Whew, been a few months, huh?
Normally, this is where I’d explain that I’ve been going through a lot of medical malarkey but this time, it wasn’t that…at least not completely. In April (or was it March), I applied to be a judge for Best In Grass, a cannabis judging program that recently came to New York. After managing to get my local dispensary to be a distribution center for the bags, I managed to pick up a bag of both the infused pre-rolls and a hybrid bag of dimebags. This left me with the MONUMENTAL task of reviewing 20 samples in 60 days, roughly. That’s one every three days, full stop. I managed to squeak by and get them done a week in advance and, in that interim, I decided that I’d share my findings with the audience. So, here it is, in no particular order other than the luck of the draw that I pulled them out of the bag. So, I present to you: What I’ve Been Doing For Two Months!
Note: All pre-rolled samples were decanted to the best of my ability and re-rolled into spliffs using Bugler Blue tobacco and Rizla Red papers. All dimebags were ground with my Sharpstone grinder and rolled into spliffs using Bugler Blue tobacco and Rizla Red papers.
Infused:
Rove Acalpulco Gold Ice Pack: The aroma on this is fairly nondescript, which I’m finding a lot with infused stuff. It smells vegetal and basil-like, with some vague hints of tropical fruit. Taste is pretty flat, though, as none of the aromas come through and it burns slightly harshly. The high, however, is quite good. It’s calm and focused, almost laser like, with a good propensity towards being creative. It’s okay. I’d do a 6.5 if I could.
Goodlyfe Infusions Unicorn Piss: Very clumpy stuff, definitely very sticky. Aroma is fruity, alarmingly so, with very little cannabis aroma to it at all. Burns fairly slow, as well. The flavor, well, was not very good. It reminded me of blueberries and collard greens. It was earthy, almost bitter, and then cloyingly berry-ish. The high itself is nothing super special, to be honest. It’s vaguely aware and functional but with pretty slow response rates and a whole lot of thinking going on. Overall, between the smell, the taste, and the high, this one is just not for me.
Spacebuds Grape Bubbly Moonroll: Nose on this is straight up citrus candy, almost like aromatic Mountain Dew. Don’t get any grape though, mostly just very sugary sweet. The taste follows this, being very bright and heavy on the lemon peel but a touch bitter upon smoking. The high is serene, calm, but capable. It’s a very pensive high, you get going down rabbit holes of thought. Burned well, too. A solid effort, except for the bitterness which was slightly overwhelming at times.
Bodega Boys Kush Mints: The smell is fairly heady but not overwhelming, a classic “cannabis” smell of some funk, diesel/gas, skunkiness, and top notes of citrus. Taste is pretty one note with not a whole lot of variation. Smoked well and completely. High was very subtle for an infused product, like being slapped with a velvet glove. It was potent but it didn’t overwhelm you. It left me calm but creative and very functional, allowing me to get a bunch of work done while maintaining a sense of blissful peace. While not super great on the flavor department, the aroma was nice, the taste was adequate, and the high was stellar.
Alibi Caramel Cream: Nose on this is very sweet, floral, and fruity, almost like a fruit bouquet that you get delivered. It’s got a bit of funk to it, too, and is slightly skunky. Taste follows but is very mellow and not overpowering, focusing more on a skunky funky vibe. The high is pretty good; very sedating and relaxing. I did have some pain relief with this as well which is a RARE thing for me. It’s definitely a “wind-down” pre-roll and the balance between the infusion and the effect is good; not overpowering but rather like being swaddled in a warm and cozy blanket. Burned smoothly with no issues. A solid offering.
Sluggers Watermelon Zkittles: Nose on this is pretty straightforward: it’s all watermelon. I don’t get a whole lot else out of it aside from some generic “cannabis” aromas of skunk, gas, and a sour pungency. The taste follows the nose slightly, with a main top note of fake watermelon, followed by that sour skunk. Effect is okay, it’s fairly sedating for a hybrid but it doesn’t really jump out as being a spectacular high; it just doesn’t have any nuance to it. It’s high for the sake of being high. Overall, not a huge fan.
Florist Farms Candy Jack: Nose is quite heady on this, a real mixture of scents. It’s woody and earthy with a potent chemical funk to it, with hints of grapefruit peel and thyme. Flavor follows, albeit not as complex. The high is wonderful, a relaxed but creative and working high perfect for getting some writing done, listening to good music, or even doing some more creative endeavors like painting. Overall, a very positive experience. It’s good flower, simply infused, and doesn’t overwhelm or overburden you. A nice smoke.
High 5s Strawberry Runtz x Super Lemon Haze #19a: Nose is quite nice, very bright citrus peels with a little tropical nuance to it with a bit of an earthy, grounded funk to it. Taste, however, is absolutely nothing. I literally couldn’t taste anything from this but at least it didn’t taste BAD so there’s that. High is quite enjoyable; very functional strain. I’m able to get some work done on it while being slightly relaxed and easy going, to boot. Enjoyable and would recommend.
