Apparently I smoke enough New York pre-rolls that I accidentally developed a scoring system

This started because I got tired of opening a package that smelled incredible, lighting the joint, and then spending the next twenty minutes wondering where all that flavor went. Or buying something with a THC percentage high enough to frighten a mathematician, only to discover that the high was the least memorable part of the experience.

So I started paying closer attention. Not just to whether I got high, but to whether the joint burned evenly, whether the flower tasted like the strain, whether the infusion added anything useful, and what happened near the end when some pre-rolls begin slowly transforming into hot paper and regret.

Eventually, I realized I was basically reviewing every joint anyway, so I started The Burn Index. I smoke the whole thing, talk through the experience while it’s happening, score it when I’m done, and answer the only question that really matters after spending actual money on weed: would I buy it again?

I’m in New York, so that’s where I’m starting. I generally love Sour, Diesel, Chem, gas, Haze, citrus and pine, but I’m trying to be fair about the difference between “this isn’t my flavor” and “this isn’t very good.” I’m also not interested in publicly executing a grower because one joint disappointed me. Sometimes the flower is good and the roll is bad. Sometimes the construction is excellent and the high barely shows up for work. Sometimes everything clicks and I forget I was supposed to be taking notes.

That’s pretty much the idea. Detailed New York cannabis reviews without pretending THC percentage is a personality or every product is fire because somebody took a nice photograph.

The Burn Index: https://burnindex.substack.com

I review the smoke, not the package.

— S.K.