Walk into any online cannabis menu in Canada and you will see the same smaller buds listed under two different labels: “popcorn” and “smalls.” Sometimes the same product gets both tags. Sometimes they sit side by side at slightly different prices. So what is actually going on, and does the difference matter when you are filling up your shopping cart?
The short answer: popcorn buds and smalls are closely related, both come from the less glamorous parts of the cannabis plant, and both deliver the same cannabinoid and terpene content as their full-sized counterparts. The long answer involves where on the plant they grow, how growers sort them, and which use cases get the most out of them. This guide covers all of it, including the best ways to actually use popcorn buds in your rotation.
Popcorn buds are cannabis flowers that are smaller and lighter than the showpiece nugs at the top of a plant. The name comes from their size — roughly the shape and volume of a popped kernel of popcorn. They grow mostly on the lower and middle branches of the cannabis plant, where they receive less direct light and end up developing into smaller, sometimes fluffier flowers.
These smaller buds are often called “B-grade” cannabis, a step below premium top-shelf in terms of aesthetics and size. That grade refers to the look, not the chemistry.
What Are Smalls?
Smalls is a broader industry term for any bud that falls below a certain size threshold during the sorting process after harvest. Some regions in the U.S. even require cannabis to be labelled as “smalls” once the buds fall below a certain gram-per-nug cutoff. In Canada’s craft cannabis scene, the term is used more loosely — often interchangeably with popcorn.
One technical distinction worth knowing: all popcorn buds are smalls, but not every “smalls” product is strictly popcorn. Smalls can also include slightly larger mid-branch nugs that just did not quite make the top-shelf cut, while popcorn specifically refers to the fluffy little buds that resemble popped kernels. In practice, most Canadian retailers treat the two terms as synonyms, which is why you will see both labels on the same type of product.
Popcorn Buds vs Smalls: A Quick Comparison
Feature
Popcorn Buds
Smalls
Size
Kernel-sized, quite small
Anything below the top-shelf cutoff (can vary)
Where on plant
Lower and middle branches, sometimes called larf
Anywhere — often sorted post-harvest by size
Density
Can be slightly airier
Varies — often dense, just smaller
Potency
Same genetics as top shelf from that plant
Same genetics as top shelf from that plant
Price
Typically 20–40% less than top shelf
Typically 20–40% less than top shelf
Where on the Plant Do They Come From?
Cannabis plants do not produce uniformly sized buds. The colas — the dense, photogenic flowers at the top of the plant — get the most direct light from the sun or grow lights. As you move down the plant, the branches are shaded by the canopy above. Those lower branches still produce flower, but the buds come in smaller and sometimes with a looser structure. Growers and trimmers have a nickname for the fluffiest of these: “larf.”
When a harvest comes in, trimmers sort the flower by size. The biggest, most visually appealing nugs get set aside as top shelf or AAAA. The smaller ones from lower branches get their own tier — popcorn or smalls. It is a sorting decision, not a separate product. You are still getting flower off the same plant, grown in the same room, cured in the same jars.
Are Popcorn Buds Less Potent?
This is the biggest misconception in cannabis. The answer, backed by lab testing, is no, not meaningfully.
Cannabinoid production happens in the trichomes, the tiny resin glands that coat the surface of the flower. Those trichomes are what you see sparkling on a well-grown bud, and they are where the THC, CBD, and terpenes live. Size of the bud itself has very little to do with trichome density. According to industry testing reports, smaller buds from the same plant as the top colas typically test within a few percentage points of THC — well inside normal batch variance. A strain that tests at 25% THC in its top colas will usually come in at 23–25% in its popcorn.
Why the slight variance? Lower branches get less light, so the bud may finish developing slightly less densely. But the chemistry on the flower’s surface is nearly identical because trichomes form based on genetics and maturity, not bud size. Hemp Generation notes that “a smaller bud can be just as densely coated with trichomes as a larger one.”
Translation: you are paying extra for presentation when you buy top shelf. The high itself is nearly identical.
Why Popcorn Buds Cost Less
If the potency is essentially the same, why is the price lower? A few reasons:
Presentation sells. Dispensaries and producers know consumers pay a premium for big, dense, photogenic flower. Smaller buds do not photograph as well, so they get priced lower to move.
Trim time. Larger buds are easier and faster to hand-trim. Smalls take more labour to clean up, so they sometimes get a lighter trim — which is fine, because you are going to grind them anyway.
Consumer perception. There is a long-standing (and wrong) assumption that bigger equals stronger. That belief keeps demand for top shelf high and keeps popcorn pricing accessible.
