How to Spot the Best Cannabis Flower: 8 Qualities You Need to Look For

• We’re laying out everything you need to know to spot the best cannabis flower. 
• The best cannabis has the right color, texture, and a strong scent. 
• Cannabis testing helps ensure the best cannabis is also the cleanest and safest flower. 
• Read on for the 8 things you need to look for in good flower.

7-minute read

How to Choose the Best Cannabis

We totally get it. Cannabis can get a little complex. There’s so many different strains out there, it’s easy to get lost amongst the indicas, sativas, kushes, and cookies. And with legalization sweeping the country, there’s even more cannabis out there to sift through. That also means that there’s increasing variations in cannabis quality. So it’s important to know how to find the best cannabis. How do you do that? As always, we’re here to help. We’re laying our all the things you need to look for so that the next time you’re buying flower, you’ll know how to recognize the difference between great, average, and substandard flower.

#1 Cannabinoid Content

The first thing you’ll want to pay attention to is the cannabinoid content—primarily THC and CBD. The percentage will let you know how strong the flower is. It’s a common misconception to think that the higher the percentage, the better the flower. But that’s not necessarily the case. There are super high THC strains of flower out there with 27% to 35%, or even higher. But really high THC content can exponentially increase the price of your flower without increasing the quality of your experience enough to justify it. Some people even find that flower with too much THC can make them feel sick.

The Sum of the Parts

We’re firm believers in the entourage effect. The entourage effect explains that the individual components of cannabis have a greater effect when they’re consumed together than separately. The best cannabis comes from the perfect combination of everything the plant has to offer. That includes a winning interaction of terpenes and minor cannabinoids, not just THC. Craft growers have also told us that the THC content in their best flower is usually in the 18-23% range. But there’s more to it than just the strain’s THC content.

Think About the Kind of Effects You Want

Along with THC and CBD, cannabis contains several other important cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are the active chemical compounds that contribute to the effects each strain produces. Since THC is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, it’s a big consideration. Do you want to feel euphoric? Or do you need to stay mentally clear while relieving pain or anxiety? If the former, then choose a high THC strain. But if the latter, then you likely want to focus on CBD.

Focus on CBD if You Don’t Want Psychoactive Effects 

CBD won’t cause any psychotropic effects. But it’s widely recognized for its potential health and wellness benefits. We love CBD for enhancing sleep as well as relieving pain and anxiety. So if you’re going for those effects, look at flower with high CBD content. Keep in mind, though, that our doctors have advised us that CBD is more effective when it’s combined with at least a little THC. For instance, you can get strains that have just enough THC to supercharge your CBD without any noticeable psychoactivity. So, before you buy flower, check the cannabinoid content to make sure it’s the best cannabis for you.

The Growing Process is Important

It’s also really important that the grower properly cures their flower. A strain could have all the THC in the world. But if the grower doesn’t properly cure their flower after they harvest it, a lot of the THC can be lost. So super high THC won’t guarantee you a great experience. On the other hand, a low cannabinoid content will definitely decrease the strain’s effects right off the bat.

#2 The Best Cannabis is Clean Cannabis 

The best cannabis flower is also contaminant-free. Of course, none of us want to ingest contaminants. But that’s especially important with cannabis. That’s because the cannabis plant is a particularly strong bioaccumulator. Its roots are specifically good at drawing pesticides and pollution out of the soil. In fact, cannabis is so good at drawing contaminants out of the soil that industrial hemp is used to clean up toxic waste sites. So, if there is anything bad in a grower’s soil, the cannabis plant will draw those contaminants out of it and into itself. You don’t want any of that! That’s why it’s really important to buy from a trusted, legal source.

#3 The Best Cannabis is Reliably Tested

Anytime you’re buying cannabis, make sure the grower used a reputable lab to test it for purity. To see if cannabis flower has been tested, look for its Certificate of Analysis (COA). Depending on the state, COAs can be accessed through QR codes or other means on the packaging. They’ll tell you everything you need to know about what’s in the flower you’re buying. Knowing this information helps you determine which is the best cannabis for you.

