FAQ

Does TerpGuide post sponsored reviews?

No, all of the reviews we post are organic and are based on our team’s opinions exclusively. We partner with dispensaries and plant touching brands of all kinds who provide products for us to review, but nothing we cover is pay-to-play. This is critical for us to maintain the integrity and impartiality of our process to give our audience the best possible information.

Does TerpGuide post negative reviews?

Answer: No, we do not post negative reviews of products, only positive ones of selections our team feels is truly worth of your time and money. TerpGuide is run by a small team of passionate cannabis enthusiasts who want to focus only on covering great cannabinoid-based products objectively. We do receive products that do not meet our minimum Approved criteria, which do not get coverage. If you’d like to learn more about our rating criteria, check out our blog on that very topic here.

Why aren’t there terpene results on every review?

Due to the cost and irregularity of terpene test results, many brands nowadays elect not to do them. It's unfortunate that this is the case very frequently and one that is deeply important to us as a company. TerpGuide’s reviews will always report all available testing data on a given product, which is usually just cannabinoid information in our experience. We do our best to use our senses to tease out what terpenes could be present when they are not tested for, but try not to speculate too aggressively in order to not accidentally mislead our readers.

What markets does TerpGuide review products in?

Currently, TerpGuide is only reviewing products that are available in Colorado. We plan to expand nationwide and beyond as our resources grow. We’re currently seeking reviewers in Colorado and other locations, so if you’re interested in working with us, please contact us here to see if you’d be a good fit to help us expand our reviews.

Can brands pay to have their products reviewed?

No, not currently and there are no plans at the moment to do so. We are working towards finding meaningful ways to connect our audience with great brands, but keeping our reviews objective means they can’t be paid for.

I want to get my brand’s products reviewed, how does that happen?

If you’re interested in working with us, please send us a message so we can find the best way to work together. We’re always looking for new dispensaries, grows, and manufacturers to build relationships with so we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to learn more about what we do and do not review, you can read about that here to see if it’d be a good fit. Even if your brand makes any of the extracted products we don’t review but some that we do, we’d still love to try some of your options!

What happens if a product doesn’t make the cut?

If a product we receive and sample isn’t high enough quality to at least reach an Approved designation, we do not create a formal review for it. This is primarily because we are militant about covering great products exclusively, even if that means we don’t touch everything.

Why does TerpGuide only review solventless concentrates and vapes?

We’re partial to solventless even though there are plenty of great solvent-made products out there because it’s the only way you can be sure that what went in (with test results of course, which are required almost everywhere) was great to begin with. With hydrocarbon, CO2, alcohol, or other processing methods, it’s not a guarantee that the starting material was contaminant free prior to extraction unfortunately. Solventless processing methods using ice water, sifting, and rosin pressing do not mitigate any possible contamination, meaning that whatever you’re consuming had to have been clean to begin with. Live solventless usually is more expensive but it’s our firm belief that it's worth it for something you’re going to dab or smoke.

Then why does TerpGuide review edibles made with solvent-based inputs?

Even though we’re borderline religious about enjoying only solventless extracts and vapes, great edibles can be found with all kinds of active ingredients, many of which are not solventless hash or rosin. What we’re most concerned with is flavor, consistency, and effects, which can be found with all kinds of inputs, including distillate or CO2 oil. Not everyone loves a hashy-tasting edible (even though we do when it’s strain paired correctly with the flavors) so we have a wider purview of edibles we’ll try.

What qualities does dried flower need to possess to make it up on TerpGuide?

We feel that when it comes to dried flower, there is perhaps the greatest range quality-wise than any other category. We are picky and closely evaluate flower from its bud structure all the way through its smoking flavor profile to the color and lightness of the final ash. It’s usually not that hard to tell if a plant was not flushed properly or was overfed, so flavor and effects are key. While we are growing media agnostic, we do tend to find that high quality soil (living or otherwise) often has the best shot to bring out the full terpene profile of any given plant. Soil is not always easy to execute and we find great products grown in all kinds of mediums, so we’re always striving to find growers that select great genetics that are masterfully expressed in the cultivation process.