What is CBD Flower?

…and What’s the Difference between Trimmed and Non-trimmed Hemp Flower?

In today’s post, we are going to talk about Hemp Flower. I actually did a video on this topic and it’s on our Youtube Channel Here. (be sure to like and subscribe!) Industrial Hemp is another name of the plant that gives us all our CBD products. Industrial Hemp contains CBD (the cannabinoid most folks know about) but it also contains almost 120 other types of cannabinoids that are still being found and studied today! In 2014, the Farm Bill made growing Industrial Hemp legal, and thus the sale of CBD related products started entering the market.

Because the majority of the Hemp legally grown in the U.S. was from climates very different than what we experience here in Chattanooga, TN, it took a few years to create a crop that would viably grow in our area. By 2018, however, the state of Tennessee experienced such a growth in demand for the license to grow that over 1000 were given out to Tennessee farmers!

The Industrial Hemp plant contains these 120ish cannabinoids in the plant, basically everywhere that grows above the ground. However, the part of the plant that has the most concentrated amount of cannabinoids is the flower (sometimes called the Bud). This means that when you utilize the flower, you get the most “bang” for your buck from using just the flower.

However, that would mean virtually eliminating all the other “aerial parts” of the plant, which is crazy wasteful, right? That’s why, when you purchase a salve, tincture, any other type of CBD product, most companies are actually using the entire plant to help boost overall cannabinoid count and make a more affordable product.

If you know anything about Hemp’s cousin, marijuana, then you can probably see that these two plants look very similar. The biggest difference is the concentration of THC, which is the compound responsible for giving you the “high” feeling. Industrial hemp products, at least the legal ones here in the U.S. test for concentrations of THC less than 3%. (so it won’t get you high.) However, because these two plants are so similar, there is a lot of mystery and, unfortunately, a lot of fear still surrounding both, but particularly the Industrial Hemp Plant.

What’s the Difference between Trimmed and non Trimmed CBD Flower?

CBD flower or bud is an actual plant, that means that it has leaves, stalk and bud. The CBD flower typically seen in CBD stores has been trimmed to remove small leaves that protrude from the bud or flower. This creates a product that is much smoother to smoke. It will taste better and usually be less “harsh” when you smoke it. (meaning, less likely to make you cough when you do inhale.)

Trimming the plant is both expensive and time consuming. That’s because, especially in small batch conditions like Martin Farms or Hemptronics (two Chattanooga, Tn companies that are currently growing Industrial Hemp for sale inside Thrive Hemp Store,) these flowers are individually handled and the farmer must use scissors (and probably those little eyeglass looking magnifying glasses), to trim off the leaves from the bud. This is an arduous and time consuming job because one plant can have hundreds of buds to trim.

Larger farms can afford big machines to do this trimming, but that can lead to more waste. Plus, those machines are incredibly expensive.

Either way, the trimming is definitely an expensive undertaking.

Benefits of Industrial Hemp Farming

Another aspect about the Hemp Plant is that, while it can grow in the wild, the plant will have much higher concentrations of the cannabinoids we are looking for in specialized farming conditions. This conditions-whether on a large scale or smaller scale operation, help to improve the overall plant material make up. Plus, having farmed Hemp, allows us to have more products right!?

CBD Flower: Things to Remember

• Highest concentration of CBD is in the Flower
• can either be hand trimmed or left natural or “untrimmed.”
• Trimmed flower creates the best experience for smoking.

If you would like to watch the video where i talk about these things in more detail, be sure to check it out HERE. If you would like more information about the products we carry inside Thrive Hemp Store, you can email us at info@thrivehempstore..com. Thanks for reading today’s blog and let me know if there’s anything else you would like to learn about Industrial Hemp or CBD!

This article was written by Jennifer Dixon ERYT 500 and Authorized AShtanga Yoga teacher by Manju Jois. She is the owner of Thrive Yoga and Wellness and Thrive Hemp Store and is a wife, mom of 2 kids, 2 cats, 2 dogs, chickens and whatever else they find that needs love and a home. She is the lead instructor for the Thrive Yoga and Wellness Yoga School and lead teacher inside Thrive Online.