Most people who purchase marijuana aren’t experts who spend years researching the latest trends and reports about cannabis. They’re just regular people looking to get a nice, enjoyable high. But there are certain things experts look for in marijuana that you can look for as well.

Here are six things experts look for that regular people don’t:
1. Smell
There’s a pretty good chance you’ll smell your marijuana before purchasing it just to make sure it suits your taste. But experts smell marijuana to gauge its quality. Primarily, they look for a moldy, ammonia, or chemical smell, all of which indicate there’s probably not something right with that cannabis.

2. Feel
You should definitely demand that you at least get to feel the marijuana in your hand. You need to know if the buds at sticky, but not damp. That way you know that it’s been cured properly. If you’re inexperienced, you might just look at it and assume it’s all good.

3. Colors
Experts also make sure that the colors are right with their cannabis. You probably know that brown-ish cannabis is bad, and darker, more vibrant greens are better. But did you know that having an abundant amount of white crystals on the outside of your marijuana is also important, because those crystals are what determines how much THC it has? Or did you know that the little orange hairs on the outside of your cannabis indicates that it was harvested right at its peak so it will probably be at its very best taste? It’s not just a simple matter of whether or not it’s green. 

4. Size
As a general rule, bigger buds means better. Bigger buds tend to put more energy into flowers near the top, which makes them larger and more potent. Smaller buds can still be good, they’ll probably just pack less of a punch. But if you’re only buying a small amount of cannabis, then this may not apply.

5. Shape
You’re probably thinking, doesn’t all marijuana basically look the same? And that’s sort of true, but there are small differences that can make a huge impact. The biggest is when it comes to trimming. Some marijuana growers use machines to trim their cannabis, and while it may be easier, it can also lead to damaged buds and loss of THC trichomes. Hand trimmed cannabis is more likely to have a full and healthy bud. So if the cannabis looks too neatly trimmed to be by human hands, you may want to choose something else.

6. Test Results
Some states require strict testing of marijuana strains before selling to ensure that the advertised THC numbers are legit. If you want to make sure what you’re getting is what’s advertised, ask about those results.