Brick Weed – Exploring the Rise and Fall of This Unique Weed Product

If you’re younger than 35, chances are you won’t know what brick weed is. The question is: are you missing out on anything?

Although brick weed is still present on the market and it used to be quite popular in the past, there is a good reason why that’s no longer the case.

Read along to find out what brick weed is, how it’s made, how to smoke it properly, and what caused its popularity to drop. Let’s get started!

So, what is brick weed?

Brick weed is the type of weed that is harvested and compressed into separate bricks. That also explains why brick weed is commonly referred to as “compressed weed”.

One of the main reasons for its compression is to transport it more easily, which was important back when weed was smuggled from Mexico.

It is grown just like any other marijuana plant, but what separates it from other weed people buy in dry form is its processing – the way it’s dried and compressed.

Growers simply pile loads of harvested cannabis to dry, which makes parts of it become moldy from moisture, and then they compress it using hydraulic presses. Even if the plant was of high quality before compression, which is often the case, the pressing wastes much of the weed’s THC and terpenes.

Brick weed has a huge tradition and it was particularly popular in the USA and Mexico in the previous century.

This popularity peaked between 1970 and 1980, during which time brick weed was the most consumed type of weed in the world. Very often, people wouldn’t even know that they were smoking brick weed, because their dealers would break it up.

Eventually, its popularity started to decrease. Although some people still smoke brick weed regularly, the global production has fallen dramatically. Most cannabis consumers have switched to other, more potent alternatives.

At the moment, brick weed is mainly produced in Asia, and Central and South America. The main global marijuana manufacturer is Paraguay while most of the European weed comes from Albania.

There are several reasons why brick weed is no longer popular, but let’s first discuss whether you should smoke this type of weed or not.

Is brick weed any good?

We already touched upon the question of brick weed quality. Though it’s often made from decent plants, the compression turns it into poorer quality weed.

Of course, many people enjoyed it in the past, but if you’re looking for weed with exceptional flavor and long-lasting effects, brick weed is not it. It will always be inferior to other types of weed that was properly dried, cured and stored.

The main reason why brick weed used to be so popular in the past is its price.

This product used to be (and still is) extremely cheap which is why it is so widespread even today. Of course, despite the low price, some people do like how brick weed tastes. Not to mention that, if you are lucky enough, you could really end up with brick weed of superb quality.

But overall, it’s obvious that the low price was the driving force behind the immense popularity of brick weed in general.

How to smoke brick weed?

Smoking brick weed is very simple and straightforward.

Technically, you smoke this type of weed just like any other, but with one exception – you need to break it into individual pieces for easier consumption.

You can do that in many different ways, but I prefer using steam to separate the pieces evenly.

Here’s how to do it according to an experienced user. Prepare some hot water, put weed on a paper towel and hold it over the steam. The weed will get softer and softer, which will enable you to break it apart.

Once you do that, you can go ahead and smoke as usual.

Why is brick weed not popular anymore?

Several factors contributed to brick weed losing its popularity.

First of all, as I already mentioned, the quality that you are getting here is far from perfect. People can now choose much more potent strains, and even though brick weed is extremely affordable, most buyers want their cannabis to have strong effects and pleasant flavor.

Another reason for its decline in popularity is that many people grow their own weed nowadays. This is easy to do and can save you a lot of money in the long run. Not to mention that, when you grow weed in your home, you know what you can expect and you don’t have to rely on unknown, second-hand weed.

The last and perhaps the most important reason why brick weed is no longer what it used to be is the ever-growing trend of cannabis legalization.

As cannabis is becoming legal in more and more countries, people are welcoming the idea of knowing exactly what they are getting. Also, there is no need to compress weed for the sake of transportation anymore, so it seems that there is less room for brick weed in the modern cannabis world.

In conclusion

Brick weed used to be immensely popular in the past and with good reason. However, times have changed, and cannabis enthusiasts have much better options today.

Should you try brick weed if you’ve never smoked it before? Well, that’s entirely up to you. If you’re curious and you want to experience the flavor first-hand, sure, give it a try. However, if you want high-quality marijuana with superb, long-lasting effects, this weed is not for you.

In any case, it doesn’t hurt to know about it, in case you’re ever offered. And if you’re a marijuana veteran, this is a good opportunity to relive some old memories. After all, a bit of nostalgia is always sweet, isn’t it?