Customers often compare two jars on my counter, one at CHF 8 a gram, the other at CHF 5, and ask why there's such a difference for "the same plant". It's not quite the same plant – here's why.
Indoor: a fully controlled environment
In indoor growing, the plant grows under artificial light, with temperature and humidity constantly adjusted, cycle after cycle. This total control produces dense, well-formed buds covered in trichomes. It also allows real consistency from batch to batch: the flower you buy in January looks like the one you'll buy in June.
Outdoor: the plant facing the elements
Outdoor growing lets the plant grow outside, exposed to real sunlight and the year's weather. This often produces flowers that look a little less dense, but with a broader range of terpenes and minor cannabinoids reflecting the local terroir. Two outdoor harvests from different years can taste noticeably different, a bit like a wine that changes with the vintage.
Taste and aromas: where it really matters
Indoor generally gives more concentrated, straightforward aromas, because the grower can play with light and water stress to push the plant to produce more terpenes. Outdoor can give more complex, less predictable profiles, with earthy or herbal notes you don't always find in indoor. Neither is objectively better – it's really a matter of personal taste.
Why such a price gap?
Indoor is expensive to produce: electricity for lighting, ventilation and dehumidification, climate-control equipment, and labour for almost daily monitoring. Outdoor needs none of these energy costs – just sun and good soil. It's this difference in production cost that's passed on to the final price, not a difference in intrinsic quality.
And CBD content – a real difference?
Not necessarily. Good genetics grown well outdoors can reach CBD levels quite comparable to indoor. The difference is more about consistency than the maximum achievable level: indoor guarantees a steadiness that outdoor can't always offer, because it depends on the year's weather.
One customer once bought both on the same day to compare at home. She came back saying she much preferred the outdoor for its taste – more "natural", in her words – but admitted the indoor looked prettier in the jar. Since then she buys both depending on her mood.
What I recommend for your profile
If you want perfect consistency and flawless presentation, go for indoor. If budget matters and you enjoy discovering aroma profiles that change a little with the seasons, outdoor has its place. In my shop I always keep both, because both have their fans and neither is a default choice.
My straight advice
Don't rely on price alone to judge quality. A well-grown, fresh outdoor flower can easily rival a pricier indoor one. Try both if you're unsure – it's the only way to find out what your nose and palate really prefer. Browse our Premium CBD flowers and Eco CBD flowers.
