Waxmaid | The Gentleman
January 12, 2022
Well – I think I found my new go-to pipe! It’s big and airy, made of silicon and glass and was sent to me by Waxmaid, the producer of a number of silicon and glass smoking implements. Let me introduce you to The Gentleman, a combination hand pipe and nectar collector.
Waxmaid | The Soldier
August 25, 2021
I broke up my smoking routine this week to try out a new bong/dab rig/nectar collector that just got sent to me from Waxmaid – the top silicone and glass smoking gear producers. So let me introduce you to a serious little smoking machine called The Soldier...
Coastal Sun Farm | Cherry Punch
December 30, 2020
This week we are looking at a strain called Cherry Punch from Coastal Sun Farm, a cannabis farm near Santa Cruz that has really impressed me with their ethos.
Hemp Living USA | Hawaiian Haze
December 23, 2020
The sweet flavors rippled over my tongue with a handful of fruity tastes – pineapple, melons… I think I taste strawberry flavors in there...
Deep End Farms | Purple Chem Dawg
December 16, 2020
I loaded up the bong and took my first hit. The smoke had a sweet purple flavor as it rippled over my tongue. When I exhaled the hit I tasted an earthy, sulfuric, gassy, diesel flavor!
Glass House Farms | GG4
December 9, 2020
Deep, dank, sulfuric, diesel, gassy aromas hit my nose and immediately had my attention. We were in the middle of filming the video review, and I had just opened the jar and was going to pour out the nugs on the tray. Hold on!
Smooth Cannabis | Orange Creamsicle
December 2, 2020
This week we’re looking at a 50/50 hybrid strain – 50% Indica and 50% Sativa – called Orange Creamsicle from Smooth Cannabis. This strain is a cross of Orange Crush and Juicy Fruit and it is delicious!
Herb & Zen | Fatso
November 25, 2020
Have you heard of a strain called Fatso? I’ll tell you about it... but first off, I just want to say – 36.01% THC!
Deep End Farms | AV Chem Dawg
November 18, 2020
This week we're looking at a delightful version of one of my all-time favorite strains – Chem Dawg! This strain is a classic...
Marley Natural | Dough G
November 11, 2020
Dough G is a cross of Forum Girl Scout Cookies and Vader OG. This is not only my first time trying out a Marley Natural strain, but also my first time trying out Dough G.
Source Cannabis | Blue Dream
November 4, 2020
This week we look a a West Coast classic - Blue Dream! This Sativa-dominant hybrid comes in at 25.6% THC and it is beautiful...
J&K Distribution | President Jefferson
October 28, 2020
This week we’re going to take a look at something a little different… CBD buds! These are hemp flowers, and they are completely legal in the United States...
CRU Cannabis | SFV OG
October 14, 2020
This week we’re looking at a classic strain here in Southern California, something called SFV OG. SFV stands for San Fernando Valley, and this strain is a phenotype of the OG Kush family and was developed by Cali Connection Farms.
Arcanna Cannabis Flowers | Jedi Nights OG
October 7, 2020
How many strains can you have on your favorites list? Holy cow. This week I added one more, and this one – on taste alone. Let me introduce you to a strain called Jedi Nights OG from Arcanna Cannabis Flowers, a herb company based in Mendocino County. If you haven’t heard of this strain, let me fill you in...
Farmer And The Felon | Hashbar OG
September 30, 2020
This week we’re getting into an Indica-dominate hybrid strain called Hashbar OG from Farmer And The Felon, a cannabis company that prides itself on being socially conscious. This is my first time ever trying this strain, or this brand, so I was very curious to see what they brought to the table.
Arcanna Cannabis Flowers | Lion Claw
September 23, 2020
Lion Claw first caught my attention last month because of the name. Rather different for a cannabis strain, so I paused to check it out, and that’s when I discovered that this strain is a Ruderalis hybrid?!? Say what? Ruderalis?
Coastal Sun | Banjo
September 16, 2020
I want to thank you for joining us this week, because we are going to look at something special. This is a Sativa-dominate hybrid strain called Banjo, and it comes from Coastal Sun Farm up in Northern California.
Cru Cannabis | Jack F1
September 9, 2020
I want to thank you for joining us this week – we're going to look at a strain called Jack F1. This Sativa-dominant strain – which is 75% Sativa and 25% Indica – is a combination of three strains. Those strains are Skunk #1, Northern Lights and Mexican Haze – which are all good strains on their own, but what is it like when you put them all together?
Coastal Sun | THC Bomb
September 2, 2020
I’m so glad you could join us this week because we’re looking at a strain that is brand new to me. This is one that I just picked up last week at a dispensary down in Desert Hot Springs [Desert’s Finest] and I’ve been excited to try it ever since. This one is called THC Bomb and it comes to us from Coastal Sun Farm up in Northern California.
High Garden | Mendo Breath
August 26, 2020
We're so glad that you joined us this week because we want to talk to you about a strain called Mendo Breath. This strain is very near and dear to my heart.
Sessions Supply Co. | Mai Tai
August 19, 2020
Welcome back to the red bench… thank you for joining us for another session here. Today we're going to look at a strain called Mai Tai that comes from Sessions Supply Company.
Coastal Sun | Tropical Punch
August 12, 2020
During this sesh we're going to be looking at a strain from Coastal Sun, from up in Northern California, called Tropical Punch, which sounds to me like a good strain for a summer afternoon. This strain comes in at 23% THC... it is a cross between some well-known strains like Haze, Skunk and Northern Lights.
CRU Cannabis | Pure Kush
August 5, 2020
During this sesh we're going to be looking at a strain called Pure Kush. I like to call it the Legendary Pure Kush because I've had this strain a few times and loved it each and every time...
Royal Tree | GMO Cookies
July 29, 2020
This week we're looking at a strain called GMO Cookies that comes to us from Royal Tree. The strain comes in at 33.7% THC… oh my, this could be interesting!
Smooth Cannabis | Illemonati
July 21, 2020
Today we're talking about a strain called Illemonati that comes to us from Smooth Cannabis. It's got the little eye in the triangle situation going on... it's packaged in mystery, and it also comes to us with a mystery...
GRAV | Small 8″ Wide Base Water Pipe
July 19, 2020
Today I want to talk to you about this mean, clean, smoking machine. I've been using this thing for 30 days and I am just absolutely crazy about it...
Tru Cali | Chem 91
July 16, 2020
Today we're looking at a strain called Chem 91, also called Chem Dawg 91 because it's part of the Chem Dawg family. This strain is about 50% Sativa and 50% Indica...
Los Angeles Kush | Black Gelato
July 6, 2020
Now we're going to talk to you about a strain called Black Gelato that comes to us from Los Angeles Kush. This strain is an Indica dominant hybrid strain. It has 23.37% THC. This reputable company must have put something very nice in this box so let's go into some close-ups and see what we've got in here.
Sessions Supply Co. | Orange Creamsicle
July 5, 2020
Today I'm very excited to try out this new strain called Orange Creamsicle from Sessions Supply Co. I picked this up the other day because the idea of an Orange Creamsicle made me think (it's the summer here) and I was thinking about sitting on a curb as a child eating a half and a half bar. It kind of took me back.
Herb & Zen | Black Jack
June 30, 2020
Bred by Sweet Seeds, Black Jack is a cross of Black Domina and Jack Herer. This strain produces thick buds with huge calyxes that are completely encrusted with trichomes. It has a heavy and flavorful taste and it produces exceptionally long-lasting effects. Because of its high THC levels, Black Jack is popular among medical marijuana patients.
Original DabCap | DabCap V.3
June 21, 2020
All right, welcome back to the red bench. Today we're going to talk about the DabCap, a handy little accessory I got for my birthday the other day. I did a little research online because I was getting a new bong and so I was curious – can I attached my little vape pen that I use to my bong?
Los Angeles Kush | Kushberry Cheesecake
June 20, 2020
Kushberry Cheesecake is one of a kind. A unique cross of Alien Moonshine and UK Cheese yields frosty buds that exude sweet notes of blueberry and cream. Consistently tested as one of our highest THC content strains, this sativa will leave patients with a euphoric body buzz and sharp, cerebral high.
Waxmaid | The Gentleman

