I’m very familiar with the black label that wraps around most Herb & Zen jars. I’ve been smoking their herb for several years because I know that I’ll get high powered, outdoor grown cannabis at a consumer-friendly price. I usually pay about $25-$30 for an eighth jar, which I consider a good price, especially considering that their herb usually tests very high in THC. Well, now Herb & Zen is introducing their new white-labeled indoor line and I got my hands on a jar of Grape Pie Gelato, so let’s get into it!

[Disclaimer: This product was provided by Herb & Zen in exchange for an honest review]

Grape Pie Gelato is a cross of, you guessed it, Grape Pie and Gelato. Grape Pie is a cross of Cherry Pie and Grape Stomper, and Gelato is a cross of Sunset Sherbet and Thin Mints GSC. You take all of that goodness and put it together and you get the dense, chunky nugs that poured out of the jar like rocks when I was filming the video review…

The Look and Smell

When I opened the jar I caught a quick whiff of something purple, but when I put my nose to the jar the smell was much more spicy than I expected with a sage aroma. For some reason I expected a strong purple nose. I couldn’t say specifically what spice I smelled, it was more like the smell of our spice cabinet.

The buds were so chunky, covered in trichomes – seriously frosty. They hit my tray when I poured them out like little dark green and purple rocks.

The nugs were in the range of 0.8 grams each, and were a pleasure to photograph. When I cut into one of the buds I realized they were a bit dry, and it crunched and crumbled into my tray. The aroma was a bit stronger when cut up and smelled strongly like a spice cabinet, mixed with a faint purple, sour grape aroma.

I loaded the crystalline pile of herb into my bowl, eager to taste Grape Pie Gelato.

The Taste and Effects

The first hit from my bong went straight to my head in an almost dab-like fashion with a powerful rush of hyper-space stoniness. I barely had time to taste it. And then I coughed like a madman. On video I tried talking while the effects were still reverberating though my body like waves of energy. I took a second hit, and again I coughed like crazy… so much so as to be notable.

The taste was a lot like the smell – spicy with a hint of purple. The aftertaste was more earthy, leaving a pleasant post-smoking taste in my mouth. While I was savoring the aftertaste the secondary effects of the hit started to kick in. Super fuzzy with a thick, body insulating feel that at the same time felt airy and tension-releasing. It was like my body just gave a big sigh of relief.

While the hits from the bong repeatedly made me cough, the aftereffects felt like my lungs could breathe easier, like my chest was all opened up and expanded. The high was very groovy – relaxed yet alert and very in-the-moment.

It got me so stoned for the first fifteen minutes that I could barely film a review, but after that it settled into this very good buzz that lasted for several hours.

The Wrap Up

I’ve tended to gravitate to outdoor herb over the last few years. I like herb that gets the full spectrum of light the sun provides. But this one reminded me how much I’ve enjoyed indoor grown herb in the past. It’s often more full of frosty trichomes than outdoor herb, and I’m not sure why that is so… but I can usually tell the difference right away.

This jar is going on special reserve in my herb collection. I want to enjoy the effects of this one again and again, and not just smoke my way through this strain. And I will definitely be checking out more of the strains coming from Herb & Zen’s indoor line in the future. “Buds on a budget” is what they call it, and this one definitely worth fitting into your herb budget!

Until later, best of health.