Fort York flower guide

Flower Guides

How Cannabis Flower Is Graded (and How to Grade It Yourself)

Four checks decide a tier: structure, frost, nose and cure. Then you can run the same jar test at the counter.

Fort York Menu DeskMenu GuideUpdated Oct 26, 2026

Ever wonder who decides a jar is Exotic? At Fort York Cannabis, it comes down to four checks anyone can learn.

The four checks

Structure: dense, well-formed buds with a tidy trim. Loose, airy, leafy buds slide down the ladder.

Frost: those sparkly crystals are trichomes. A heavy, even coat is a top-tier signal.

Nose: a clear aroma (fuel, citrus, berry, pine, cookie dough) beats a muted, grassy smell.

Cure: properly dried flower is springy. Crunchy means over-dried; spongy means under-dried.

Where each jar lands

Exotic, Premium and AAA+ come in a 6g pack. The in-store free-gram offer covers those three tiers only. AA is everyday flower and the only true 5g. Budget is smaller buds and more shake, useful for rolling.

  • Exotic: showpiece structure, heavy frost, loud nose.
  • Premium: near-showpiece, consistent, aromatic.
  • AAA+: solid all-rounder.
  • AA: everyday flower, simpler aroma, the only true 5g.
  • Budget: smaller buds, more shake, great for rolling.

The 30-second jar test

Look under the light for frost and trim. Smell the jar and ask whether the aroma is specific. Ask for the packaging date. Compare two tiers side by side.

Common myths

Higher THC does not, on its own, make a higher tier. Aroma, cure and structure count just as much. A strain name is genetics; the tier is this batch.

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Fort York Cannabis Dispensary Weed Delivery · 38 Fort York Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3Z3 · (437) 783-2511 · Visit & contact