How We Rate Strains

There are 5 different factors that we use to rate strains and crosses:

1. Terpenes – The aroma of the buds
This is something I go back and forth with. Let's be honest, 90% of people who smoke cannabis do so with a bong, pipe, bowl, blunt or joint. For the longest time I didn't understand how people described flavor like they were a food critic from Zagat. All I ever thought was "it tastes like weed". What I eventually discovered is that the only way to truly taste the flavor of a strain or cross is to smoke concentrates or to use a device that burns flower at lower temperatures(325-350°F / 163-177°C) so that the flavor of the cannabinoids are not overtaken by the flavor of burnt foliage. After purchasing several high end devices that cost hundreds of dollars, I would say that smell and taste in cannabis is usually not related. However, smell and terpenes are related and the science of how different terpenes affect your mood has not been mapped out yet. I have found through my own experience that a lot of people purchase solely on looks and after growing several frost queens, I realize that there is almost always no feeling of "I miss that strain". Terpene profiles level 9 and higher on strains and crosses we produce are tagged with "delicious"

2. Frost Level/THC – Heavily Correlated
I'm not gonna lie, this used to be my number 1, but that was when I focused on sales. You cant change public opinion and frost is a reliable measure of THC. The trichomes is where the cannabinoids develop and the more you have, the more likely that it’s potent and the less you will need to get elevated. People will naturally want to show off and one up each other and I get it. You also cant translate terpenes in photos and there's been hundreds of times where I read a breeders description of the terpenes, only to find that they couldnt be more off, so I ended just going off of looks. But what if you could have both? In 2025, I have reached a level where my standards of breeding a phenotype requires that they have both and I wont ever just breed a frosty strain to another frosty strain just to make more frosty. Frost level 9's and higher on strains and crosses we produce are tagged with "high thc"

3. Bud Structure – How to Buds look and Feel (Density)
Is it dense? is it larfy? Would it hurt if you threw it at someone's head? Is it easy to trim? These are all questions I ask when rating the buds. In a perfect world, I want dense moon rock like buds that are completely frosted, that break up nice and still have frost within the buds. I do not want lots of foliage or dry fluffy airy buds that crumble when you squeeze the nugs. Bud Structures level 9 and higher on strains and crosses we produce are tagged with "dense nugs"

4. Stem Structure – Can the plant Hold the Weight of the Buds? 
One can argue that stem structure is based on the way you grow a plant. Fans, proper feeding and silica all help improve stems but when growing multiple strains simultaneously like we do in our strain hunts, you can see which plants need the most support. Of course buds that are bigger and denser weigh more than larfy buds so the trick to assessing stem structure is by measuring the girth of the base of trunk. We find this to be the most accurate measure for stem strength and it almost always carries over to the branches. It is also a reliable metric for yield which is last on our list. Stem Structures level 9 and higher on strains and crosses we produce are tagged with "strong stems"

5. Yield – Total weight of dried buds.
Now the reason why this is the least important of the 5 we mentioned is this is something that you have the most control on. That is, if you're growing photoperiods.(cut autos are sooooo cute) I could always find a way to grow more buds using methods such as topping, cloning, low stress training or simply vegging longer. Yields that are level 9 and higher on strains and crosses we produce are tagged with "high yield"