I am a firm believer that the best weed comes in a big ol’ bag. Save your top-shelf eighths, your pre-roll packs, your precious, exorbitant grams—for me, it’s all about the ounce deal.
An ounce on the shelf feels comforting, whether from filling the grinder to the brim, rolling a few extra joints to share at the get-together, or just getting to know a particular strain really well, in a variety of settings.
Ounce bags were relatively rare in the early days of legal rec cannabis. But as the market has matured, and producers increasingly target more seasoned consumers, ounce bags continue to fill Canada’s dispensary shelves.
So, it’s high time that we look at what ounce deals Canadian brands have on offer, and what to look for the next time you stock up.
Dealer’s pick: Pink Cookies by Big Bag O’ Buds
Brand: Big Bag O’ Buds
Licensed producer: Organigram
THC: 18–26% CBD: 0–1.5%
For bang-for-your-buck and a decent quality smoke, one of your best options on the market today is an ounce-sized bag of Pink Cookies. The exact strain inside these no-frills silver bags rotates, so check the label each time to see what you’re getting. Big Bag O’ Buds flower is grown by Organigram in New Brunswick.
As the name suggests, Pink Cookies comes from the Girl Scout Cookies family, crossed with Cherry Pie. Terpene-wise, this strain exudes some of the spicier, hoppier terps: caryophyllene, humulene, limonene, and myrcene. The nugs produce a bit of a minty flavour on the way in, and a musky, gassy flavour on the exhale.
Reviewers have given it a thumbs up for having tight, dense buds, a nice trim, and a fresh smell as soon as you crack the bag. The price isn’t bad either—most people have been paying around $140 for a bag (though out here in the Maritimes, it’s currently going for $125).
Budget pick: Dealer’s Pick by Good Supply
Brand: Good Supply
Licensed producer: Tilray
THC: 17–23% CBD: 0–3%
Finding a decent budget pick under $100 often turns into a bit of a guessing game in the Canadian market.
This $99 Dealer’s Pick lineup by Good Supply comes in both indica and sativa varieties and the strains vary by harvest. Most recent batches of their indica have featured a version of the strain Frost Monster (a cross of Northern Lights and White Widow), coming in at around 20% THC.
Dealer’s Pick’s current sativa offering is Green Cush, a cross of Green Crack and Purple Kush, is a slightly more mellow 18% THC, and features beta-caryophyllene, myrcene and limonene to produce a peppery, earthy taste.
In reviews of both, users note a quality trim on decent-sized buds, as well as great flavours and smells. And at $99 (and sometimes less, depending on your store), it’s about as trustworthy a pick as you’ll find on the budget end of the market.
Premium pick: BC Organic White RNTZ by Simply Bare
Brand: Simply Bare
Licensed producer: Rubicon Organics
THC: 22–29% CBD:0–0.1%
If you prefer a more premium option and have the budget for it, the BC Organic White RNTZ by Simply Bare makes for one of the best-reviewed ounces on the Canadian market these days.
This all-organic producer based in B.C. has a number of brands that consumers love (including Supplied by 1964 and Homestead), but its offerings under the Simply Bare brand take the top spot for premium ounces.
Their White RNTZ is a hybrid flower, a rare Runtz pheno made of Zkittlez and Gelato genetics featured as Leafly’s 2020 Strain of the Year with a limonene-dominant terpene profile. Rubicon grows its product in living soil under ideal greenhouse conditions, and they cold cure for a full 14 days.
The price is a bit higher—expect to pay north of $200 depending on the retailer—but by all accounts, totally worth it.
Indigenous-owned pick: Island Sugar Kawehno:ke Otsi kheta
Brand: Sev7n
Licensed producer: Seven Leaf
THC: 22–28% CBD: 0–1%
In Canadian cannabis, as with other industries, we need to support independent brands and Indigenous-owned producers. Luckily, Sev7n makes that easy with the ounce-sized Island Sugar Kawehno:ke Otsi kheta, produced by Seven Leaf based in Akwesasne Mohawk Territory in Eastern Ontario.
Their Island Sugar cultivar is a hybrid strain with a fairly high THC content and a terpene profile that brings humulene, beta-caryophyllene and limonene together for a tangy, tropical flavour with sour tangerine overtones.
High-CBD pick: Mango Haze by Color Cannabis
Brand: Color Cannabis
Licensed producer: Entourage Brands
THC: 4–10% CBD:6–14%
It can be difficult to find a more THC to CBD balanced strain, especially in an ounce. But Color Cannabis has produced an iteration of Mango Haze with this 2:1 CBD to THC, high-CBD strain that balances the benefits of CBD with euphoria and flavour.
This mild sativa crosses traditional Mango Haze genetics with a high-CBD strain to produce a unique, CBD-forward iteration. Usually, anything in the Haze family expresses sweet and citrusy aromas. But for this cultivar’s terpene profile, we see a spicier palette, with beta-caryophyllene, cymene, pinene and farnesene.
Baker’s choice: All Purpose Flower by Bake Sale
Brand: Bake Sale
Licensed producer: Hexo
THC: 14–17% CBD: 0–1%
Believe it or not, ounces aren’t always purchased for smoking or vaping. Ounces work excellently for cooking, and Bake Sale was specifically created with home chefs and aspiring bakers in mind.
This budget-friendly option has indica and sativa cultivars to choose from, designed for use in homemade cannabutter and other recipes. When Hexo released the Bake Sale brand, they explicitly targeted it toward bakers and cooks, calling it “the go-to ingredient for cannabis connoisseurs to release their inner chef.”
Its THC levels tend to be a bit more forgiving, slotting into the 14% to 17% range. Online reviews say it’s a reasonable ounce to smoke, but both the indica and sativa varieties make for a fantastic deal if you’re looking to bake a tray of brownies or experiment in the kitchen.
