Month December 2020

C.R.E.A.M. from Cannatique Farms

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C.R.E.A.M. from Cannatique Farms via Calma West Hollywood on 10/20/2020. THC tested out to 26.49%. I got this for about $70 out the door with the first time discount, otherwise it would have ran around $100. Huge shoutout up top to Abstrax Labs and The Growers Collection for reasons that will become clear later in the review.  When I stopped at Calma West Hollywood to pick up a sample pack, I spotted this C.R.E.A.M. on the shelf and while the ticket was extremely high, it looked absolutely stunning so I decided to throw down and see if its bang matched its beauty. The surface of these fairly small buds are mostly a pear with subtle shifts to lime green coupled with aubergine accents, contrasted against pops of golden bronze pistils, all of which is heavily obscured in a hazy sheen of an eye poppingly thick coat of egg cream colored triches.

It’s seriously some beautiful stuff, but unfortunately, that’s where the positive experience ends. The nose out of the jar is extremely vague, it’s nearly blank, and the best description I can muster is that it comes off like plant and spice with a hint of must but it’s very muddled and muted. Busting open a bud the smell remains weak, it does seem to morph slightly adding some fresh elements as well as a distant echo of cream and floral, but it’s very flat and thin. Breaking it down by hand I get no smell on my fingers which is really out of the ordinary. The grinds themselves have an indistinct minty plant smell, there’s a bit of pine in there too, it sort of smells like walking through a forest but with the volume on your scent receptors turned down to the lowest detectable levels. A dry pull on the j offered a really faint and flat floral sweetness. The inhale on the joint was initially smooth, and had a vague floral sweetness with a muted freshness, but got slightly harsh toward the end. I didn’t notice the same issue on the bong, where I got a slightly more perfume-like floral with a hint of spice and sugar sweetness, but it was all very muffled. The exhale on both the bong and the joint had a suppressed creaminess with an acidic sour quality. Cross checking the flavors on my MV1 from Ghost Vapes at 170c I get a very light sweet floral with a flat finish, and at 185c the floral gets a little stronger to the point where it has that skunky beer taste, but it’s still fairly meek. I’ve always had a hard time doing write ups in regards to taste and smell because they’re inherently subjective, so I’m excited to add a new layer of information in that arena thanks to the awesome folks at Abstrax Labs. Utilizing advanced chemical techniques far beyond my understanding, they’re able to take small samples of bud and run it through a process that reveals every terpene and aroma compound within it and make it into an easy to read data sheet, which I thought would be fun and informative to compare against my subjective experience with any given strain. While it may not align perfectly with my individual take on the strain, it is interesting to go over the data and see how it matches up with my experience, and maybe give me some better and broader understanding of flavors that are difficult to pin down.

This brings us to the headchange which I found to be middle of the road effects wise. Shortly after smoking you feel cool, calm and relaxed even if you had been anxious moments earlier. Given the body buzz it’s surprisingly clear headed, I never found myself lost or confused, I was always present and able to work without losing track of what I was doing even with the occasional short lived spacy distraction. If instead of putting a bit of weight on your body it brought a bit of energy, it would be a pretty good sativa, but it has just a bit too much of a chill vibe to help you get that motivational edge and get shit done. I’d say it’d be best paired with video games or a movie that requires a lot of your attention as it will keep your mind occupied and your body sedentary. That said, for $100 out the door more or less, I simply would not pick it up again. When I saw this herb I had high hopes for it but the reality is that you can get much better on the recreational market at half the rate. My fellow reviewer @rip.215 had a great experience with the same batch, one I wish I had, but as it sits that is a huge miss for me. Sorry Cannatique, I wish I could give it a positive review, but you probably won’t see this since you have me blocked anyway. 

