Joe GreenI remember back in the day when weed was weed and you didn't bother anyone with questions of whether the weed you're smoking is a sativa, indica, or hybrid. Not that I wouldn't have found it interesting, but all I knew was toking on a joint made me feel some type of way. Usually a pretty awesome positive kind of way.
Now that I am more cultured, however, super sophisticated, and dynamically dynamite, I like to know the details of my smoke like a fine connoisseur. Also, I don't have all the time I had before to be smoking any 'ol kind of weed and end up being eaten by the couch; unable (or unwilling) to move. As some of you may recognize, like I've learned as well, that effect happens to be just one of the little side effects of an indica.
You see? Knowledge is power, and rising up the ladder of smoking-expertise, I found I can and I have to manage my type of marijuana like I manage my time. Sativa for during the day when I need to be on the move; indica at night when I want to be so relaxed that I couldn't care less if the couch was eating me alive (you should see my couch, its like a cloud to an angel).
Smokey Braincells
Unless you're buying from a dispensary, you might not always know what you're getting. Here's a guide to help you. Be forewarned that this is just a personal guide and that it's often somewhat difficult to tell just by looking at a bud what it is. However, there are some tell-tale signs and with a little help from experience, tastebuds, and pretty little smokey braincells, you might be able to figure out what you're smoking if it's not wearing a name tag.
Let's start by focusing on appearance of the the different strains. Looking at an unbroken nug, a Sativa will be long and thin. It will have smaller leaves that are bright in color. The underside of the leaf may give off a dark orange color in a warmer climate, otherwise grown in a cool climate it will have a purple tinge. The lighter color of the sativa plant’s leaves is due to less chlorophyll and more yellow pigments in order to protect the plant from intense light. Indica looks shorter and wider with broad,
forest green colored fan leaves. The leaves' darker color is due to their higher amounts of chlorophyll, and the bud looks thick and dense.
Another way to distinguish between the two strains is by smell. Indica tends to smell skunky and pungent. Sativa plants smell sweet and fruity.
Comparison
Lastly, if you’re still not sure what your mystery bud is, light 'er up! Soon enough you will know if the couch starts looking more appealing and you no longer wanna move. Some indicas will make you feel hammered and heavy-necked. It's a pleasant feeling if you're dealing with anxiety or pain. Just a couple of tokes on a good indica and it's lights out! Indicas tend to have a lower THC content, higher CBD. Also their smoke is usually thick and more prone to cause coughing to newbie smokers. If you're lighting up and your mind is a kaleidoscope beaming creativity, then you're probably smoking a sativa bud. With it's high THC content, you're jowls will be hurting real bad from hysterically laughing at absolutely nothing. They're known to be spacey and hallucinogenic. This is a strain to be smoked during the day. No one wants to fall asleep imagining your face and limbs on Popsicle stick dancing to
Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby as I once did. When smoking a sativa it will be pretty mild in comparison to the smoke of an indica.
I encourage you to experiment around a bit with the different strains to see if you can tell the difference and which one you prefer. Try an unmixed sativa, an unmixed indica, and a hybrid of the two. You might be amazed, or if nothing else, completely baked and ripped. Dont you just love a win-win situation...