The result is the single best value in Canadian cannabis. If you want to see just how much further your dollar stretches, check our breakdown of the cheapest ounces in Canada, popcorn and smalls dominate that list for a reason.
Best Uses for Popcorn Buds and Smalls
Here is where popcorn buds actually shine. Because of their size, they are built for certain use cases better than premium top-shelf flower.
Rolling Joints and Blunts
If you grind your flower before rolling — and most people do — the original size of the nug does not matter at all. Popcorn buds break down into the same consistent grind as top-shelf buds. In fact, some experienced smokers prefer them for rolling because the slightly airier structure tends to grind more evenly without clumping.
If you roll daily, switching your baseline flower to smalls is one of the easiest ways to cut your monthly cannabis spend in half without changing a thing about your experience.
Packing Bowls and Bongs
Popcorn buds are already close to the perfect size for a standard bowl piece. You barely need to break them down — often a gentle pinch is enough. This also means less handling, which means less trichome loss stuck to your fingers.
Making Edibles and Infusions
This is arguably the best use for popcorn buds. Making cannabutter, coconut oil, or any cannabis-infused recipe requires decarboxylating and simmering ground flower for hours. The end result does not care whether the flower started as a premium top-shelf nug or a fluffy popcorn bud — once it is infused into fat, it all comes out the same.
Paying top-shelf prices to grind flower into butter is like buying a prime ribeye to make chili — the delivery system strips away the very qualities you paid a premium for. Popcorn buds give you the same cannabinoid yield for a fraction of the cost, which is why home chefs and anyone making bulk edibles swear by them. If you prefer ready-made, our house-made edibles are precisely dosed and made in-house for 8+ years.
Vaporizing Dry Herb
Flower vaporizers heat ground cannabis to release cannabinoids and terpenes without combustion. Once again, the size of the original bud is irrelevant — you are grinding it before it goes in the oven. Popcorn buds work beautifully in dry herb vapes.
Stretching Your Daily Flower Budget
If you smoke regularly, switching to popcorn as your daily rotation and saving premium flower for weekends or special occasions is the single most effective way to keep your cannabis costs down. A Mix & Match Ounce Bundle lets you stock up on multiple strains at popcorn and smalls pricing.
Popcorn and smalls are a fit for most cannabis consumers, but they are especially well-matched to:
Daily smokers who go through flower quickly and want to stretch their budget without sacrificing quality.
Home chefs and edible makers who are going to grind and infuse the flower anyway.
Heavy tolerance consumers who need larger doses and benefit most from per-gram savings.
Anyone who grinds before rolling — which, realistically, is most experienced smokers.
Budget-conscious shoppers who want the same effects without paying the aesthetic premium. Also check our clearance section for even deeper discounts on short-dated flower.
The main group who may prefer to stick with top shelf: collectors and anyone gifting cannabis who cares about presentation. If you are giving someone flower as a gift, the look matters. If you are buying for yourself and your grinder, it really does not.
Not all popcorn buds are created equal. Here are the things to look for:
Strain name and grade. A good retailer will tell you the exact strain and grade (AAA, AAA+, AAAA-). Popcorn from a top-shelf AAAA strain is still premium genetics — just smaller.
Trichome coverage. Check product photos for visible frost on the buds. Trichomes are what you are actually paying for.
Price per gram. Compare to the full-size version of the same strain. A 20–40% discount is typical; anything more might signal older flower.
Smell test. Once it arrives, a healthy popcorn bud should still pop with terpene aroma. If it smells flat or like hay, the flower was not stored well.
Source. Stick to retailers that disclose strain names and grades. Mystery “cheap weed” with no strain info is rolling the dice. Our full flower menu lists grade and strain on every product.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between popcorn buds and smalls?
In Canada, the terms are used almost interchangeably. Technically, popcorn buds specifically refers to small, kernel-sized flowers grown on the lower branches of the plant, while smalls is a broader sorting category for any bud that falls below the top-shelf size cutoff. Most retailers use the terms as synonyms, and the product experience is essentially the same.
Are popcorn buds weaker than regular flower?
No. Lab testing shows small buds from the same plant as larger colas test within a few percentage points of THC — well inside normal batch variance. Cannabinoid content lives in the trichomes on the surface of the bud, and trichome density is determined by genetics and maturity, not bud size.
What are popcorn buds best used for?
Rolling joints, packing bowls, loading dry herb vaporizers, and especially making edibles or cannabis-infused oils and butter. Any use case that involves grinding the flower down makes the original bud size irrelevant, which is why popcorn buds are the preferred choice for infusions.
Why are popcorn buds cheaper if they are the same potency?