Passing the Test

Labeling and testing requirements vary state-to-state. But most require test results for pesticides, heavy metals, fungus, and other biological pests. Testing also makes it easier to determine whether the strain has the best cannabinoid and terpene profile for you. Cannabis is natural. So every harvest is slightly different. Besides purity, testing definitively determines the percentages of cannabinoids and terpenes in each crop.

#4 The Stronger the Fragrance, the Better the Bud

Did you know that all of the best cannabis flower has one thing in common? That’s a strong fragrance. In fact, a strong scent is the most important indicator that you’ve got quality cannabis. Cannabis that’s been cured and cultivated to the highest standards will produce a strong, yet pleasant aroma. Scent is all about terpenes. They naturally occur in all plants, including cannabis. Terpenes are what give every plant their distinctive smells, tastes, and effects.  In cannabis, terpenes are most abundant in the trichomes of the female plant. Its trichomes contain the resin glands that produce both its terpenes and cannabinoids. So, the stronger the scent, the stronger its effects—whether it’s citrusy, earthy, piney, or whatever.

How Should the Best Cannabis Flower Smell?

One of our fave terpenes in cannabis is limonene. It’s the same citrusy terpene you know from lemons. Just like in food, terpenes help determine what your experience of cannabis will be like. That’s true whether you’re looking for a strain that’s calming, stimulating, relaxing, or sleep-inducing. Since terpenes may have health and wellness benefits all on their own, that’s another reason to consider terpenes when you’re buying flower. The best cannabis has a pungent scent. On the other hand, if you smell any mustiness or a straw-like scent, run away! That cannabis is too old or compromised.

#5 Color is Key

People often assume that cannabis should only be green. To some extent, that’s true. But, in addition to green, the best cannabis flower can include a vibrant array of colors. High quality buds can be deep green with orange, red, purple, and even blue hair-like pistils. Colorful pistils tell you that the cannabis was mature when it was harvested. And maturity means full potency. Immature flower will be more of a lime green. The best cannabis flower should also have compact, roundish buds that have been trimmed like a beautifully manicured topiary. And you definitely don’t want to see stems or seeds.

What Does Bad Cannabis Flower Look Like?

Bad cannabis can be grayish, brownish, black, or white. Flower can get discolored for a lot of reasons—including age, mold, chemicals, and a variety of mites. None of these are good. An overall gray or brownish cast probably means that the flower is just old. White or black blisters or spots likely mean pest damage. That’s a common problem with home grows. If you come across discolored and dull cannabis flower, run the other way!

#6 Frosty Flower

Cannabinoids and terpenes are produced in the plant’s resin glands, or trichomes. Trichomes look like tiny, crystalline appendages on the plant’s surface. They can even give it a frosted look. The more trichomes, the more likely that the flower will be potent. So, if you’re looking for potency, frosted flower is a great sign.

#7 Stickiness

Unfortunately, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to touch cannabis flower in the dispensary before you buy it. But when you get home, have a feel. The best cannabis flower will be sticky. It might sound slightly unappealing, but you do want your bud to be sticky to the touch. The stickiness is that cannabinoid-filled resin. But don’t confuse stickiness with wet or overly soft cannabis. A wet or overly soft texture means the flower hasn’t been properly cured. And that makes for a harsh smoke that’s tough on your throat. Worse, excess moisture makes flower prone to mold and mildew

#8 Spongy Texture

The best cannabis flower should be spongy when you squeeze it. But it should still break apart easily. In contrast, bad cannabis flower is one of 2 extremes. It’s either so dry that it crumbles when you touch it. Or it’s so moist that the stems bend and it needs to be torn apart. There’s a happy medium, and you want that Goldilocks effect. It should grind easily but without getting too flaky.

The Final Step for Determining the Best Cannabis

Of course, the best test of your flower is the experience you have when you ingest it. How does it make you feel? Does it produce a great high and the effects you’re looking for? You’re the final judge. And if at first you don’t succeed, try another strain!