This week we’re looking at a hemp strain called White Whale. This is a CBG hemp flower I got from J&K Distribution… note I just said CBG, not CBD. What is CBG? Let’s talk about that.

I first heard about the cannabinoid called cannabigerol, also known as CBG, at a Christmas party over a year ago. A friend of mine told me about these marijuana plants he had been experimenting with that contained high amounts of CBG. He was growing the plants to help with a neurological problem he suffered from due to an auto accident. He swore by it, and said it was very helpful. I filed the information in the back of my brain for later investigation. At the time I didn’t see any reason why I would ever want to try a CBG strain… good ol’ cannabis full of THC was just fine for me.

Fast forward to late last year – thanks to doing these reviews I’d recently tried my first CBD strain, and I was getting excited about hemp flowers. I wanted to explore the world of CBD much more – which we’re doing now – and see what it had to offer to me as a medical marijuana patient. During my investigations I noticed that it seemed like every hemp website I visited offered a CBG strain… and remembering the conversation from a year earlier, I got curious and decided to investigate further.

CBG isn’t supposed to get you high… and we’ll see about that claim in a few minutes 😉 But if it doesn’t get you high, what is it good for? There have been studies done recently using high levels of this cannabinoid, and there is some promising results showing up: preventing the growth of cancer cells, helping with Huntington’s Disease, glaucoma, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It also has anti-bacterial properties… something researchers are looking into to help in their fight against MRSA and other drug-resistant staph infections.

Great, I say, this plant continues to amaze me – but how does this apply to me as a “recreational” smoker or as a medical marijuana patient that has depression? Well, let’s get into this week’s jar of herb and find out how this CBG bud looks, smells, tastes, and most importantly, feels… and let’s see if there are any answers to those questions.

The White Whale

It has taken breeders years to develop this flower. In most cannabis CBG is just a trace cannabinoid, it shows up in such small quantities. It takes many generations of breeding to increase the CBG levels to those found in White Whale. This version of the flower came in at 14.2% CBG, which sounds good to me – but this being my first CBG experience, I had nothing to judge that against.

The jar from J&K Distribution was filled to the brim with 7.62 grams of nugs. Their packaging is rather plain, and the nice glass jar just showed off the light green buds inside. I opened the container and took a long inhale. Spicy! A faint hint of citrus was in there, but mostly I was hit with a spicy, peppery aroma. There was some sandalwood in there, and a little floral smell. The first time I smelled it I enjoyed it, but my feelings changed the more I smoked this one.

The nugs were dense, light to dark green and covered in trichomes.

They were strange white patches on the nugs, which I guessed was the result of trimming the nugs too close?! Not sure… this one was becoming more and more of a mystery to me.

Some herb I just fall in love with the more I smoke it, and some, like this one, lose the love after a few seshes. I’m going to point that out now – because if you watched the video review, I was a little more enthusiastic about the herb than I was a few seshes down the road.

Several things started to bother me about this strain, and it began with the taste. Even though this was a good smoker with a nice, smooth smoke, it had a slightly unusual taste. I detected fennel in the flavor. Fennel is the flavor of black licorice. Some people, like my wife, love it. Some people, like me – hate it. Once I tasted the fennel I couldn’t untaste it, and it became more noticeable with each hit.

There were floral flavors and something else I couldn’t place in there, but it brought up the memory of looking at model homes with my parents when I was a kid. It might have been a faint new carpet smell in the flavor, and freshly applied wall paint.

The second thing that bothered me was the smell of the smoke in the air. I’m not a fan of strong floral aromas or sandalwood incense, but after walking out of the room and back in, that’s what hit me. The smell of marijuana, which I love, was barely noticeable, overwhelmed by the floral tones and the incense smell.

Then there were the time-continuum distortions…

The Effects

I wonder if the trace amounts of CBG in some cannabis causes that strange sense of time being stretched out… the classic example being when you’re driving 35 in a 55 zone because you think you’re going sooo fast. That strange sense of time being elongated was one of the most noticeable effects to me of this herb.

My first time smoking this herb was for the video review, and it messed with my sense of time, big time. I thought an hour had passed when just ten minutes had gone by. And during that ten minutes my thoughts were ping-ponging in my brain. This one had strong Sativa-like effects – sped up thinking, talkativeness, and a very open, airy feel. The open feel was like taking a handful of deep breathes really quickly – slightly lightheaded and like my insides turned to air.

The high definitely made me feel expanded, and happy to be talking to the camera… I was in a conversational mood. For a Sativa-like high, it was going pretty good. But I am an Indica guy, so rushing Sativa highs threw me off. I started thinking immediately about mixing this herb with some THC bud – an Indica – or some Bubba Kush hemp flowers to create a high more to my liking.

Making A Mix

I have a bunch of Bubba Kush CBD herb on hand. Bubba Kush is a great herb for mixing up with other cannabis or hemp flowers. I know exactly what Bubba is going to do for me, and it has an earthy flavor that mixes with just about anything. It plays well with others, as I like to say. Well then, lets mix Bubba with the White Whale, I thought… and that didn’t work out too well. The high was totally flat and lacking any interest. It was like the two herbs canceled each other out.

By this time the fennel taste had become so noticeable, I just didn’t want to smoke this herb anymore. It didn’t matter to me anymore what kind of high I could get because I had to get through the black licorice flavor to reach it.

The Wrap Up

Even though this herb didn’t do it for me, I believe that was mainly a matter of taste… but I also found this lacking for my needs as a medical marijuana user.

On the plus side – the jar was generously filled, the nugs were well-cured and there were, as we say, effects. That strange sense of time being messed with was definitely an interesting effect. If you like Sativas and are looking for a legal high, this just might be the thing for you. If you like black licorice and if an essence of citrus in the flavor sounds good to you… this might be your herb.

I will note that from my experience, J&K Distribution have been extremely quick at shipping out orders, and they have been a pleasure to work with. They have a great selection of hemp flowers to choose from and add more to their menu all the time…

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Until later, best of health.

The Low Down