Category: Cooking with Cannabis

When you’re new to the cannabis game, you’ll have a lot of questions. And that’s ok. It’s the only way to learn. One of those questions will surely be, “What are mids?” because you’ll hear the term here and there in conversation and when it’s time to buy your ganja.

In this article, the all-things-cannabis experts at Honest Marijuana discuss mids in all their glory and reveal the pros and cons of this cannabis category.

The Cannabis Quality Spectrum

Most cannaseurs divide marijuana flowers into four categories:

• Regs
• Mids
• Beasters
• Headies

Starting with regs, the quality of the weed improves as you go down the list. So, mids are better than regs, beasters are better than mids, and headies are the best of the best.

To help you understand this spectrum of quality, it’s sometimes beneficial to divide things along the following lines:

• Low quality
• Medium quality
• High quality (subdivided into low-high quality and high-high quality)

When you look at the spectrum from that perspective, it becomes easier to answer the question, “What are mids?”

What Are Mids?

Using the three-tier scale in the previous section, we can answer the question, “What are mids?” thusly:

Mids represent the halfway point between low grade and top-shelf cannabis.

Mids go by many names — including middle, middle shelf, B+, middies, thirties, work (your guess is as good as ours on where those last two came from) — but they all boil down to a set of variables that distinguish them from the other categories on the spectrum.

Variables That Make Mids Moderately Good

Appearance

Most domestically grown U.S. cannabis will fall into the mids category (except for Honest Marijuana’s offerings, of course). The buds will come separate, not smashed into bricks or bags.

Mids contain very few stems and seeds (or none at all), and they’ll be green with colorful pistils and orange hairs. You may even see a few trichome crystals if you’re lucky.

Flavor

Mids present a pretty normal flavor profile. They’re certainly less harsh than regs, although they can make you cough and hack fairly easily.

Cannabinoid Concentration

Mids contain a higher cannabinoid concentration than regs. Because of that, you’ll get a better recreational high or better medicinal effects than you would with regs.

Effects

Depending on your experience with the wacky weed, you can get anywhere from high to blazed to completely blasted with mids.

Side effects will depend on the predominant cannabinoid the strain contains. For CBD-dominant strains, you can expect a bit of dry mouth, but that’s about it. For THC-dominant strains, watch out for paranoia and the munchies.

Price

With the legalization of marijuana across most of these United States, the cost of mids has become more standardized than it once was. Check out this guide to weed prices for details.

What Are Mids Pros And Cons?

Pros

Price

One of the best things about mids is the price. It’s not super cheap, so you won’t be able to buy some with the loose change you find in your couch. But it’s not so expensive that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house.

Check out this article from the HMJ blog for more info on the price of mid-grade weed: What Does Weed Cost? Weed Price Breakdown.

Color

Mids are usually a brighter shade of green than regs. This more attractive color makes them easier to look at.

While mids aren’t as vibrant as beasters and headies, they’re definitely more colorful than the cardboard appearance of regs.

High

Depending on your level of experience, you’ll have a different type of high with mid-quality weed. Here’s how it breaks down.

• First-time tokers: blasted to very blazed
• Regular tokers: very blazed to semi-blazed
• Seasoned tokers: semi-blazed to very high
• Veteran tokers: high

Cons

Appearance

Even though the color of mids is typically better than regs, mids are still not the prettiest things to look at. Some strains may have a few orange hairs, but the majority of the plant matter will still be greens and browns.

And, even though the buds will be distinguishable from one another (unlike regs), they may be slightly compressed.

May Contain Seeds And Stems

Mids may also contain seeds and stems which can harsh the overall experience of your buzz.

May Be Moldy

Depending on where you buy, your mids may be moldy.

It certainly won’t (or shouldn’t) be all-over mold, but, if you break apart the bud, you may see the beginnings of a fungus.

If you do see some growth, we advise against consuming it. Learn why in this article from the HMJ blog: The 5 Best Ways To Check For Moldy Weed, Plus How To Avoid It.