Click to watch the video review on YouTube.

The Review

New Review Wednesday – 2022 | Episode #2 | Waxmaid | The Gentleman

Well – I think I found my new go-to pipe!

It’s big and airy, made of silicon and glass and was sent to me by Waxmaid, the producer of a number of silicon and glass smoking implements. Let me introduce you to The Gentleman, a combination hand pipe and nectar collector.

[Disclaimer: This product was provided by Waxmaid in exchange for an honest review]

I’ve been using pipes for nearly forty years and I’ve tried everything from small stone numbers to wood pipes to metal pipes to glass pipes… I’ve smoked from every shape and size you can imagine, but I always look for one thing in my pipes – proper air flow. I want a good mixture of air and smoke in my hit. Of course, I want a carburetor on my pipe to control the air flow.

I would also like my pipe to be easy to clean. I have cleaned more pipes than I care to remember, and that is why I’ve gravitated to all-glass pipes over the few years. They clean up very easily with some rubbing alcohol and salt.

The Gentleman Hand Pipe

Waxmaid sent us The Gentleman kit which includes the hand pipe/nectar collector, a 22ml silicon jar for herb or concentrates,

and an octopus-shaped silicon and glass jar for concentrates.

The one they sent us was red/black silicon but they come in green/white, pink/white, Rasta and all bright green. The whole kit retails for just under $30.

First thing I tried out was the pipe for smoking herb. As I mentioned, I’ve been doing this for so many years that I’ll know right away if this pipe works for me or not. The pipe has a glass bowl to hold the herb and it is very generous size, and I could easily pack 0.25 to 0.5 grams into it without packing it too tight. I like to pack my pipe and then settle back for a nice long smoke without repacking constantly. This generous bowl fits my style. I also like smoking outside, so this virtually unbreakable pipe should last a good long time.

The first hit off a pipe can be hit or miss. In my glass pipes I use metal screen to keep the ash from getting through to my mouth. A clean pipe doesn’t hold the screen well, so it takes a couple bowls to “season” the pipe and then it hits really well. This pipe was a clean hitter right from the start. The glass bowl is honeycombed and doesn’t need a screen. I just packed the pipe, lit my hemp wick and cornered the bowl – what a great first hit! I was immediately impressed – the taste of the herb was very apparent with no plastic taste from the silicon pipe. The mouthpiece fit my lips just perfectly and the body of the pipe had lots of volume to mix the air and smoke. Satisfying!

By the time I finished my first bowl – I was convinced that I had found my new go-to pipe!

The Gentleman Nectar Collector

I will start this part of the review out with a disclaimer: I do not dab or use a nectar collector on a regular basis – but let me tell you how easy this was for a “relative” newbie to use…

The bowl of The Gentleman detaches from the stem and the stem becomes a nectar collector when you insert the titanium nail into the end. I used my dab tool to select a small amount of the gram of Alien OG Sugar I was going to smoke and I put it in the octopus container, ready to go. I heated up the titanium nail with my dab torch until it was red hot, waited a moment and then took a hit.

