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What is Compressed Weed and Why Should I Care If It is Fluffy?
Brick Weed is known by many names, such as Compressed Weed, Mexican Dirt Weed, Mexican Brick Weed, or Mexican Schwag. (All of these terms will be used interchangeably) Brick weed though best describes exactly what it is . . . cannabis that is compacted or compressed into a brick-like shape.
.Many OG smokers reminisce nostalgically when it comes to brick weed. However, they are most likely mistaken as it was generally poor quality bud. However, if that’s the only weed you have, you’ll have to make do.
Brick Weed 101
This article will do a brief history of compressed, brick weed, tell you why it has such a bad reputation, and finally, give you advice on fluffing up or rehydrating compressed cannabis.
Dimensions
The dimensions of a brick of weed may vary from the distributor. The following though is the industry standard.
- Weight: 2.2 pounds or 1 Kilo
- Size: 8 1/2″ by 11″ by 2 1/2″
Mexican Brick Weed Prices
- Price: It is significantly cheaper than its non-compressed counterpart. A brick of non-compressed, dispensary, cannabis costs approximately $2,000 to $4,0000. Brick Weed on the other hand costs from $500 to $1,000.
Brick Weed History
Knowing the history behind compressed weed is interesting and will help you understand the reason for its existence. Brick weed was common in the ’70s and 80s, and in the US it was mainly smuggled in from Mexico. Compressed weed’s relatively consistent dimensions and compact nature makes them easier to store, conceal, and for smuggling.
Before home cultivation became common, and well before the US state legalized weed It was the most common type of weed available. However, it is hard to come by in the US as indoor growing became more popular in the 90s. And now with legalized weed and dispensaries, it is not seen much at all in the United States
Brick Weed Now
Brick weed is now seen mainly in South America and is mainly grown in Paraguay. When you are In Central or South America It is often the only type of weed that you can get.
Why Does Brick Weed Have A Bad Reputation?
Brick weed had a deservedly bad reputation. The main reason for its bad rep is how compressed weed is processed. All of the cannabis plant material is compressed into a tight brick, which causes many problems, which will be described below:
- Poor Quality-For ease of transportation and smuggling, the cannabis plants are tightly packed together, which often results in trichomes and the associated terpenes falling off.
- Seed, Stems, and Everything Else-With traditional brick weed, along with the flowers, you will also get stems, seeds, stalks, etc. This means that, as you are paying for the non-smokeable seeds, stems, fan leaves, and so forth along with the flower.
- Convenience-Having to sort and separate seeds, and stems is simply a pain in the A#$. This is especially annoying for the modern-day smokers who are used to just going into a dispensary and ordering cannabis flower, that doesn’t even need a herb grinder.
Money Savings
Back in the 70s and 80s compressed weed was simply popular, in some areas, because that is all you were able to get. Nowadays, with legalized dispensaries and homegrown being ever more popular, price is the only reason that you would choose brick weed. However, as stated earlier, with a brick of weed, you are paying for the stems, fan leaves, and branches, along with the smokeable cannabis flower.
As a result, compressed weed’s savings is not as much as you would think. According to Tommy Lanier, a director of a section of the White House’s National Drug Control Policy, an ounce of brick weed makes approximately, 60 joints. On the other hand, an ounce of high-quality, noncompressed weed can make up to 120 joints. This means that, based upon price alone, (I.E., you are not factoring in the THC % or the overall better product of the non-compressed weed) for compressed weed, you should pay less than 1/2 of what you would with high-quality weed.
Is Brick Weed Inferior?
Before it is processed for transportation, brick weed is not necessarily an inferior weed strain. Some classic cannabis strains were made into bricks. However, as It is handed roughly both in compression and also transportation it will have quality issues. For example, as a result, of this rough handling, the trichome along with vital terpenes will fall off when it is being compressed and transported.
Terpenes make the strain. So, terpene falling off of your flower can make the dankest weed sub-par.
What is Fluffy Weed When Used With Compressed Weed
Compressed weed is densely packed together, often dry, and looks nothing like the showcase buds that you normally see at your local neighborhood cannabis dispensary. The goal of fluffing brick weed is to rehydrate and turn compressed, dense, weed into non-compressed, fluffy buds.
How To Make Compressed Weed Fluffy
These techniques work for fluffing up weed are excellent for brick weed, and they also work well for dry weed purchased from a dispensary. As a bonus, these techniques are quite easy to do.
Orange Peel Method
Equipment Needed
Glass Jar, Tin Foil, Fork, Orange Husk (Skin Of The Orange), Humidity Packs (Optional) And, Of Course, Cannabis
Steps
- Break it Up-Break up and separate the cannabis.
- Place Stuff In Jar-Put the weed, orange husk, and humidity packs (optional) into the glass jar.
- Cover It Up-Poke holes into the tin foil (this is essential for releasing moisture and preventing moldy weed) and then cover the glass jar lid with the tinfoil.
- Wait-Uncover the jar, every day for around 10 minutes, and it should be ready in around a week.
Steam It
This way is quicker. But also, a bit more risky.
Equipment Needed-
Cannbis, Strainer, Water, and Cooking Pot
Directions-
1. Boil a Pot of Water
2. Drop the broken-up dry buds into the strainer while being careful to not place them too close to the water.
3. Do this for around a minute, check and see the result, and if needed rinse and repeat until you are finished.
Warning-To avoid moldy weed and other issues, make sure that the buds do not have too much moisture.
Final Thoughts
Nowadays, unless you live in a state where weed isn’t legal, you will (luckily) never encounter sub-par, brick weed. Depending upon if weeds legal where you live, a brick of weed may be your only option. So, knowing how to make the best out of bad weed is a useful skill. And, If you live in a state with legalized weed, dry weed can happen to the best of us and these tips work for all types of dry bud. So, keep this article in mind, and you may be able to salvage bone dry or nasty compressed brick weed.
