Tossed: How and why to make a salad
The mixing of different strains has a long and storied history in cannabis culture, as well as a controversial one. This is especially true now in the legal market, with the overwhelmingly diverse variety of strains available and increasing emphasis on high-quality craft encouraging many cannabis users to let a strain “speak for itself” in their sessions. However, there are many reasons why cannabis users have and continue to mix different strains to find the perfect salad blends for their individual needs.
Extending Your Stash
For more frequent smokers, maintaining the stock of a favourite strain can be a pain. To keep their staples in rotation for longer, some cannabis users will mix them with other strains, this is known as a salad which prolongs stock and introduces new flavours and feelings. This method works especially well when you introduce a low potency flower that may have otherwise been overlooked; it gets to shine in your session while giving another strain the support it needs and allows for stronger flower to stick around for a long period of time and encourages users to stash-keep.
Lowering Intensity
Sometimes a strain may present a user with effects that are loved, but with a high that’s just a little too much for your usual rotation. One of the best ways to curb an overly-active THC percentage is with CBD flower; CBD acts as a wonderful “seat-belt” to the intensity of THC and the effect it has on a user. One strain that’s excellent for this purpose is Mango Haze by Color Cannabis, as it’s a delicious strain on its own and has an ideal 2:1 CBD to THC ratio which keeps things mellow.
Alternatively, this method of salad-making can be done in reverse. If you love a particular CBD-dominant strain but want to experience it with a little extra “oomph”, try adding your favourite THC-dominant strain into the mix. With salads, you get to pump up or turn down the volume on your sessions however you please!
Bold Experimentation
For the veteran smoker, it may feel like you’ve tried everything cannabis has to offer. That isn’t so – there are endless possibilities at your fingertips when it comes to strain mixing! Maybe you want to see what happens when you combine your favourite indica strain with your favourite sativa. Or maybe you want to line up strains with different potencies in one joint so your experience evolves the longer you smoke it. Or maybe, if you’re like me, you aren’t strict about stash storage and leave strain mixing to chance. There’s no limit to how many unique session experiences you can create!
One brand that fully embraces this spirit of experimentation is Shred, who boast a fan-favourite roster of pre-milled, pre-mixed salads sealed and ready to roll.
Their approach to strain-mixing is unique and bold;
Rather than pair strains based on sativa or indica lineage, they pair them based on terpenes and scent profile. A good example of this is their crowd-pleasing Tropic Thunder which combines multiple citrusy, fruity strains to create an enticingly tropical blend. The same can be said for Gnarberry, a consumer favourite of Shred’s pre milled flower. This pre-milled format also allows each strain to intermingle seamlessly, allowing for a perfectly blended salad every time.
Now, with an understanding of the benefits strain-mixing poses, it’s important to consider how you’ll go forward with it. Keeping a few key considerations in mind will help guide your experience, and ensure you start off your salad-mixing journey with confidence. Mixing two indica strains might taste better, but will it change the experience at all?
What’s Your Goal?
When mixing strains, it’s important to have a goal set in mind. What effect do you want this blend to have? Do you want one strain to amplify certain qualities in another, or lessen them? This does not need to be a hard-set goal, and there’s no need to be disappointed if you don’t meet it the first time. Half the fun is in the journey, and experimenting for its own sake can be a goal in itself.
What Terpenes Are Involved?
As you get more experienced with using cannabis, you will become familiar with the effects certain terpenes have on you and start to develop preferences around them. Personally, I love strains with a lot of Humulene because I find this particular Terpene helps me relax, but I dislike strains with too much Pinene because they tend to make me anxious. When mixing strains, paying attention to the terpene profiles can be very helpful in predicting the blend’s effects. Before mixing, ask yourself, do the strains in this salad have diverse terpene profiles? Will the effects of a less desirable terpene be lessened by the terpenes blended with it, or amplified? Will the terpenes involved play well with each other, or are their effects in conflict? Terpenes have a huge say in your overall experience, and your goal can help guide you to select the right blend of terpenes for your needs.
Take It Slow
The classic catchphrase “start slow, go slow” certainly applies with strain-mixing. Taking your time trying out a new salad is always wise, as it gives you a chance to get a clear sense of its effects before you dive in further. It also allows you to adjust your ratios as you go; maybe a little extra pinch of one strain will give it exactly the push it needs from a good salad to a great salad. This is a truly unique experience you’re crafting here, so you ought to savour it!
Enjoy the Experience
Ultimately, salads are about crafting a unique experience that’s bespoke to your tastes and needs. You get to be your own budtender here, what you say goes! Enjoy the experience of exploring different blends, and let your relationship with cannabis become that much more fulfilling because of it!