What does top tier mean?

[little maggie]

I went to a dispensary recently and the budtender, who looked about 18, kept recommending strains that were lower THC than the ones I wanted to buy. I went ahead and got the ones I wanted except for Jillybean which was one he suggested.
When I left I realized that it was the top tier ones he was trying to get me to buy. So I don't understand what made them top tier other than cost.

 

[Silver420Surfer]

Could of been cured longer/more proper, A+ trim job, heirloom/boutique genetics, or depending on where you shop, complete BS. Agree with @steama --high thc doesn't mean the best

 

[TeeJay1952]

It was misspelled tear that you shed when you see the price.

 

[Tranquility]

Around here, it seems "top tier" is related to the size of the flower. The larger the nug, the higher on the tiers. Popcorn is usually for less than top tiers.

I'm sure some places with good expertise will check for other factors. But my experience is it tends towards the meat (size) and not the motion (THC, etc.).

 

[invertedisdead]

Here's what the budtender won't tell you though, is that all of the truly top tier material never makes it any further than the grower or extractors hands.

 

[nickdanger]

This brings up a question I was curious about. I visited a couple of dispensaries in Colorado recently that had popcorn nugs for $X per oz and regular for $XX per oz. Is there any difference (assuming same strain/batch) between the regular and popcorn nugs other than "jar appeal"? I grind mine anyway, so in the end it all looks the same.

 

[turk]

....@nickdanger....not in my book...the "smaller" looking nuts tend to sell cheaper.....people will pay more....for larger buds....(was a real fan...at one time...of firesign theatre...not sure if that's where you get the name)...

 

[nickdanger]

....@nickdanger....not in my book...the "smaller" looking nuts tend to sell cheaper.....people will pay more....for larger buds....(was a real fan...at one time...of firesign theatre...not sure if that's where you get the name)...

That's what I thought about the larger buds but wasn't sure. Since I don't live in a legal state, a lot of this was new to me. I had been to a dispensary before up there, but it was a long time ago, probably right after the state became rec legal.

And yes, Firesign Theatre is where I got the name. I still have a lot of great stoner memories from that era, and they were one of my favorites. Love that uncontrollable laughter...

 

[turk]

"at the last possible moment he stopped on a dime"......"unfortunately that dime was in Mr Rococco's pocket.'....

 

[Tranquility]

....@nickdanger....not in my book...the "smaller" looking nuts tend to sell cheaper.....people will pay more....for larger buds....(was a real fan...at one time...of firesign theatre...not sure if that's where you get the name)...

While I agree with you, my buddy would not. He would claim that only through good growing technique can you make statistically larger buds. In other words, it's not the size of the nug that is the key, but the growing techniques that would lead to larger.

 

[turk]

...love these debates...if only we had some product to share and test our theories...alas....we are limited to this...

 

[Silver420Surfer]

Here's what the budtender won't tell you though, is that all of the truly top tier material never makes it any further than the grower or extractors hands.

In a legal environment like Colorado, chances of that happening are slim to none due to strict regulations.

 

[invertedisdead]

In a legal environment like Colorado, chances of that happening are slim to none due to strict regulations.

Never seen strict regulations stop anyone from doing anything they wanted to do. If strict regulations were enough, the nations prescription pill addiction epidemic would be nonexistent also. Where do you think these growers and extractors are getting all this material to dab a gram at a time? They pull it straight out of the vac oven lol

 

[Tranquility]

Never seen strict regulations stop anyone from doing anything they wanted to do. If strict regulations were enough, the nations prescription pill addiction epidemic would be nonexistent also. Where do you think these growers and extractors are getting all this material to dab a gram at a time? They pull it straight out of the vac oven lol

Many legal areas require some sort of "seed-to-sale" software to track legal sales. The software does just what you'd think it does. I'm sure there can be some diversion along the way. To have some large scale intake or loss of product will require pretty fancy cheating to overcome. I'm sure if the government wants to someday run the data through some expert system, the chance of loss goes down even more. Accounting works.

(At about the beginning of the year, one seed-to-sale (MJ Freeway) lost server connection (Perhaps due to an attack.) and lots of dispensaries had to close until a re-connection was made. )

 

[Silver420Surfer]

Never seen strict regulations stop anyone from doing anything they wanted to do. If strict regulations were enough, the nations prescription pill addiction epidemic would be nonexistent also. Where do you think these growers and extractors are getting all this material to dab a gram at a time? They pull it straight out of the vac oven lol

Working at a few diff legal CO grows...I can tell you this doesn't happen like you say. Now, if I have a legal homegrow in Co, 6 plants, maybe I do what you suggest but they are not tracked by the Marijuana Enforcement Division at all. Def NOT the same as a legal commercial grow. But people doing one gram dabs at a time is a very weak arguement to show that legal growers under tight seed to sale software, pull the good stuff for themselves. I guess people who drop $5000+ on a glass piece don't have money to burn for a gram-at-a-time dab? You need to expand your canna-culture circle if you think that.