Soze Kabuki Sour: Nose is pretty herbaceous, very heavy on a dill/earthy loam kind of thing. Taste follows but has hints of licorice and thyme. Effect is pleasant. I’m cognizant and able to work but it’s working on my anxiety to keep me relaxed and calm. A solid, quality offering.
Clayborne Wedding Cake: Nose is straight up blue cotton candy; very, very sugary and fruity. Taste is similar but with a slight bite to it, like an herbal liqueur. High is contemplative and quite subdued but it has all of the pain management effects so you can function adequately on it. Burned a little smoking it though, slight throat harshness.
Smack Blu Cookie Monster: Nose is very “blue” with a tropical blueberry note and an underlying skunky herbaceousness. Taste is also very “blue”, with the predominant flavor being that blueberry. High is solid. Relaxing and calming but not stupefying and couch-lock prone. Surprised at how much I like this one even though it’s been sauced.
Dimebag:
House of Sacci Tropical Cherry: Nose on this one is kinda odd, it’s got a fruity, almost creamy note to it and then it kinda…smells like meat? It’s odd, I’ve never had any flower smell like this before but that’s the closest I can come to a descriptor: it’s like a good stew. Taste is pine, slight cherry, and tropical fruit like mango. High is relaxing without being too sedating but you definitely are upbeat and bright with little effort needed to complete tasks or do things. A pleasant enough high but a weird smell.
Grassroots Facetz #12: Nose is very earthy and chemical-y, like pine, diesel, Goo Gone, and dirt. The taste is creamy, almost buttery, herbal, and slightly bitter, almost like a basil butter sauce. The high is calming but alert, the best of both worlds in terms of indica and sativa. I was talking with friends, doing some spreadsheets, and playing video games perfectly fine on this, all while being as cool as a cucumber. Not a bad hybrid by any means but the flavor left me wanting.
Alchemy Pure Space Panda: Nose on this one is pretty heady, very gassy/diesel-y with a overnote of sweet basil and pine. Hints of citrus, too. Taste on this is slightly flat; mostly just pine-y, gassy/organoleptic, and a traditional “cannabis” taste. High is solid though, a middle of the road indica that relaxes you and sweeps cares away but without being too sedating. Word recollection is a bit hard and your train of thought will wander a bit, too. Slightly stemmy when ground but not in a dealbreaking kind of way. Nugs were also nice and compact.
Grassroots Orange Z: First off, these nuggets are DENSE, almost impossible to break up. They’re gorgeous too, a mottled green like camouflage. The aroma is heady, smelling weirdly like an orange creamsicle. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say these were sprayed but they’re not; it just smells that orange-y. Subtle notes of pine and skunk in the background, too. Taste is skunky, funky, and rich. High is very sedated for a sativa, it’s very floaty and peaceable but you aren’t having racing thoughts. It allows you to just kinda bob along with the tide and get stuff done, like chat with friends, listen to music. It’s not pensive but it’s close. It’s a very good strain, well grown, and well cured.
House of Sacci Devil’s Drip: Nuggets on this are pretty fluffy and uniform green, slightly stemmy for my tastes. Nose is straight up diesel and berries, just no bones about it. Taste is straight up gasoline and cannabis, like you siphoned a tank wrong and got a mouthful…but in a delightful way? Really, it sounds bad but it’s actually really good. Very heady. High is sedate and calming with a little bit of couch lock but not bad enough that you couldn’t muscle through it to do other things. You’re not very drifty and are in complete control of your cognitive functions but there’s a nagging feeling of “I could use a nap” in the background of things. Overall, not bad but not astounding. A solid middle of the road offering, say a 6.5 but I’m being generous.
Juniper Jill Empire State / “Bakhita” Cake: Nuggets on these are firm and green, like a spring meadow green. Nose is a cacophony of aromas: basil, citrus peels, earth, and a certain woody sweetness to it. Taste, however, is rather one dimensional, tasting predominantly like a sweet basil. Effect is immediate and potent, it’s a very “stoney” kind of high. You’re peaceable, calm, and quiet but suffer greatly in the “ability to do things” sector. This is best for kicking back, relaxing, and having a joint. I haven’t been able to spell a word write this entire review. Still good, though.
Juniper Jill Halle Berry Cake: Nugs themselves are dense and sticky with a delightful dark green/purplish-black tint to them; very exotic. The nose is straight up grapefruit with a hint of skunk on the base note that balances the citrus well. Taste is also straight grapefruit, ripe and juicy, but a little harsh. High is serviceable, it’s a pretty standard sativa hybrid with it primarily being an uplifting and cognitive high but rounded out well by it’s indica inclusions so it’s not overly pensive or panicky. Decent enough with an AMAZING smell.