Mids Compared To Other Qualities Of Weed

In the What Are Mids section of this article, we described mid-grade cannabis in terms of appearance, flavor, cannabinoid concentration, effects, and price.

To help you distinguish mids from everything else, we’ll describe the other three qualities of weed using the same five variables.

Regs

Appearance

Because regs are the bottom of the barrel, marijuana sellers often pre-package them in large quantities (usually bricks).

Those bricks are usually rife with visible stems and seeds. Similarly, regs will be more brown than green and give off an earthy, dirt-y (dirt-like?) aroma.

Flavor

Regs are best described as harsh or spicy. Even seasoned smokers get throat burn when they wrestle with the regs.

Cannabinoid Concentration

Regs have very low cannabinoid concentrations. You won’t get a lot of CBD or THC in a brick of regs. What you will get is plenty of CBN (a byproduct of degradation).

Effects

Because of the over-abundance of CBN, regs tend to produce a somewhat mellow high (if you can even call it a high). More often than not, you’ll just get sleepy and want to go to bed.

Regs also have some nasty side effects — like headache, upset stomach, and trouble breathing — due to the presence of contamination (dirt, mold, mildew, insects, and pesticides).

Price

The only “good” thing about regs is the price. You can get a lot for a little, but the lack of a decent high and the potential for “un-fun” side effects may make you think twice.

Beasters

Appearance

With vivid, tropical greens with more oranges and purples than mids, beaster buds are nicely shaped and attractive to look at. No stems and minimal seeds and more noticeable trichome crystals.

Flavor

While still not the best, beaster weed is by no means low-grade. Flavors are much improved over mids (and certainly regs) and are described as “smooth” and “delicious.”

Cannabinoid Concentration

Beasters contain cannabinoid concentrations on the higher end of the scale (e.g., between 15 and 20 percent for THC strains). That makes beasters much more potent than mids.

Effects

You’re going to get a good high when you use beasters. Many describe the experience as kind of a lower-body high where you become one with your couch.

Because the potency of beasters is so much higher, the side effects will also be more severe.

Price

Beasters are more expensive than mids of the same amount. So, if you’re paying $50-$60 for a quarter of an ounce of mids, you might pay the same price for an eighth of beasters.

Headies

Appearance

Bright greens, oranges, and purples. No stems. No seeds. Covered with trichome crystals and terpenes.

Flavor

All we can say is wow! Delicious! Smooth with no hint of harshness. Chock-full of flavors that you can taste individually, they are an experience unto themselves.

Cannabinoid Concentration

Very high cannabinoid concentration (upwards of 25 percent for THC strains).

Effects

This is where the headies really distinguish themselves. As the name suggests, headies provide more of a “heady” high when compared to beasters. This allows for more physical function and less couch lock when riding a headies high.

Side effects could be potent because of the higher cannabinoid concentration, but some report that the higher quality of the headies actually reduces unpleasant side effects. Try it and see.

Price

Expensive…but well worth it.

The Best Experience Comes From High-Quality Cannabis

If you want the best possible experience from your next smoke sesh, fill your bowl, joint, or Backwoods blunt with high-quality, sustainably-sourced, organically-grown cannabis bud like those from Honest Marijuana.

Remember, it’s not about quantity — your high won’t get better the more you toke — it’s about the quality of the bud you smoke.

When you’re shopping for cannabis, opt for beasters, or, better yet, headies — the two highest qualities of weed — if you can afford it.

Your stash will last longer (because you don’t have to use as much), you’ll get more mileage from a small amount, and the experience will be out of this world.

If you can’t find or afford the first two, mids will do just fine. That said, always, always, always shy away from regs (the literal bottom of the barrel) unless you have no other choice.

And, whenever possible, insist on purchasing organic marijuana and organic marijuana products (like those grown and produced by Honest Marijuana).

