Machine Trimming Vs. Hand Trimming

By Cameron Glen, Director of Cultivation

After they are dried, but before your buds are ready to smoke, one final important step needs to occur. This is the trimming or removal of the “sugar leaves,” the smaller leaves around the bud that are usually covered in trichomes. This is primarily done for aesthetic purposes, but also can make the flower taste better when smoked.

There are two main ways to remove the trim - by hand and with a machine. So what are the differences between hand trim and machine trim? Why is one usually more expensive than the other? 

Hand trimmed cannabis produces more aesthetically pleasing flower for the consumers and better, higher quality trim for processors. But it is expensive and time consuming to produce. It generally requires dozens of people sitting around, cutting off the leaves by hand with a tiny pair of scissors. It can also get expensive paying that many people since even the most accomplished trimmer can only do 1.5-2lbs in an 8 hour day.

To the average consumer, the difference between hand and machine trim is difficult to spot with the naked eye. Many consumers who purchase trim use it for inexpensive (and poor quality) blunts and joints or as a way of making edibles. To a commercial buyer however, there can be a major difference. 

Machines leave parts of undesirable leaves whereas a trimmer operating by hand will be able to more precisely extricate these leaves. Since there are fewer openings from cuts, the concentrates produced from hand trim are usually of a higher quality and more visually appealing.*

Cannabis, as well as all green plants, are filled with chlorophyll. When you are making concentrates, ideally you will have as few cuts in the leaves as possible because that is where chlorophyll seeps out of the plant and into your extract material. Chlorophyll contamination is problematic because of the negative effects it has on your final product. When wax or shatter has a green tint, it is because of the chlorophyll that has leaked into it during extraction. This can range from a light green hue to something closer to lawn green. While one is obviously worse than the other, they are both pretty awful and taste horrible. 

So how can you tell if your buds were hand trimmed or machine trimmed?

1. Look for missing chunks of flower around the edges of the bud. Machine trimmers are not super precise and often remove chunks of bud as they trim.

2. There are WAY more trichomes visible when you break open the flower. Machine trimmers often function as tumblers and in the process knock off the trichomes and crystals from the outside of the bud.

3. The presence of “crows feet.” Often a machine trim removes the bulk of the leaf but leaves the base/veins of the leaf at the button. These often look like crows feet. If flower is hand trimmed the trimmer will remove the whole leaf at the base with scissors.

*the exception is machine trimming done by our friends at Bloom Automation. Bloom uses robots, 3D imaging and spinning blades to precisely trim sugar leaves - at the same or faster speed than humans - all while minimizing release of chlorophyll. Check them out here.