What Are Popcorn Buds?
Popcorn Buds (aka Small Buds) can deliver more buzz for your buck than any other product at your local pot shop. Depending on the grower, this affordable form of flower often delivers the same potency as the larger and pricier “big bud nug”. Check these quick answers to some common popcorn questions:
What Is Considered A Popcorn Bud?
“Popcorn Buds” are the general term for the smaller buds off a cannabis plant. They are about the size of a popped popcorn kernel.
Are Popcorn Buds A Strain Or A Type Of Cannabis?
Popcorn buds are neither a strain nor a type of cannabis. It’s the size of the cannabis flower which are notably smaller than the full nug. There are "small bud strains," like Green Gelato, but this just refers to the fact that their buds are unusually compact.
Is Popcorn Bud Potency Different From Average Size Buds?
Usually popcorn bud has the same THC, CBD, CBG, CBVA, and terpene content as larger flower. You can check the strain profile on the side of the container you get from the dispensary to know for sure. However, there are things growers can do to make sure popcorn buds have the same potency as big nugs.
What exactly are we talking about? Cannabis flower is delivered to consumers in three sizes:
Shake is the cannabis flower fragments that break off during handling. You may have noticed shake in the bottom of your stash. Shake is the least potent form of cannabis, because its resins are more exposed to air and abrasion. But sometimes shake is exactly the high you are looking for. Many users prefer it for baking and making tinctures.
Nug is the full-sized flower that grows at the top of the cannabis plant. It isn't shaded by other flowers, so it grows to maximum size. Most marijuana connoisseurs agree that nug looks better than shake or the smaller popcorn flowers. It delivers the full potency and flavor of the strain.
Popcorn Bud is cannabis flower that grew at the bottom of the cola, the collection of flowers at the terminal bud, where all the flowers grow together. It doesn't get as much light, which is the reason for small buds. Popcorn buds lack bag appeal. They don't look as impressive as nugs, but despite what you may have heard, they have essentially the same content of THC, CBD, terpenes and other cannabinoids as nugs — when you are buying weed produced by an experienced grower.
What Causes Small Buds Vs Big Buds
Nearly all cannabis is grown in grow rooms. Growers arrange their plants so they get just the right light, water, fertilizer, air circulation, and temperature to maximize their yield.
Cannabis plants naturally have a few buds that aren't positioned to take full advantage of the grow light. These popcorn buds don't get as big as the full-sized flowers above them. But cannabis researchers have discovered ways to make sure they deliver the same potency.
The grow room intervention needed for great popcorn bud depends on the strain. Canadian researchers have discovered that a variety called “Super Skunk” produces more cannabinoids in its lower buds when it is grown under orange-tinted light (high-sodium lamps) than when it is grown under more blue light (metal halide lamps). With “Early Pearly” it's the type of fertilizer that makes the difference. With Northern Lights the key is not giving the plant too much light.
For the consumer, the key to finding consistent quality in cannabis is buying from growers and dispensaries that care and know their plants.
How Do You Know You Have Good Quality Popcorn Buds?
Many of the indicators of quality are the same as for larger flower. You should be able to pull the bud apart easily, but it shouldn't crumble. You should never buy moldy or strangely colored bud, and check the analysis on the side of the container.
What Can You Do With Popcorn Bud?
Popcorn buds are consumable in the same way as big bud flower. Popcorn buds are easy to store for making resin or hash. They are great for making butters and oils and they are just as smokable as full buds.
Claybourne curates a collection of small buds of extraordinary potency at a great price. Drop us a line for more information.