High Jump from 3C Farms

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High Jump from 3C Farms on 7/14/2020. THCa tested out to 28.5%. (Shoutout to Matt at 3C for making it happen!) This was gifted to me but it goes for $35.50 at 3C’s DTLA shop. High Jump was actually the second 3C strain I smoked with Red Rodriguez back in the Cannabis Cafe era, but we practically cleared the jar that day so I was hella glad to get another one in the rotation for review, although admittedly I let it sit on my shelf much longer than I intended. The surface of these huge buds are a patchwork of olive drab and chartreuse with dark slate blue highlights, ubiquitous yam orange pistils, all of which are enrobed in an impressively thick layer of egg cream colored triches.

The nose out of the jar is a sweet musty funk with a heavy emphasis on that sweet must. Busting open a bud, the sweetness remains but shifts to a much more floral tone, pushing that mustiness to the background. Breaking it down by hand is an easy task as the bud is fluffy and dry, which is mostly on me due to the fact I sat on it so long, but the grinds still come through smelling of a mild sweet floral with a minor citrus tone. The dry pull on the joint is a very delicate sweet floral with a lightly fresh edge, and a very distant hint of fruit, but that particular aspect was hard to pin down as it was inconsistent. The inhale is smooth and comes with a musty semi-sweet floral on the bong, whereas the joint is more of a sweet floral up top with a musty spice underneath, and a chalky twist. The exhale is a musty cream with a muted spice on the bong, where the joint has a very sweet floral taste that rounds out into a flat paper note, accompanied by a very light minty fruit quality. Cross checking the flavors on my MV1 from GhostVapes at 170c I pick up on a faint fresh floral that leans a little more pine than mint whereas at 185c I get a sweet floral with a touch of a perfume like aftertaste. The headchange comes on quick and puts a haze behind the eyes and absolutely wrecks your ability to stay present. Shortly after smoking a single bowl I found myself spacing out, frequently going on autopilot, but in a way that had a lot of unexpected results. For example, as I got ready for a shower, my mind was completely elsewhere and by the time I’d made my way out of the bathroom I could not for the life of me locate my glasses. After near a half hour of going in circles, dumbfounded that my glasses weren’t in any of my normal spots, I finally found them high on a closet shelf where it really made no sense but on picking them up did have some vague neuromuscular recollection putting them there in the first place. As I battled through the haze, I attempted to get some work done but my motivation was completely shot, so I found myself gritting my teeth to complete the bare minimum for the day and hitting the couch to ride out the rest of the buzz on the couch in a fuzzy stupor. All and all, I think this batch of High Jump held up pretty well for the amount of time I forced it to sit on my shelf, and I’d really like to compare it to a fresher batch if it hits me any different. 3C consistently puts out high quality herb, and it goes for a very fair ticket at their DTLA shop, but as it stands I wasn’t a huge fan of the headchange so if a fresh batch hits the same I probably wouldn’t pick it up again. However, if you’re a fan of that sort of spacey energy sapping effect, this one might be right up your alley.

Cereal Milk from Cannabiotix

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Cereal Milk from Cannabiotix via The Spot Fountain Valley on 10/22/2020 (Huge shoutout to Jake and Blake at The Spot for making it happen!). THC tested out to 33.01%. This was gifted to me by The Spot but it goes for $75 pre-tax on their menu but that’s about par for the course for the Brand. CBX has quickly gained a reputation over the past year for putting out some solid heat, but time and time again various people have been telling me Cereal Milk is THE one to try, so I was stoked to see it in my care package from The Spot . These surprisingly dense buds are a mix of emerald and asparagus greens, tight sporadic pops of ginger orange pistils, and a fairly thick layer of snow white triches that are so abundant at points they look like snow drifts contrasted against a wintery forest landscape.

