Golden State Banana from Elyon via Secret Sesh on 12/07/19. THC tested out to 23.29%. Was being sold at Secret Sesh for $30 out the door. Golden State Banana is starting to pop up in a lot of different places as of late, so when I saw this new collab at the Elyon booth my interest was admittedly piqued, and I was stoked there ended up being some in my gift bag. These fluffy buds are mostly a light lime with fern green accents and occasional reddish brown pistils that are near fully obscured by a healthy coating of large yellowing triches.

The nose out of the jar is a musty muted fruit with this really light acrid quality in the background. On the break the musty muted fruit does get louder but remains mostly unchanged, although that acrid battery acid like smell seems to intensity just a bit. When breaking it down by hand it crumbles near instantly leaving a dusting of those huge triches on your finger tips. The fruity sweetness of the bud shifts into more of a sugar sweet dough when ground that reminded me of the topping caked on a concha (Mexican sweet bread) but with a musty and slightly floral backend. When pulling on the J prior to lighting it I got a surprisingly sweet flavor that reminded me of those old school strawberry hard candies elderly folks always seem to have on hand. The inhale is smooth and I pick up on a bit of a toasted sugar taste but it’s very faint. On the exhale I get a faint sweet fruit rind sort of taste. Cross checking the flavor on the MV1 from @ghostvapesofficial I got more of a fresh element coupled with light fruity sweetness and a hint of cinnamon. Truth be told, although faint, it reminded me of the aftertaste a fried plantain at a Brazilian BBQ will leave your mouth. The headchange comes on fast and has a decent smack. It gives you those hazy eyes almost immediately and that spreads to the forehead and down into the back of the neck. I’d definitely save this one for the afternoon and evening as it really complements winding down from your day. While it’s enjoyable in its own rite, when juxtaposed to my experience with Synergy’s Golden State Banana, it pales in comparison. The effect was good but just not as powerful and memorable as its Synergy counterpart. That said, this is also available at nearly half the ticket, and when stacked up again the competition in that range, it stands out as a solid bargain. If the ticket is of no concern, I’d say you should try to go with the Synergy offering if possible, however if you’re looking for a good smoke in the lower to mid tier range then this would be right up your alley.

Trifi Cookies from Elyon via Secret Sesh on 12/07/19. THC tested out to 23.84%. Sold for $25 total at Secret Sesh. When I stopped by the Elyon booth, these Trifi Cookies really got my attention with the way they caught the sunlight, so I was stoked to come home with some. These dense buds are mostly a bright lime green with deep purple lilts and dark rusty red pistils with a thick eye popping layer of triches that glimmer even in the dimmest of light.

The nose out of the jar is a combo of nutmeg and cinnamon with dough and a bit of must in the background. It smells a bit like a day old apple fritter. Busting open the nug I get more of a cinnamon breakfast cereal smell that reminds me of Apple Jacks. Breaking it down by hand you notice how sticky and dense the bud is, I actually had to resort to ripping it up as opposed to grinding it between my fingers as it offered just a bit too much resistance. The grounds give off a combo of mint and musty dough with that spice being pushed to the background along with what smells like a slight touch of artificial watermelon. On the dry pull of the jay I get a sweet natural flavor that reminded me of sucking on the bottom of a purple honeysuckle flower when I was a kid. I didn’t detect much flavor on the inhale but it was smooth. On the exhale I picked up on a really pleasant floral and perfume like aftertaste. Cross checking the flavor on the @ghostvapesofficial MV1 I noticed the inhale had a very muted earthy and spicy inhale while the exhale remained similar yet more pronounced. The headchange comes on quick and is middle of the road but leans slightly heavy. A haze sets in behind the eyes, in the neck, and on top of the head that makes it really pleasant to just throw your head back and close your eyes while sitting on the couch. Physical heaviness aside, while I feel that slap I remain clear headed, able to focus, and my ability to think remains intact. This would be a solid herb to have on deck for afternoon and evening use when you’re looking to chill and watch some TV or finish up some work on the computer. I could see myself picking it up again depending on the rate, but definitely at the bargain ticket Elyon had for at Secret Sesh. Excellent work on this one Elyon!

Grape Jelly from Elyon via Puffy on 11/15/19. THC tested out to 22.84%. Retails for $39.50 plus tax, I got 30% off due to a special that day. I tacked this on to my Puffy order so that I could qualify for free delivery as that alone costs $14. I’d heard mixed things about Elyon so I decided to give them a shot and see what they were about first hand. When I got the delivery I was stoked because I saw the harvest date was on 9/20/19 so I was in for a fresh flower experience. Unfortunately that’s where my excitement ended. I opened the jar and the nose was straight musty in an unappealing way, it smelled sort of like old dirty plants, kind of like how a bag of pine needles smells with less of a piney edge. When I dumped out the nugs they actually looked pretty good and turned out to be really photogenic.

What the photos can’t convey is how absolutely bone dry these buds were. They are dense and brittle and hard to break down by finger. When I broke open the nug I caught the faint whiff of sweet and rubber but it was so muted it was hard to tell. When I finally got it ground down it the only scent I detected was musty and plant like. The inhale was kind of harsh and had a resin like taste. I decided to roll a joint, and while I’m not the type to typically comment on the color of ash, the ash was dark as night and the joint put up a fight to stay lit. I was able to get about half way through it before I gave up the fight myself. It did have a decent smack to it and was fairly heavy but smoking it is too much of a chore to cop a mild buzz so I’d rather just put the jar away. Sorry Elyon, it was a great start with the harvest date and the herb does look decent but something went awry here and it’s simply not an enjoyable smoking experience. This one is a definite pass.