The old-fashioned ways are often the best, and cannabis flower remains wildly popular, even in a world with edibles, e-liquids, tinctures, and more. Now, you can also enjoy the emerging delta-8 substance in flower form! In this guide, I’ll showcase my five favorite delta-8 flower products and give you some ideas on what to do with them.
1. CBD Genesis – Delta-8 THC Flower Buds
Look no further than third-party approved delta-8 flower from CBD Genesis. Noted for its hybrid effects, Cascade hemp flower is rich in delta-8 and promotes a pleasurable high with a mixture of soothing and stimulating properties.
Cascade flower is potent, too, with a whopping 88% delta-8! For a fantastic legal high and an authentic hemp-smoking experience, CBD Genesis has you covered.
Sold in four sizes: 1 gram, 3.5 grams (1/8oz), 7 grams (1/4oz), 14 grams (1/2oz)
2. ELYXR LA – Delta-8 THC Flower
ELYXR LA has a premium reputation, and this is certainly a premium delta-8 flower. These dank buds have a gorgeous aroma and flavor and are packed with delta-8. Choose between a variety of top-shelf sativas, indicas, and hybrids. Expect a powerful and tasty high with any ELYXR LA flower!
Sold in four sizes: 3.5 grams (1/8oz), 7 grams (1/4oz), 28.3 grams (1oz), 1lb
Strains available: King Louis XII (Indica), Purple Punch (Indica), Sour Diesel (Sativa), Sour Space Candy (Hybrid), Strawberry Cough (Sativa), Wedding Cake (Hybrid)
3. Delta 8 Factory – Delta-8 THC Flower
Enjoy a mellow delta-8 high with these wonderful hemp flower strains from Delta 8 Factory. Cultivated with care, every strain has a beautiful appearance and boasts impressive potency and flavor. All Delta 8 Factory products have received third-party approval.
Strains available: Apple Jacks, Blue Dream, Bubble Gum, Gorilla Glue, Grape Ape, GSC, Lemon Pound Cake, Pineapple Express, Tangie Surprise, Tropical Skittlz, Wedding Cake
4. Exhale Wellness – Delta-8 THC Flower
Exhale Wellness promises excellent flavor and stunning effects with its delta-8 flower collection. This exciting Colorado-based company puts an emphasis on organic and is proud to not use any herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers during cultivation.
Plenty of time and effort has gone into carefully breeding strains for maximum delta-8 production. The hard work has paid off – this is a delightful, high-strength collection of flower products from Exhale Wellness.
Strains available: Cookies, Gorilla Glue, Hawaiian Haze, Lifter, Northern Lights, OG Kush, Skywalker OG, Sour Diesel, Sour Space Candy, Zkittles
5. Delta Extrax – Premium Delta-8 THC Infused Hemp Flower
Last up, we have Delta Extrax’s worthy range of delta-8 infused flowers. Made with the finest hemp flower and premium Delta 8 distillate, you’re guaranteed a clean, smooth, and consistent smoke with these guys.
What’s more, the Delta Extrax flower is jam-packed with terpenes and bursting with flavor! All flowers are lab-tested before they hit the shelves.
Strains available: Bubba OG Kush (Indica), Sour Diesel (Sativa), White Rhino (Hybrid)
What is Delta-8 Flower?
Delta-8 flower is very similar to marijuana, except instead of having high levels of THC, it contains large quantities of legal delta-8. A great alternative to marijuana for those living in banned states, delta-8 flower works just like cannabis and tastes just as good, too.
While naturally occurring in hemp, the plant typically generates small amounts of delta-8. Therefore, hemp companies typically infuse hemp flowers with delta-8 distillate to ramp up the potency and psychoactive effects.
Delta-8 flower often contains a hefty amount of non-intoxicating cannabidiol (CBD), terpenes, and flavonoids. The terpenes determine whether a strain is classified as a sativa, indica, or hybrid and what sort of effects it provides.
Most people buy delta-8 flower for smoking. You can grind up the buds and put them in a joint, blunt, bong, or pipe. For the more health-conscious, vaping delta-8 flower in a dry herb vaporizer still delivers a rapid high while minimizing the harmful effects.
If you’re feeling creative, you can make edibles, tinctures, and capsules with delta-8 extract and enjoy a longer-lasting high. It’s also possible to make topicals – such as creams, salves, and balms – with delta-8 buds.
However, topicals are only for therapeutic use, as delta-8 applied to the skin is not transported to the brain. Hence, these cannabinoids do not bind with cannabinoid receptors to generate mind-altering effects.
More on Delta-8
Delta-8-THC (delta-8) bears a very close chemical resemblance to the illegal delta-9-THC (THC) but is legal at the federal level. That said, a handful of states have recently banned delta-8. But why is delta-8 federally legal since it’s so similar to THC effects-wise?
When federal legislators passed the Farm Bill in 2018, hemp was defined as the Cannabis Sativa L. plant with less than 0.3% THC. The bill legalized all other components of the plant, including delta-8.
