Cannabis Flower Long Beach, CA

When you first start shopping for cannabis, it can be hard to tell what makes a strain really special. Once you’ve seen a few different options, though, you’ll get a better sense of what to look for. First, you should choose a strain that has a powerful smell because this indicates a healthy terpene profile. The plant should look good, too. Expect to see healthy, vibrant plant material that’s coated with lots of shiny trichomes (the little crystals on cannabis). Lots of trichomes are a sign of lots of cannabinoids.

One of the greatest mysteries about cannabis is that each strain seems to produce its unique effects. Even if two strains have the same THC and CBD levels, one might make you feel excited and giggly while the other makes you feel sleepy and hungry. We used to chalk this up to a strain being an indica, sativa, or hybrid. We’ve realized that the subtle nuances between different cannabis strains go much deeper than those in recent years. It’s still helpful to know about those three broad categories of flower, though, especially if you’re relatively new to the cannabis experience.

Every cannabis strain has its own unique cannabinoids and terpene profile, so no two are exactly alike. Even plants that come from the same seeds can be different depending on how they’re grown. Still, it can be helpful to start by thinking about cannabis as belonging to one of three general types:

1. Sativa Strains – These types of cannabis flower are associated with energy, happiness, and a sense of being uplifted. This makes them popular choices for earlier in the day, especially among people who still want to be productive or active. People normally choose sativa strains when they’re on their way to a social setting, an outdoor activity, or some type of creative pursuit.

2. Indica Strains – People often choose these strains at night. Indica strains are associated with feelings of mental and physical relaxation, appealing to many people at the end of a long day. You might look for a strain in this category if you’re planning to relax on the couch, eat some snacks, watch TV, and call it a night.

3. Hybrid Strains – Everything that doesn’t qualify as either a pure indica strain or pure sativa strain is technically considered a hybrid. Some hybrids might be more similar to indicas or sativas, while some are very well balanced. The more balanced nature of these strains makes them appealing to a lot of people.

In recent years, we’ve learned that cannabinoids and terpenes’ exact profile may be more important than whether a plant is technically an indica, sativa, or hybrid. We’ve learned that a plant’s status as an Indica or Sativa has more to do with how it grows than it does with the effects it produces. To get into the weeds about why some strains have such different effects, you’ll have to learn about the entourage effect.

The entourage effect is a theory that the cannabinoids in your favorite cannabis strain will behave differently depending on the entourage of terpenes they bring with them. Terpenes are natural compounds that give plants their unique smells and flavors (think of essential oils). Besides giving a strain its unique scent, the terpenes may affect your experience after smoking a certain strain.