I could be wrong, but when I put clones in the ground(RFID tagged), then later transplant them, water, defoiliate, then do cutdown, hang to dry, then trim and cure with the same RFID tags, then weigh, package and record ALL of that for our database, ready to ship to our store. I am pretty confidant where our product went to...our dispensary shelves. The trimmers couldn't even save their "scissor hash" that collects over a days work because the higher ups felt that the Marijuana Enforcement Division would consider that hash to be product that should not exist unless it is going to be sold in the dispensary or turned into edibles...other than that, it's considered Waste that has to be disposed of like our stalks,stems, soil, etc. Thrown away in a locked giant dumpster and recorded in database.

Maybe this goes on in Cali where the cartels have intertwined themselves, or other lax regulations have allowed weird things to happen.

 

[invertedisdead]

Working at a few diff legal CO grows...I can tell you this doesn't happen like you say. Now, if I have a legal homegrow in Co, 6 plants, maybe I do what you suggest but they are not tracked by the Marijuana Enforcement Division at all. Def NOT the same as a legal commercial grow. But people doing one gram dabs at a time is a very weak arguement to show that legal growers under tight seed to sale software, pull the good stuff for themselves. I guess people who drop $5000+ on a glass piece don't have money to burn for a gram-at-a-time dab? You need to expand your canna-culture circle if you think that.

I could be wrong, but when I put clones in the ground(RFID tagged), then later transplant them, water, defoiliate, then do cutdown, hang to dry, then trim and cure with the same RFID tags, then weigh, package and record ALL of that for our database, ready to ship to our store. I am pretty confidant where our product went to...our dispensary shelves. The trimmers couldn't even save their "scissor hash" that collects over a days work because the higher ups felt that the Marijuana Enforcement Division would consider that hash to be product that should not exist unless it is going to be sold in the dispensary or turned into edibles...other than that, it's considered Waste that has to be disposed of like our stalks,stems, soil, etc. Thrown away in a locked giant dumpster and recorded in database.

Maybe this goes on in Cali where the cartels have intertwined themselves, or other lax regulations have allowed weird things to happen.

Haha hey now, my original post was in response to the term "dispensary"
Nowhere was "seed to sale" software mentioned so give me a break. Clearly you have strong faith in the system, but I still have my doubts since pharmaceuticals are already held to a much higher standard and still can't be accounted for. I guess as long as you believe nobody's ever taken a gram it's all good though, right?

however I gotta say, a "Marijuana Enforcement Agency" sounds way worse than the cartel!

 

[herbivore21]

Here's what the budtender won't tell you though, is that all of the truly top tier material never makes it any further than the grower or extractors hands.

Bingo! Well, some of that headstash may make it to dispensary staff or friends of the grower/extractor...

To assume that marketing lingo like 'top tier' has a universal and consistent meaning across contexts is a very problematic approach to take. This is marketing language after all! Someone who is trying to sell you something could conceivably call anything 'top tier' in order to make it seem more appealing to the customer.

 

[Silver420Surfer]

Being a part of the cannabis industry, not just a purchaser of product, one word quickly becomes a staple of your vocabulary. Compliance.
Something most of us IN the industry, strive for constantly. And those who fail, pay heavy fines, lose licenses, have harvests taken away, or some combo of that. But you go ahead and believe owners of multi-million dollar facilities let their growers and dispensary workers jeopardize all of that, plus heavy fines, so someone can go make Youtube/Instagram posts of one gram dabs.

At roughly $400 for an ounce of shatter($14/gram), in CO., I don't think you need to steal the good stuff from the growhouse or dispensary(risking fines and firing) to be a Baller and show of one gram dabs on social media. Not to mention the fact that most growers/warehouse workers, have their own personal grows. Rest assured we are not keeping the good stuff for ourselves lololololol.

Bingo! Well, some of that headstash may make it to dispensary staff or friends of the grower/extractor...

1st, let me say I really repsect your canna-knowledge and your contributions to the forum and it pains me to post this to such a reputable member here at FC.
Again, believing what you just posted in an environment like Colorado, is just foolish and indicitive of having ZERO knowledge of how that industry truly works. Again, I can only tell you all how it goes where I've worked. But the regulations were the same for all of us.

Could this happen in VERY random instances, among less than reputable companies? Surely. But the point you all were making was that this is the norm, which I can guarantee, in Colorado, it is NOT. If we plant 100 plants in the ground(clones), there better be 100 seperate RFID tags for each one...and when, not if, the Marijuana Enforcement Division shows up for random inspection, all that paperwork better jive, or else big fines. Now what would be the reason an owner would allow a grower to jeopardize this for is beyond my reasoning. Just so the grower could give away the "good stuff" to his family and friends?? WTF???
NO it doesnt happen like that.

While I agree with you, my buddy would not. He would claim that only through good growing technique can you make statistically larger buds. In other words, it's not the size of the nug that is the key, but the growing techniques that would lead to larger.

Some strains are just not big bud producers. Nothing to do with proper techniques. It's genetics.
I always love when I see a dispensary grow a strain thats not a big producer but take the time to grow it out anyway. Many sativas could go longer than lots of growhouses schedule allows. Again, props for those folks letting some sativas go for like 14 weeks rather than chopping them early to get them to the dispensary to sell.

