Those who grew up in my era didn't discern between buds or leaf.. whatever we could get.. by the nickle and dime bag.. before that it was by the lid.. (the amount that fit in a tobacco container lid).
Often the leaf was better than the bud, because the leaf would of been regional from someones home crop (no one imported just leaf) and the bud while imported, was a mixed bag . (every pun intended)...
The original Colombian Gold, while a different kind of brown, was a very musky grass.. that was part of it's allure.
The stuff coming up from Mexico was males, females, leaf, stems, seed.. all mixed together.. and it was brown mostly to the way they dried it and then packaged it tightly in bricks. No one batted an eye at it though.. you had some Mexican grass, spark it up.. I used to hitch hike a hundred miles for a 5 finger bag of good Mexican grass.. cost me 5 and then 10 and then later 20 bucks..
It wasn't always just the quality of the weed, but just having something to smoke on while you and your friends did thinks like spun records and talked about God and the universe at light speed late at night and stuff.. very magical.. it wasn't about just getting couch locked.. it was about getting high and enjoying life.. not watching TV and seeing others enjoying life.. if that makes any sense..
What I mean is no one went 'this isn't green finely manicured organically grown bud? Hrrmph'.. Ha.. that just didn't happen.. hell, the US Government even spayed the crops with Paraquat (poison) thinking that would stop us from smoking Mexican grass.. never slowed us down.. but hen the Senator found his son was smoking grass with Paraquat, they stopped spraying crops.. ha..
Everyone always dug good grass, and we had ever potent strains in the day as well.. there was a lot more feast of famine and a lot of dry spells at times.. no one would look any grass in the mouth.. Hell, smoke bowl shavings aluminum files, cat hair.. I know there is some resin in that goop somewhere.. almost literally.. We've come a long way... don't get me wrong, I am not saying the 'ol days' were better.. (although some of the imported grass certainly was at times)..