your dirt weed was mishandled before it reached you, there are some benefits to this underappreciated, low-psychoactive cannabinoid, like pain relief and appetite stimulation. CBN also reduces inflammation and combats insomnia.
On the downside, the lack of care typically results in contamination from pesticides, mildew, mold, and insects. Brick weed may induce headaches or other unpleasant side effects. Buyer beware. The good news? Low prices…?
Top Shelf Dank Weed
When it comes to weed quality, go for nice, dank, beaster. This weed is engineered to be as dope as possible. So, danker weed is better.
Mid-Grade Bud
There is nothing wrong with good mid-grade weed. Though it does not provide you with the same knockout effect you can get from the finest quality weed, but you can have a nice day with mid-grade bud.
Bad Reggie weed
Anyone trying weed for the first time wants to learn about bad weed. This type of weed is the quintessential dirt weed. You should avoid this type of weed at all costs. This can be your last resort. Bad Reggie weed is full of stems and seeds and it is also dry. It is harsh on your lungs.
Characteristics of bad low-quality weed
Bad quality weed is also known by some other names including ditch weed, schwag, Reggie, brick bud, dirt, wack, shake and bunk.
Feel
You are consuming medical weed to get relief from symptoms. And, if you have purchased recreational weed in Orange County, you want to smoke weed and feel high. However, you can’t expect a killer buzz from Reggie weed. This is more mild weed available on the market. Even when it is the worst pot, it is pot. However, it is of no use. Reggie weed will not even hit the system of a seasoned stoner. It does produce some effect, but that effect is not nice.
Smell
Bad low-quality weed has a skunky smell. This smell is commonly associated with weed. However, you can notice a faint sweet component. You will notice that the smell is extremely strong. If you want to feel high or reap the health benefits of medical weed, you should not choose weed with a skunky smell.
Taste
Bad Reggie weed falls short in this area as well. The place where it is grown and the way it is grown also dictate a part of the taste of the weed. However, if it is bad Reggie weed, it will have a taste that is very skunky, very harsh with earthy notes. You may or may not care for this taste. This taste is not one of the worst tastes in the world. However, it lacks the flavor found in top-shelf strains.
Effects
This stereotypical stoner bud does provide you with quick effects. However, the effect is relatively mild. You cannot use this type of weed to treat some serious ailment. You have a long, tough day and you are looking for a great way to relax. This weed can’t help you.
THC Content
The THC content of bad Reggie weed varies from 15–18%. The THC content is 30% in good quality weed. You can also find weed with THC content as high as 60%.
Mid-Quality Weed, Mids
Mid-grade cannabis (a.k.a. mids, beasters, regs, regular weed, and Reggie) is where most North American-grown cannabis weighs in on the quality hierarchy. Decent genetics birth an array of green tones with colorful pistils, mainly mixes of orange and yellow hues. Mids may have frosty trichomes, or not, and boast some average terpene profiles, though it’s rare they’re actually lab-certified. You’ll infrequently find seeds and stems in a stash of mids. However, if the buds have been rushed to market, they may be cured quickly, trimmed carelessly, and nutrients may have been flushed incorrectly. Mids may be moldy, too dry or too wet—characteristics not typically detectable by the intermediate connoisseur or novice. Mid-grade buds harvested in bulk may look rounded rather than leafy, denoting an automated machine trim. Still, mids are generally potent and gratifying. It’s more expensive than shwag, but prices depend on location.