How To Tell The Difference Between Good and Bad Weed

14 Sep 2019
How To Tell The Difference Between Good and Bad Weed

The reality of purchasing online weed is not always bright and the worst thing that can happen is spending your hard-earned money on some bud that turns out to be worse than you could ever imagine. If you want to avoid buying bad pot, it’s important to become an expert at telling the difference between good and bad marijuana. Here is a full guide on how to know the difference before you smoke it.

Take a look at your buds

First of all, you should start with a quick visual inspection. There are many signs that are usually easy to see right on the surface.

High and low quality of marijuana

Source: Cannador

Here is what you should check when buying weed:

Colour

This is one of the things that should come to your mind first when discussing the difference between good and bad pot. Good marijuana buds should be rich in green color and, depending on the particular strain, you can also see some shades of purple, orange, yellow, blue, or red. But mostly, your weed should be green.

However, be careful if you see a brown colored bud that looks like it’s too dry. Weed shouldn’t look like this and it’s probably not worth your money, as it may contain chemicals, mold, and pesticides; that being said, it’s not a good idea to smoke or consume it. To sum up, good quality weed should be predominantly green in color and free of any potentially harmful substances.

Trichomes

Look for buds with plenty of trichomes, which are easy to see on the surface of marijuana flowers. See if there are plenty crystals in your weed, I mean, lots of them. Why are trichomes so important? They hold the bulk of your bud’s cannabinoids and THC. The more crystals your weed has, the more sticky to the touch it is.

Hairs vs. leaves

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between good and bad herb is looking for leaves and hairs. Leafy buds are not good, as they usually are less potent and don’t break down well. If you get leafy weed, you’ll have more fluff than pure weed. Good weed should be harvested, cured and trimmed with care.

But if you happen to find weed with little hairs on the end of it, you shouldn’t think twice. This is some good stuff and the more little hairs your weed has, the better it’s going to be. Look for weed with very little stems, steeds, or sticks.

Pure weed

It’s important not to get anything like contaminated marijuana. Make sure you’re getting pure weed, with no mold or bugs.

How to Identify Moldy Weed

Look, Smell or Magnify

The most simple way to check for moldy weed is by looking thoroughly at it. You will notice webbing or dust within the buds; break the bud apart and look closely from the stem to the outside of the flower. If you notice a dustiness, dark spots, mis-coloured, slime or spider-web looking strands, it is likely this weed is moldy.

The next way to identify mold is to smell the flowers. Moldy cannabis will smell like human body odour or old urine smell. If the buds do not smell like rich thricomes or terpenes, take a closer look within the bud to identify physical mold.

Lastly, get a camera with a macro lens or use a microscope. The entire bud should be consistent and if there is something out of place, you may have mold issues.

Identifying mold on weed is not an easy process and takes some time to learn. Unless the cannabis mold is incredibly obvious, you will have to train yourself to notice.

Smell the difference

Smelling marijuana

Source: Potent

Once you’ve given your weed a first glance, proceed further and give it a smell. The scent of your buds can easily tell you many things about the quality of the product. Usually, the smell is as good as your weed is strong. If your cannabis buds are really good, you should be able to smell it through your bag filled with this beautiful flowers.

You’ll easily recognize that herby, sweet and skunky smell of marijuana, which is always pleasant. The smell may be different depending on the particular strain. So, you may pick up delicate tones of lemons, oranges, grapes, and berries. If you’re able to smell this gorgeous scent profile of your buds, it should be good.

Be careful though, if your weed smells bland or dull, it’s a bad sign. Refrain from picking up any scent of moldy grass or other similar odors, as it is a sign of bad marijuana, probably old or dried out.

One of the main keys to telling if your pot is okay or not is the potency of the smell. When it comes to the difference in the standard between particular buds, scent is one of the most important things. There is a simple rule: if your weed doesn’t smell like good stuff, don’t smoke or consume it. Thanks to the endocannabinoid system in our body, it’s really easy for us to tell whether or not weed smells good.

It is also important to know what happens if you smoke too much weed and what to do in this situation.

SEE ALSO: How to Smell Proof Your Room

Take Weed in Your Hands

Take weed in your hands

Source: StonerDays

Good pot should be sticky, not dry. Properly cured marijuana flowers will be slightly dried but mostly sticky. If you feel your buds are too dry, it’s probably not the good batch of weed. Marijuana is best when it’s a little dry, but still sticky enough not to turn into dust when you grind it or break by hand.

Try to find marijuana that is perfectly balanced between dry and sticky. However, don’t mistake soggy or moist buds for sticky buds. If you feel your cannabis is too wet or moistened, it’s simply a sign of bad quality. It’s recommended to touch the weed before buying it, but sometimes it may not be possible. Keep in mind that the texture of your weed will tell you a lot about its potency and quality. You’re aiming at perfectly cured buds that will be dry enough to easily break apart but still feel sticky to your fingertips.

Taste it

It may not always be possible to taste your pot before purchasing it. But if you manage to get a chance, check how your marijuana tastes. When it comes to taste, it’s similar to the way it smells. The palatal feeling of good buds is pure, rich, fresh and sharp. What if your buds tastes bland and off? You should know it’s anything but good and it will produce harsh acrid smoke.

Although there’s  a myriad of things you should pay attention to when testing the quality of your cannabis, sometimes there is no way to tell the difference between good and bad pot until you decide to smoke it. Smoking a joint, spliff or using a bong or pipe will be the final judgment on the quality of the herb.

Remember to avoid shady dealers and always purchase your weed from a trusted source, or at least order from a reasonable dispensary if you own a Medical Marijuana Card. If you have someone who you can trust on the subject of cannabis, you should hold on to him.

The truth is, there will be times when you get bad cannabis for some reason. But over the time, you’ll become a master at determining whether or not you’re getting good stuff.

 

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