Delta-8 was identified as early as the 1940s but remained obscure and mostly irrelevant until 2018. Because hemp plants make so little of it, there was seemingly little reason to keep it illegal.
However, innovative hemp brands realized that with the ideal laboratory conditions, they could efficiently turn CBD into delta-8 via a process known as isomerization. This clever chemical discovery has led to the emergence of a booming delta-8 industry!
What to Look For When Buying Delta-8 Flower
Ready to try delta-8 flower? I recommend trying some nugs from one of my five featured brands. I’ve carefully selected these, with a focus on quality and safety. But if nothing catches your eye and you want to see what else is available, let’s discuss what to look for.
You have to keep your wits about you when buying delta-8 flower. With so many products and different types of high, it’s easy to end up with something unsuitable. Moreover, as delta-8 flower is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, there are plenty of fake and potentially dangerous products out there, too.
Independent Lab Approval
Despite the prevalence of scammers in the industry, avoiding them is simple enough because of third-party testing. Genuine delta-8 flower growers prove they are doing things the right way and making safe, legal, and high-quality buds by getting products independently tested.
Third-party testing is arguably even more essential with delta-8 flower as there are two crucial parts to the process: 1) hemp flower cultivation and 2) delta-8 distillate production.
Poor cultivation techniques could result in the hemp flower being full of heavy metals, pesticides, and herbicides. Meanwhile, cutting corners when making the delta-8 distillate could mean products contain other harmful ingredients.
Whatever the potential manufacturing issues, third-party testing will help you steer clear of them. Most delta-8 brands publish lab reports on their sites, clarifying exactly how much delta-8 is in their products and whether they are safe and legal.
Independent lab testing is a non-negotiable requirement. Always ask to see lab reports – legit brands will have no issues with doing so. Brands that don’t conform to this basic expectation are most likely sketchy and trying to rip you off.
Type of Strain
As with marijuana, there are so many delta-8 flower products to choose from, which is fantastic! Want a strain that offers euphoric effects while reducing anxiety? Try an indica. Chasing a cerebral high that gets your creative juices flowing? An energizing sativa is right up your street.
These nuanced effects come from terpenes, non-intoxicating aroma compounds that are teeming with flavor and therapeutic properties. Terpenes make smoking or vaping delta-8 nugs the delightful experience that it is.
Just make sure you know which strain you need! A stimulating sativa taken late in the evening might keep you up at night, while a soothing indica could have you dozing off at work. If you want a strain well-suited to all hours, try a finely balanced hybrid like Cascade from CBD Genesis.
Cannabinoid Concentrations
Delta-8 companies approach flower in different ways. Some brands opt for maximum delta-8 production and a super-high delta-8 to CBD ratio. Others prefer an all-encompassing route, incorporating CBD and secondary cannabinoids like cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabinol (CBN) to enhance the entourage effect.
The amount of delta-8 and CBD should be stated somewhere on the packaging and definitely in the third-party lab report. Decide what you want from your delta-8 experience before buying. First-timers may prefer a moderate product with calming CBD, while veteran recreational users will probably want something more intense!
Packaging Quality
Depending on how much you purchase and who you buy from, your delta-8 buds should arrive in a resealable bag or airtight container. Such packaging helps prevent the potent aroma of the buds from seeping out, but it’s also important for preserving potency.
Check that your delta-8 flower packaging is completely sealed before diving in. Loose packaging may indicate your product has been opened and tampered with. At the very least, poor packaging will degrade the potency of your buds.
How to Store Your Delta-8 Flower
Store your delta-8 flower in an airtight container in a dry, dark, cool place. Good storage is essential to protect against oxidation and degradation. Delta-8 buds left lying around in the open lose potency as the psychoactive cannabinoids oxidize and degrade.
Preserve your delta-8 flower for longer by purchasing a container with UV protection. Ultraviolet rays from the sun also degrade cannabinoids. If you plan on storing your flower for many months, this additional protection is necessary.
How Long Does Delta-8 Flower Last?
When smoked or vaporized, delta-8 flower effects last for around three hours. Tinctures made with flower work for a little longer, whereas homemade edibles and capsules can last for eight hours or more.
The duration of delta-8’s effects also depends on your tolerance and how much you’ve taken. Regular users may find the high from smoked or vaporized delta-8 wearing off after two hours. Meanwhile, occasional users could still be feeling the effects after four hours.
Smoking or vaping delta-8 produces an almost immediate high. Cannabinoid delivery is rapid, meaning effects peak after around 30 minutes. The rush of smoking and vaping makes these methods appealing, even though they are not risk-free.
Delta-8 is less potent than classic THC, but you should still be careful not to take too much. Ideally, because the effects of smoked or vaporized delta-8 hit quickly, you can gauge after 20 to 30 minutes how strong your high will be.
Reduce the risk of delta-8-caused anxiety and paranoia by holding off for half an hour between doses.