Grassroots Blue Lobster: Buds on this one are compact and dense and uniform green but nothing overly special, aside from pretty sticky. The nose on this one is VERY complicated: layers of citrus, a woodsy/earthy loam like aroma, heavy lavender, and an anise-like quality. Taste is lavender and anise, almost like an herbal anisette. Effect is blissful, serene, and zen-like, with an infinitely capability to do things. Really, really nice and a really stellar strain.
House of Sacci White Diamonds: Nugs on this are slightly springy and even light green, kinda fluffy and not dense. Smell is straight up diesel and skunk/funk, fairly simple. Taste is gasoline, berries, and lilac, oddly enough. The high is a fairly muted sativa; mostly just sitting around thinking without a care in the world. Cognitive function takes a small hit but it’s good for lazing about and reading on a sunny day. Overall, not bad but nothing overwhelmingly special.
Conclusions
Infused pre-rolls: To start, I was actually surprised at how much I liked the infused pre-rolls. I was going to get the standard pre-rolls but after a miscommunication on my end, I got the infused pre-roll bag and, honestly…I’m glad I did. I’ve been kinda afraid of infused samples for the longest time, whether it be smoking them on my abysmally low tolerance or decanting hash holes to a usable form for me…all of it was intimidating. This really taught me to just kinda…full send things within reason. I was also surprised at how much I liked them. To be fair, a lot of them were sauced with exogenous terpenes, distillate, THCa crystals, etc. and that’s not entirely my wheelhouse when it comes to cannabis. I’m more of a pure flower kind of person but a lot of these were actually quite enjoyable. The overall winner, in my eyes, was the Florist Farms Candy Jack. The others ranged from “not my cup of tea” to “surprisingly adequate” but the Candy Jack was the real star. It had a great high, a great flavor, it wasn’t to aggressive THC-wise, and it didn’t have anything really added to it so it definitely was a winner in my book…but I kinda LIKED the sauced stuff to some extent. Some of them were…well…not my preference to say the least but some of them had interesting flavor profiles that you could only get with added terpenes. It was kinda…weirdly nice to smoke something that tasted like cotton candy, in a way? I dunno, it was a nice change of pace from tasting pine, diesel, and pungent funk that comes with standard cannabis. The best I can compare it to is a flavored whiskey: sometimes you just want something that tastes different than whatever you’ve had before. This part really opened my eyes to the breadth of products available out there from a variety of producers and how different cannabis can be in NY.
Dimebags: This was a closer race as they were all straight cannabis with nothing added but the spread of brands wasn’t as good. It was mainly Juniper Jill, House of Sacci, Alchemy Pure, and Grassroots so not the GREATEST cross-section but still, bless these blends for offering dimebags to begin with (you know I love me a dimebag or two). The clear winner in this category was Grassroots “Blue Lobster”, which is just an absolute banger of a strain that I’ve been smoking almost exclusively since the contest ended. It’s that good and Grassroots did a VERY fine job of producing it. I will admit, I was SLIGHTLY disappointed with House of Sacci, as I’d heard borderline ludicrously fantastic things about them from other people but found them to be…lackluster in my eyes. Maybe it was the packaging (they used a 3.5g jar to pack 1 g in so it left a LOT of air in it with no humidification pouch) but they didn’t live up to the hype that I had heard about them. I’ll still keep trying them, though.
Overall, this was a pretty eye-opening experience for two reasons. First reason is just the absolute vast amount of brands and products available in New York at this conjecture. It’s pretty crazy to have cranked through 20 samples from brands I had NEVER had before and it really opened up my palate to accept things that maybe I wasn’t ready to accept before. The second reason is that it taught me to be more concise and clinical with my reviews. With only a MAXIMUM of three days to review each sample, I had to be quick. I don’t like much relying on first impressions but I did give each and every sample a few tries to make sure I got a feel for it…but a far cry from how I normally review which takes upwards of a week to fully do. It taught me to really streamline myself and “let go” of the notion that I have to smoke something for a week straight in order to give a firm review on it. They say that first impressions are important and I feel that’s just as powerful for reviewing cannabis as it is in business or what have you.
SO! I learned a lot, tried a lot, and was completely absent from the website for two months. Sorry about that. I was trying to keep people updated on Instagram but I’m not particularly good at Instagram so you’ll have to forgive me if you missed me. If you DID miss me, drop me an email and tell me so, I’d love to hear from you. Either way, I hope the summer has been a pleasant one for you and you’ve been smoking that good good. Reviews and such shall start up back to regularly scheduled programming soon. I -do- have some medical malarkey to deal with, after all. That…that never ends.
-CannaBacchus
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