At our Rocky-Mountain-based grow facility, we employ world-class organic growing methodologies that provide cannabis connoisseurs with the purest and best marijuana experience on the planet.

We grow our plants the way Mother Nature intended: in organic soil without chemicals or pesticides. We even hand-trim our plants so that they’re organic from the ground up.

So, if you’re looking for the best cannabis experience bar none, don’t settle for anything less than a high-quality organic marijuana strain from Honest Marijuana.

For more information on all things cannabis and to check out our 100% all-natural marijuana products, visit HonestMarijuana.com today.

The post What Are Mids? | Pros And Cons Of Moderately Good Weed appeared first on Honest Marijuana.

Source: honestm

At Honest Marijuana, we’re as 710 friendly as they come. But that doesn’t mean we’re 420 unfriendly. Far from it! We love all things marijuana and welcome whatever number you want to throw out there.

What does all that mean? Read on to find out.

In this article, the all-things-cannabis experts at Honest Marijuana decipher the 710 code and reveal exactly what 710 friendly means.

It All Starts With Jargon

Like most things in the cannacommunity, the first step in understanding is learning a new word or two. Why? Because it all starts with ganja jargon.

Most weed terms are a code of sorts that stoners of yore used in order to talk openly about consuming cannabis — an activity that, for the longest time, was illegal.

So, this jargon was, essentially, born from necessity. Cannabis enthusiasts had to have a way to communicate without parents, teachers, principals, and police officers becoming wise.

This also explains why there are so many weed terms: the slang had to constantly evolve as those who tried to curtail cannabis use figured out the lingo.

This is one explanation for the myriad words we use to stay under the radar when talking about cannabis.

But, if cannabis is legal in most places nowadays, why do we still use jargon, and why is new slang being invented every day?

Because it’s fun, that’s why! And because it creates a community of like-minded individuals who share a common language and who love Mary Jane.

What does all this have to do with 710 and 710 friendly? Both are slang terms for very specific aspects of cannabis culture.

710 Is Code For Concentrates

Concentrates (a.k.a. extracts) are just what their name implies: concentrated versions of the original marijuana buds.

Through a process called solvent extraction, the trichomes and other chemical goodies that make up the psychoactive and medicinal components of the cannabis plant are stripped from the plant matter.

When the stripping process has run its full course, all that’s left are the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, etc.), the terpenes, the flavonoids, and a concentrate that is more potent than the bud from which it came.

Concentrates come in many different forms, including:

• Wax
• Shatter
• Budder
• Honeycomb
• Crumble

The base of all these concentrates, however, is oil — the extraction process yields an oil (of varying viscosity) that you can then manipulate to wind up with one of the forms mentioned above.

Because of this, the word oil is often used as an umbrella term to refer to consuming cannabis concentrates through regular dabbing, cold start dabbing, or smoking them in some other way.

So, where does 710 come from? You’ll have to change your perspective to find out.

From OIL To 710

Remember that pretty much every word in the pot smoker’s “lingua canna” is jargon, slang, or code. The word “oil,” as we discussed above, is no exception.

Not content to rest on their laurels, oil enthusiasts took it one step further and coined a new slang word to refer to the original slang word — a code within a code, if you will.

In the process, they literally turned the jargon on its head.

Here’s a visual representation of how they went from OIL to 710.

Still not clear? Here’s a way you can do it yourself.

1. Write OIL (in all caps) on a piece of paper
2. Put a pin in the center of the “I” (don’t damage whatever surface the paper’s on), or just place your pointer finger (left or right, it doesn’t matter) on the “I”
3. While holding your pointer finger still, rotate the paper 180° left or right (half a circle) with the other hand (the paper should spin around the middle of the “I”)

Voila! You just transformed OIL into 710.

A New Cannabis Subculture

With the rise in popularity of concentrates in recent years, a subculture developed in the cannabis community.

These dabbing aficionados — or 710 enthusiasts, if you will — gather together in their love of waxy weed much like car enthusiasts often divide into Chevy camps and Ford camps.

