If you have an interest in cannabis, by now you’ve probably heard about the new legal status of industrial hemp. Hemp is an amazing form of cannabis, and the various uses for it are incredibly vast and created from a sustainable commodity. Industrial hemp can serve as a source material for creating paper, textiles, plastics, rope fiber, construction materials, fuel, and other products—including CBD products. 

Hemp’s new legal status also gives the green light to the development of exciting new strains of hemp flower, which technically falls under the definition of “industrial hemp” but is actually quite different. The most notable similarity between industrial hemp and artisan hemp flower is that both must contain 0.3 percent or less of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to be legal under hemp’s formal definition.

While some hemp farmers are growing hemp for the creation of the commercial products mentioned above, entirely different hemp cultivators remain focused on specialized breeding to manipulate and enhance the cannabinoids and terpenes contained in artisan hemp flower grown specifically for its high cannabidiol (CBD) content. There is a growing market for artisan hemp in smokable flower form, as well as concentrates derived from that flower.

Huge Difference in Quality

The misconceptions that occur about various hemp CBD products are easy to understand because although these products fall under the hemp umbrella, the quality of hemp plants used to create them varies widely. Some CBD oil, for instance, is made from industrial hemp waste byproducts, which makes its quality about as bad as it sounds.

Other hemp oil—specifically full-spectrum oil—contains a range of cannabinoids and terpenes in addition to CBD. This type of oil, created from CBD-rich artisan hemp flower, harnesses the beneficial cannabis compounds, while CBD oil created from industrial hemp using isolate extraction methods only contains CBD, and often significantly lower levels of it at that. Some CBD oil created from isolate extraction is downright boring compared to full-spectrum hemp flower. Isolate extraction CBD oil is usually devoid of flavor, although artificial flavor enhancers are often added to these oils to give them some sort of redeeming quality as far as taste goes. For many cannabis purists and connoisseurs, however, artificial flavors are undesirable, and the natural terpenes contained in the flower and its oil are a major, and pleasing, part of the overall cannabis experience.

Elite CBD- and THC-Flower Comparisons

Rather than comparing high-quality CBD-rich hemp flower to industrial hemp, a more apt comparison is likening it to some of the high-quality marijuana strains on the market in dispensaries nationwide. These strains contain potent levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), levels that are steadily increasing due to selective breeding.

Artisan hemp and sativa marijuana strains are both the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa. As such, cultivation best practices for both are one and the same. Just like a dachshund and bloodhound are widely recognized members of the hound group but are quite different in appearance and intended purpose—one originally bred for hunting and the other for tracking—they are both members of not only the same genus and species, but the same subspecies as well, Canis lupus familiaris. They are quite different yet so similar. They both thrive on the same diet and use their noses to execute the goals they were bred to accomplish. From a taxonomic perspective, the same can be said for artisan hemp and top-shelf sativa marijuana strains—they have distinct differences yet are very much the same.

In addition to their high THC levels, many of marijuana strains have outlandish names like Space Queen, Martian Mean Green, Chemdawg, Cinderella 99, New York City Diesel, and countless others make these strains memorable and easy to identify when consumers encounter them in dispensaries. The abundant levels of terpenes present in these strains result in flavors that range from fruity and sweet to earthy and spicy. When it comes to pungent aromas and potency, there is something for everyone when it comes to flavorful commercial marijuana.

The same thing is now happening at an unprecedented rate with the development of hemp flower, as artisan hemp farms ramp up their breeding projects to enhance their existing flower strains and create new ones. These will be different from high-CBD marijuana strains because CBD marijuana strains can exceed the 0.3 percent THC limits of hemp and boast THC levels many times that amount—which is why they are classified as marijuana and not hemp. The hemp flower experience will be purer in the overall CBD effect than high-CBD marijuana. If you’re seeking CBD in whole-plant form, hemp flower will provide the most beneficial CBD experience.

Now that there is an open market for hemp flower, you are likely to see a wider range of CBD flower strains being created with increasingly rich and complex flavor and terpene experiences. The number of hemp flower strains will increase as well, with creative and clever names that rival some of the best marijuana strains. Already, there are elite hemp flower strains with names like Pine Berry, Elektra, Suver Haze, Sour Space Candy, The Wife, and others.

Artisan Hemp Flower Cultivation Practices

When it comes to the cultivation, harvesting, and curing of high-CBD artisan hemp, once again, the similarities to top-shelf marijuana are virtually identical. Those who enjoy the best marijuana and hemp will usually spare no expense when shopping for flowers. Most often, they have a strong preference for the organically grown flowers to purchase.

As a result, hemp farmers are treating their plants with the same tender loving care as marijuana cultivators. Meticulous measures are taken to feed organic nutrients and top, prune, and train plants to ensure maximum yield and the best possible flavors. Utilizing organic material like kelp, earthworm castings, and bat guano a truly organic product is the end result. Some hemp farmers even go beyond growing organic hemp and grow hemp that’s not only organic but vegan as well. 

The harvesting process of artisan hemp flower also follows similar practices to marijuana farming. Pants are cut down only when at their absolute peak, ensuring the maximization of beneficial cannabinoids and terpenes. Allowing the plants to mature to optimum ripeness makes the best use of their compounds and all of the benefits of whole-plant medicine and the related entourage effect once consumed in whole-flower form.

Once harvested, the best hemp flower receives a hand trim to remove unnecessary leaves and ensure that flower weight consists mostly of plump calyxes that are coated with the trichomes containing most of the beneficial compounds, namely CBD and various terpenes. Hemp-flower farmers are now breeding for maximum trichome development, while industrial hemp farmers—such as those breeding for rope, for instance—are breeding strategically for optimum fiber production. These different goals are part of what makes the legal hemp industry interesting and exciting. It also encapsulates what makes cannabis such a multifaceted plant with a wide range of uses.

Artisan hemp strains mimic elite marijuana flowers even after the harvest and trim. Like marijuana, the best flavors result from a slow cure at the correct temperature and humidity levels. The “slow and low” initial cure, followed by additional time required for a proper jar cure is what sets some cannabis flower—both marijuana and hemp—apart from as being truly special, with no expense, or time, spared to guarantee top quality. Some good things take time and can’t be rushed. A proper, slow cure will produce the smoothest smoke with the best flavor and aromas. Again, this is identical to marijuana sativa strain cultivation and processing best practices.

When you purchase artisan hemp strains online, you are buying a legal product that was grown with great care. With nationwide shipping of artisan hemp flower and related products now in full swing, you can choose the best strains now being grown. With the attention and expertise of master growers, hemp flower is only bound to improve and increase in CBD potency. Now is the time to take advantage of the benefits this exciting commodity provides!