Presentation. Dispensaries know consumers pay more for large, photogenic flowers, so smaller buds get priced lower to move. You are not paying for a weaker product — you are skipping the aesthetic premium.
Can popcorn buds be AAAA grade?
Yes. Grade and size are separate metrics. Popcorn from a AAAA strain reflects the genetics and cure quality, not the bud size. Look for labels like “AAAA- smalls” or “AAA+ popcorn” — those are real, high-quality options at a discount.
The Bottom Line
Popcorn buds and smalls are not a lesser product — they are the same flower, grown on the same plant, sold at a lower price because they do not win beauty contests. For anyone who grinds before smoking, rolls joints, makes edibles, or simply wants to stretch their monthly cannabis spend further, they are the smartest pick on any menu.
Elephant Garden carries a rotating selection of popcorn buds and smalls from BC’s best craft cultivators, all with clear strain names and grades so you know exactly what you are getting. We ship discreetly across Canada — see our delivery hub for shipping details, or browse our full flower menu to find your next rotation.
Popcorn Buds vs Smalls: The Difference and How to Use Them
Walk into any online cannabis menu in Canada and you will see the same smaller buds listed under two different labels: “popcorn” and “smalls.” Sometimes the same product gets both tags. Sometimes they sit side by side at slightly different prices. So what is actually going on, and does the difference matter when you are filling up your shopping cart?
The short answer: popcorn buds and smalls are closely related, both come from the less glamorous parts of the cannabis plant, and both deliver the same cannabinoid and terpene content as their full-sized counterparts. The long answer involves where on the plant they grow, how growers sort them, and which use cases get the most out of them. This guide covers all of it, including the best ways to actually use popcorn buds in your rotation.
What Are Popcorn Buds?
Popcorn buds are cannabis flowers that are smaller and lighter than the showpiece nugs at the top of a plant. The name comes from their size — roughly the shape and volume of a popped kernel of popcorn. They grow mostly on the lower and middle branches of the cannabis plant, where they receive less direct light and end up developing into smaller, sometimes fluffier flowers.
These smaller buds are often called “B-grade” cannabis, a step below premium top-shelf in terms of aesthetics and size. That grade refers to the look, not the chemistry.
What Are Smalls?
Smalls is a broader industry term for any bud that falls below a certain size threshold during the sorting process after harvest. Some regions in the U.S. even require cannabis to be labelled as “smalls” once the buds fall below a certain gram-per-nug cutoff. In Canada’s craft cannabis scene, the term is used more loosely — often interchangeably with popcorn.
One technical distinction worth knowing: all popcorn buds are smalls, but not every “smalls” product is strictly popcorn. Smalls can also include slightly larger mid-branch nugs that just did not quite make the top-shelf cut, while popcorn specifically refers to the fluffy little buds that resemble popped kernels. In practice, most Canadian retailers treat the two terms as synonyms, which is why you will see both labels on the same type of product.
Popcorn Buds vs Smalls: A Quick Comparison
Where on the Plant Do They Come From?
Cannabis plants do not produce uniformly sized buds. The colas — the dense, photogenic flowers at the top of the plant — get the most direct light from the sun or grow lights. As you move down the plant, the branches are shaded by the canopy above. Those lower branches still produce flower, but the buds come in smaller and sometimes with a looser structure. Growers and trimmers have a nickname for the fluffiest of these: “larf.”
When a harvest comes in, trimmers sort the flower by size. The biggest, most visually appealing nugs get set aside as top shelf or AAAA. The smaller ones from lower branches get their own tier — popcorn or smalls. It is a sorting decision, not a separate product. You are still getting flower off the same plant, grown in the same room, cured in the same jars.
Are Popcorn Buds Less Potent?
This is the biggest misconception in cannabis. The answer, backed by lab testing, is no, not meaningfully.
Cannabinoid production happens in the trichomes, the tiny resin glands that coat the surface of the flower. Those trichomes are what you see sparkling on a well-grown bud, and they are where the THC, CBD, and terpenes live. Size of the bud itself has very little to do with trichome density. According to industry testing reports, smaller buds from the same plant as the top colas typically test within a few percentage points of THC — well inside normal batch variance. A strain that tests at 25% THC in its top colas will usually come in at 23–25% in its popcorn.
Why the slight variance? Lower branches get less light, so the bud may finish developing slightly less densely. But the chemistry on the flower’s surface is nearly identical because trichomes form based on genetics and maturity, not bud size. Hemp Generation notes that “a smaller bud can be just as densely coated with trichomes as a larger one.”
Translation: you are paying extra for presentation when you buy top shelf. The high itself is nearly identical.
