Hunter's blog: How do you choose the right cannabis strain?

4 min read

Choosing the right cannabis strain is all about knowing what you’re looking for: chill or active, light or strong. The coffeeshop menu helps, but your choice depends on effect, THC, and experience. With these tips, you will always make a better choice.

What is the topic?

Choosing the right weed strain sounds simple, but in practice it is often a gamble. You stand in front of a coffee shop menu and think: this doesn’t mean much to me.

Yet there is definitely a way to choose smarter. Not by knowing everything, but by understanding a few things: what you want to feel, how strongly you want it and how you are going to use it.

That is actually the basis of good choice.

How to choose by feeling (chill vs active)

The first step is not to look at names, but at your intention. Do you want to relax? Then you look for something that brings you down. More body, more chill, less hustle and bustle in your head.

Do you want to do something, laugh, talk, be creative? Then you are looking for something lighter and more active.

The coffeeshop menu is therefore not a list of best options, but a kind of guide. You determine the feeling first, then the species.

Indica vs sativa vs hybrid (kept simple)

Once you know what you’re looking for, you can use those terms as a direction.

Indica tends to be more chill and heavy.
Sativa often feels lighter and more active.
Hybrid is in between.

Don’t think of it as hard and fast rules. Use it as a starting point to filter faster on the coffeeshop menu.

THC: How Strong Do You Want It To Be?

Then comes the next choice: strength.

Many people here make the mistake of going high right away. But the higher the THC, the more intense the weed effects.

As a beginner, it is smarter to start lower. Then you can always build up.

Experienced users often know better what they can handle, but here too, stronger is not always better, just different.

The role of the budtender

Can’t figure it out? Just ask. The budtender knows the coffeeshop menu inside and out. If you say what you are looking for, chill, light, strong, they can often help you immediately.

You don’t have to guess it yourself. That is literally what they stand for.

How will you use it? (important for your choice)

What many people forget: how you use is just as important as what you choose.

Are you going to smoke a joint? Then it plays a role whether you smoke pure or mix. Are you going for a pre-rolled or do you roll yourself? All of that affects how the weed effects kick in.

Pre-rolled vs self-rolling

Pre-rolled is easy. No hassle, just light it. But you have less control. You don’t know exactly how much is in it and how strong it is.

Turning it yourself does give you that control. You can make it lighter, keep it smaller and dose it better. For beginners, this is often a better move.

Pure vs mixed

A pure joint is stronger. No tobacco, so everything you feel comes from the weed itself. A mixed joint often feels a little milder, but also has a different effect due to the tobacco.

What you choose depends on what you are looking for: direct and pure, or a little more quietly structured.

How much do you take? (the key that everyone forgets)

You can choose the perfect strain, but if you take too much, it won’t make much difference. Start slowly. One or two puffs and then wait.

The weed effects don’t always come immediately. Give it some time before you take more. This is perhaps the most important choice you make.

Beginner vs experienced user

As a beginner, it’s all about building up slowly. Not the strongest strain, not a whole joint right away, but just feeling what it does.

Experienced users often have a better sense of what they want. But even there, choosing remains important, because tolerance and effect continue to change.

Important context

The right type of weed does not exist in general. Only for you, at that moment.

The same product may feel completely different on another day. Your mood, energy and environment all play a role. That is why choosing is not an exact science, but a combination of feeling and experience.

Fun / culture piece

The great thing is: everyone starts clueless at the coffee shop menu. And after a while, you’ll be that person who knows exactly what works. That process is part of it and makes it fun.

Fun fact

Many people remember their first perfect strain, but forget that the feeling was often more due to the setting than the weed itself. The atmosphere sometimes makes more difference than the product.