Hemp flower buyer’s guide for first time consumers

Hemp flower buyer’s guide

If you want to purchase great quality CBD hemp flower then the first thing you need to know is how to spot a reputable supplier. Once you’ve found a trusted source, only then should you start selecting your strains and decide whether you want to buy bags of flower or pre-rolls.

Choose the right CBD flower company

There are a few ways you can check the quality of a CBD flower supplier, or indeed a supplier of any CBD product.

✅ Third-Party Lab Testing

Do they provide third-party lab reports that validate the CBD flower’s content? Third-party testing for all CBD products is an absolute must for ensuring that you’re getting what is advertised.

✅ CBD Flower Source

Where are they sourcing their CBD flower from? Look for flower that has been organically grown in clean, arable areas of the USA, otherwise, there is a danger that the hemp flower could be contaminated with harmful toxins and heavy metals from the soil.

✅ Positive Customer Reviews

Do they have good, reliable customer reviews? CBD has been around for long enough now that any reputable company in the market should be relatively easy to research.

✅ No Bold Health Claims

Do they make any bold health claims? At this point, it is illegal to make medical claims about CBD, therefore no companies should be claiming that it prevents, treats, or cures any serious disease.

✅ Reputable Industry Connections

Is the brand affiliated with any other reputable organizations? Some organizations to look out for are the National Hemp Association (NHA) and the Hemp Industries Association (HIA).

How to choose the right CBD strain

Now you have a supplier you can trust, it’s time to choose your perfect strains (or chemovars). Even just on our site alone, at any one time, we may have up to 25 hemp flower strains available in varying formats (CBD buds and pre-rolls), so where do you start?

Before choosing your flower, it’s important to think about all of the reasons you want it and when you’ll most likely be smoking it. Whether you’ve chosen to try CBD-rich hemp flower for personal health reasons, for improved mood or focus, or simply for the user experience, you’ll be faced with decisions regarding CBD potency, flavor, and effect.

Different weight should be given to each of these factors, depending on your original reasons for wanting it.

Potency

Each strain you look at will advertise its CBD content, usually expressed as a percentage. As already mentioned, a good hemp flower company will also readily provide third-party lab reports that can verify the potency advertised, as well as the presence of other cannabinoids.

Remember that stronger isn’t necessarily better and if it’s your first time smoking, you may want to start with something less potent, while you work out your ideal dosage.

Flavor

The flavor of a strain is as important as you want it to be. But when you have so much choice at your fingertips, why not go for the tastiest strains around?

The different flavors and aromatics you will come across when smoking CBD flower are dictated by the chemovar’s terpene profile (which also contribute to the strain’s overall effects).

Companies often provide in-depth strain descriptions, often similar to those found on bottles of wine. Not everyone has a delicate or sensitive enough palette to detect subtleties like a “cherry nose” or “hints of pineapple”, but once you’ve smoked a few different strains, you’ll definitely see that there is a difference and will probably have favorites.

The best way to experience an array of aromatics is to look out for bundles or variety packs that allow you to sample lots of different flavors at a discounted price.

Effect

Due to the unique cannabinoid and terpene profiles of each strain, they all have slightly different effects that either make them better suited to times when you have work to do or errands to run, or for those times when you want to relax, unwind, and switch off.

For your convenience, we’ve split our strains into daytime and nighttime categories. Our daytime strains may include characteristics that uplift, energize, focus, and motivate. Our nighttime strains are more sedating, perfect for unwinding after a long day.

Click here to learn about some possible side effects of CBD products.

How to smoke your CBD flower

How you want to smoke your flower may also affect your buying decision because it will dictate whether you should buy pre-rolls or bags of flower. Pre-rolls are the most convenient option, but buying bags of hemp flower offers more versatility and value for money.

Loose flower that comes as small CBD buds is especially economical and offers a great starting point for people who want to enjoy smokable flower without breaking the bank.

Buy Pre-Rolls

Pre-rolls are exactly as they sound. Pure CBD flower that has been ground up and pre-rolled into a joint (a cigarette-like roll), ready for you to smoke. They are perfect for on-the-go enjoyment since you won’t need to breakdown and roll your own joints.

In a Pipe or Bong

Smoking your flower in a pipe or bong is probably the second easiest way to consume CBD flower, although it can be a little too harsh for some people, especially those not used to smoking.

When packing a pipe or bong, you can also choose to mix it with high-THC flower if you wish.

Roll Your Own

Rolling your own CBD joints also allows you the option to mix your flower with marijuana and is more affordable than buying pre-rolls. If you don’t know how to make a joint, then you can learn here.

Dry Herb Vape

You can also buy dry herb vaporizers that allow you to smoke your pure CBD flower without the combustion element. The vape will heat your flower enough to activate and vaporize the cannabinoids and other compounds without burning it.

Experts tend to smoke CBD flower in a (good quality) dry herb vaporizer because it keeps the flavors of the buds intact and soft on the throat.

What to Expect

Smoking CBD flower cannot and will not get you high, but some people do feel a little head or body buzz after smoking it. For other people, the immediate effects aren’t noticeable until later, in retrospect.

When you smoke CBD for the first time, start slowly and take small puffs. You can’t overdose on CBD flower, but we still recommend that you start with lower doses and see how it affects you personally.

You should also stick to a routine with CBD. Consuming it one or two times sporadically will not have any lasting effects. By sticking to a routine you will slowly feel your body’s endocannabinoid system finds balance.

Some people don’t realize what a difference CBD can have on their life until they stop consuming it.

For more information on how CBD makes you feel, you can read this article.

Shopping with Green Unicorn Farms

Shopping with Green Unicorn Farms couldn’t be easier.

Try our personal shopper

We have a personal shopping assistant that can help you find your ideal strains based on your needs. Just answer a couple of questions about what you hope to gain from your CBD flower experience and we’ll match you up with your dream strains.

🤖 Click here to open the personal shopper

Shop by effect

Or you can shop by the effect you’re looking for. As mentioned, we’ve split all of our strains into two main categories to help narrow down your search. We have strains that we deem to be more suitable for daytime use (more energizing, uplighting) and those more suited to nighttime use (more sedating).

Discounted bundles

Still can’t decide? Many of our customers like to have a variety of strains to choose from so we have discounted variety packs available. This allows you to try a number of different strains before settling on your favorite.

The search stops here.