Category Lowell Farms

A visit to the Lowell Cafe (now the OG Cannabis Cafe)

Ganjazilla Leave a comment

Today I’m doing something a little different reviewing my visit to the Lowell Cafe (now the OG Cannabis Cafe) on 10/19 in good old Hollywood, California. I love the idea of this place. A restaurant that has a built in dispensary where you can chill and smoke and eat all under one roof are all parts of an equation that should add up to an awesome time, and it does, but one that needs a lot of work. Here’s the break down on the bill. The tokage fee is $30 per person, the puffco was a $25 rental and the gravity bong was a $75 rental. All and all it was basically $200 for us to smoke our own weed and concentrates out of their devices. On arriving we were turned back because my buddy Dabberchan had his Puffco peak on him which we planned on using while there. They said it was against some sort of regulation and it wasn’t going to be allowed in even if it stayed tucked away for the duration of our visit. I wish it would have mentioned the fact you can’t bring your own rigs when I confirmed our reservation, it even goes so far as to mention they frown upon hats and shorts being worn in the evenings, but nothing about not bringing your own equipment. We were seated right away and I knew exactly what I wanted to order, one of the two 710 labs noodle doinks I spotted on the menu, but they were sold out. We briefly thought about picking up some flower but our budtender told us that they didn’t have samples we could look at since everything is sealed etc due to state regulation. I remember that line from Connected back in the early prop 64 days too, one hurdle they quickly got over because the truth is, most people want to see a sample of the herb they’re going to drop money on. We opted to pay the per person tokage fee and rented a puffco and the cool looking gravity bong everyone seems familiar with from Seth Rogans viral video a while back.

When it was brought it out and they were showing us how to us it, it leaked hard and they had to take it away and get it reseated, but from that point it didn’t leak anywhere but from the mouth piece. Seriously, I felt like I drank a gallon of water from the splashback on that thing. There needs to be a hose attachment or something that allows you to get some distance from that water. As it sits, it’s really not worth it. The food was awesome but damn, we barely had room on this tiny table for two, plates were hanging off the edge and we definitely felt shoulder to shoulder with other cafe goers. In the end, the waiter kind of dipped off and our waters didn’t get refilled, I realized that we were coming up to the end of our 90 minute time limit and this was most likely a subtle hint for us to make our exit. I would have ordered a milkshake but with the vibes I picked up at the point I felt like they were going to give it to me in a to go cup. I get there is a line out the door so they have to do something to keep those tables moving but if someone drops that scratch on rentals maybe ease up on that pressure. All that said, I think it is a unique experience and you can make it affordable by going the pre-roll route. Either you bring your own and pay the tokage fee or buy one of their prerolls if you see something you like. That way you aren’t renting pieces which seems to be the most expensive aspect of this cafe. For me, if you’re a local seasoned smoker, this place might not be for you at the moment. It feels like it’s pre-roll factory geared towards curious tourists who know weed is legal in California and want a chance to safely experience that in a judgement free zone. To me, that’s really what you are paying for when you come to the Lowell Cafe, you are renting a space that allows you to eat and smoke to your hearts content with other like minded positive folks who won’t judge you for it, as long as you can do that in 90 minutes anyway.

Blue Dream from Lowell Farms

Ganjazilla Leave a comment

Blue Dream from Lowell Farms via The Spot on 8/31/19. THC tested out to 18%. Purchased for $10 on early bird special with purchase of another 8th at regular price. I love the early bird special at the Spot because allows me to take a chance on stuff from the mid tier shelf at a rock bottom ticket. The buds in this batch are a decent size, especially for this jar, it felt like they were really crammed in there. While it’s evident it’s outdoor and the buds are a little shaggy and dry it has a pretty fair coating of triches. The bud structure and density seem to be on point. The surface is mostly dark green dipping into lighter shades as you turn the nug in your hand with the occasional patch of red hairs making itself known.

The nose out of the jar is musty with hints of sweetness. On the nug break the sweetness becomes much more pronounced and has some citrus elements in the background. On the hand grind I really just get a more savory sweet smell, but no hints of that brief citrus smell I picked up on earlier, and no sort of stickiness left on the fingers. The inhale is smooth and I catch just a hint of sweetness on the taste. On the exhale I don’t really pick up on much other than a bit of spice. The headchange is decent, it’s a bit of a hazy headed high, but doesn’t leave you unable to focus. It doesn’t bring any sort of energy with it and feels like it’s too heavy to be labeled sativa. This actually touches on one of my long time pet peeves. It seems like over the years whenever I come across a Blue Dream it’s labeled a sativa but it’s a sativa leaning hybrid at best and this batch is no exception. For the discount ticket I really can’t knock this and I’d pick it up at that all day but at the full boat I’d be a bit hesitant. I’d say if you like Blue Dream in general you’ll like what you get in this jar, so if you find it at a ticket you feel comfortable with, swoop it.

SFV from Lowell Farms

Ganjazilla Leave a comment

SFV from Lowell Farms via The Spot in Santa Ana on 7/06/19. THC tested out to 20%. Normally $35 plus tax but I got it for $10 via The Spots awesome happy hour special. I’ve heard about Lowell Farms for a while now, I feel like they were one of the first names I saw being tossed around frequently when the rec market was getting on it’s feet in California, so it’s about time I give some of their product a shot. I grabbed this SFV as I was in need of an indica and this was available on special. On opening the jar you get this very light yet signature OG scent. When you finger grind it, the nose intensifies and really gives you a whiff of that classic OG smell with hints of mint and pine to boot. By the looks of it, it’s clearly outdoor, but it’s some pretty decent outdoor. Mostly dark green with occasional sprouts of dark orange reddish hairs.

When you break it up it does have a bit of stick to your fingers which was pleasantly surprising. The smoke is smooth enough on the in and exhale but doesn’t really carry much of a flavor I can pick up on. The headchange is pretty decent. It’s not exactly a hardcore thwacker but it is heavy enough after a couple bowls it gets the job done. This is a really great herb if you’re able to pick it up on a bargain ticket like I did. This was a great first time experience with Lowell Farms, if the quality is consistent then it’s a great deal for $10, for $35 not so much. I’d say a fair ticket for this would be about $20 plus tax, I’d have no issue repeating this experience at that price point.