Anyone trying weed for the first time might be excited to experience the effects of a widely forbidden plant. Unfortunately, most novice smokers make the mistake of not understanding that not all cannabis is equal.
It’s tricky to determine the quality of weed, especially if you haven’t acquired it legally. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on bud from a dispensary, you’ll hear terms like regs, mids, headies, and beasters, and they all refer to quality. Use the guide below to learn the differences between them and understand what it means to procure high-quality cannabis.
Common Names for Cannabis Grades
Regs
The lowest-quality weed you can buy is regs, which is short for “dregs.” Because the quality is so low, growers usually prepackage the cannabis in large bricks that contain many stems and seeds. Regs will have a browner, earthier color and aroma.
In most cases, growers prematurely harvest marijuana plants that produce regs, or they store them improperly. As a result, these tend to have low cannabinoid concentrations, with less THC and CBD.
What you will receive by smoking regs is a mild calm with a harsh flavor from an overabundance of CBN, an unwanted weed byproduct. Instead of feeling a euphoric high, you’ll likely feel sleepy. Other side effects can include:
- Upset stomach
- Breathing trouble
- Sore throat
- Headache
Some of the names that smokers associate with regs include:
- Popcorn
- Brick weed
- Shake
- Bottom shelf
Mids
As a medium-grade quality cannabis, mids are a definite step up from regs. Mids make up most of the domestically grown cannabis from the U.S., with some exceptions.
These buds come in separates, not bricks, and contain few seeds and stems. The flowers will have a green color with streaks of orange hairs and bright pistils. You might also see trichome crystals.
Unlike regs, mids don’t have a harsh flavor profile, but they can make you cough because growers typically lamp-dry the buds. They also have a higher concentration of cannabinoids, so you’ll achieve a recreational high. Depending on your tolerance level, you can get mildly high or get completely wasted when smoking weed of this quality.
You likely won’t experience many unpleasant side effects from consuming mids. However, you can feel paranoia and an increased appetite from THC-dominant strains. If you choose mids with high-CBD potency, you could have a dry mouth.
Other names for mids are:
- Reggie
- Thirties
- Middle
- B+
Beasters
Beasters are superior to low- and mid-grade weed, though they aren’t at the highest tier. When growers from British Columbia, Canada, would send bricks of weed to the U.S., people would call it “BC weed.” Over time, the term became “beasters.”
You can expect to see bright greens, purples, and oranges in beasters. The nugs have a nice shape with no stem and few seeds, if any at all. You’ll also notice more trichome crystals over the bud.
Beasters have a smooth, delicious flavor and cause no throat irritation. They have a substantial cannabinoid concentration somewhere between 15% to 20% for THC strains.
You can get blazed or wasted when you consume beasters. Novice weed smokers can quickly reach an incredible high, so it’s best to stay cautious so that the smoke session will remain enjoyable.
Other names for beasters include:
- Dro
- Fire
- Flame
- Kine
Headies
Headies are in the upper tier of cannabis quality and usually consist of the cannabis sativa strain. When you smoke them, they will produce a heady high.
This weed category features buds with vibrant green, orange, and purple colors. The buds are entirely free of stems and seeds. Trichrome crystals and terpenes are visible and cover all sides of the nugs.
When you smoke headies, you can expect a delicious taste with no harshness to the throat. You will detect the individual flavors that make up the overall taste. The enhanced flavor comes from the soil, organic nutrients, and compost teas that growers use before harvesting the plant.
Headies are potent and can have up to 25% of THC content. Because they produces a heady high, you can still get up and perform physical activities instead of staying on the couch. The euphoric effects tend to cancel out any side effects you may experience.
Here are some other terms for headies:
- Top shelf
- Chronic
- Loud
- Piff
Shop for the Best Cannabis Items
Whether you want to try beasters or headies, you can count on Cannabis & Glass to have the best dispensaries in Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Liberty Lake, WA. Shop online. We offer professional service to experienced smokers and novices alike. Check out our menus today and follow to our blog to learn more about upcoming cannabis products, news, how-to guides, and more.
