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Proper's Best Of Cannabis Guides, Explained
Learn by Kate Ryan
Sep 11, 2019 · 4 min read

Learn how Proper sources, tests, and evaluates products to find the best cannabis in the country.

If you’re looking for not just any cannabis but the right cannabis, you’ve come to the right place. But before you dig in and start shopping our Best Of Guides, read up on how the vetting process works and why you should trust our top picks.

Why Proper

Despite being legal in several states, shopping for cannabis unlike shopping for any other product. A simple search for indica vapes or low-dose edibles in your neighborhood yields confusing results with outdated or no vendor information. Once you find what you’re looking for or settle on the recommendation of a budtender, you pay a premium despite having very little information about what you can expect to experience. If that vape or edible you bought turns out to be ineffective, poorly made, or paranoia-inducing, you have no option but to cut your losses and start the process over again from the beginning. You wouldn’t buy shoes or appliances this way, so why do we accept this process when deciding which mind-altering substance to buy?

We founded Proper knowing there had to be a better way. Our goal has always been to make finding the right cannabis for you streamlined and stress-free. We want to help you find exactly what you need, whether you’re looking for flower to help you sleep or a concentrate to help you dial in on a creative project. Because there’s nothing like getting your high right the first time.

Why You Should Trust Us

To make the best recommendations possible, we formed the Proper Cannabis Committee (PCC). They’re advocates, athletes, teachers, parents, writers, and entrepreneurs from all walks of life with one thing in common: cannabis experience. With more than 160 members spread across hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Denver, the PCC tests products day and night to help us determine whether something is an all-time classic, solid staple, or total waste of time.

Because we know personal preferences greatly affect the user experience, we made sure to bring on a healthy balance of edible enthusiasts, concentrate buffs, flower diehards—AKA experts in every category. This way, we’re able to pair any given product with a rater who represents the typical consumer for that product. Case in point: We’re not out here asking low-dose edible lovers to dab themselves into oblivion. Whatever the case, the only products we test are branded, compliant, lab-tested, and for sale through licensed retailers in their state. So you can rest assured that even low-scoring products on our site are pesticide and filler-free.

A Word About Scores

Speaking of scores, perhaps you’ve already noticed most of the products on our site are stamped with a score between 1 and 100. To generate scores for all the products we test, we built DeepSearch, our proprietary rating app. It allows PCC raters to log their experiences in real time and enables us to analyze more than 60 data points per session. We look at all the product attributes that may affect the user’s experience from aroma and flavor to onset time and aftertaste. And to ensure packaging doesn’t skew the results, we blind and code product samples so all our raters know are the potency and ingredients. That's it. 

Another important thing to note: Our raters don’t look for the best products for them personally—they look for the best products for a given situation. For example, in the process of rating a pre-roll marketed as a focus enhancer, our raters might find that it’s actually great for unwinding after a long week. All of this feedback allows us to identify not just the high-quality products, but what they’re actually good for. So you, the consumer, can know what to expect.

Enter the Best Of Guides

If you’re the type of shopper who likes to cut to the chase, these are the guides for you. We use all of our data, the collective knowledge of our team of experts, and availability information to deliver the best cannabis you can find. And because they're updated monthly, you can rest assured you'll be up to speed on hot new products. 

Now it's time for the fun part. 

Check out our guides to the best edibles and pre-rolls in California.