Selecting the right hemp flower goes far beyond the smell or look of each hemp bud. Each cultivar/strain is composed of a variety of different cannabinoids and terpenes that give a distinct experience to the human body. If we take a further step back, we find that one of the most common indicators of how a hemp flower strain will make you feel comes down to the actual species of cannabis.
Cannabis has two primary species known as Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. These two distinct species are the first indicator of how you should make a hemp flower selection based on your personal needs.
To begin, it is important to know that although Indica-Sativa-Hybrid are common terms used in the hemp and cannabis industries, claiming that each of these has a specific outcome is not scientifically proven and many experts believe that this classification is not in enough detail.
Broadly Identifying Strains to meet your needs
For your purposes in selecting the strain that is best for you, we like to talk about India-Sativa-Hybrid in terms of the “mood” or “effect” that you may feel. After we explain the differences between these broad based strain aspects, we will go into some more detail for you to get your optimum experience.
Indica: commonly known for its calming and relaxing effects on the body. Many people select an indica based strain for pain relief and help with sleep or other ailments or disorders that need a calming effect. If you are looking for a more nighttime or evening experience this may be the perfect choice for you!
Sativa: Known for a more alert, focused, and energizing feelings, sativa is usually used for daytime needs. Whether you need to get creative work done or make it through some pain during the day in an alert and focused way, this strain tends to activate your brain making it a daytime choice and something to avoid at night, unless you want to be awake!
Hybrid: As you can imagine, the hybrid varieties were bred to get the best of both worlds along with other desirable traits from the growing and consumer perspective. A hybrid strain can offer you a simultaneously relaxing and energizing experience.
Moving past broad selections to find your perfect match(es)
Once you have begun to identify some general strain characteristics that are suitable for your needs, it’s time to take it a step further and really zero in on the benefits that your particular body needs.
To start, it is important to know that many of us have multiple, sometimes three or four different benefits that we are looking for during either different parts of the day or for different moods and effects that we want for either ailments or enhancements. The key here is that you are always going to want to have a healthy selection and rotation of hemp flower strains that you have access to depending on what day, time, mood, or purpose you need.
So how do we take things a step further beyond “Sativa” and “Indica”? It’s all about the cannabinoids and terpenes that make up each individual strain. Every hemp flower strain is unique in the compounds that make up the flower and it can have several different cannabinoids of the 144 that we currently know of in science along with a variety of terpenes out of the thousands that come in nature among most plants. To learn more about terpenes = link
To access this level of detail you simply need to put on your learning cap and get ready for some fun! Each of our flowers has a Certificate of Analysis (COA) Aka Lab Results that shows you the cannabinoid content and profile along with the terpene profile of the exact hemp flower that you are looking at. Over time, you will be able to identify terpene profiles and cannabinoid profiles that your body and mind especially enjoy!
In order to make the best hemp flower selection we recommend the following process.
- Broadly choose Indica/Sativa/Hybrid based on the mood, effect, purpose that you are looking for.
- Check the COA for cannabinoids and terpenes. If you already have had that hemp flower before, it may be slightly different but you can still check. If you are completely new, you can just check for fun and don’t get too worried about all the numbers!
- Always order several different strains and see what your body and mind are enjoying. When you find a strain that you particularly like, take note and save the COA for that hemp flower so that you have it for your records.
We hope that you find the exact hemp flower that you are looking for and always encourage you to keep learning and growing with your cannabis knowledge. Knowledge is power!