Bam! The THC rocketed through my system, and I felt a powerful rush that caused me to vibrate inside. Whereas a hit of herb can be powerful, this was on a whole different level. Like taking a handful of hits concentrated into a single hit. Of course, I immediately took a second, and then a third hit. Wow – stoned like I haven’t been in awhile… powerful stuff!

Cleaning The Gentleman

Silicon and glass clean up very easily. Pop the glass bowl out of the pipe after it’s dirty and give it a bath of rubbing alcohol and table salt in a baggie. Shake it vigorously for a few minutes and you have a fresh and clean bowl. If it’s really dirty, soak it overnight and the bowl will be ready for a wake and bake in the morning.

The silicon body washes clean using hot water. If you clean your pipe on a regular basis it should be very easy to keep fresh. I must point out – never use rubbing alcohol on the silicon part of the pipe. That is very bad mojo, and could lead to a premature death to your pipe.

Last Thought

Thank you Waxmaid for sending me this new pipe! I imagine I’ll be using the hand pipe more than the nectar collector, but that’s just me. Versatile, portable, nearly unbreakable… and best of all – great airflow. What more do you need in a pipe?

Until later, best of health.

Waxmaid | The Soldier

Click to watch the video review!

The Review

New Review Wednesday – 2021 | Episode #31 | Waxmaid | The Soldier

I broke up my smoking routine this week to try out a new bong/dab rig/nectar collector that just got sent to me from Waxmaid – the top silicone and glass smoking gear producers. So let me introduce you to a serious little smoking machine called The Soldier. I’ve been having fun with this one, using it as my regular sesh bong for a couple days now and I am seriously impressed. I even tried out dabbing for the first time (!) and also spent a stony afternoon enjoying the nectar collector… good times hanging out with The Soldier.

[Disclaimer: This product was provided by Waxmaid in exchange for an honest review]

First off, I’m guessing this rig is called The Soldier because it comes with everything you need for an herb adventure – a quartz banger to turn this into a dab rig, a bird nest glass and silicone bowl for smoking flower, a titanium nail to turn the mouthpiece into a nectar collector. It also has a 15ml glass jar to store your herb and a 3ml silicone jar to hold your concentrates. Load up your soldier with herb and dabbing material and hit the road!

Above: Image courtesy of Waxmaidstore.com

The Soldier is mostly constructed from silicone, which is heat-resistant and easy to clean. The whole bong can be deconstructed and thrown in the dishwasher. The only glass is where you put the water, and it’s encased in silicone above and below – you could break this bong, but it would take some work.

The Bong

A bong is my favorite way to smoke flower. A joint will do, especially passed around with friends, and I love my GRAV Last Prisoner Project spoon pipe, but when it comes down to it I’m a bong guy these days. So the first thing I wanted to see was how The Soldier worked as a water pipe… I loaded it up with some Sour OG I’d been smoking all week – a really delicious herb that I’ve been smoking in my pipe and from my beloved GRAV wide-base bong. I wanted to start with a known quantity and I knew this Sour OG pretty good.

The Soldier hit very nicely and purred like a small engine. The first hit I took was surprisingly huge, but very smooth. The hit was very tasty and I even detected a lemon flavor in the smoke that I hadn’t noticed before. The bird nest bowl holds a good amount of herb and I took over a handful of hits before the bowl was charred and four more hits until it was dust. Enough hits for a good sesh without having to repack the bowl all the time.

Over the last couple of days this has become my patio bong. I don’t have to worry about breaking it for the most part, it’s sturdy and when it’s loaded I can take a bunch of hits before going inside to pack a fresh bowl. This is important because I can’t take my glass bong out on the patio without worrying about breaking it. We spend a lot of time on the patio enjoying our view of the hi-desert, so The Soldier has seen a lot of duty, and impressed me with every hit.

The Dab Rig

I am not an experienced dabber, let me just say that straight out. I’ve had one dab in my life and that was five or six years ago when I was visiting a good friend down in Long Beach. He set the whole thing up, heated the rig and all I had to do was inhale. I think I took two hits that day and I was floored – stoned like I hadn’t been in over 30 years. I loved the high, but I was rather terrified by the butane torch my friend was using. It was big. I could imagine myself burning down the house if I had to heat a dab rig with that torch.

The torch thing kept me away from dabbing for years… after all, where does a dabbing newbie begin? Well, you begin by getting a dab rig, a torch, a dab tool, a carb cap and something to dab. Waxmaid provided the quartz banger that turns the bong into a dabbing rig. I went to the local smoke shop and bought the torch for $35… I got a small, hand-held model that wasn’t as intimidating as the one my friend had used. The dab tool was just $10, and the carb cap was another $10 and I was ready to dab – once I got something to dab. I ordered a gram White Runtz Live Resin from the local delivery service for $40, and I was in business!

If you watch the video you’ll see that my biggest problems with my first self-administered dab was using the darn torch. I don’t know if the one I got was defective or if it was just operator error, but I had a heck of a time adjusting the flame properly and shot flames across the room! Luckily I didn’t catch the place on fire!

I don’t recommend doing your first dab on camera, but there I was – and there was no turning back. I finally got the quartz banger heated, and settled in for my dab hit. I put about a rice size piece of the dab material on my dab tool and put it in the heated banger, causing the material to start to bubble and sizzle. I inhaled and held for three seconds…

The taste of the hit was like candy. I barely knew I was taking in smoke until I exhaled, and a ton of smoke came out. Then the hit slammed me! It took less than forty seconds to feel the hit and the effects were immediate and powerful.

To tell you the truth, I don’t know how much dabbing there will be for me in the future – I really love smoking flower. But The Soldier will be my go-to next time I decide to take another dab hit.

Note: just took a dab hit and this second time was sooo much smoother of a time, and I really felt the hit slam me. Maybe dabbing isn’t so difficult after all… The Soldier sure makes it easy.

