Malverde from Green Dragon via Green Dragon Collective North Hollywood on 7/14/2020. THC tested out to 28.8%. Purchased for about $40 out the door with first time discount. Green Dragon has been on my radar for a long time now, so when I found myself on a leisurely cruise through North Hollywood last month, I knew I had to drop by and swoop a couple of their signature strains. These nugs are a mix of lime and forest greens that gently shift into midnight blues, tightly bunched fireplace orange pistils, and a gorgeous tsunami of triches that flood every available space and give off the occasional twinkle that I’d swear was stolen directly out of Santa’s eye.

The nose from the jar is a candy sweet floral funk with a back end must that leans vaguely cheesy. Busting open a bud, that sweet candy really takes center stage and hits me like a pink starburst with a creamy fresh floral edge. Breaking it down by hand leaves a trich grime on the fingers that’s extremely piney with a touch of mint, while the grinds themselves come off as candy sweet at first, but quickly shift into a strong pinesol with a sugary back end. A dry pull on the jay reveals a sweet candy floral with a piney earthy tone on the side and a really minor cream on the back end. The inhale is smooth but hearty, and has a pungent potpourri floral quality with mint off the bong, where the joint is similar but leans more mint and less herbaceous. The exhale off the bong is a  sugary peppermint with a deep hashiness and a chalky sweet aftertaste, where the joint is a more complex mix of mint with various herbs and spices as well as that chalky sweetness, all blended together in an orchestra hit of flavor. Cross checking the taste on my MV1 from Ghost Vapes at 170c I get an extremely intense mint pine sensation on the way in while the exhale is all mint floral with one of the longest aftertastes I’ve experienced since starting use of the MV1 in my reviews. At 185c it’s still very minty and piney but much less intense and not as well defined. The headchange comes on quickly with a mighty slap that’s a little disarming at first in the sense that you’re capable of clear headed thought and don’t really notice how much it’s wrapping you up physically. Sitting in my chair, my mind started racing with a parade of fast coherent thoughts, and it was only after sometime did I realize that I was deep in the grips of a pleasant version of the sunken place from Get Out. I willed myself to move but I did not and then I started to question why I wanted to move at all. I had a full on internal debate about the pros and cons of getting up from my chair while my heavy body blank-face started into the depths of my girlfriend’s succulent garden. Eventually I was able to muster the energy to get out of my seat and pour a cup of coffee which helped me shake off that sunken place feeling a little more while still maintaining a hazy eye’d buzz. If you couldn’t tell by now, I really loved this batch of Malverde, so much so that I actually went out and copped a second batch before finishing this review. It was love at first smoke. For the ticket it simply can’t be beat and has quickly become my favorite strain of 2020 with my only regret being that I slept on it until now. Green Dragon this is some amazing herb. You guys are clearly experts in every aspect of your craft and I can’t wait to get more of your library into the rotation. Fantastic work!