Good Weed vs. Bad Weed

What is the "Shelf" System?

This tip is especially useful for those who can purchase cannabis from a dispensary. Usually, dispensaries have three distinct shelves for their products. 

Top Shelf: Weed on the top shelf is typically the highest quality. It contains a significant amount of THC and is grown with great care, then cured and dried to perfection. Top-shelf weed should produce an exceptional high and deliver an outstanding taste and aroma. 
Middle Shelf: The middle shelf features mid-grade weed. It's not the best quality, but it can still do the job if you don’t have a high tolerance. Additionally, it tends to be more affordable. 

Bottom Shelf: The bottom shelf is usually home to the least potent cannabis. Often, it consists of leftover clippings from other strains (trim) or broken-off pieces scooped from the bottom of jars (shake). While the standard may be slightly higher than street-level cannabis, bottom-shelf weed typically lacks potency. Unless you're a beginner or have a very low tolerance, you may feel like you wasted your money.
Stem and Seed

Cannabis purchased on the street often contains an abundance of stems and seeds, which offer nothing in terms of getting you high. Stems do little to enhance your experience, while seeds can explode when exposed to heat, ruining your bowl and possibly damaging your expensive glass piece.

Smell & Taste

Well-harvested, dried, and cured weed has a distinct aroma and flavour. Look for cannabis with a clear and pronounced "marijuana musk," indicating freshness and a good terpene content. Bad weed will typically have little to no cannabis scent, or it might smell like something other than weed altogether. 

If your bud smells like freshly cut grass or hay, it was likely poorly grown and inadequately dried and cured. As a rule of thumb, an aromatic hint of chocolate bitterness often suggests an indica strain, while citrus notes typically indicate a sativa-dominant strain. High-quality buds may also display blue or purple hues, indicating a strong presence of anthocyanin. Conversely, if the bud is yellow, red, brown, or tan, it's likely low grade—avoid it.

Trichome Count

A properly grown strain of high-quality marijuana will have buds densely packed with trichomes. Trichomes are responsible for storing the terpenes and cannabinoids that provide smell, taste, and the desired high. They look like sparkling crystals, and while you can see the density with the naked eye, a jeweller’s loupe or similar tool will help you examine them more closely.

Ideally, growers should harvest cannabis when the trichomes are milky white. If more than 50% of the trichomes are crystal clear, the plant was likely harvested too early. Conversely, if more than 50% of the trichomes have an amber tint, it indicates the THC has started to degrade into CBN. While CBN has some potential medical benefits, it generally produces a milder high, which can make you feel sick or tired.

Structure & Trim

High-quality indica buds are usually dense, fat, and tightly packed, while sativa buds tend to be airier and slimmer. After harvesting, growers should trim the buds to remove the fan leaves surrounding the nugs. Hand trimming is preferred for the attention to detail it offers, but many companies now use trimming machines to cut marijuana quickly. These machines often lack the care of hand trimmers and can damage the trichome content, resulting in less potent buds. If the weed appears poorly or inconsistently trimmed, or if it contains a lot of fan leaves, it may not be of high quality.

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