Rodge 420
03-12-2005, 10:03 PM
How To Distinguish - Fine Cannabis
Jason King's Top 10 Rules for Judging Pot
1. Is it organic? This might not be important for some, but for this connoisseur, it's the number one factor. Not only do organic buds taste and smell better then " Chemmy " buds, but the high and the comedown are also much nicer. If your dealer doesn't know the difference, maybe it's time to grow your own.
2. Is it dried properly? If the bud is dried properly, a stem will snap when bent. If the stem just bends, the herb is wet and not yet ready for smoking. Another way to tell if the herb is dried properly is to see if a joint will smoke well and stay lit. If the joint won't stay lit, the herb is most likely too wet (or the herb wasn't leached properly and too many fertilizer salts are present, which is even worse). Don't buy wet herb: You're paying for moisture that will (hopefully) evaporate. If the herb is already sealed and wet, this is very bad. Mold is highly probable. Avoid smoking mold; you could get a lung infection. I recommend using a small handheld 10x or 30x microscope (available at Radio Shack) to inspect your buds for mold. It will appear as weblike fibers running through the plant.
3. Is the herb cured properly? This is an entirely different process than drying. Does the herb smell green, sort of like lawn clippings? If so, the herb is most likely not cured properly and therefore is not very good. Properly cured herb will have a multitude of luscious aromas; it doesn't need to be squeezed to smell amazing - it will do it on its own. In fact, quite often, properly cured buds will smell no better when squeezed (they already smell as amazing as possible). It should be noted that marijuana potency and flavor are increased when the herb is cured properly.
4. Is it still fluffy, or has it been smashed? Very simply, smashing decreases potency. These are very delicate flowers. Rough handling and smashing causes the loss of many precious resin glands. Believe it or not, most Mexican herb is fantastic before it's compressed for packaging and transport.
5. Does it taste as good as it smells? Lots of herb smells great, but often it just tastes like smoke, or slightly sweet smoke. A special herb tastes as good as it smells (or better). Strains like HP-13 and Mothership are great for this. If you want to get really technical, you could ask how the second half of a joint tastes. With much of today's herb, the first half of a joint will taste great, while the second half may taste like hot, tarry smoke. With truly special herb, the joint will taste great down to your lips burning on the roach.
6. Does it bite you in the throat? Is the herb smooth and rich, or is it chemical tasting and harsh? If the herb bites you in the throat upon inhalation, it most likely has chemical residues remaining in the tissues and should be avoided. If the joint pops and sizzles, this indicates the same.
7. Is the herb visibly sparkly? Look at the herb up close, in natural sunlight; if possible (indoors, a bright light will suffice) does it sparkle, like a jewel? This is a great sign. Those sparkles are the resin glands, and that's where the magic happens. Many people mistakenly assume that very white herb is very crystally. Not true: All that white stuff is mostly hairs, which don't contain THC. Look at a white bud in the sunlight and notice whether it sparkles. It probably won't sparkle much. This is why I'm not much of a fan of the White Widow line of strains. They have lots of white hairs, but small and sparse resin glands.
8. Does it burn to a clean gray ash? If so, this is a good sign. Many things need to have been done properly for this to happen, including leaching and curing. Much of Amsterdam's herb won't do this.
9. Smoke a joint using a Club rolling paper. Club rolling papers have been the connoisseur's choice. They leave no ash and are easily the cleanest paper you can smoke with. I love to wear and eat hemp, but I don't use hemp rolling papers. They taste like, well, hemp. Or you could use a vaporizer, which many people prefer. If not, a clean glass pipe or bong works great. Just make sure it's clean. Don't even bother trying to distinguish fine cannabis using dirty paraphernalia. You lose half the flavor at least.
10. Does the herb make you want to come back for more? It all comes down to that. Is the herb so delicious that you just want to keep on puffing it? If so, you've got a keeper.:)
This article was copied by Rodge 420 out of High Times Grow America May/June 04 issue.
