I was at Desert’s Finest in Desert Hot Springs, my usual dispensary, picking up an herb to review a couple of weeks ago. I asked the budtender what was the most popular herb. He said they were sold out of the most popular herb, but just got in some Garcia Hand Picked that was going to fly out the door. The strain was PB Souffle, one I’ve never had before, but it’s lineage is Do-Si-Dos crossed with Lava Cake, both strains I’ve enjoyed in the past. I was curious to see what the cross was like, and taking the budtender’s advice I picked up an eighth of this Indica, even though it was a bit pricey at sixty dollars.

When I got home I glanced at the calendar and realized that Jerry Garcia’s birthday was coming up… I know this because my wife Tania shares the same birth date. So today we are celebrating what would be Jerry’s 79^th birthday by trying out the brand that bears his name.

Garcia Hand Picked is a brand put out by Jerry’s Garcia’s family, and their herb is curated by the Garcia family itself “to create an inspired cannabis experience that’s spontaneous, harmonious and can bring people together the way only Jerry could.” That all sounds good to me, but what’s in the package?

The Look and Smell

The box that this herb comes in is very artfully designed, as you can see from the photos…

inside the box was an oversized silk-screened jar that contained the eighth. While the jar seemed a little big for the herb inside, it’s a keeper for sure!

Opening the jar released a room-filling aroma that was hard to define… deep, rich, earthy with hints of vanilla, ginger, pine and a handful of other aromas I couldn’t quite place – a very complex aroma that seemed to have a different smell each time I took a whiff. The box listed the following terpenes – Myrcene (1.24%), Pinene (0.79%), Beta Caryophyllene (0.34%), Linalool (0.13%) and Limonene (0.11%).

The eighth weighed out at 3.55 grams and consisted of one nice 1.73 gram nug, a couple mediums and a couple smalls.

Dense, chunky and frosted with trichomes – the pungently aromatic nugs were a pleasure to photograph. The buds were well-cured and rather sticky when I cut them up. I quickly loaded up a bowl in my trusty bong so I could get to the heart of the matter.

The Taste and Effects

The taste was much like the smell – rich and deep… the herb had a heavy thickness when I smoked it and it made me cough with every hit. The Limonene was noticeable to me in the flavor as it created a strong lemon flavor on the exhale.

From the first hit my PB Souffle adventure began… and my first time smoking this one was definitely an adventure! Few strains have the ability to disorient me, but by five hits into this one I was there – my brain felt like it had been smacked with a baseball bat, but in the best, marijuana kind of way. No one needed to tell me that this wasn’t a good time to operate heavy machinery! I tried walking across the room and I was feeling rather wobbly. I felt goofy, and my timing seemed to be all off… I was getting ripped.

This herb tested at 28.91% THC, and combined with the 2.92% terpenes was causing a powerful entourage effect. The high was strongly a head high, and was only mildly noticeable in the body (except when I walked across the room). Usually an herb this strong will make me very body conscious but this didn’t hit me like that at all… mainly just a mental adventure. To see how stoned this one got me I recommend checking out the video review… I got toasted. Good times!

After about a half-hour the strongest disorienting effects had started to fade and the herb settled down into a very good social smoke. Tania and I hung out after the video review was finished, and just a little while later I was happy to find that I was now in a zone of mental and physical comfort, and I had gotten rather talkative… I felt lifted, upbeat and focused.

The Wrap Up

I’ve been smoking this one now for the last few days and my body has gotten used to the strongest effects. It’s not so disorienting now, and has turned out to be a really good social herb. I find I’m very productive after smoking, interested in having a good conversation, or just in a very mental active zone.

I tried this one in my bong and in my pipe and I found I preferred smoking this one from my pipe, in small hits so I wouldn’t cough so much. In the video review I make a point of talking about how thick and heavy this one is, and that is a fact – the smoke of this herb is very resiny – thicker than I’ve experienced in a long time.

Out of the handful of strains I have on hand right now – and I have a few superstars – this has become my go-to jar, and it probably will until it’s gone. I must note that this has been my first time trying out a Garcia Hand Picked herb, and I will definitely check out more from the Garcia family. Mark me impressed!

Until later, best of health.