I have about a fifty mile round trip from our cabin in the hi-desert near Joshua Tree to the nearest cannabis dispensary, Desert’s Finest, which is in Desert Hot Springs. I once saw the sign for the city doctored with graffiti that changed it to read Desert Pot Springs. I think about that at some point on nearly every drive to pick up herb to review, and it makes me smile. Anyway, every visit I’ve had to Desert’s Finest has been easy, pleasant, and quick – and they have a good selection of products – so I wanted recommend them if you’re in the area.

But this time on my drive, I wasn’t thinking so much about the sign with clever graffiti, I had my mind on the herb I was going to pick up. I’d seen a few Instagram posts of the new strain called Lava Cake that Coastal Sun had just dropped a few weeks earlier, and I was very intrigued. Everything I’ve smoked from Coastal Sun has been exceptional, so, this rare strain called Lava Cake had me quite curious – what would it be like?

Lava Cake, also called Lava Cake #11, is a cross of Grape Pie and Thin Mint Cookies (Thin Mints GSC), and is an Indica-dominant hybrid. This jar that I was picking up had 26% THC, which is just one way to judge the strength of an herb… this herb also had 2.5% terpenes and a total of 31% total cannabinoids!

Lava Cake is part of that branch of strains called Cookies, Cakes, and Pies. These strains have been very popular for the last few years, and have been ever since Girl Scout Cookies burst on the scene nearly a decade ago and started winning awards. Consumers love these strains for their creamy, delicious flavors and soothing highs and are considered “dessert strains” because of their sweet, yummy taste.

I was expecting that same dessert quality from a strain called Lava Cake, which is named after the delightful dessert known as lava cake – of course – which is gooey, chocolaty and completely yum… serve that with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and I am so there!

The Look, Smell and Taste

This jar from Coastal Sun is part of their “Partner Farm Series” – this is herb grown on other farms and released under the Coastal Sun brand.

The partner farm for this herb is Bird Valley Organics, who grow organic cannabis using the centuries-old farming method called hügelkultur. This nutrient-rich method of growing fruits, vegetables and, of course, cannabis – has many ecological benefits and I encourage you to look it up if you’re curious.

Opening the jar I caught a hint of the aromas from inside – sweet, earthy and a touch of diesel. Nothing too exotic, but instead it was familiar, like catching a whiff of your favorite comfort food.

I poured the nugs out of the jar onto the tray and they formed a nice little pile of nugglets. The eighth weighed in a 3.59 grams – very generous! None of the individual nugglets were photogenic enough on their own, so here’s a group shot…

The cure of the first nug I cut up was perfect! Five stars! Cutting up the olive-green nug my fingers got sticky… if I had been using my old grinder this herb would have just gummed the thing up. The herb had just the perfect amount of resistance to the scissors and cut up, as I like to say, like slicing through a nice Gouda cheese.

The pile on the tray was so inviting that I quickly loaded it up in the bong, and got ready to give this herb a test run…

The first taste impression was a creamy flavor – sweet and earthy, much like the smell of the herb. But there were a whole host of interesting undertones and delightfully pleasurable flavor notes, many of which I struggled to put a name on…

The smoke looked rather thin on the exhale, but felt like a big, thick hit. I coughed on nearly every hit from this dense, rich smoke. The exhale was very full of the flavors I mentioned, and it even made my nose tingle a little.

The Effects

In a way, those of us who love the mental and physical adventures that different herbs provide are like roller coaster enthusiasts – we’re always looking for those novel and exciting roller coaster rides that new and different strains often provide.

This particular roller coaster ride started with a burst of THC to the system that felt like I was shot out of a cannon. Zero to 120 in seconds! There was a definite sense of change from the moment before I smoked, and then about forty seconds after, when the rush of cannabinoids hit my system. By the time I had finished the second bong toke I was getting overwhelmed by the rush, but in such a fun way! I thought I was in for a Sativa ride, but the rush dissipated after about seven or eight minutes and the ride started to change…

I noticed a stoned, fuzzy feeling taking over parts of my body, piece by piece, inch by inch. It felt like an invading army advancing, taking over my body. By the fourth hit I was getting so blazed! After about ten minutes the “army of the stoned” had completed their conquest and I was completely occupied by the invading forces… and it felt great! Relaxed, comfortable, meditative with a healthy amount of marijuana fuzzies. My eyes assumed the lidded position that’s so familiar. I was ready to chill, kick back and let my mind float off downstream…

While navigating this fun high I came to think of it as kind of goofy – and I mean that in the best way. My mind was constantly coming up with a stream of silly thoughts… I thought about how pleasant my fuzzy eyes felt, I laughed at thoughts that didn’t sound so funny when I said them out-loud, but they were cracking me up… heck – just about any thought seemed funny! You could say this herb had a euphoric lift, and it lasted for well over an hour.

When the roller coaster ride came to an end, I was ready for some sleep – and falling asleep after this ride was easy and quick.

The Wrap Up

Straight away, I give this one two thumbs up. I really liked the pile of nugglets, but I would have rated this one a bit higher on looks if there had been a larger, more photogenic nug in the jar – but that’s just me being picky… still this one rated exceptional, because the cure on the nugs was absolutely perfect!

The nose on this herb was light, more towards the subtle side of things… but the aromas I detected truly outstanding – delightful by any standard. It was the taste that really won me over on this herb! A perfect five, in my humble opinion! Not overwhelming in flavor, just perfectly balanced between sweet and earthy – and then there was that whole assortment of other flavors that danced on my taste buds like a party from Heaven, oh my!

I was using a bit of hyperbole when I said during the review that if I could have one thing in the world, it would be to smoke the same hit of this herb over and over again. The second hit from the bong was such a perfect hit – the taste was swimming in my mouth and the effects were just starting to rush my body…

Oh yes, the effects! Lava Cake provides all the fun and adventure, the roller coaster ride, the mental playground, the body comfort and relaxation… each and every time I’ve had a sesh with it.

Until later, best of health.

The Low Down