{"id":1756,"date":"2021-10-14T19:36:24","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T19:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=181450"},"modified":"2021-10-14T19:36:24","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T19:36:24","slug":"looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1756","title":{"rendered":"Looking for hot new cannabis products? Ask a budtender!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Looking for hot new cannabis products? Ask a budtender! – 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’re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--unavailable hidden\">Sorry, Leafly isn’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>To say budtenders are essential to the cannabis industry is an understatement. These frontline workers help consumers make sense of the many product options in Canadian cannabis. <\/p>\n<p>As the industry grows more complicated\u2014with new products, regulations, and trends\u2014customers are leaning on the expertise, tastes and suggestions of their local budtenders more and more. <\/p>\n<p>In turn, budtenders are doing a good job of giving a regulated and highly controlled industry a welcoming, human face.<\/p>\n<p>Budtenders are a wealth of knowledge\u2014what\u2019s hot, what\u2019s not, and all the products in between. To get a sense of what the industry looks like from their vantage point, Leafly spoke with budtenders from across the country. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-budtenders-are-more-valuable-than-branding\">Budtenders are more valuable than branding<\/h2>\n<p>In the early legalization days, producers often thought that brand loyalty would be a strong driver of sales. Hoping after a while, people would purchase their favourite brands, like the way they buy wine and beer.<\/p>\n<p>It hasn\u2019t panned out that way, says budtender Elliot Borer. \u201cIt\u2019s actually kind of rare that someone comes in looking for one specific thing,\u201d says Borer, who works at the independent dispensary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=The+good&searchCategory=dispensary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Good<\/a> in Ottawa. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are pretty open to suggestions, and hearing what we like and what we think they would enjoy.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img width=\"764\" height=\"764\" alt=\"80's style roller disco captioned 'feeling good'\" class=\"wp-image-181472 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-1.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-1.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-1.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-1.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>The Good is a cannabis retail store in Ottawa with groovy vibes. (The Good via Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This extends from experienced users all the way down to completely green newbies who might be coming into a dispensary for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do like that there are people who never would have considered consuming cannabis in any capacity, now coming in and wanting to have conversations about it,\u201d says Aniya Jacob, who\u2019s worked at Victoria\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=village+bloomery&searchCategory=dispensary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Village Bloomery<\/a> dispensary for 6 years. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsually they\u2019re the ones who I find are the hungriest for information, because they don\u2019t know anything. It\u2019s totally new to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-s-popular-might-surprise-you\">What\u2019s popular might surprise you<\/h2>\n<p>Even though there is a wide range of new and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/strains-products\/legalization-2-0-guide-canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trendy \u20182.0\u2019 products<\/a> available, budtenders are also seeing customers continue to gravitate towards classic products\u2014dried flower, especially.<\/p>\n<p>Having simple recommendations on hand for all types of customers is helpful, Borer says. Lately, he\u2019s been pointing customers towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=ogen&searchCategory=brand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OGEN<\/a>\u2019s dried flower offerings, particularly their Freshly Baked sativa and Gas Berries indica.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just really love their flavour profiles, and their bud is cured really nicely,\u201d he says. \u201cNot crazy pricey, kind of mid-range.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Customers are still responding well to new strains of flower, something that tends to excite the purists. <\/p>\n<p>Alec Weston was working at Ottawa\u2019s second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=superette&searchCategory=dispensary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Superette<\/a> dispensary location for the introduction of Cookies, an American brand founded by the Bay Area rapper Berner, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newswire.ca\/news-releases\/gage-growth-brings-iconic-cannabis-brand-cookies-to-canada-862078670.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">partnered with Gage Cannabis<\/a> to sell in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search\/shop?shopCategory=brand&shopName=Cookies%20Canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cookies<\/a> drop was pretty crazy,\u201d Weston says. \u201cI think we sold out in two days. They\u2019re obviously a very recognizable brand, famous brand in the States, and the hype around it really helped drive the sales.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/cannabis-101\/what-is-cbd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CBD <\/a>is still popular among customers looking for a more mellow product, or something that they can use throughout the day. At a west coast dispensary like Village Bloomery, with a bit more of a plant-based wellness vibe, the cannabinoid is still a top performer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"photo of retail store captioned 'it's what's on the inside that counts'\" class=\"wp-image-181474 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-2.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-2.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-2.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-2.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>The Village Bloomery is a Vancouver staple, even prior to legalization. (Village Bloomery)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cCBD is hot in our store,\u201d says Jacob. \u201cAll different types of CBD. People love CBD gummies, cannabis, tinctures, capsules, all that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though most budtenders still seem to be firmly in the dried flower camp, Borer did offer a recommendation for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=project+collective&searchCategory=menuItem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Collective Project<\/a>\u2019s line of infused beverages.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose ones I really love,\u201d he says. \u201cBringing actual beverage companies in [to the industry] has helped. They seem to be doing a really good job with their stuff, and they\u2019re some of the most popular ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-craft-cannabis-reigns-supreme\">Craft cannabis reigns supreme<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to the products budtenders hold in the highest esteem, the craft cannabis sector is clearly making its mark on the cannabis pros who are looking for attention to detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really love Pistol and Paris, I think they\u2019re great,\u201d says Village Bloomery\u2019s Jacob. \u201cTheir <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=orange+tingz&searchCategory=menuItem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Orange Tingz<\/a>, specifically as a strain, is just so gorgeous. The flavours are amazing, it\u2019s got great orange cake flavour, you feel so hugged and clear. Yeah, it\u2019s a beautiful strain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Alberta Maddison Jacobson, a budtender at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/cannabis-store\/lake-city-cannabis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lake City Cannabis<\/a> in Chestermere says that craft cannabis has had a rough go against some of the larger producers\u2014many of the bigger cultivators have been undercutting them on prices, she says, as low as $17 for 3.5 grams.