{"id":1533,"date":"2021-10-04T11:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T11:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=180345"},"modified":"2021-10-04T11:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T11:20:00","slug":"terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1533","title":{"rendered":"Terpenes or THC? Retailers share the secret to buying the best bud"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Terpenes or THC? Retailers share the secret to buying the best bud &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.1.2 (Yoast SEO v17.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><label for=\"select-province\">Which part of Canada?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__age hidden\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--unavailable hidden\">Sorry, Leafly isn&#8217;t available in your location yet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>Buyers are getting savvy about what makes good weed. Canadian cannabis consumers are moving away from high THC strains and asking educated questions to get the best product, every time.<\/p>\n<p>While high THC potency still dominates demand, patrons are choosing their weed based on other qualities. They are asking about freshness and flavour profiles, according to retailers across Canada. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also increased interest in low THC and high CBD options. It doesn\u2019t hurt that newer, higher-quality products are making their way to shelves on a consistent basis.<\/p>\n<p>Watch out ditchweed, consumers are becoming more educated about what makes for good flower. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-good-weed-doesn-t-always-need-to-be-high-potency\">Good weed doesn\u2019t always need to be high potency<\/h2>\n<p>Once upon a time, people weren\u2019t interested in cannabis unless it was over 20% THC. Nowadays retail store owners are seeing a big shift from the high THC crew to those seeking 1:1 balance or even high CBD cultivars. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt class=\"wp-image-180526 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Consumers are beginning to realize that THC isn\u2019t the only factor in good weed. (Adobe Stock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sasha Soeterik, co-owner of Flower Pot, a cannabis retailer in Toronto\u2019s west end, says she\u2019s seeing a shift away from what she calls the \u2018bro\u2019 culture of focusing on the highest THC flower available. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think everyone is looking for ultra-high, other than those who really buy into that culture of high THC weed. But what I am seeing is more people asking for balanced cannabis,\u201d says Soeterik.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not the majority, but I\u2019d say about 10-15% of my customers come in asking for high CBD joints. There really isn\u2019t enough choice out there for something with THC and CBD.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Roch, the owner of Lake City Cannabis just outside Calgary, agrees that consumers are starting to move beyond their focus on THC as the be-all-and-end-all of weed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a shift where they\u2019re almost done with [THC],\u201d says Roch. \u201c[Customers] are looking for something that is better quality, seeing it\u2019s not always the best option and we\u2019re seeing that shift in ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-evolution-of-the-average-cannabis-consumer\">The evolution of the average \u2018cannabis consumer\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>A big part of this shift, says Roch, is retailers like himself taking the time to talk with their customers and help them discover new products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want the best quality,\u201d says Roch. \u201cThere are some starting to ask about terpenes. People will come in and look at the menu but more often now they\u2019re asking us what\u2019s the best, what we would recommend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That trust isn\u2019t taken lightly by Roch, who makes sure his budtenders have the information they need to help patrons. <\/p>\n<p>Consumers aren\u2019t just asking the same old questions either. Roch says that there is more of a conversation, they want to know what\u2019s new, what\u2019s good. They even ask about genetics, cannabinoid content, and terpenes. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" alt=\"Leafly terpenes fragrance perfume; perfume bottle spraying aromatic plants\" class=\"wp-image-121513 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Terpenes play a big role in the overall experience of cannabis. (Jesse Milns\/Leafly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Andrea Dobbs, co-owner of The Village Bloomery in Vancouver, says micros are increasingly popular among customers as well. <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Customers] want to talk about the cannabis they buy and ask us about where it comes from,\u201d she says. \u201cThey ask about the quality, the moisture, how it smells, what are the terpenes. It\u2019s about quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although she says mid-grade, affordably priced products continue to be a big portion of their sales, there is a growing interest and demand for higher quality products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bread-and-butter products like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=pure%20sunfarms&amp;searchCategory=dispensary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pure Sunfarms<\/a>, sell themselves. I don\u2019t even have to talk about it, people ask for it because it\u2019s pretty good weed at a pretty good price. It\u2019s decent and everyone is very happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-high-terpene-content-sells-even-if-the-customer-doesn-t-know-why\">High terpene content sells, even if the customer doesn\u2019t know why<\/h2>\n<p>There is still a split between consumers looking for the highest THC and those asking about packaging date and other quality factors, says Ariel Glinter, head of business development at The Joint, a retailer with locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n<p>While terpenes are often hotly discussed within the industry, Glinter says consumers aren\u2019t necessarily educated about what they are, but they are still gravitating to high terp cultivars because of the taste and flavour. <\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>Learn more <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cTerpenes are definitely bigger than people realize. We see higher sales of high terpene products, whether or not they\u2019re marketed that way,\u201d says Glinter. \u201cSo even when consumers aren\u2019t aware of it, those are selling better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>People want weed that smells so good you can practically taste it\u2014whether or not consumers know terpenes and flavanoids give off those properties. <\/p>\n<p>Glinter explains how old, dry flower isn\u2019t good enough anymore. He shares that customers have realized that THC doesn\u2019t mean much when the packaging date is old.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll consumers are getting more educated and, having tried more products, they\u2019re starting to learn what to look for, even if they don\u2019t know it\u2019s the terpenes, for example, that are doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud.jpg\" alt=\"David Brown's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>David Brown<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">David Brown has been working in and writing about the cannabis industry in Canada since 2012. He was formerly the Editor in Chief and Communications Director for Lift Cannabis and Lift News, a Senior Policy Advisor for Health Canada&#8217;s cannabis legalization branch, and is the founder of StratCann Services Inc.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/author\/david-brown\">View David Brown&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-10-04 17:36:20 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Terpenes or THC? Retailers share the secret to buying the best bud &#8211; Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? Which part of Canada? Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Sorry, Leafly isn&#8217;t available in your location yet. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Buyers are getting savvy about what makes good weed. Canadian cannabis consumers are moving away from high THC strains and asking educated questions to get the best product, every time. While high THC potency still dominates demand, patrons are choosing their weed&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/terpenes-or-thc-retailers-share-the-secret-to-buying-the-best-bud.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}