I sure did savor these tasty Denver nuggets!

During a recent trip to Denver, we visited JARS Cannabis, a vertically-integrated MSO based in MI, with outlets in AZ and CO.

The store had two or three glass counters distributed about the floor that displayed a couple of dozen strains. Sample buds were pinned into clear polycarbonate boxes that allowed “smell testing,” along with little tablets to provide information. A colored swatch of tape indicated to which of three pricing tiers the flower belonged. I chose my flower (“Papaya Cake”) on smell alone, barely looking at the pricing or ad copy.

When I asked about certificates of analysis, the clerks chuckled and said they didn’t know anything about that, but they confirmed that the pricing tiers were based on THC content.

This package contained consistently-sized nuggets with chunky, medium-density structures and characteristic long-oval shapes. Close-up photos show the trichome crust, giving the buds a bright yellow-green color that pops nicely against the orange hairs.

The scent was fruity but also funky and earthy, with a twist of ‘off’. It reminded me of a strain I bought in Vermont called “the Hog.”

This bud broke up nicely by hand, and tasted great in a simple bowl. The smoke was earthy, a little piney, and complex. It gave me a chill, relaxed high.

We tested this product after returning with it from Denver ( ,.!.. feds!), using the hashtag#Lightlab3 from Orange Photonics, Inc. Most of the buds in the package were about 0.7 g weight, and we chose to measure three different ones to sample their variance.

Each bud of cannabis is a piece of produce. Even two buds from the same branch of the same plant are not completely identical. “Variance” measures differences between individual buds, quantified by “standard deviation”. Other factors, such as the instrument or my sample preparation, contribute to the variance, but differences between buds swamp those other sources of variance.

The label says “THC: 26% CBD: 0%.” Our three samples averaged 22.7 wt% THCA (21.3, 21.9, 24.9) and 1.6 wt% THC (1.2, 1.6, 2.1), for an average Max THC of 21.5%.

The unclear notation invites speculation that the “THC” on the label was a sum of THCA + THC. The U.S. Pharmacopeia says to correct for the loss of mass from decarboxylation for combusted/vaporized administrations . This means multiplying THCA by 0.877 to account for the loss of CO2 as it jumps into the air as active THC. Retailers often prefer to list an ill-defined “THC” sum that ignores this chemistry.

In conclusion, the JARS weed we sampled was beautiful, fragrant, tasty, and efficacious despite a “low” potency of 21.5% Max THC. It would have been mighty fine if these folks had provided consumers with accurate, detailed analyses of contents, because informed consumers are healthy consumers.

hashtag#TastingTesting hashtag#Cannabis hashtag#Science hashtag#HonestData