What are smalls?
Smalls are whole cannabis buds that grew small. They come from the same plant as the big top buds, mostly from the lower branches and the shady middle, where less light gets through. After drying and trimming, buds are sorted by size, and the little ones go out as smalls.
Other names for the same thing: popcorn buds, popcorn nugs, mini buds and B buds. It's a size, not a grade, so a plant that grows AAAA tops grows smalls as well. Our weed grades guide covers how the grades themselves work.
Ours come off the same plants as the big buds of the same strain. Frumpz smalls are Frumpz from the same plants as the Frumpz AAAA, in smaller pieces.
Smalls aren't shake or trim. Shake is the crumbs that break off buds and collect at the bottom of a bag; trim is the sugar leaf cut away when buds are manicured. Smalls are whole buds that are simply little.
Are smalls weaker than big buds?
A little, on average, and not every time. On November 10, 2026 we lined up every A+ Smalls product in stock that shows a THC number next to the big buds of the same strain. 18 pairs had a number on both sides.
Smalls averaged 27.8% THC. The big buds averaged 29.4%. That's a gap of 1.6 points, about a twentieth of the THC. 11 smalls were labelled lower than their big buds, 6 matched and 1 came in higher. Here are some of the pairs:
| Strain | Smalls | Big buds |
|---|---|---|
| Frumpz | 33% | 36% (AAAA) |
| Death Bubba | 30% | 32% (AAAA) |
| Pink Kush | 26% | 28% (AAAA) |
| Blue Lobster | 27% | 33% (AAAA) |
| Payton's Pie | 24% | 29% (AAA) |
| Bread and Butter | 28% | 28% (AAAA) |
| California Citrus | 30% | 30% (AAA) |
| Rainbow Cake | 29% | 29% (AAA) |
| Tropicana Cherry | 27% | 27% (AAAA) |
The widest gap on the shelf that day was Blue Lobster, 27% against 33%. Most pairs sat within 2 points of each other. Size alone doesn't tell you the strength, so check the THC number on each product page before you buy.
Why lower buds can run lower
The research points the same way as our labels. One study sampled buds from the top of the flowering stem to the bottom and found the amount of cannabinoids fell on the way down. In a greenhouse study of tall plants, the buds at the very bottom carried up to 40% less, and the low numbers matched how little light reached them (Danziger and Bernstein, 2021). A high-THC indica studied by the same group showed more cannabinoids up top than lower down.
Two things those studies don't say. The very top bud isn't always the strongest: in the greenhouse study, buds a little below the top often beat it. And no study has compared bud size on its own; they compare where a bud grew, not how big it is. Most smalls grow low on the plant, but not every small bud is a bottom bud. On our labels the gap is far smaller than the worst cases in the studies: about 5% of the THC, not 40%.
One myth to drop: that big buds are stronger because they hold bigger stems. THC is made in the flowers, not the stem. A study that analysed every part of the plant found the cannabinoids in the flowers, much less in the leaves, and the stem bark made up mostly of other compounds. More stem in a bud just means more weight that isn't THC.
Why are smalls cheaper?
Mostly looks. Big, dense, photogenic buds are what people pay top price for. Small buds smoke the same way once they're ground, but they don't have the shelf appeal, so they sell for less. On our shelf the price gap between smalls and big buds is usually much bigger than the THC gap.
If price matters more than strain, our Cheap Weed page is where the budget flower lives.
Are smalls worth it?
For most people who grind their weed, yes. Bud size stops mattering the moment it hits a grinder, so smalls make sense for:
- Joints, blunts and bowls: it all gets ground up anyway.
- Baking: bag appeal disappears in butter. Our cannabutter guide does the dose math from the label number.
- Trying a strain: the same strain from the same plants, for less than the big buds.
Big buds still win if you want the top THC number a strain can reach, the best-looking bud to show off or gift, or buds big enough to break up by hand.
A few in stock today: Death Bubba smalls (30%), California Citrus smalls (30%, a sativa), Bread and Butter smalls (28%) and Pink Kush smalls (26%). The full list is on A+ Smalls.