This kinda combines what Ive seen in two posts by diff people on this thread:

my friends dog ate a quarter of some quality shit, and was so messed up that we thought we had killed him. He eventually slept it off. The dog, needless to say, didnt heat up the bud. He just ate it, and was really messed up...Dont know if this applies to humans or not, but it didnt need to be heated for that dog to REALLY feel something...

I always eat a nice lil chunk of a bud, if its some tasty, beautiful shit. Usually right when I get it. Not to get an effect from it, but just to taste it. To whoever said it doesnt have a taste when eaten raw, you just havent eaten the right shit. Some of the better stuff Ive eaten had a really strong taste, almost unbearable...Even the not so good stuff has had some kind of taste. When cooked into something (brownies, cake, cookies, by simmering into butter for use in the mix), Im sure it does work better to get you a buzz than just putting the weed into whatever youre making. I just eat it cause I want to. It seems to me that the stronger aroma and taste that a certain bud has, for the most part, determines if the shit is any good or not, for the most part. Not always true though.