This new group within a group needed some way to identify themselves to other 710 enthusiasts. That’s where 710 friendly comes in.

What Is 710 Friendly?

So far in this article, we’ve established three important facts:

1. Oil is slang for concentrates and the different ways you can use them
2. 710 is slang for oil (and, by extension, concentrates and the different ways you can use them)
3. 710 enthusiasts have become a cannabis subculture of sorts

That brings us, then, to the next question: What is 710 friendly?

Oil Welcome Here

Simply put, 710 friendly means that oil, its products, and its methods of consumption (most commonly dabbing) are welcome in a certain location.

So, if you see a sign on a dispensary door that says, “710,” or, “710 Friendly,” it’s an indication that concentrates are sold there and that concentrate enthusiasts are encouraged to go in.

And these signs aren’t reserved solely for dispensaries. You might see 710 on a shirt. You might see it on a bumper sticker.

There are even 710 friendly tags all over social media that you can use to find the cannabis concentrate community on your chosen platform.

Regardless of where you find the words “oil,” “710,” or “710 friendly,” it all comes back to the fact that consuming cannabis concentrates is the order of the day.

Experienced Stoners Only

In many ways, 710 friendly also indicates that you’re rubbing elbows with experienced stoners.

By their very nature, cannabis oil and other concentrates are not meant for the first-time tokers. Concentrates are very potent, and, if not used correctly and in moderation, can get the uninitiated extremely high in no time.

Most newbies start by toking a joint or nibbling on a pot brownie at their friend’s smoke sesh. From there, they may try a few bong hits and experiment with stronger strains of marijuana.

After a while, they’ll get up enough confidence to try a Thai stick or some moon rock weed.

Eventually, then, they’ll graduate into dabbing cannabis concentrates and gain admittance to the 710 friendly club.

Very few newbies will jump right from nothing to dabbing an oil. This would be like going from kindergarten right into 12th grade, or not knowing how to drive right into piloting an F1 race car or an 18-wheeler.

The jump from one to the next isn’t a good idea and can be dangerous to boot.

710 friendly is like seeing a high school diploma on a person’s wall or a CDL rating on their license — you know they’ve got the experience and the training necessary to handle their stuff.

710 Friendly = Cannabis Friendly

Of course, 710 friendly also means cannabis friendly.

Because consuming concentrates is a small part of the cannabis community as a whole, the very fact that an establishment, chat room, or individual is 710 friendly means that it or they accept marijuana and marijuana use in all its forms.

Just because you see 710 somewhere, it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) mean that those who prefer joints or blunts or bongs or edibles aren’t welcome.

If nothing else, the cannabis community is all about inclusion and having a good time — regardless of the form it takes.

So, don’t discriminate or feel discriminated against. 710 friendly is just a way to advertise that you enjoy cannabis concentrates.

When it comes right down to it, we all like the same thing whether we consume it as raw bud or cannabis concentrate.

The Best 710 Friendly Experience On The Planet

If you’re in search of an out-of-this-world 710 friendly experience, make these the words you live by:

Quality in equals quality out.

Why is quality so important when it comes to wax, shatter, budder, and pretty much every other extract you can think of?

Because, when you buy (or brew) a concentrate that’s made from high-quality, organic ingredients (like the strains from Honest Marijuana), you get the best possible product that money can buy.

Sure, you can save money by purchasing an oil made from regs and mids, but you’ll get a low-quality final product that might not give you the effects you’re after.

For the best 710 friendly experience, buy a high-quality concentrate made with all-natural ingredients from a reputable source like Honest Marijuana and try before you DIY.

Our Honest Wax is the first concentrate that captures the essence of each individual strain in the most honest and pure representation possible.

We derive our wax from the whole plant using the highest quality flower, groundbreaking preservation methods, and industry-leading extraction methods.

Because of that, you can rest easy that you have a concentrate that truly resembles the flowers on the stalk and offers the highest levels of THC and terpenes with the smoothness of an organically-grown product. Honest Wax truly does deliver on all levels!