The nose out of the jar is a musty spice with a semi-sweet cream in the background. Busting open a bud that cream shoots to the foreground and amps up that sugar sweetness, totally blasting out any semblance of must, and smells very similar to MAC but without that familiar berry component. Breaking it down by hand I really get the sense for its density. It leaves a minty heavy cream and a nice stick on the fingertips, where the grinds themselves hit super sugary sweet, to the point where my notes say “if someone made a sugar flavored starburst, this is probably how it would smell”. It also has this vaporous quality to it but it too is extremely sweet. When trying to sort through the scents I felt like I was experiencing olfactory hallucinations as I kept catching whiffs of “fruit” but they’d quickly be overwhelmed by straight sugar. The dry pull on the joint matched up with that experience perfectly, it was pure sugar with just a touch of cream and a hint of freshness, and I might even go so far as to describe it as sugary gas. The inhale is smooth and on the joint comes with a floral spice and a minty twist whereas the bong is more of a generic semi-sweet floral. The exhale on the joint is a sweet cream with extra sugar and a hint of spice, whereas the bong is a flatter more musty cream with a spicy backend, but it’s not nearly as well defined or flavorful. Cross checking the flavor on my MV1 from Ghost Vapes at 170c, I get a generally fresh mint pine floral that leaves a minor aftertaste on the tongue, as where at 185c it’s more of a heavy sweet floral with a perfume edge. The initial headchange comes on quick and has a feel good yet very spacey and forgetful buzz. On multiple occasions I’d be having a great time handling whatever task I was working on at the time, only to come to a point where I’d completely lose track of what I was just doing, and have to take a few moments think it out and hopefully remember so I could pick back up where I left off. At the start of my joint walk I felt lighter and there was a slight pep in my step, but over time I started to feel a weight settle into my body as well a slight headband effect, which was followed by a huge deep-breath-taking sense of relief. I’m sure the fact that it was Friday also helped, but there’s no doubt I found myself sighing in a satisfied way several times, glad that my work week was behind me and the weekend was just around the corner. Overall I really enjoyed my time with this batch of Cereal Milk, while it’s far too heavy for a wake and bake on days you hope to be productive, it’s a solid strain to end the day or kick off your weekend with and get your head in the right frame of mind. I can definitely see myself picking it up again, and while $75 pre-tax is more than I’d personally pay, it’s well within the proper bracket for its quality when compared against other menus out there. Excellent stuff CBX, you guys are definitely putting out some top quality for the rec market, keep up the great work!

Headbanger from Cali Kush Farms

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Headbanger from Cali Kush Farms via The Kind Center on 10/20/2020 (shoutout my dude Cary for making it happen). THC tested out to 27.03%. This was gifted to me but I believe goes for $50 out the door or less depending on the deals The Kind Center is running that day. Cali Kush has been on my radar for a long time now, I’ve been told by more than one trusted peer that I needed to get them in the rotation, so I was stoked when I found myself in the area and able to swing by the Kind Center for a fresh batch of flavors. These buds are mostly a dusty pear with splashes of hunter green and near onyx sugar leaves, coupled with cream orange pistils, all of which is coated in a thick frost layer composed of multitudes of both white and goldenrod triches.

