Jumping into the world of cannabis is confusing for most people, especially upon walking into a dispensary with multiple available options. While oils are highly popular choices for many, others stick to the dry flower or pre-rolls they know.
But the key to finding the best cannabis experience is trying different delivery methods to find the one that suits you best.
Below, we look at dry flower, oils and pre-rolls as the three primary options for your imbibing and the experience each presents.
What are Cannabis Oils?
Before comparing cannabis oils to other methods, such as dry flower, let’s examine this option and its benefits.
Oils come from the cannabis plant, extracted for use in multiple ways. If the oils are full-spectrum, they contain cannabinoid and terpene profiles of the flower, yet in higher concentration and greater potency.
Isolates contain certain cannabinoids, THC or CBD, as compared to full-spectrum.
Using oils gives you more control over dosing. You can measure the precise amount that works for you. Effects also last much longer from oils than other delivery methods.
Even better, you can choose to purchase the oil in liquid form as a tincture, contained within capsules or as an oral spray.
In essence, oils give you the most bang for your buck, when it comes to how much use you get out of your purchase and the duration of its effects. A little goes a long way with these highly pure products typically free of plant matter, residual solvents and pesticides.
For people who do not want to smoke their cannabis, such as those suffering from respiratory conditions, oils are typically the first choice.
You can also ingest oils very discreetly, not drawing attention to yourself as when smoking dried flower.
Methods of delivery for oils include:
- Capsules
- Oral sprays
- Tinctures
- Vape pens or cartridges
You can even cook with cannabis oils, adding them to foods or beverages. However, if you choose to use oils, start slowly to identify your perfect dose.
Dry Flower or Cannabis Oils?
When it comes to buying and using cannabis, your method is your choice. Some people still prefer using dry flower over the more convenient and potent oils.
Oil extraction is always advancing as both a science and technology. This means oils will continue advancing, as will your delivery options. But many people believe the most authentic method for cannabis consumption is through dry flower and lighting the joint or bong.
Cannabis strain is the biggest factor in flower quality and comparing the dry flower experience to cannabis oils. Remember, there is no single cannabis strain.
All cannabis plants are not alike, and farmers experiment with a variety of seeds. This means the market will only broaden when it comes to available strains and the physiological effects you can expect.
The best way to understand the differences between strains of cannabis is through aroma, flavour and effects. These relate to the strain’s terpene profiles.
Also, talk to your dispensary about each available dry flower strain and what users should expect. As with oils, knowing your preferred strain and how much to use typically requires some trial-and-error effort.
Also, by trying both dry flower and cannabis oils, you can come to your own conclusion about whether dry flower or oils work best for you.
Pre-Rolls
To add to your options available through your local dispensary, check out the selection of pre-rolls. You can find these prepared on-site for individual purchase or in packs manufactured by specific brands.
Ready-made smokeables grew out of users’ desire to have convenient access to these products, over having to self-roll. For newcomers to the cannabis world, pre-rolls are an excellent starting ground to develop product, strain and individual effect familiarity.
That said, a lot of people think pre-rolls do not measure up to other forms of weed. Many claim these rolled joints have lower flavour quality, even tasting too badly to smoke or containing low-quality cannabis.
Yes, quality varies dramatically from one seller to the next. Some producers use a high-quality dry flower. Others add more leaves and stems than actual flower, that plant material not found in oils.
It is easier to buy bad pre-rolls because the paper and other packaging obstruct your view of what you are actually buying.
This is where developing a relationship with dispensaries is key. Get to know your provider and ask as many questions as you must to understand individual pre-roll quality. Develop the trust in your purveyor needed to know better what to expect from their products.
Some key questions to ask about each pre-roll option include:
- How is the flower quality?
- Is it premium high-CBD hemp flower, or hemp biomass or fibre biomass?
- Does the pre-roll use wood pulp, rice or hemp?
Obviously, you want premium high-CBD hemp flower in your pre-rolls, not biomass. As for papers, these are more a matter of personal preference.
Wood pulp paper is sturdy but provides a burned aftertaste. Rice paper is very thin and tears easily but enables a deeper experience from the specific hemp strain.
Hemp paper is the middle ground between wood pulp and rice paper, in terms of aftertaste and delicacy. But hemp paper costs slightly more than the other two options.
Three Options, So Which is Best for Me?
There are many options, and we have not even covered the potential of edibles, like drinks, gummies and chocolates. With such a wide range of selection, there are more choices in this market than ever before, and choosing can be a truly difficult decision.
So, is dry flower, oil or pre-roll cannabis best for me? Well, the answer is highly individualized. Through the above information and tips, you can make your own best choice.
This takes a bit of trial and error. So, start with small quantities and try a sampling of each to find out which best suits your lifestyle and needs. There is no wrong answer. It is just a matter of finding the right personal fit.
My previous experience was writing for large Media Companies but I am now thrilled to be writing about a niche I am most passionate about. Working with Greendorphin is a dream come true and I now join the mission in educating the masses about the miracle plant, Cannabis
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