Home growers and small to medium size businesses often focus on growing craft cannabis. But what is craft cannabis? Craft cannabis is thought to be high-quality cannabis cultivated on a small scale with great care, grown organically without man-made synthetics, and often grown in your local community.
Craft cannabis can also be referred to as artisanal, boutique or designer cannabis.
The cannabis marketplace is already “commercial cannabis vs. craft cannabis,” and that won’t change. It is just like alcohol and will continue to follow suit. Post 2020, cannabis markets will emerge from their “storming phases” and begin their “norming phases.” That’s when society will see craft cannabis more clearly because it will be just like alcohol.
The future of craft cannabis will hopefully include new laws that treat cannabis like a commodity that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee. Whether or not cannabis is eventually sold at grocery stores and treated like a commodity, at least you can start growing your own craft cannabis at home. Now is the time to hone your skills and double-down on your experience with the art of cannabis cultivation.
But first, let’s tackle the internal controversy in craft cannabis. Outdoor growers often believe craft cannabis must be sun-grown, but indoor growers will disagree. Indoor growers in return will point out that diesel exhaust from tractors, cars and trucks can taint outdoor sun-grown cannabis, but outdoor growers don’t see a problem. There’s some wiggle room when it comes to defining, understanding and growing craft cannabis. For now. But what everyone does agree on is using natural fertilizers, biological pest controls, and natural pest preventatives and killers.
Craft cannabis growers unite around organic gardening practices and just say NO to synthetic fertilizers, man-made PGRs, and unsafe pesticides.
You can expect craft cannabis to smell loud and strong, be covered in trichomes, and to be fresh and not dried out. However, craft cannabis product isn’t always high quality when it comes to potency, taste, and smoothness. This is because there are varying levels of craft cannabis products and not all craft cannabis is the same. The same goes for corporate cannabis. Another consideration is that cannabis degrades over time. Most cannabis aficionados prefer fresh cannabis from a sealed jar around two months old, not 10 months or a year old. If you have a jar of what was once smelly, fresh, smooth and potent craft cannabis flower, because that jars sat for 2 years, you still have craft cannabis. It’s just no longer “high grade,” but rather has moved on to “mid grade” or maybe even “low grade.”
Poorly cultivated cannabis ends up being called “mid grade,” “mids” or “low grade.” Anyone and everyone can attempt to grow craft cannabis. Corporate cannabis brands have the chance to produce high quality flower and have it referred to as craft cannabis, but it is doubtful their products will be able to match cannabis product from craft cannabis brands like Connected and The Village.
Most people equate “craft cannabis” as the “highest quality cannabis.”
Connected and The Village are known as some of the best known craft cannabis brands producing the highest quality cannabis flower in the legal marketplace. “Highest Quality” is synonymous with terms like “Private Reserve” and “Top Shelf.” Most of the time, “Private Reserve” is the highest level and “Top Shelf” is a level under it. Followed by “Mids” and then “Reggie” which is “low grade.”
Just because craft cannabis brands like Connected and The Village or corporate cannabis brands like Aurora and Canopy Growth are not as behemoth as Pepsi or Budweiser, they are are still gaining brand recognition and authority. They are doing what every small or large business must do. Brand themselves.
So at the end of the day, which will be better, corporate craft cannabis or craft cannabis from small farms? The litmus test will be to put each product to the test. Smoke (or consume your preferential way) and you be the judge.
If you have high standards, you’ll most likely find that some corporate cannabis meets your standards, but most disappoints. And that most craft cannabis meets your standards, but some disappointments.
