"What should I get?" is the most common question a budtender hears, and most of the time it really means "what are my options?" A Vermont shelf sorts into a handful of formats, and they're not ranked best-to-worst — they're just different ways the same plant gets packaged and used. The right one for you is mostly about practicalities: how much gear you want to deal with, how discreet it needs to be, and how much prep you're up for. Here's a clear, no-hype walk through the four formats most people choose between, with the honest trade-offs of each.

What is flower, and who is it for?

Flower is the classic: the dried, cured buds of the cannabis plant, sold by weight — typically the gram, eighth (3.5g), quarter, and so on. You grind it yourself and smoke it in a pipe, a bong, or a hand-rolled joint. It's the oldest and most familiar format, and it's still the biggest part of most Vermont menus.

Flower's appeal is flexibility and craft. You can smell and see exactly what you're buying, choose a specific strain from a specific Vermont grower, and use as little or as much as you like. The trade-offs are practical: it requires a bit of gear (at minimum a grinder and something to smoke from), it's the most aromatic format both while you use it and in the bag, and it takes the most hands-on prep. If you like the ritual of it and don't mind the smell, flower is the most hands-on, customizable option on the shelf.

• What it is: dried, cured cannabis buds, sold by weight.
• Gear needed: a grinder and a pipe, bong, or rolling papers.
• Smell: the strongest of any format, fresh and lingering.
• Best if: you want the widest strain selection, value the ritual, and don't need to be discreet.

How are pre-rolls different from flower?

A pre-roll is exactly what it sounds like: flower that's already been ground and rolled into a finished joint, ready to light. It's not a different product from flower — it's the same plant material, just prepped for you. Pre-rolls come as singles or in multi-packs, and some are larger "infused" pre-rolls with concentrate added in (those are a separate, stronger thing — see our concentrates guide).

The whole point of a pre-roll is convenience. There's no grinder, no rolling, no learning curve — you're set up the moment you leave the shop. The trade-offs versus loose flower are minor: you're committing to whatever amount the joint holds rather than measuring your own, and a multi-pack costs a little more than rolling the equivalent yourself. Pre-rolls share flower's smell, since they are flower. They're a natural first stop if you like the idea of smoking but don't want to deal with any of the prep.

• What it is: flower, pre-ground and rolled into a ready-to-light joint.
• Gear needed: none — just a light.
• Smell: same as flower.
• Best if: you want to smoke with zero prep, or want to try a strain in a small, single-serving amount.

What is a vape, and what's the difference between a cart and a disposable?

A vape heats cannabis oil with a battery instead of burning plant material, so you inhale vapor rather than smoke and there's no flame involved. On a Vermont shelf you'll see vapes in two main shapes:

• Cartridges ("carts") — a small glass tank of cannabis oil that screws onto a reusable 510-thread battery you buy once and keep. When the cart is empty, you replace just the cart.
• Disposables — an all-in-one pen with the battery and oil built in. You use it until it's done, then dispose of it. Nothing to buy separately, nothing to refill.

Vapes are the most portable and the most discreet format to use — they're small, the vapor's odor is fainter and fades faster than smoke, and there's no ash or lighter. Most carts are filled with distillate or live resin (more on those in the concentrates guide), so they're more potent by volume than flower; you take small puffs. The trade-off is that you're relying on a device with a battery, and a cart needs a compatible battery to work. If portability and low odor matter most, a vape is usually the answer.

• What it is: cannabis oil heated by a battery; a cart needs a separate battery, a disposable is all-in-one.
• Gear needed: a 510 battery for carts; nothing for disposables.
• Smell: light and short-lived compared to smoke.
• Best if: you want the most portable, lowest-odor option and don't want to carry gear.

What are edibles, and why are they measured in milligrams?

Edibles are food and drinks with cannabis oil infused into them — gummies, chocolates, baked goods, and cannabis beverages. There's no smoke, no vapor, and essentially no smell, which makes them the most discreet format of all. They're also the format that works differently enough to deserve real care.

Unlike smoking or vaping, an edible is eaten and digested, so it takes much longer to take effect — often a couple of hours — and that timing varies a lot from person to person and with whether you've eaten. Because the onset is slow, it's genuinely easy to assume nothing's happening and have more, then end up having taken far more than you meant to. That's why edibles are sold and labeled by milligrams of THC per piece and per package, and why the standard advice is to start with a small amount and wait a long time before deciding on more.

• What it is: food or drink infused with cannabis, dosed in milligrams.
• Gear needed: none.
• Smell: essentially none — the most discreet format.
• Best if: you'd rather not smoke or vape at all, and you're willing to start small and wait.

How do the four formats compare at a glance?

If you line them up by the practical questions most people actually care about, the differences get easy to see:

• Least prep: edibles and disposables need nothing; pre-rolls need only a light; loose flower needs the most.
• Most discreet: edibles (no smell), then vapes (light, fading odor), then flower and pre-rolls (strongest smell).
• Most portable: vapes and edibles travel easily; flower and rolling gear are bulkier.
• Widest selection: flower and pre-rolls offer the most strains from the most Vermont growers.
• Slowest to take effect: edibles, by a wide margin — which is exactly why they need the most patience.

None of these is the "strongest" or "best" in any meaningful sense — they're tools for different situations. Plenty of people keep more than one around: flower or a pre-roll for an unhurried evening at home, a vape for portability, an edible for when they'd rather not smoke at all.

Which should a first-timer start with?

There's no single right answer, but a few honest pointers. If you're drawn to the smoking ritual, a single pre-roll is the lowest-commitment way to try it — no gear, small amount, easy to set down. If you'd rather not smoke at all, a low-milligram edible or beverage keeps things simple, as long as you respect the slow clock and start small. A disposable vape is the middle path: portable, low-odor, nothing to assemble.

Whatever you lean toward, the most useful move is to tell a budtender it's your first time and roughly what you're after — quick and portable, or relaxed and at home. A good one will point you to something approachable rather than the most potent thing on the shelf. New to the whole experience? Our guide on what to expect your first time walks through the visit itself.

How do I read the shelf at Float On?

Everything across all four formats is grown and made in Vermont and lab-tested — by law, a Vermont dispensary can only sell cannabis produced in-state, so the flower, pre-rolls, carts, and edibles here all come from Vermont cultivators and processors. A few honest signals when you're choosing:

1. Pick the format first. Decide how much gear and discretion you want, and the shelf narrows fast.
2. Check who made it. Every legal product names its producer — Vermont's craft scene means that's a real, in-state operator.
3. For edibles, read the milligrams. The label lists THC per piece and per package; that's the number that matters for starting small.
4. Ask. Tell a budtender how you like to consume and what your day looks like, and they'll match you to a format — no jargon required.

You can browse the live menu to see exactly what's in stock in each format and who made it, or plan your trip from our downtown Burlington guide if you're coming from the Church Street area.

A few Vermont basics, whatever you pick

The same Vermont rules apply across every format. It's adult-use for 21+, so bring a government-issued photo ID. The menu price is the final, all-in price — Vermont's cannabis taxes are already included, so nothing is added at the register. Public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in Vermont, so whatever you buy leaves sealed and is for private use at home, and it can't legally cross state lines. Keep edibles and everything else in their labeled packaging and away from kids and pets.