The nose of the jar is a semi-fruity candy sweetness with a chalky twist. When busting open a bud, that sweet candy fruit brightens up a bit while also getting louder, and brings with it a brisk minty freshness. Breaking it down by hand a brilliant fresh pine mint with a minor chalky quality is left on the fingertips, while the grinds themselves have a sugary fresh candy vibe accompanied by a present yet vague fruity sweetness, but it’s fairly obscured by the dominance of that pine mint freshness. A dry pull on the joint also matches up with the scent as it has that sweet candy freshness in spades. The inhale is smooth and has a sugar sweet floral on the bong, whereas the joint is essentially the same, but there’s a hint of mint that makes its way forward as well. The exhale is an extremely sweet grape jelly paired with a strong perfume-like floral off the bong, whereas the joint hits more like a sugar sweet mint candy, and surprisingly lacks any semblance of fruit. Cross checking the flavors on my MV1 from @ghostvapesofficial at 170c I get one of the most intense pine experiences I’ve ever encountered. There’s a minor cooling effect on the way in, but the exhale is so powerful, it left a piney aftertaste on my tongue that I haven’t experienced since getting my mouth washed out with soap as a kid. It left me with a bit of a twisted face just due to the flashback and how overwhelming it was, but I have to admit I was thoroughly impressed by its sheer power. At 185c, it’s still extremely piney but it’s tamped down a bit which allows for a sweet floral to be detected, but the aftertaste remains mostly pine with a touch of mint. The headchange comes on quick and brings some solid energy with it as well as an uplifting smack. It compliments a morning cup of coffee perfectly, it helps wipe the sleep from your eyes, gets you bright eyed and bushy tailed, and puts you in a positive state of mind ready to take on the challenges of the day. It’s the type of herb that murders your apprehension about difficult tasks you’ve been putting off, and before you know it, that thing you’ve been dreading taking care of for the past week is handled and you’re free to move forward to kick ass on the next task. I loved the experience I had with Headbanger as it’s exactly what I look for in a sativa. Truth be told, I had to cut myself off at one point and stop dipping into this batch for my morning ritual as in the end, I barely had enough to finish the review properly because l leaned so hard on it as my go to wake and bake strain. For the ticket it goes for at The Kind Center I’d definitely pick it up again without hesitation. Fantastic job on this one Cali Kush Farms, it’s definitely worthy of joining the ranks of my headstash, and I’m looking forward to tearing through the other offerings I have on deck from your library.

#freebritney from Lolo Cannabis

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freebritney from Lolo Cannabis via Catalyst Santa Ana on 10/2/2020. THC tested out to 22.16%. Purchased for $29 out the door. I’m always interested in getting the most bang for my buck, so when I saw this brand/strain pop up on my dude Red Rodriguez’s stories, I was intrigued and decided if I came across it in store I’d cop it without hesitation. The surface of these mini yet mighty nugs are a mix of dingy lime and forest greens with the occasional rash of midnight blue, coupled with pale orange and twine brown pistils, and a significant smattering of white and goldenrod triches.

The nose out of the bag is a sweet semi-perfume like floral with a touch of must underneath. Busting open the largest of these smalls, that backend mustiness shifts to a sweet pastry that takes center stage, pushing that floral scent into the wings. Breaking it down by hand, the buds leave a faint musty floral on my fingertips, while the grinds themselves have a mild sweet yet slightly acidic pastry scent. The dry pull on the J has a surprisingly strong sweet floral taste with a minor fruity backing. The inhale is smooth, and comes off like a semi-sweet floral on the bong, whereas the joint is a slightly sweeter floral with a touch of mint. The exhale on the bong is a chalky dough with an extremely faint acidic quality, where the joint is floral with a faint fruity sweetness, and just a hint of pastry. Cross checking the flavors on my MV1 from @ghostvapesofficial at 170c I get a semi sweet floral with a touch of fruit and a very faint near lemon like aftertaste, but at 185c that floral broadens and flattens out, and has a bit of sweetness but is a lot less defined than at 170. The headchange comes on quick and immediately hits you with a wave of calm. Over the past couple weeks I’ve been racked with anxiety, and any time I smoked #freebritney, it blew my worries away and made them seem like a distant memory. Instead of being distracted by the dread at hand, I was able to kick back and relax, and enjoyably engage in conversation without my worries even so much as making a 10 second cameo in my thoughts. Physically it puts a weight on your body, but it’s in a comforting way that doesn’t feel like it’s holding you back, and you can still get up and handle tasks if need be as long as you’re not under a strict deadline and can afford to be chill about it. Overall I really enjoyed my time with #freebritney, despite it being smalls it’s a solid smoke that has the ability to flip your mood from hella stressed to ultra chill within no time flat, especially for something that comes in out the door for under $30. For the ticket it goes for at Catalyst I’d have no problem copping it again. Excellent job Lolo, you guys are definitely living up to your name, keep up the great work. #lolo #catalyst #weshouldsmoke #okcool