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Episode 1: What are the metrics?
Our tag line is Quality Cannabis, Quality Peoples. The Quality Peoples bit is easy… it’s the Quality Cannabis that is more challenging.
During pre-regulation, we had the privilege of working with a select handful of growers. They were very knowledgable and over time we were able to absorb some of their knowledge and pass it forward. Today we are in an entirely different landscape. We’ve decided to do a series of episodes discussing the metrics we use to determine “Quality Cannabis”. We’ll have in person conversations on Instagram and TikTok and we’ll format the basis for those conversations here.
Episode 1 simply sets the stage.
Grading or rating cannabis has been done informally by cannabis enthusiasts for many years. However, the formal grading of cannabis began to take shape in the 1970s and 1980s. Particularly in the United States. Underground cultivators and breeders began to develop new strains of cannabis with varying levels of potency and quality.
One of the first attempts to formalize cannabis grading was made by a group of California growers and activists known as the “Compassion Club,” (not to be confused with the BC Compassion Club) who in the mid-1990s developed a grading system for medical cannabis based on factors such as appearance, aroma, flavour, and effect. This system eventually evolved into the “A-B-C-D” or the Quads “AAAA” to Schwag “DDDD” grading system, which was widely used in the cannabis industry pre legalization.
The first Cannabis Cup competition, which began in 1988 in Amsterdam, played a significant role in establishing standards for cannabis grading. Over the years, the Cannabis Cup has helped to promote and celebrate the best cannabis products from around the world. It has encouraged growers and breeders to focus on producing high-quality, potent, and flavourful cannabis.
Today terms like “Schwag”, “Mids”, “Headies” “Boof” and “Quads” still exist but they are not often used in the regulated & industrialized marketplace. What we see a lot of currently is the word “Premium” and it’s not translating. Considering some of the participants, and even winners in the Cannabis Cup(s), are producing in the regulated space. We think it is best to honour the history by using the same grading mechanisms for the cannabis that is available to us via the regulated marketplace today.
Stay tuned for Episode 2: Quality Cannabis Appearance