The Nectar Collector

When you remove the mouthpiece you can insert the included titanium nail and you have a handy nectar collector.

This was a whole new concept to me and this is how it works – you heat the titanium nail with your torch until it turns red hot. Then you carefully insert the nail into your container of dabbing material and inhale through the mouth piece. The heated nail melts the dab material and turns it into delicious smoke. I was surprised by the huge clouds of smoke this produced.

Once I got the hang of taking hits from the nectar collector I had a blast with it. I found it to be very easy to use. And wow, did it stone me.

The Wrap Up

Flower, concentrates, dabs, bong rips, nectar collector – it all gets me stoned so pleasantly and this rig makes it easy to enjoy whatever way you like your cannabis or hemp. This is going to be my travel bong along with being my patio bong. The well-named Soldier is going to be my go-to whenever I have to smoke away from home. It’s sturdy, compact, easy to disassemble and clean, hits great, has an ample-size flower bowl, converts to a nectar collector when you need that extra kick, and The Soldier stores it’s gear onboard so you have flower and concentrates ready go at any time. Sounds like a winner!

Until later, best of health.

 

Link to product: https://bit.ly/2VY4cYh

Coastal Sun Farm | Cherry Punch

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Click to see the video review!

The Review

Welcome back to the Red Bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

This week we are looking at a strain called Cherry Punch from Coastal Sun Farm, a cannabis farm near Santa Cruz that has really impressed me with their ethos. They are an organic farm that believes in regenerative growing, raising herb in a way that doesn’t deplete the soil. Instead, they are creating an ecologically sustainable system of land management – very impressive stuff!

I bought this eighth at Desert’s Finest in Desert Hot Springs for just $35.00 – a very nice price and a part of Coastal Sun’s policy of making their herb economically available to everyone. Top shelf herb, at a near bargain price – what’s not to love about that?!

Cherry Punch is a cross of Cherry AK-47 and Purple Punch. You don’t have to hang out with me long to learn that Purple Punch is one of my favorite strains. This jar contained herb with 26% THC, which is pretty strong, and, of course, that makes me very happy.

The Smell And Taste

I picked up this jar several weeks ago and once I opened the jar during the video review, I had a moment of thinking, I can’t believe I had herb that smells like this just sitting around here – all that skunky goodness and deliciousness…

It was truly the smell that got me on this herb. While there were notes of cherry, what really caught my attention was this deep skunky smell hovering like a base beat to the cherry notes. The skunky smell took me back to the 1980s, and started to get me excited. I truly miss the 80s kind of skunk buds – they were iconic and loom large in my memories.

As I poured the nugs out on the tray I could see Coastal Sun had packed several mediums and a handful of smalls into the jar. I was nearly lost in an ecstasy over the skunk smell, so the fact that several of the mediums needed a better trim almost escaped my notice.

The medium green, dense nugs cut up beautifully, exhibiting their very nice cure. I couldn’t stop smelling the cut-up nugs – deep earthy, skunky, sulfuric, diesel aromas with just a hint of cherry. I was so excited by the high quality of the herb that I was ready to smoke it even before the camera rolled for the video review! So far the look, the smell, and the fine cure were all checking off the right boxes.

I savored the taste from my first bong hit. Oh my, that is some exceptional flavor – earthy, a hint of burned wood, some diesel… and skunk! But no cherry? I was a bit surprised… I was really expecting a fruit juice and cherry flavor. I did experience a little cherry later smoking a different nug, but it was very subtle. But that’s okay with me, I prefer the tastes and smells I experienced!

The Effects

And then the effects hit me… like a fog quickly rolling in until everything was covered in a marijuana fuzz. I love the fuzzies, that feeling that the herb is insulating all your nerves. This one was thick with fuzzies. It got so fuzzy that I almost forgot I had a body for a while as I sat there at the Red Bench, spacing out.

Spacing out – that is the best use of this herb, and that is not a put-down at all, no sir! This herb hit me with an “oh wooooowwww…” kind-of-vibe, that feeling like it’s okay to just let it go and space-out. Little details in my surroundings became very distracting and interesting, my mind became wonderfully unfocused, and then I remembered when I had felt this particular kind of high… back in the 1980s.

To quickly digress… there are so many different kinds of highs – the OG Kush high, the GG4 high, the Mendo Breath high, the Cookies high, the Indica high, the Sativa high – and so many variations of those highs… and a thousand and one other highs produced by all those other strains out there. That is one of the things I love about this plant – the variety is endless, but individual strains often deliver a consistent feel you can count on.

The 1980s high, as I experienced it… it was a big, airy high – very unfocused and full of the fuzzies. It had a euphoria to it that comes from smoking well-cured, green buds with a delightfully skunky aroma and flavor. It gave me that feeling that once I’d smoked, walking was going to be very difficult because I was going to be thinking about walking too much. It always made me feel like I didn’t want to go in a brightly lit grocery store and deal with un-stoned people.

As I said, this one took me back to the 1980s – I didn’t want to have to get up and think about walking, and I wasn’t going near a grocery store! I was so delightfully drifting in my mind, and I felt great about it. I remember thinking while I was high that people don’t give themselves permission to get stoned nearly enough, and it seemed like such a profound thought. Yeah, it’s okay just to be stoned…

All-in-all, I was so pleased to remember the goodness of, what for me, is an old-school high. The experience this herb gave me, made me immediately put it to the top my list of herbs I’ve smoked this year – look, smell, flavor and effects – all very exceptional.

