Written by Joshua Sosin

If you're new to cannabis culture, you've probably realized quickly that there's a huge array of different terms and phrases to know. Weed fans have plenty of different ways to describe everything from the plant itself (flower, bud, etc.) to the experience of smoking (lighting up, rolling up, etc.). There's lots to learn.

One term you should know about is "nugs," a word you'll hear quite a bit in dispensaries and group smoking sessions. Here's what you need to know about nugs, starting with a quick and simple definition.

Table of Contents

• Explaining Nugs

• What Do High-Quality Nugs Look Like?

  • What Cannabis Flower Should Look Like

  • What Cannabis Flower Should Smell Like

  • How Strong Should Nugs Be?

• What Are the Types of Weed Nugs?

  • Top-Shelf Nugs

  • Popcorn Nugs

  • Shake and Trim

  • Larfy Nugs

• Premium Cannabis Nugs From the Mood Shop

Explaining Nugs

Weed enthusiasts use the term nug to describe the dense, flowered parts of the cannabis plant — also known as buds.

Cannabis buds are separated from the rest of the plant after it reaches a peak harvesting point. After harvesting, they're dried out and cured, which gets them ready for smoking and use in edibles.

The nugs are where you'll find the trichomes, which are hairlike outgrowths that are full of amazing cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Trichomes are also rich in terpenes, which give the cannabis plant its unique set of flavors and scents.

What Do High-Quality Nugs Look Like?

What does good weed look like? Thankfully, there are plenty of different ways to spot high-quality cannabis nugs. The good stuff should have a certain look, feel, smell, and level of THC and other cannabinoids.

Here's what to look for when you're on the hunt for good bud — sometimes called "dank nugs."

What Cannabis Flower Should Look Like

Top-shelf nugs should have a distinct appearance that sets them apart from the cheap stuff. Look for a vibrant combination of colors, including shades of green, purple, and orange, which are signs that the plant was grown well and harvested carefully.

In addition, always keep an eye out for hairlike and frosty trichomes, which indicate that a cannabis strain has plenty of cannabinoids and terpenes in it. These trichomes might make the plant look a little fuzzy, which can be offputting at first. Rest assured that it's a good sign.

Also, keep in mind that good nugs should be dense. They shouldn't be fluffy or crumbly, which are signs that the plant wasn't properly dried, or cured properly. As you become a more experienced cannabis consumer, you'll learn to quickly spot these characteristics and save yourself money on bad weed.

What Cannabis Flower Should Smell Like

Premium weed nugs should have a powerful smell thanks to their high terpene content. Terpenes like limonene, pinene, myrcene, and more all give a strain its unique scent, and if you don't smell much, that's never a good sign.

Cannabis strains with a weaker smell are never the best option; the lack of a powerful scent might mean that the plant was harvested past the peak point, and its cannabinoid and terpene content have started to degrade.

How Strong Should Nugs Be?

A high-quality strain should have medium-to-high THC levels, which give the plant its psychoactive effects. Look for strains with around 21-27% THC content; you can find plenty of different options in the Mood Shop.

It's worth mentioning that you shouldn't buy any cannabis flower from a vendor who doesn't disclose its potency. If you don't know how potent a strain is, you won't know how much of it to use, which can lead to an overly intense high — or one that you can barely feel at all.

What Are the Types of Weed Nugs?

Not all good nugs are the same; they can vary depending on how they're cultivated, their size, their density, and more. Here are some of the common terms for different types of nugs:

Top-Shelf Nugs

In cannabis culture, high-quality strains with higher THC content are commonly referred to as top-shelf nugs. Generally speaking, this label means a strain was lovingly cultivated by experienced growers and will be the best pick in terms of potency, flavor, aroma, and appearance.

You can find plenty of different high-quality nugs in the Mood Shop, including Gary Payton, a high-THC Indica hybrid that produces a powerful high — and has a reputation for making you giggly.

1g of Gary Payton flower is only $17 from the Mood Shop. Subscribe to save 15% on your order.

Popcorn Nugs

These smaller nugs get their name from their size and appearance — they look a bit like popcorn at first glance. Unlike top-shelf flower, popcorn nugs aren't quite as nice to look at, and they may not be grown using the same meticulous process. However, popcorn nugs can still be fun and rewarding to smoke.

Compared to larger, higher-density nugs, popcorn is usually a more affordable option. You can find fantastic strains in this category in the Mood Shop, including Cupid's Kush, a 70/30 Indica-dominant hybrid known for getting folks in an aroused mood.

1g of Cupid's Kush flower is only $13 in the Mood Shop.

Shake and Trim

Shake and trim are two terms for pieces of cannabis flower that break off of nugs during the process of harvesting, drying, and curing. Trim is the leaves and other parts of the plant that get removed to create carefully manicured buds. Shake is the name fo the little bits of flower that break off of bigger nugs.

Both shake trim are sometimes used to make edibles and pre-rolled joints, but they aren't as potent, aromatic, sweet or flavorful as actual nugs. Plus, since they don't have an even or consistent shape, they can be hard to grind for rolling.

Larfy Nugs

Larfy nugs are light and airy, and they're much less dense than top-shelf flower. These nugs tend to be very cheap and low in cannabinoid content, and they often grow the way they do because they don't get enough light exposure while growing.

While they're not the best for smoking, larfy nugs are sometimes used for extracting cannabinoids like THC and CBD, so they're not entirely useless. Still, we recommend sticking with higher-end strains if you want a better smoking experience.

Premium Nugs From Mood

At Mood, we're obsessed with high-quality nugs. Our strains come from small-scale, USA-based farms, and they're carefully cultivated, harvested, and packaged to get you the best weed possible.

Check out our full selection of cannabis flower and use the code "FIRST20" to save 20% on your initial order.