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Ask a Stoner: Do Certain Strains Look Good, but Smoke Bad?

Bad genetics, growing or post-harvest treatment can ruin a strain's name.
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Dear Stoner: I got super excited at the look of some weed the other day. Great bag appeal. But the smell and smoke were bland, and the high was dull. Are certain strains prone to that?
Acidic

Dear Acidic: Gilded buds and other forms of shitty weed are mostly products of bad genetics, growing or post-harvest treatment. Dryness, old age or poor curing can also turn good buds bad without killing their looks, a problem that dispensaries and growers continue to struggle with. Still, every strain has strengths and weaknesses. A home-growing friend of mine recently gave me three jars of flower. The frosty, violet Oreoz looked like it was straight out of a magazine, yet the homely Pink Lemonade smelled and smoked three times better.
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Scott Lentz

Some strains smell amazing but look like a wispy weakling, while others look buff and beautiful only to fall short once nostrils open and the smoke is inhaled. White Widow and Gorilla Glue are two that come to mind in that category, and even those two are capable of producing aromatic buds and effective highs.
Moral of the story: If you love your grower, tell them.


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