If you can find this strain, grown by Coastal Sun Farm, buy it – I would, in a heartbeat! I checked the Desert Finest menu immediately after filming the review, planning on making the trek to buy some jars the next morning – but they were sold out! Apparently I’m not the only one that thought this was an exceptional strain! 🙂

Until next week, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainCherry Punch
TypeHybrid
GeneticsCherry AK-47 X Purple Punch
BrandCoastal Sun Farm
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level26%
Cost$35.00
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.50 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorMedium Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating4.5
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsDiesel
Secondary Smells – OtherSkunky! A hint of cherry…
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating4.75
Smell ImpressionThis had a skunky nose that took me back o the 1980s
Taste
FlavorEarthy
Flavor – OtherSkunky, Diesel… a hint of mint
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4.5
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsRelaxing, Contemplative, Fuzzy
Strength – EffectsStrong
Duration30-45 mintues
Effects Rating4.75
Effects ImpressionThis one had a great high! Stoned, unfocused and fuzzy!
Total Rating4.65
Total Rating – Why?Everything about this herb was exceptional, best of the year category!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Hemp Living USA | Hawaiian Haze

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Click to see the video review!

The Review

The sweet flavors rippled over my tongue with a handful of fruity tastes – pineapple, melons… I think I taste strawberry flavors in there, I thought. I wasn’t even sure I could identify all the flavors – earthy, piney, a bit spicy but sweet…

I had just exhaled a big bong toke of Hawaiian Haze, the hemp flower we were filming a review of at the moment. I quickly lit a second hit and savored the flavors once more… this time I noticed more of the earthy, hemp flavor in the nice smooth smoke. Slowly the CBD feeling spread around my body… hmmm, Hawaiian Haze, I thought pleasantly, that’s a nice smoke!

Hawaiian Haze is a Sativa-dominant hybrid that is a cross of Hawaiian – a strong Sativa, and Haze – another Sativa that is a West Coast classic. Haze came out of Santa Cruz in the 1960s and spread around the world, being crossed with other strains many, many times over the years.

Because this variety I was trying from Hemp Living USA in Wisconsin was a hemp flower instead of the cannabis version of Hawaiian Haze, it had less than 0.1% THC and a nice level of CBD at 17%.

The Look and Smell

When I picked up the jar, one of the first things I noticed was that the rather small jar said it had 5 grams packed into it – not a 3.5 gram eighth, or a 7 gram quarter. I’ve noticed a few other brands recently that have switched to 5 gram jars, so maybe this is a growing trend.

Opening the jar I could see that it was filled to the brim with hemp flowers, but the herb only weighed in at 4.79 grams… seriously, I really don’t think any more would have fit in the small jar.

I tried to pour the nugs out on the tray but they were literally suck inside the jar. The mildly sticky buds had to be extracted from the jar one by one. The nugs ranged from dark green to purple and were somewhat leafy on the outside, and dense at the core. The aroma of the nugs was rather mellow and leaned towards a sweet, fruity smell that really increased once I cut up the first nug.

The cure of these nugs was nearly perfect, and I attribute that to the fact that Hemp Living USA puts a Boveda Humidity Pack in every jar. Not only was the herb packaged just a few months earlier, but the 62% humidity pack kept the herb in that sweet spot until I unsealed the jar. I wish more cannabis companies would package their herb with a humidity pack!

The Effects

It took a good ten minutes for the effects to creep in on me. The first thing I noticed was that familiar CBD body comfort. Then I noticed my eyes felt more alert. The few hits I’d had so far – I had taken about four hits by now – were adding a “spark”, a lift to both my spirits and my energy level, without causing that jittery rush that Sativas can sometimes hit me with.

Soon the marijuana body fuzzies crept in and my eyes got a bit lidded, but I’d taken a few more hits by this time. The body comfort had come in pretty strong by this point, and I rode the buzz for a good couple of hours.

The energetic but mild effects make this a perfect morning smoke in my opinion, and it could easily become an all-day smoker if I’m not careful!

The Entourage Effect

One of the things that I look for in a CBD bud is it’s ability to mix well with THC bud. I love to create a half and half blend so I can experience the benefits of the entourage effect. The entourage effect, as you may know, is when all the different components of the herb are blended together so they enhance and compliment each other. Many people experience the full-spectrum high of the entourage effect by blending cannabis flowers with hemp flowers.

I definitely want a full-spectrum high! I have ever since I had my first THC/CBD mix. The high seemed so much fuller… larger… more complex than just smoking THC bud by itself. I didn’t even know what I was missing before I made my first mix.

But I must note – I have noticed over the last few months that not all the CBD bud I’ve tried so far blends well with other strains. Hawaiian Haze though, I’m happy to report, is a strain that plays well with others! I tried it with several different THC strains with great results…

I mixed it with some Skywalker OG that had a heavy Indica stone, and created a well-balanced blend. I tried it also with some delicious Purple Punch, and created a sweet hybrid mix that left me feeling rather creative and ready to do some writing. I even mixed it with a strong Sativa I had on hand, some Mimosa that tested at 35% THC, and surprisingly the Hawaiian Haze smoothed out the caffeinated-feeling jitters the Mimosa had given me every time I smoked it.

The Wrap Up

What a pleasant, light smoke! If you want a mild high that is energetic and upbeat, with the added body comfort that CBD provides, then this one would probably work for you. I would definitely put this on my list of strains I would buy again. So far, this is the second strain I’ve tried from Hemp Living USA, and I’ve been very impressed by the freshness of their herb – I will be sure to try more of their herb in the future…

I picked up the jar we reviewed at Next Level Vaping & CBD in Yucca Valley. They are a really cool shop that is starting to bring hemp flowers to the hi-desert! If you’re in the area, and need vape or CBD supplies, check them out!

Thank you for joining me this week here at the Red Bench. We are wrapping up our first season of reviews next week, so join us then for another Red Bench Review!

