Buying bud in South Africa can be dodgy enough as it is sometimes. On top of this how do you know whether your bud is worth its weight? If it is everything that your guy said it is? How do you know if it’s good quality at all? If it’s complete crap? Or if you’re being just completely ripped off?

So here are a few pointers on what to look out for that will determine if your buds are worth the price.

First what exactly is a bud?

Bud, is the flower of a cannabis plant. Cannabis will develop dense clusters of flowers known as buds. The flowers are what is used as medicine. Leaves look cool, but won’t get you high at all. Male plants will also not get you high they are normally undesired and will be removed from a growers garden.

Example: Female cannabis plant with dense clusters of flowers or "buds".

Harvested and dried, the buds are broken into smaller pieces and ready to smoke.

Which bud to choose?

There is an overwhelming amount of cannabis strains out there, thousands upon thousands of them with all sorts of names. Effects of cannabis strains are mostly dependant on whether the strain is a Sativa or an Indica. Sativas give a functional head high while Indicas are great for crashing on the couch due to their body high. You can find a strain for every occasion though as the many pure Sativas and Indicas, as well as their numerous crosses/hybrids allow you to pick strains with the best effects for your needs.

There is no guarantee that the strain you are getting is everything it is made out to be.
DO NOT ever take a bud as being what the dealer says it is, unless you have a good reason to trust your dealer or connection, you will be making a blind leap of faith that what’s said is what you get. It is practically impossible to identify the strain of a bud at face value. Not only are there thousands of different strains, and there are variations (phenotypes) in many of these strains. Hence something to consider is not only if it is the strain claimed, but whether the strain has been grown well, as this will also define the quality of the bud.

How then do you tell the quality of a bud?

Judging a bud

Good bud should share the following characteristics:

Lots of trichomes.

These are the strange little things on the bud that make it sticky and sparkly. Trichomes are also the part of the bud that get’s you high so the more the better.

This bud is covered with trichomes! Nice and Frosty!

There are three colors that will help determine a trichome’s ripeness:

• Mostly clear = Plant has been harvested to early. Least potential for getting you high.
• Mostly cloudy/milky = Plant has been harvested on time. The strongest with a THC high.
• Mostly amber = Plant has been harvested late. Higher levels of CBD give you a couch lock stoned.

Most growers and smokers will have their preferred balance of trichome colours. Buds with a higher ratio of clear and milky trichomes will produce a more energetic buzz or THC head high, whilst on the other hand, buds with mostly amber trichomes will produce a more sleepy couch lock high great for medical use. With time, you will find what works best for you. A camera with a zoom/macro function or a magnifying glass makes it a lot easier to tell how ripe your bud is. Personally I just downloaded a app on my phone that allows crazy magnification and loads of fun.

What is Sensimilla (Sens-i-me-ya)

This means that the bud has developed or grown no seeds. The presence of seeds in bud tells us the plant has had to put valuable energy and nutrients to grow seeds instead of buds, reducing the high factor. The bud has now instead invested all her energy and nutrients into growing seeds. Seeds have no smoking value at all. Seedless weed is typically superior in quality and potency

Well cured Bud.

The closest thing that I can compare curing Marijuana to is the aging of wine. A well cured bud is not dry , it has a firm texture when squeezed and does not smell green but rather fruity. It should have that familiar weedy aroma and various other strain dependent fragrances such as citrus, petrol, funky cheese, fruity, etc. It gets this from being dried for a few days and then sealed in an air tight glass jar to cure. The longer it sits unopened in the jar, the nicer it will become as natural tones, fragrances and effects of the bud maximize in smell, taste and airoma. Some people will keep their jars sealed for many years. Smaller, firm cured buds are known as nugs.

No leaves or twigs allowed.

Leaves and twigs hold no value at all, unless they are those trichome coated ones like the trimmings on the bud. Judge for yourself if the little bits of leaf or twig on the bud are covered in crystals they are worth smoking.

No crumbling.

It should take little effort to break up a bud sufficiently. If it crumbles when touched it is too dry. One of the first things to deteriorate on an under kept bud is the THC. The high from crumbly bud is significantly reduced and may taste bad. Dry weed will burn hot and quick making for a hasty and harsh smoke that can often taste like burning sawdust!

Must not be wet.

If the bud is very moist to the touch and smells very green or of ammonia, it has not been sufficiently dried or cured. A bud will lose approximately 75% of its weight from when it is harvested till it is ready to be smoked. Wet bud will cost you more for less final smoke, smokes badly and tends to give more of a headache than high really. It is also vulnerable to botrytis (aka Bud Rot). Bud Rot is a grey/black fungus that turns the bud to powder and starts off by destroying all the active ingredients. If bud Rot shows up, your batch of smoke is as good as gone. Wet weed will burn slow and smoky and can cause nausea from the overpowering chlorophyll of the smoke.

Must not smell like chemicals.

Some growers use fertilisers and pesticides right up to harvest without flushing to maximize yields. This may increase the amount of weed harvested and the potency slightly, but makes it taste bad, burn bad and potentially be very un-healthy. Roll a joint and when you smoke it check the ash while it is burning. The lighter the ash the fewer chemicals and chlorophyll still in the bud. Good growers flush their plants before harvest to leave only the best of the plant in the bud. Some strains such as Diesel have a desired petrolish fragrance, this is however desirable as it is part of the strain’s characteristics and not an indication of chemical residue for example. Curing Marijuana usually takes care of any undesirable residual bud contents by giving the contents an opportunity to break down and dissipate. When a bud cures a chemical reaction takes place breaking down sugars and chlorophyll naturally improving it.

It's in the smoke.

The ultimate test for quality is in the smoking obviously . It should meet your expectations in terms of effect and ability to be smoked via your desired method without discomfort from coughing. The only question that should remain is…

How much should I be paying for my bud?

This is ultimately what it’s about. How much should I be paying? Am I being ripped off or am I on the money?

Price is typically determined by supply and demand like with everything. Unless you are exposed to multiple dealers, you will only really know what a good price is?

So after some research the following is a Rand per 1 gram breakdown of what you can expect to pay for your bud in South Africa:

R 10 Mostly TK

Bottom of the bag stuff with very low quality. Grown poorly and probably handled badly on its way to you. Usually this will consist of lots of loose small buds packaged in bank bags, matchboxes or newspaper. Lots of seeds and stalks. Low price equals low quality.

R 10 to R 20 Mostly Swazi

This will get you pretty much the same stuff as above, but with less seeds and stalks.

R 20 – R 50 Mostly Swazi

Expect few to little seeds. Normally bankies only. Should be anywhere from an average to a good high if you are lucky. Mostly couch lock weed.

R 50 – R 100 Greenhouse or indoor

This is the last stop before the top shelf stuff and usually where you will get a bang for your buck! Buds should be well formed for this price with no seeds. Expect decent fragrances and a good to exceptionally good high. Usually packaged in those little bankies with the red lip.

R 100 – R 150 The Good Sh$t

This is high grade territory with absolutely no seeds to be expected at akk. Trichomes should be abundant and the fragrance should be hard to contain or hide. Expect a strong high and eyes as red as the devils dick! Usually packaged in those little bankies with the red lip aswell.

R 150+ Rare mostly imported

Rare strains such as this purple strain will often sell for high prices, but this doesn't mean they're any better than other high-grade weed.

You may come across dealers who will charge up to R300 per gram. At this price you should expect a rare strain that is of the absolute highest quality guaranteed, also probably cured over time. If your dealer charges in excess of R150 per gram and the bud is less than mind warpingly spectacular, it may be time to start growing your own

Thanks for reading catch ya on the flip side, Peace!