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a little bit of a war over here, lately,\u201d she says. \u201cOur lowest is $17 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/canada\/excise-tax-reform-craft-cannabis-canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no micro cultivator or smaller grow can compare<\/a> with that.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Even though it\u2019s been a harder sell, she finds herself often pushing craft options \u2018so hard\u2019. And it\u2019s starting to pay off. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnthusiasts are so excited,\u201d she says. \u201cThe people that want to learn about cannabis are all over [craft].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her recent favourites? Violet Tourist, grown by Candre Cannabis in Alberta, or some of the craft strains from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=organnicraft&searchCategory=menuItem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Organnicraft<\/a>, including their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/strains\/nitro-cookies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nitro Cookies<\/a> hybrid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always try and go for the micros, because they\u2019re popping out the highest quality in my opinion. And they\u2019re the most attentive to it \u2014 it\u2019s all hand-trimmed, no machine. A bit of care put into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-quality-over-thc-content\">Quality over THC content<\/h2>\n<p>At the same time as many producers are chasing high THC strains and trying to grow the strongest weed possible, budtenders and customers are slowly turning a corner there and working to teach customers to think about things like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/strains-products\/leafly-guide-terpenes-canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">terpenes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/growing\/cannabis-trimming-wet-or-dry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trimming<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/growing\/new-methods-technologies-curing-cannabis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">curing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe big thing now is terpenes, and specific terpenes,\u201d says Borer. \u201cIt\u2019s trying to inform people that the THC percentage doesn\u2019t matter as much as they might think it does\u2014you can have certain terpenes that will hit you harder, no matter what the THC percentage is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What he sees in his day-to-day work is that this is starting to register with consumers, some of whom are now coming in and asking for specific terpene profiles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>Related articles<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think that producers are more aware of that too,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to cover their bases and put percentages of different terpenes and stuff on their package, which is cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jacobson says that the conversations she has been having around quality are changing as more customers start to think about quality factors like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/canada\/terpenes-thc-what-consumers-want-retail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">freshness and moisture<\/a>\u2014two factors that are doing a lot to drive decisions among power users.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLots of my higher-end customers really like the tuna can style jars, where it\u2019s childproof on the top and then you peel back that metal lid,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome customers won\u2019t even think about buying a jar that doesn\u2019t have a Boveda <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/search?q=moisture+packs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">moisture pack<\/a> in it, she adds. \u201cI have customers where if it\u2019s dry, that\u2019s a complete dealbreaker. It\u2019s really about freshness right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-budtenders-hold-the-frontlines-of-the-industry\">Budtenders hold the frontlines of the industry<\/h2>\n<p>Budtenders truly are the unsung heroes of cannabis careers. <\/p>\n<p>When budtenders were classed as essential frontline workers last year, they helped keep the industry\u2019s wheels turning during the pandemic. Despite being left out of the spotlight, budtenders continue to drive customer education and industry sales.<\/p>\n<p>Borer had worked in a few different dispensaries before but feels at home working at The Good. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to be in a bad mood when you\u2019re coming in to talk to people about weed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"a retail store with vintage colours and a weed menu\" class=\"wp-image-181483 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-3.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-3.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-3.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender-3.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Superette has a vintage vibe and knowledgeable staff. (Superette)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In an industry that has proven it can be unstable and unpredictable for those inside it, the folks working as frontline budtenders seem to express genuine enjoyment for their future in the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just fortunate to be a part of the industry,\u201d Weston says. \u201cI\u2019m seeing people, and myself, given opportunities, careers\u2014not even jobs, careers\u2014where I could support myself long term. It\u2019s really beautiful to see people in the industry thriving.\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\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender.jpg\" alt=\"Kieran Delamont's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Kieran Delamont<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Kieran is a writer and photographer based in Nova Scotia, located in Mi\u2019kma\u2019ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. His work has appeared in Broadview, The Walrus, Maisonneuve, and elsewhere, and he has been writing about the cannabis industry since 2016.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/author\/kieran-delamont\">View Kieran Delamont’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’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: _ @ 2021-10-14 19:11:10 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for hot new cannabis products? Ask a budtender! – Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? Which part of Canada? Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly. Sorry, Leafly isn’t available in your location yet. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. To say budtenders are essential to the cannabis industry is an understatement. These frontline workers help consumers make sense of the many product options in Canadian cannabis. As the industry grows more complicated\u2014with new products, regulations, and trends\u2014customers are leaning on the expertise, tastes and… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1757,"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-1756","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\/looking-for-hot-new-cannabis-products-ask-a-budtender.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756","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=1756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}