Until later, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainHawaiian Haze
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsHawaiian X Haze
BrandHemp Living USA
Location PurchasedNext Level Vaping & CBD
THC Level17%
Cost$40
Purchase Weight5 grams
Actual Weight4.79 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorDark Green, Purple
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureLeafy with dense core
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine, Fruity
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3
Taste
FlavorFruity
Flavor – OtherSweet and earthy
Smoke TextureLight, Smooth
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.75
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?Head and body
Main EffectsPhysical, Relaxing, Motivating
Strength – EffectsMellow
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating3.5
Effects ImpressionIt gave me a “spark” – lots of body comfort… a good, motivating morning smoke.
Total Rating3.45
Total Rating – Why?A very good CBD smoke, mixes well with THC bud.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Deep End Farms | Purple Chem Dawg

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Click to see the video review!

The Review

I was in a quandary. I was doing last-minute research before filming our video review of Purple Chem Dawg from Deep End Farms and I was double checking my facts. It appeared that there are two distinctly different strains, both called Purple Chem Dawg. One was an Indica-leaning hybrid and the other, also a hybrid, was more Sativa… different genetics and everything – literally, two completely different strains. I didn’t have time to contact Deep End Farms… filming was ready to go in moments.

“What do I tell people, because it isn’t clear which Purple Chem Dawg I’m reviewing?” I was talking to Tania, and I was looking for a direction to take the review when filming started. “Just say what it feels like, what it smells and tastes like…” Tania suggested, so that’s where I went – and I decided to treat the review like a blind taste test.

So let’s unbox this herb and look at the packaging, the nugs, the smell, the taste and the effects and then I’ll make a guess about the genetics!

The Look And Smell

Deep End Farms has really delightful packaging, from a graphic artist’s viewpoint. Their product comes in a well-designed box, with a stylish glass jar inside. The label that sealed the box said this herb had been tested at 23.50% THC and to “light it up, smoke it up”…

The nugs were a collection of smalls with a few mid-sized nugs. They were dark green, and when I got them under the lights to photograph them, I could see they had some golden hues.

The eighth weighed in at 3.51 grams, and the nugs were well-cured. When I cut them up I couldn’t help but noticing that they were a little bit dry.

The aroma when I opened the jar didn’t knock me out at all… it was very faint. My immediate impression or association from the smell was of sitting on a hill overlooking the ocean – the jar seemed to contain a hint of that salty air.

I poured the buds out on the tray, and it wasn’t until I cut up a nug that I detected a really noticeable smell. Sweet with a fruity, floral aroma. The floral aroma smelled faintly of roses. There was also some earthy tones detected, along with a sage-like spiciness.

I was wondering at this point, where was the purple smell, and where was the Chem Dawg gassy, diesel smell? From the information I had gathered so far, I couldn’t guess the genetics of this strain at all… it was going to require a taste test to get to the bottom of this mystery.

The Taste and Effects

I loaded up the bong and took my first hit. The smoke had a sweet purple flavor as it rippled over my tongue. When I exhaled the hit I tasted an earthy, sulfuric, gassy, diesel flavor! The flavors were pronounced, and the smoke was thick and smooth… I immediately took a second hit, just to savor the flavor. Again – purple on the inhale, diesel on the exhale! Yum!

We took a ten minute break from filming while I waited for the creeper effects to hit me. Already I was feeling it in my legs… marijuana fuzzies creeping up my body. I took a third hit and the effects increased – at this point I could start to guess the genetic background of this herb!

There was definitely some Granddaddy Purple in the genetics I guessed. I recognized a certain heavy Indica feel that I love so much from GDP. That was the purple flavor, I noted to myself. GDP always hits me with a heaviness that blankets me in the marijuana fuzzies, but leaves my mind clear enough to work on projects – fuzzies for the body but not the brain. A great medicine for those hard depression days when I still have to get stuff done, for sure!

But what was that uplifting feeling… not quite a Sativa, and very familiar? Well, that was the Chem Dawg side of the puzzle, I figured. If you can imagine warm thoughts, that’s what Chem Dawg gives me. To me, Chem Dawg equals cozy, like gathering around a warm fire on a cold evening. The high gave me a focused thoughtfulness… it was creatively stimulating… very motivating and it had the synapses in my brain snapping!

Later, for one sesh, I tried to see how high the high would go and I got in about six hits before I stopped because the effects were hitting me so thoroughly. It was a “high”, but not a “stoned” feeling. Very different… the effects didn’t quite stumble into the stoned feeling, so I’d say the ceiling is high on this one.

So here I had an herb that was well-balanced between a purple-tasting heavy Indica with fuzzies – like some GDP – and the warm, uplifting feeling of Chem Dawg.

The Reveal

Today I had a chance to contact Deep End Farms about the genetics and they replied that this is their own special purple strain they’ve developed over the last ten years. Apparently this is a third version of Purple Chem Dawg! This one has some OG Kush and Great White in the background. It does indeed contain a cross with Granddaddy Purple and then they crossed it with their own Chem Dawg called AV Chem. So there we have it – OG Kush X Great White X GDP X AV Chem!

The Wrap-Up

I would love to keep some of this one on hand. Seriously, this one had my vote with the taste and the balanced GDP/Chem Dawg feel. Now that I know there is some of the much-loved OG Kush in there… and the Chem Dawg is Deep End Farms’ own AV Chem – the whole package of genetics totally works in my opinion, and I would definitely rate the high as exceptional!