 

[herbivore21]

1st, let me say I really repsect your canna-knowledge and your contributions to the forum and it pains me to post this to such a reputable member here at FC.
Again, believing what you just posted in an environment like Colorado, is just foolish and indicitive of having ZERO knowledge of how that industry truly works. Again, I can only tell you all how it goes where I've worked. But the regulations were the same for all of us.

Could this happen in VERY random instances, among less than reputable companies? Surely. But the point you all were making was that this is the norm, which I can guarantee, in Colorado, it is NOT. If we plant 100 plants in the ground(clones), there better be 100 seperate RFID tags for each one...and when, not if, the Marijuana Enforcement Division shows up for random inspection, all that paperwork better jive, or else big fines. Now what would be the reason an owner would allow a grower to jeopardize this for is beyond my reasoning. Just so the grower could give away the "good stuff" to his family and friends?? WTF???
NO it doesnt happen like that.

I am not speaking in relation to Colorado at all brother, in fact, I'm the first to say that I have negligible knowledge of that market - so no problem at all. The knowledge I have from dispensaries and processors is almost exclusively out of Cali, and again, most of what I say relates to people producing full melt (not the vast majority of processors and there are very different considerations at play here, the best headstash from a full melt run is a very, very small portion of the full melt that is produced). So in reality, you're not correcting me, we're reporting our understandings of different markets and possibly, different kinds of products

Also thanks for the kind words, my friend

Just so the grower could give away the "good stuff" to his family and friends?? WTF???
NO it doesnt happen like that.

Also I need to clarify something here man, I do not mean that the only 'good stuff' is the headstash that I speak of and that everything else being retailed is shit. I am talking about the very, very best stuff. The cream of the cream. That is what I consider top tier. Again, what this all goes to show is that the term 'top tier' does not mean the same thing to different people.

Again though, I was not speaking in relation to Co at all. If the OP was talking about Co in particular to the exclusion of other markets, then my apologies for any derail

Some strains are just not big bud producers. Nothing to do with proper techniques. It's genetics.
I always love when I see a dispensary grow a strain thats not a big producer but take the time to grow it out anyway. Many sativas could go longer than lots of growhouses schedule allows. Again, props for those folks letting some sativas go for like 14 weeks rather than chopping them early to get them to the dispensary to sell.

Couldn't agree more! Some of the most wonderful tasting and feeling resin can be found on nugs that never get all that large or firm (like some of the comparatively ropey narrow leaf varieties as @Silver420Surfer says).

 

[invertedisdead]

Yes, California. I have never been to Colorado in my life. We passed recreational but that's about all that's happened so far.

 

[invertedisdead]

The knowledge I have from dispensaries and processors is almost exclusively out of Cali, and again, most of what I say relates to people producing full melt

Rosin too, IMO. When it comes to super fire low temp rosin I'm not seeing much on menus (SoCal)

 

[Silver420Surfer]

@herbivore21 Gotcha...I thought we were talking quality, legal, commercial grows. Cali is a whole nother ballgame. No real regulations to speak of, maybe they will now with the new laws. Too much cartel influence, too much shitty black market products coming from there.

But in CO, the cream of the crop is still finding its way to the dispensary not to the grower. Maybe at most some companies will do mediocre grows all year but then when the Cup season comes around they magically produce award winning product(then back to shit after, rinse repeat). Having had many of the top companies products from cali, concentrates, I feel CO has surpassed them. Now for cannabis flower, I still think CO is making great, great strides, but Cali still has the upper hand in flower. Again, imo.

The conversation tended toward generalities of the whole industry, and I just wanted to make the case that in one state, I can safely assure you, the cream of the crop is out in the dispos, not the pockets of the Wooks.

 

[herbivore21]

@herbivore21 Gotcha...I thought we were talking quality, legal, commercial grows.

If only! I agree that Co have certainly got the tougher and in most cases, better regulations than Ca.

Cali is a whole nother ballgame. No real regulations to speak of, maybe they will now with the new laws. Too much cartel influence, too much shitty black market products coming from there.

I do hope that the new laws bring in some reasonable regulations for exactly the reasons that you mention!

But in CO, the cream of the crop is still finding its way to the dispensary not to the grower. Maybe at most some companies will do mediocre grows all year but then when the Cup season comes around they magically produce award winning product(then back to shit after, rinse repeat). Having had many of the top companies products from cali, concentrates, I feel CO has surpassed them. Now for cannabis flower, I still think CO is making great, great strides, but Cali still has the upper hand in flower. Again, imo.

I agree that a lot of the best concentrates to be found for retail stateside will be in Co. I've heard of so much more full melt available in Co than Ca for a start! You guys do have fantastic conditions in your state for drying water hash and also for dry sifting, so it is little surprise to someone like me

I hope to one day sample the products of your fine state! Sooner than later preferably!

 

[Silver420Surfer]

I hope to one day sample the products of your fine state! Sooner than later preferably!

I'd roll out the red carpet man!
One aficionado to another.
Christ, it'd be like two sommeliers arguing over what the wine really tastes like

 

[invertedisdead]

lol @ cartel influence. That's a myth. It's actually the Hmong.