Being able to inspect and identify quality bud means you will be able to tell the difference between top-shelf cannabis and low-grade flower. Use this guide to evaluate essential aspects and qualities of your flower to help make the most of your cannabis experience. Through sight, smell, touch, taste and feel, get more in-tune with your senses to better understand the details that high-quality cannabis brings. Follow this 4 part series, Heightened Senses, exploring how you can identify quality bud. In Heightened Senses Part 1 we looked at discovering cannabis through sight, we’re now ready to explore the second part of our series, Touch!

HEIGHTENED SENSES_ Part 2 - Touch.png — PART 2: TOUCH

Touching the flower can help evaluate the quality and characteristics of your bud. It also can indicate the drying and curing process used to achieve the proper moisture content after harvest. To evaluate your bud by touch give it a gentle squeeze, making sure you don’t damage it. When squeezed, a high quality flower will return to its original shape. A dense bud may not bounce back as much but should still provide you with a pleasant aroma.

Texture
When evaluating your cannabis through touch, high-quality bud will typically leave your fingers feeling sticky, with a resinous feel! If you feel the texture of your bud is dry and the flower begins to easily crumble in your hands, then the bud may have started to deteriorate due to low moisture. This is something to watch out for as overly dry buds can break down and change the cannabinoid and terpene components.

Alternatively, if the flower is too wet, this can mean it hasn’t been cured properly. If your cannabis feels like a marshmallow, it is likely too moist. A properly cured bud should have a small amount of give to the touch but should retain its shape. Depending on the trichome content, when you begin to break it up the cannabis should continue to feel slightly sticky. The stem should easily snap off!

Density

Heightened Senses: A Guide to Quality Cannabis