Budtenders are an integral part of curating experiences for cannabis consumers, new or old.
We test out the never-ending sea of products to build expertise, making navigation of the vast legal market easier for everyone. It’s a difficult task to take on, so don’t forget to tip your favourite budtender to show your appreciation.
The role of a budtender can be tricky when you have to find something that works for so many different types of consumers. Cannabis is highly variable and what works for some won’t work for others.
One person may love skunky or gas-scented strains, while others hate them and want something more fruity. So a budtender needs to know the ins and outs of different strains, cannabinoids, terpenes and more.
After curating hundreds of orders and getting input from a handful of other experienced budtenders, here are my recommendations for a range of products that’ll impress most consumers.
Craft Orange Tingz
By: High Street Cannabis
Licensed Producer: Quality Green
Dose: THC, 21% – 26%
Crossing together TMAC #7 and Slurricane, High Street Cannabis’ Craft Orange Tingz is as citrusy as its name makes it out to be. An aroma of orange creamsicle and a slight cheesecake-like scent greet you on each puff.
The robust terpene profile contains limonene, linalool and ocimene. If you’re looking for a new craft bud to check out that’s well-trimmed, super tasty, and potent, look no further.
LA Kush Cake
By: Natural History
Licensed Producer: Atlas Growers
Dose: THC, 23% – 28%
Who doesn’t love cake? Natural History’s LA Kush Cake has a hefty potency level without losing any of the delicious tastes. The buds come with an eye-grabbing dark purple and bright orange shimmer.
LA Kush Cake offers a heavy-hitting dense smoke to relax with. Its terpene combo of beta-caryophyllene, humulene, limonene, myrcene create a sweet and smooth vanilla cake taste, with notes of sandalwood, gas, and earthiness.
CNDYLND
By: Contraband
Licensed Producer: Valens Agritech
Dose: THC, 22% – 29%
Just like the name suggests, CNDYLND has a sweet fruity flavour like blackberry candy. The buds from this craft grow are dense and crystally with light green and dark purple hues gleaming throughout.
Bred from Granddaddy Purple and Bay Platinum Cookies, this strain has a smooth yet potent smoke with a beautiful fruity taste for flavour fiends coupled with a slight hint of pine.
Afghan Black Hash
By: Vortex
Licensed Producer: Vortex Cannabis
Dose: THC, 40% – 48%
If you’re looking for a sticky hash that’s highly malleable, Vortex’s Afghan Black Hash is a solid choice. It comes as a large, sticky black ball and works perfectly in joints or burns nicely on its own in a pipe too.
Its potency sits fairly high for legal market hash without cracking a wild price point, so you can bust out your hot knives without breaking the bank.
SLK Live Resin 510 Thread Cartridge
By: Greybeard
Licensed Producer: Thrive Cannabis
Dose: THC, 75% – 81%
Live resin vape cartridges offer a more fresh and flavourful vaping experience and Greybeard is your best bet for quality and potency. Their SLK Live Resin 510 cartridge has a natural lemon and pine taste.
The terpene profile consists of alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-ocimene, among others. The flavour is achieved by flash freezing the flower before extraction, which keeps more of the plants’ natural terpene content than CO2 extraction, so you get the best taste possible.
232 Series Sundae Driver Live Terpene Sticks
By: Kolab Project
Licensed Producer: Dosecann
Dose: THC, 26.6% – 32.5%
Infused pre-rolls are fairly new to Canada’s legal market and a ton of options have popped up very quickly. If you’re looking for a great one to start with, Kolab Project’s 232 Series Sundae Driver Live Terpene Sticks.
Each pack has three half-gram joints to test out the effects and see the difference from regular flower pre-rolls. The flower is mixed with potent terpene sauce giving each joint around 5% terpenes for a full-flavoured smoke with a heavy hit.
Joe Smith-Engelhardt
Joe Smith-Engelhardt is a Toronto-based freelance writer focusing on music and cannabis. He’s previously written for Alternative Press, Exclaim! and other publications.
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