I would love to try a jar that was a bit fresher in the future (the date on the jar said it was packaged on July 15, 2020 – five months ago), but I will definitely buy Deep End Farms products again. They have a handful of strains in their catalog so I’ll have to encourage The Joy of Life Wellness Center in Palm Springs, where I bought this jar, to stock more from Deep End Farms…

Until next week, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainPurple Chem Dawg
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsOG Kush X Great White X Granddaddy Purple X AV Chem
BrandDeep End Farms
Location PurchasedJoy of Life Wellness Center – Palm Springs
THC Level23.5 %
Cost42.00 + sales tax
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.51 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar in Box
ColorDark Green
FreshnessWell Cured… a Touch Dry
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.75
Look & Feel ImpressionsNice packaging, but the herb was a touch dry.
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsFruity, Floral, Sage
Secondary Smells – OtherEarth, Salty air
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3
Smell ImpressionI believe the smell suffered from being in the jar for five months.
Taste
FlavorGassy
Flavor – OtherPurple on the inhale, diesel on the exhale.
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.75
Taste ImpressionsNice smoke with a delightful inhale and exhale.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?Body
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Relaxing, Motivating, Creative, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4
Effects ImmpressionThoughtful, focused, creative, stimulating and motivating with a strong body fuzziness. High ceiling.
Total Rating3.65
Total Rating – Why?This was a really good smoke with an exceptional high – loved the high. If it had been fresher I’m sure it would have received higher marks in the smell.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Glass House Farms | GG4

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

 

Deep, dank, sulfuric, diesel, gassy aromas hit my nose and immediately had my attention. We were in the middle of filming the video review, and I had just opened the jar and was going to pour out the nugs on the tray. Hold on!

Oh. My. Goodness! All weekend I’ve been stuck with several different herbs I ended up not liking very much… one was too strange and spicy, another was too buzzy in a caffeine kind-of-way, another had an uncured, leafy taste. And all I wanted was a good diesel strain!

“Eureka! We’ve got diesel!” my brain exclaimed! Anything that smells that amazing is bound to taste great and have a quality high! My eyes lit up with excitement at what lay ahead…

Getting In the Jar

This week we are looking at a strain called GG4 from Glass House Farms that I picked up from Joy of Life Wellness Center in Palm Springs. I was treated very well at the Joy of Life Center, where the budtender who I talked to on the phone did her best to apply every special they had to my order. I got discounts, a bonus joint and a savings on the tax. Thank you Joy of Life Center, you made an 80 mile round-trip very enjoyable, satisfying and well-priced!

GG4 has been called many things over the years including Gorilla Glue, Gorilla Glue #4, Original Glue, GG, GG#4 – lot’s of names, but all the same strain…

GG4 is a cross of Chem’s Sister, Sour Dubb, and Chocolate Diesel… it was back-crossed which is why it has three different parents. This strain was developed by growers Joesy Whales and Lone Watty, the founders of GG Strains – and since it’s inception it has been a winner, taking home a number of cannabis cup awards!

The original name for this strain, Gorilla Glue #4, came about from how sticky the trimming scissors got during trimming… they stuck together like Gorilla Glue. The company that makes the super-strong adhesive didn’t take kindly to their trademarked name being used for a cannabis strain, hence the name change to Original Glue, GG#4 and now, simply GG4.

When I poured the nugs out on the tray they weren’t that impressive looking, despite the amazingly delicious smell that was leaping up from the tray. Lots of smalls, with just a couple mediums.

As you can see from the photo that nug weighed in at just 0.63 grams, and that was the biggest nug. I would have liked something a little more photogenic in the jar, but those thoughts were pushed aside by the aroma hovering over the tray!

As a note, the total weight of the nugs in the jar were 3.51 grams. The well-cured nugs – and I mean it when I say well-cured, because Glass House Farms nailed it on the cure – were a dark, earthy green.

Of course, at this point I had just one thought on my mind – let’s load up a bowl and take this one for a spin!

The Effects

Expansive… I had just taken a couple hits and I closed my eyes after the camera stopped filming – my body felt like it was expanding. I guessed it was my aura that was getting larger, but it felt like the personal space around me just blew up like a fuzzy, smoky balloon.

The first few minutes I was hit with a powerful wave of THC that I rode for a good seven or eight minutes. I’ve never been a surfer – I bodysurfed as a teenager – but I felt like it was as if I was riding the edge of a wave, feeling the amazing power of the wave as you cut along it’s face, propelled forward by the powerful force… indeed, this is a strong herb with 24.83% THC!

Ten minutes into the high my thoughts were getting very “stream-of-conscious”, in an expansive way. I was having a great time! It had been several years since I had a GG4 that hit me so well, and I was riding the high to the fullest. But I knew what was ahead with GG, because I’ve been on this ride many times.

GG4 tends to hit me really strong and then it shifts gears after ten-fifteen minutes, and slips into a total body-comfort high, just when I think I’m in for a head-high. The marijuana fuzzies settle in, the eyes go lidded and at this point I know I need to pace myself. Smoke too much GG4 too fast and you’re headed to couch-lock city. But it tastes soooo good you just want to keep going…

When the GG4 shifts gears the writing vibe usually hits me. I like an expansive, stream-of-conscious flow of thoughts in my head while I’m writing. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s like having music on while you write. Somehow all the extra mental noise makes it easier to concentrate, and when I’m stuck for a next sentence the mental noise usually provides something useful.

Speaking Of Writing

Here’s a short digression… several years ago I wrote my second novel called Moving At The Speed Of Time, a fun, fast-paced story where marijuana was my muse – I wrote the whole thing completely stoned. My main character in the story is a guy named Dylan and his go-to herb is Gorilla Glue #4!

Here’s the link to the book’s website where you can read an excerpt and find links to purchase the book if you’re interested.

http://moving.travelingshoespress.com/

Wrapping It Up

This is probably the best tasting GG4 I’ve had in the last several years. Glass House Farms has done a great job with this strain. Two thumbs up!