If you live in Colorado, find some Honest Marijuana — be it bud or wax — and discover what the purest marijuana experience on the planet feels like. You won’t be sorry.

For more information on all things cannabis and to check out our 100% all-natural marijuana products, visit HonestMarijuana.com today.

The post What Does 710 Friendly Mean And Where Did It Come From? appeared first on Honest Marijuana.

Source: honestm

Learning how to smoke hash is a skill every true cannaseur should master. Hash may not replace cannabis flower as your regular method of consumption, but it’s good to know how to do it in a pinch.

In fact, it’s good to know how to consume cannabis in whatever form you find it because you never know when you might need that knowledge to get your toke on.

To help you in that regard, the all-things-cannabis experts at Honest Marijuana have created this complete guide for how to smoke hash so you’ll never be without options again. Who loves ya, baby?

What Is Hash?

Hash (short for hashish) is a cannabis concentrate made from fresh resin glands (trichomes) that have been separated from the plant matter of a marijuana flower.

Inside those resin glands, the cannabis plant produces THC, CBD, CBG, CBN, and other active cannabinoids.

Outside, in the wild, the trichomes are actually a defense mechanism to deter hungry herbivores like rabbits and deer from devouring the plant.

But because those trichomes are psychoactive (or medicinal, in the case of a CBD-dominant strain), humans can use them to get high or treat a wide variety of medical conditions.

So, when you get right down to it, trichomes — or kief — are what all the fuss is about, and hash is basically just pure trichomes separated from the plant matter.

In the 21st century, extraction methods vary from the simple habit of kief collection in a grinder to the extremely complex process of CO2 extraction.

While the former you can do on your own at home without putting your life at risk, the latter requires special equipment, knowledge, and experience and can be deadly if done incorrectly.

In-between those two processes lie other extraction methods, such as:

• Ice water extraction
• Butane extraction
• Alcohol extraction
• Ethanol extraction
• Bubble hash extraction

If all that seems like too much, just go old-school and work a nug of bud between your fingers until all the sticky stuff comes off. That’s where hash came from (it’s the O.G. of hand-rolled products).

Before all those fancy extraction methods were invented, cannaseurs just rubbed cannabis flowers between their hands until all the trichomes came off, pressed those trichomes together in a brick, bar, block, or ball, and called it hash.

Once they had the hash in hand, they then turned their attention to the most important step of all: putting that extract to good use by learning how to smoke hash.

How To Smoke Hash

There aren’t a lot of methods for smoking hash all by its lonesome because the consistency of the stuff isn’t conducive to burning. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

In this section, we discuss how to smoke hash with other forms of cannabis as well as by itself.

1) Joint, Blunt, Or Spliff

One of the easiest and most accessible methods of learning how to smoke hash is to include some crumbs of the stuff in your joint, blunt, or spliff.

This works well if you’re rolling your own product, but with a little effort, you can also add hash to pre-rolled blunts and joints.

If you’re rolling a joint or blunt (or even a cross joint) from scratch, break your hash into small pieces (the smaller the better) and sprinkle it into the bud before you close.

If you’ve purchased a product from a local dispensary and want to add a concentrate kick to the mix, you’ll have to deconstruct the joint, blunt, or spliff, sprinkle in a few crumbs of hash, and then reroll everything together in order to smoke it.

2) Bong

Another simple method for learning how to smoke hash involves everyone’s favorite: the bong.

Here’s how to use this common cannabis tool:

1. Pack the bowl about half full with ground bud
2. Add a small piece of hash
3. Fill the bowl the rest of the way with ground bud
4. Light up and go

Surrounding the hash with ground marijuana keeps the flame of your lighter from coming in contact with the cannabis concentrate and ruining it completely.

Instead, the heat from the burning ganja (which is cooler than the naked flame) vaporizes the hash while preserving a vast majority of the cannabinoids within its chemical structure.

