The Cannabis 100-Point Rating System
Crafting a culture of cannabis connoisseurship is about more than loving the plant – it’s about learning how to assess and appreciate high-quality products, and separate them from the rest.
At Budist, our core mission is to celebrate the producers who are dedicated to quality craftsmanship that allows the plant to express itself fully. To properly celebrate these producers, we must first understand exactly how to assess quality cannabis products.
The Challenges of Assessing Quality in Cannabis
In the cannabis industry, assessing product quality is not, currently, a simple thing to do. There is no standard for reviews or quality, the way that there is in the wine or craft beer industry. The silo-ization of the cannabis industry has created a sea of similar cannabis products for consumers to choose from, without any real measurement of quality or way of giving feedback to the producer.
But what if there was a standardized rating scale that both professionals and aficionados could use to rate and assess the quality of their products? While cannabis is unique in many regards, it is not unique in terms of assessing quality. In fact, it comes down to a few simple categories that mirror wine.
Just as the wine industry was revolutionized by the introduction of a 100-point rating scale, we at Budist are proud to present the cannabis 100-point rating scale to clearly, quickly, and consistently assess the quality of cannabis products.
100-Point Rating System: Creating Consistency in Cannabis
One of the main problems facing the cannabis industry is inconsistency in product quality and assessment. Some reviewers break out the microscope to check the trichome density while others break off a snap judgment based on the aroma and appearance.
With the introduction of this 100-point rating system, Budist aims to standardize cannabis assessment and empower consumers across the country to better understand the quality of their cannabis products.
When it comes to assessing the quality of cannabis, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The factors that go into quality cannabis (appearance, aroma, flavor, and effects) have been well-established in other industries. In fact, the cannabis industry could learn a lot from the wine industry, which underwent a similar consumer-focused revolution in the mid-1970s and 1980s.
A Closer Look at the 100-Point System for Cannabis Rating
Many people know quality cannabis products when they see them. But to elevate the conversation around cannabis, the industry must break down the factors that go into a quality product.
A 100-point rating system does just that, taking into account all of the factors that create an average, good, or outstanding product. This system also makes it easy for customers to understand the quality of their products – a score of 92 is clearly understandable as superior to an 84.
The basic scoring of a cannabis product breaks down into a few categories that are applicable to all product types.
- Appearance. Visual appearance of the product, which applies to all product categories. Particularly important for cannabis flower, which should be well trimmed, trichome-rich, and have minimal imperfections.
- Aroma. How does the product smell? What is the intensity and complexity? Cannabis flower and concentrates are known for their complex aroma but topicals, edibles, and drinks should smell pleasant as well.
- Flavor. For cannabis flower, concentrates, edibles, and beverages. A “good” taste is subjective, but it should be smooth and palatable with minimal harshness or aftertaste. One should also consider the intensity and complexity of the flavor.
- Effect. Applies to all product categories. How potent or effective is the product? How long do the effects last and what is the quality of the experience? For medicinal products, what are the therapeutic effects, do they aalleviate symptoms, and how long do they take to kick in? It’s also important to distinguish between the mental and physical effects.
- Overall experience. All cannabis products should provide a positive experience. A top-tier cannabis product will provide an enjoyable experience all all aspects. If a person is not satisfied, there’s a problem that may be worth noting.
There are also a few scoring factors that depend on the product type:
- Structure. The physical makeup of the cannabis flower. This is a large part of assessing the quality and type of raw flower, such as the bud density, leaf-to-bud ratio, calyx shape, etc.
- Texture. Applies to edibles, drinks, concentrates, and topicals. The texture should be generally smooth and pleasant, not too crumbly, dry, or otherwise off-putting.
Benefits of the 100-point rating system for cannabis
Rating cannabis quality with a 100-point system provides a clean and clear template to fairly and accurately assess product quality.
- Transparent. This rating system is easily understandable and clear – consumers can make informed choices based on objective evaluations using one rubric.
- Quality assurance. Cannabis producers can use the feedback given from this system to improve their products, raise their quality standards, and ultimately, produce top-tier cannabis.
- Differentiation. In a sea of similar cannabis products, retailers can use this system to distinguish their offerings with verified quality assessments – not just Reddit reviews.
Consider this: once, many decades ago, wine reviewers existed mostly within the wine supply chain. But things began to shift in the mid-1970s as reviewers detached themselves from conflicts of interest and began clearly reviewing what made a wine good and what didn’t. Today the cannabis industry is at a similar crossroads, with industry insiders who raise prices on “dank af” products, without mention of the plant’s ideal use cases, growing conditions, terpene content, or minor cannabinoid profile.
There is so much more to high-quality cannabis products than their THC potency. Do you shop for coffee beans by strength alone? (Sometimes, perhaps! And even then – do you drink the world’s strongest coffee every day, or do you include it in a rotation of coffee beans?). Same goes for wine – do only buy wine based on percentage of alcohol by volume?
Cannabis education changes the game for consumers, shifting the focus away from the strongest product in a dispensary to those that are made well by people who care about this plant expressing her fullest self. Informed consumers look for sustainably grown plants, with a robust aroma profile, a delicious flavor, and a positive experience, pushing cultivators to grow better products and sharing their experience with others. Informed consumers also look for which products are most effective in satisfying a given use case, such as alleviating pain, reducing inflammation, or helping with insomnia. And in many cases, consumers want to know if the products they consume are aligned with their dietary needs and preferences, such as low sugar, vegan, and free of harmful chemicals.
At Budist, we know it’s high time that cannabis got her moment in the sun, with an appreciation for everything she brings to the table – from her glistening appearance to an enticing aroma, the most suitable recreational or medical use cases, and the overall experience. We must move away from snap judgments about appearance and THC potency to truly appreciate all parts of what cannabis has to offer.
Budist is here to elevate the cannabis conversation and help standardize the way we assess and appreciate the rich, varied universe of cannabis products.