A friend shared some sample flower from a grower he knew the other day. It looked pretty nice and smelled good, but when we smoked it… it was too damn harsh! The experience of smoking harsh cannabis is like breathing in acrid, scalding-hot air, akin to holding a small blowtorch up to the back of your throat for a half-second. It induces an immediate coughing fit and leaves a dry and sore feeling on your throat for 30 minutes to 24 hours. I’ve woken up the following day greatly regretting taking one drag off a harsh joint rather than smoking two whole joints of smooth product. To me, this ruins the experience of cannabis that, by all other measures, seems like a quality product. I’m pretty sure that nearly all of my fellow cannabis connoisseurs share in this sentiment, and most average customers do too.
So, what causes weed to be harsh? The answer to this question is debated hotly amongst the cannabis community. Most will agree that an improper flush, dry, and cure are to blame, and in my opinion, they would be correct. But
