By Carson Grant.

Craft cannabis, especially when talking about flower, refers to cannabis grown with a focus on quality and care over volume. It’s similar to craft coffee or craft beer: the grower puts attention into every plant, not just mass-producing buds.

Key Characteristics

✅ Small batch
    •    Flower harvested in limited quantities, not massive commercial lots.
    •    Gives growers time to focus on plant health, terpene profiles (flavor/aroma), and bud structure.
(Industry example: facilities producing less than 10,000 kg dried flower per year by hand-focused methods.)

✅ Hand-crafted post-harvest
    •    Hand-trimmed buds (not machine-trimmed) preserve delicate trichomes.
    •    Often hang-dried and slow-cured, which enhances aroma, smoothness and flavor.

✅ Quality over quantity
    •    Many craft growers prioritize rare or expressive genetics rather than just producing high yield.
    •    The result is usually flower with strong aroma, distinct terpene profiles, and texture that stands out compared with mass produced product.

Note: Legally in NY, the OCM defines craft products as those produced by smaller licensed cultivators or microbusinesses that cultivate, process, and manufacture on-site (e.g., Tier 1/microbusiness standards).

Craft & Small Batch Flower Examples at NY Elite Cannabis

Here are some flower examples on the NY Elite Cannabis online menu labeled under Small Batch / Craft Flower:

Craft / Small Batch Flower Listings
    •    167 | Sour Jack – 3.5 g – Sativa — a classic small-batch sativa cultivar.
    •    167 | OG Marker – 3.5 g — another example of a craft-style strain selection.
    •    167 | Shebanger 22 – 3.5 g — small-batch flower from the same series.

These products appear under the “Small Batch / Craft Flower” category on their menu — indicating they’re curated as quality flower and often sourced from growers focusing on artisan batches rather than bulk.

How to Spot Craft Flower When Shopping

When you look at dispensary menus (like NY Elite’s), craft or small batch flower typically has:
    •    Strain names with specific genetic lineage (e.g., “Sour Jack,” “OG Marker”).
    •    Smaller packaging sizes like 3.5 g (1/8 oz) or limited ounces.
    •    Often labeled “small batch,” “craft,” or premium on the menu.

These cues generally point to a higher-attention cultivation and post-harvest process compared with large volume products.