3) Pipe Or One-Hitter

Once you have the knowledge of how to smoke hash with a bong, you can transfer said knowledge to other types of pipes and one hitters.

In most cases, the bowl of a pot pipe will be about the same size as the bowl of a bong. But some pipes will have smaller bowls. And, one hitters have the smallest “bowls” of all.

Regardless of size, you pack the thing exactly the same as the bong. First, ground bud. Second, a crumb or two of hash. And, third, a bit more ground bud.

Apply heat, and you’re on your way!

4) Vape Pen

Vape pens are a great option for consuming raw bud, but some also have the capability to vaporize hash (be sure to read the specs before you buy).

While most vape pens only burn vape juice or accept specific pre-filled cartridges, the more expensive ones allow you to increase or decrease the heat in order to vaporize different types of concentrates, including hash.

These types of vape pens are complicated — there are multiple settings you have to tweak before you can smoke — have a steep learning curve, and require lots of practice to master.

Vape pens are certainly an option, but learning how to smoke hash with a more common, less-complicated method (e.g., a joint or a bong) is a better use of your valuable time.

5) Hot Knives

The hot knives method is a viable option, but the smoke it produces is going to be extremely harsh. It’s best to use this process only when you’ve exhausted all other possibilities.

Here’s how to smoke hash with the hot knives method:

Supplies

• Hash
• Two metal knives (the wider the blades, the easier it will be)
• Stove, fire, or torch (something that will heat the knives)
• Oven mitts or potholders
• Funnel (optional)

Instructions

1. Form the hash into small lumps or crumbs (sometimes called “spots” or “dots”).
2. Heat the knives. We find that the burner on a stove is the easiest solution, but you could also stick the knives in a campfire or heat both of them at the same time with a torch.
3. Don one oven mitt.
4. Place the hash on the blade of one of the hot knives.
5. Place the other hot blade on top of the first blade and gently squeeze.
6. Inhale the resulting smoke through your nose or mouth (remember, it’s going to be harsh).

To make sure all the smoke goes where it’s supposed to go — into your lungs — you can hold a small funnel in your mouth, maneuver it over the hot knives when you put them together, and inhale from there.

If you don’t have a funnel, you can make your own out of whatever materials are on hand. The easiest DIY solution is to cut the top off a plastic water bottle and use that as a funnel (this is also known as a spottle, bowser, hooter, or toker).

High-Quality Hash Makes The Best High

If you want to learn how to smoke hash for the smoothest and best high possible, go back to the source — buy or DIY a hash made from the highest quality bud you can afford.

Sure, you can save money with a hash made from regs and mids, but that will leave you with a low-quality final product that might not give you the effects you’re after.

Always use the best cannabis flower you can get your hands on — the strain doesn’t matter — so that the hash doesn’t leave you disappointed.

Plus, with a high-quality, organic strain — like those grown at Honest Marijuana — you’ll need less hash to experience the same effects. A little will go a long way.

Talk to the budtenders at your local dispensary and find out what strains they recommend. If you live in Colorado, find some Honest Marijuana and discover what the purest marijuana experience on the planet feels like.

How To Smoke Hash: The Honest Marijuana Way

At our Rocky-Mountain-based grow facility, we employ world-class organic growing methodologies to provide cannabis connoisseurs with the purest marijuana experience on the planet.

We grow our plants the way Mother Nature intended: in organic soil without chemicals or pesticides. And we even hand-trim our plants so that they’re organic from the ground up.

That makes all your smoking experiences infinitely better — whether you smoke hash or something else entirely.

So, don’t settle for inferior hash. Start with the best strains on the planet — the Honest Marijuana strains — learn how to smoke hash correctly, and you’ll experience cannabis the way it was meant to be.

For more information on all things cannabis and to check out our 100% all-natural marijuana products, visit HonestMarijuana.com today.

The post How To Smoke Hash For The Smoothest And Best High appeared first on Honest Marijuana.

Source: honestm