Why Popcorn Buds Cost Less
If the potency is essentially the same, why is the price lower? A few reasons:
The result is the single best value in Canadian cannabis. If you want to see just how much further your dollar stretches, check our breakdown of the cheapest ounces in Canada, popcorn and smalls dominate that list for a reason.
Best Uses for Popcorn Buds and Smalls
Here is where popcorn buds actually shine. Because of their size, they are built for certain use cases better than premium top-shelf flower.
Rolling Joints and Blunts
If you grind your flower before rolling — and most people do — the original size of the nug does not matter at all. Popcorn buds break down into the same consistent grind as top-shelf buds. In fact, some experienced smokers prefer them for rolling because the slightly airier structure tends to grind more evenly without clumping.
If you roll daily, switching your baseline flower to smalls is one of the easiest ways to cut your monthly cannabis spend in half without changing a thing about your experience.
Packing Bowls and Bongs
Popcorn buds are already close to the perfect size for a standard bowl piece. You barely need to break them down — often a gentle pinch is enough. This also means less handling, which means less trichome loss stuck to your fingers.
Making Edibles and Infusions
This is arguably the best use for popcorn buds. Making cannabutter, coconut oil, or any cannabis-infused recipe requires decarboxylating and simmering ground flower for hours. The end result does not care whether the flower started as a premium top-shelf nug or a fluffy popcorn bud — once it is infused into fat, it all comes out the same.
Paying top-shelf prices to grind flower into butter is like buying a prime ribeye to make chili — the delivery system strips away the very qualities you paid a premium for. Popcorn buds give you the same cannabinoid yield for a fraction of the cost, which is why home chefs and anyone making bulk edibles swear by them. If you prefer ready-made, our house-made edibles are precisely dosed and made in-house for 8+ years.
Vaporizing Dry Herb
Flower vaporizers heat ground cannabis to release cannabinoids and terpenes without combustion. Once again, the size of the original bud is irrelevant — you are grinding it before it goes in the oven. Popcorn buds work beautifully in dry herb vapes.
Stretching Your Daily Flower Budget
If you smoke regularly, switching to popcorn as your daily rotation and saving premium flower for weekends or special occasions is the single most effective way to keep your cannabis costs down. A Mix & Match Ounce Bundle lets you stock up on multiple strains at popcorn and smalls pricing.
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Who Should Buy Popcorn Buds?
Popcorn and smalls are a fit for most cannabis consumers, but they are especially well-matched to:
The main group who may prefer to stick with top shelf: collectors and anyone gifting cannabis who cares about presentation. If you are giving someone flower as a gift, the look matters. If you are buying for yourself and your grinder, it really does not.
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How to Shop Smart for Popcorn and Smalls
Not all popcorn buds are created equal. Here are the things to look for:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between popcorn buds and smalls?
In Canada, the terms are used almost interchangeably. Technically, popcorn buds specifically refers to small, kernel-sized flowers grown on the lower branches of the plant, while smalls is a broader sorting category for any bud that falls below the top-shelf size cutoff. Most retailers use the terms as synonyms, and the product experience is essentially the same.
Are popcorn buds weaker than regular flower?
No. Lab testing shows small buds from the same plant as larger colas test within a few percentage points of THC — well inside normal batch variance. Cannabinoid content lives in the trichomes on the surface of the bud, and trichome density is determined by genetics and maturity, not bud size.
What are popcorn buds best used for?
Rolling joints, packing bowls, loading dry herb vaporizers, and especially making edibles or cannabis-infused oils and butter. Any use case that involves grinding the flower down makes the original bud size irrelevant, which is why popcorn buds are the preferred choice for infusions.
Why are popcorn buds cheaper if they are the same potency?
Presentation. Dispensaries know consumers pay more for large, photogenic flowers, so smaller buds get priced lower to move. You are not paying for a weaker product — you are skipping the aesthetic premium.
Can popcorn buds be AAAA grade?
Yes. Grade and size are separate metrics. Popcorn from a AAAA strain reflects the genetics and cure quality, not the bud size. Look for labels like “AAAA- smalls” or “AAA+ popcorn” — those are real, high-quality options at a discount.
The Bottom Line
Popcorn buds and smalls are not a lesser product — they are the same flower, grown on the same plant, sold at a lower price because they do not win beauty contests. For anyone who grinds before smoking, rolls joints, makes edibles, or simply wants to stretch their monthly cannabis spend further, they are the smartest pick on any menu.
Elephant Garden carries a rotating selection of popcorn buds and smalls from BC’s best craft cultivators, all with clear strain names and grades so you know exactly what you are getting. We ship discreetly across Canada — see our delivery hub for shipping details, or browse our full flower menu to find your next rotation.
White Truffle Smalls AAA+
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