
Humans have enjoyed cannabis for millennia. With its recent legality, there are now more ways than ever to experience the plant. People new to cannabis can use some help sorting through all the options.
Hello High Dispensary offers a variety of cannabis products and even offers weed delivery throughout southern New Jersey. From dried flower to terp sauce and tinctures, we present this introductory guide to different forms of cannabis and their potency.
What Affects Cannabis Potency?
Before digging into the differences between forms of cannabis, it’s worth discussing where its effect comes from. Cannabis owes its potency to two natural compounds:
- Terpenes: Also called “terps,” terpenes are the aromatic oils that give cannabis strains their unique scents. They’re also responsible for the relaxing, uplifting, or freeing effect that a strain has. In general, more terpenes mean more flavor and a stronger effect.
- Cannabinoids: These are the psychoactive compounds present in cannabis. There are over 100 different cannabinoids. The most widely recognized cannabinoids are THC, known for its intoxicating effect, and CBD, known for its benefits for relaxation and stress relief.
Terpenes and cannabinoids work together, tempering or enhancing one another in different degrees to create the wide variety of effects and flavors found in cannabis strains. As a rule, though, higher percentages mean higher potency.
Cannabis Flower
Loose cannabis flower is the most basic, unaltered form of cannabis. Sometimes called “bud” or “nugs,” flower refers to whole cannabis buds that have been dried and cured for preservation. Its potency varies depending on the strain. A high-THC strain may contain up to 20% or even 30% THC, while others may lean more on CBD or other compounds. In general, however, flower offers a gentler, longer-lasting, but less potent high than some more concentrated forms.
Because flower is the simplest form of cannabis, it’s also the most versatile. It can be smoked whole in a pipe or bowl, ground and rolled into a joint, or filtered through water using a bong or hookah. Some users even use flower to make their own extracts and edibles.
Pre-Rolled Cannabis
Pre-rolls are similar to smoking flower. As the name suggests, they come already ground and rolled into pre-packaged joints. This offers added convenience and a handful of benefits:
- Preparation: No prep is required for pre-rolls; the joints are ready to light whenever you feel like a smoke.
- Portability: Pre-rolls are also compact, mess-free, and easy to carry for enjoyment at the park or a friend’s house.
- Affordability: Because pre-rolls can be made with shake or trim, they can come cheaper than whole flower.
Pre-rolls are also a favorite for experimentation. If you like sampling new strains, pre-rolls can be an approachable way to try multiple cultivars without committing to a bulk flower purchase.
Cannabis Concentrate
If you’re looking for potency, concentrates are the way to go. These extracts accumulate high quantities of cannabinoids and terpenes for a stronger, faster, more flavorful high than unaltered flower. Most concentrates are dabbed or vaped, and there are a few different types available.
Live Resin
Flower and pre-rolls feature cured plant material. Live resin, on the other hand, is made using flash-frozen fresh plants. Flash freezing locks in the compounds that might be lost during curing, giving live resin a complex aroma and unique potency. Some live resins have up to 95% THC content.
Sauce
Sauce concentrates are all about the terpenes. Like live resin, sauce is made of flash-frozen plant material to prevent terpene degradation. It has an applesauce-like consistency and an extremely high terpene content – sometimes up to 40%. Sauce tends to have a lower THC content than other concentrates but makes up for it with a rich and robust flavor.
Rosin
Rosin is the preferred pick for cannabis purists. It’s made by pressing the bud under heat to produce a gooey extract. The result tastes like the bud it was pressed from, but with a deeper and more complex flavor. It also produces a more powerful high, though it may not be as potent as live resin or sauce.
Cannabis Tinctures
Finally, there are tinctures. These are made by infusing cannabis into food-grade alcohol, oil, or glycerin. The solution is then pressed and strained to create a clear liquid. Tinctures can be swallowed or mixed into food for a slow, controlled onset, or held under the tongue for a faster high.
The great benefit of tinctures is the ability to personalize your dose. You can take a small amount, or microdose, to discover its effects gradually. Alternatively, you can take a large dose for a potent effect. This customizability makes tinctures approachable for beginners and experienced users alike and allows different people to enjoy different experiences – all from the same bottle.
Explore Cannabis Products at Hello High Dispensary
Get ready to relax and de-stress at Hello High Dispensary in southern New Jersey. Our carefully curated selection includes a variety of cannabis products ranging from loose flower and pre-rolls to concentrates and tinctures. We also offer free delivery for orders over $50 ($150 in our Red Zone delivery area). Contact us to speak with one of our experienced budtenders about which product might be right for you.