Jason King's Top 10 Rules for Judging Pot
1. Is it organic? This might not be important for some, but for this connoisseur, it's the number one factor. Not only do organic buds taste and smell better then " Chemmy " buds, but the high and the comedown are also much nicer. If your dealer doesn't know the difference, maybe it's time to grow your own.
2. Is it dried properly? If the bud is dried properly, a stem will snap when bent. If the stem just bends, the herb is wet and not yet ready for smoking. Another way to tell if the herb is dried properly is to see if a joint will smoke well and stay lit. If the joint won't stay lit, the herb is most likely too wet (or the herb wasn't leached properly and too many fertilizer salts are present, which is even worse). Don't buy wet herb: You're paying for moisture that will (hopefully) evaporate. If the herb is already sealed and wet, this is very bad. Mold is highly probable. Avoid smoking mold; you could get a lung infection. I recommend using a small handheld 10x or 30x microscope (available at Radio Shack) to inspect your buds for mold. It will appear as weblike fibers running through the plant.
3. Is the herb cured properly? This is an entirely different process than drying. Does the herb smell green, sort of like lawn clippings? If so, the herb is most likely not cured properly and therefore is not very good. Properly cured herb will have a multitude of luscious aromas; it doesn't need to be squeezed to smell amazing - it will do it on its own. In fact, quite often, properly cured buds will smell no better when squeezed (they already smell as amazing as possible). It should be noted that marijuana potency and flavor are increased when the herb is cured properly.
4. Is it still fluffy, or has it been smashed? Very simply, smashing decreases potency. These are very delicate flowers. Rough handling and smashing causes the loss of many precious resin glands. Believe it or not, most Mexican herb is fantastic before it's compressed for packaging and transport.
5. Does it taste as good as it smells? Lots of herb smells great, but often it just tastes like smoke, or slightly sweet smoke. A special herb tastes as good as it smells (or better). Strains like HP-13 and Mothership are great for this. If you want to get really technical, you could ask how the second half of a joint tastes. With much of today's herb, the first half of a joint will taste great, while the second half may taste like hot, tarry smoke. With truly special herb, the joint will taste great down to your lips burning on the roach.
6. Does it bite you in the throat? Is the herb smooth and rich, or is it chemical tasting and harsh? If the herb bites you in the throat upon inhalation, it most likely has chemical residues remaining in the tissues and should be avoided. If the joint pops and sizzles, this indicates the same.
7. Is the herb visibly sparkly? Look at the herb up close, in natural sunlight; if possible (indoors, a bright light will suffice) does it sparkle, like a jewel? This is a great sign. Those sparkles are the resin glands, and that's where the magic happens. Many people mistakenly assume that very white herb is very crystally. Not true: All that white stuff is mostly hairs, which don't contain THC. Look at a white bud in the sunlight and notice whether it sparkles. It probably won't sparkle much. This is why I'm not much of a fan of the White Widow line of strains. They have lots of white hairs, but small and sparse resin glands.
8. Does it burn to a clean gray ash? If so, this is a good sign. Many things need to have been done properly for this to happen, including leaching and curing. Much of Amsterdam's herb won't do this.
9. Smoke a joint using a Club rolling paper. Club rolling papers have been the connoisseur's choice. They leave no ash and are easily the cleanest paper you can smoke with. I love to wear and eat hemp, but I don't use hemp rolling papers. They taste like, well, hemp. Or you could use a vaporizer, which many people prefer. If not, a clean glass pipe or bong works great. Just make sure it's clean. Don't even bother trying to distinguish fine cannabis using dirty paraphernalia. You lose half the flavor at least.
10. Does the herb make you want to come back for more? It all comes down to that. Is the herb so delicious that you just want to keep on puffing it? If so, you've got a keeper.:)
This article was copied by Rodge 420 out of High Times Grow America May/June 04 issue.