This strain will definitely satisfy your gassy, diesel desires while providing a powerful THC rush and a long term body comfort and creative inspiration. If that sounds good to you then check out GG4, and especially GG4 from Glass House Farms!

Until next week, best of health.

Smooth Cannabis | Orange Creamsicle

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Welcome back to the Red Bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

This week we’re looking at a 50/50 hybrid strain – 50% Indica and 50% Sativa – called Orange Creamsicle from Smooth Cannabis. This strain is a cross of Orange Crush and Juicy Fruit and it is delicious!

Up to this point, it’s always been a mystery what I’d find in the package when I got into my review, but this week was a little different. When we got herb for this week’s review we bought two jars because this is Tania’s current favorite, and we wanted to have some on hand just for smoking together. So this week, I know exactly what’s going to be in the jar. Let me share it with you!

We had these jars delivered from Desert Organic Solutions in Palm Springs – I like delivery, especially during these days of the pandemic. Delivery saved me an 80 mile round trip, so thank you Desert Organic Solutions!

I really like the jar presentation of Smooth Cannabis. This is the second time we’ve reviewed their product and both times their jars were high quality – nice thick glass with a silk-screened logo on the front. I always hope that kind of commitment to quality packaging carries over to the product inside – and I wasn’t disappointed by this jar…

The Orange Grove

Opening the jar released the aroma hiding inside – in a word – Orange!

This was the full orange grove experience. The orange tones ranged from the sweet fruit inside the peel to the peel itself. Then the smell expanded to embrace the whole orange grove – the trees, the leaves, the earth – a complete immersion in the grove.

I poured out the nugs onto the tray and was happy with the eighth I saw, which weighed in at 3.46 grams.

The well-manicured nugs were a light, bright green… several gram-size nugs and some smalls. The nugs were dense with large calyxes, and when I cut one up I could tell it had a really nice cure – just a touch dry, but a really good cure.

The High

If you’re an orange lover, this strain should already be on your list, but all that smell is just showing off if this strain doesn’t deliver a quality high, and it does! The THC level was 19.20% – comfortable enough for an occasional smoker and strong enough for a seasoned veteran.

The high hit within a few minutes of the first toke, and kept building. I felt the full effects of the Orange Creamsicle high after fifteen minutes, and at that point I’d reached that “sweet spot” – a cerebral head high, with a bit of marijuana fuzzies, and total body comfort. That feeling lasted about a half hour before fading into a nice Indica buzz that lasted for the next few hours.

To use an airplane analogy – great take-off, a quality flight and an easy landing! In a plane full of oranges. Lots of oranges!

One of the interesting effects of this one was when it settled on the shoulders, after about twenty minutes… total stress relief! It relaxed all the neck muscles and was a complete tension reliever. We felt this effect on several occasions – and not only did it relieve tensions for the moment, but after the high wore off the tensions were gone for good!

I would like to note that this one hit me very differently depending on the way I smoked it. I used both a pipe and a bong for this one. The pipe led to a mellower ride, whereas the bong got me way stoned after a handful of hits. Not every herb has such a difference depending on how you smoke it, but this one had a noticeable difference.

You probably guessed by this point that I would definitely buy this one again. Smooth did a great job with this strain, and I’d be happy to pick up another jar of this herb! As a matter of fact, I’m interested in seeing how many different Orange Creamsicle versions I can find… so expect more Orange Creamsicle reviews in the future – either as a video review or over at Jon’s Daily Sesh, my daily blog.

Until next week, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainOrange Creamsicle
TypeHybrid
GeneticsOrange Crush X Juicy Fruit
BrandSmooth Cannabis
Location PurchasedDesert Organic Solutions – Palm Springs, CA
THC Level19.20%
Cost$40 + tax (32%)
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.46
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorLight Green, Bright Green
FreshnessOld
TouchLight Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3.8
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsCitrus
Secondary Smells – OtherOrange – both the fruit and the peel
Strength – SmellStrong
Smell Rating4.3
Smell ImpressionSmelling this made me feel like I’m in an orange grove.
Taste
FlavorCitrus
Flavor – OtherEarthy
Smoke TextureLight, Smooth
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Motivating, Creative, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsMellow
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4
Effects ImmpressionVery good at reducing tension.
Total Rating4
Total Rating – Why?An excellent herb!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Herb & Zen | Fatso

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Click to see the video review!

The Review

Have you heard of a strain called Fatso? I’ll tell you about it… but first off, I just want to say – 36.01% THC!

I got an email from Desert Organic Solutions last week telling me they had Fatso from Herb & Zen with 36.01% THC – and I was like, you had me at Fatso, but 36% THC – that’s insane! I’ve never smoked an herb with that much psychoactive power – but like the cannabis adventurer I am, I couldn’t wait to try it out…

I placed an order online on Sunday for a Monday delivery, and by 1:00 I had the herb in my hand. I couldn’t believe I finally had a jar of Fatso to check out and review! I read about this strain several months earlier, and all the articles I read called it one of the great strains of 2020. You can bet that had me curious! I’ve been keeping my eye out for Fatso – a cross of GMO Cookies and Legend OG – so when I saw it listed in the email, I added it to my shopping list.

I almost got around to placing my order too late. The delivery driver told me I got the last jar of Fatso – the strain just flew out the door! I’m not surprised. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one tantalized by the prospect of smoking such a potent strain…

Herb & Zen is a mid-priced brand. You can find their eighths around Southern California at various dispensaries for $25-$35. This jar was $32 + 32% tax = $42.24. I’ve had good success with this brand in the past, so, even with the slightly higher price, I jumped at the chance to try out Fatso.

Unboxing

There was a freshness seal on the top of the jar when I took the lid off. Opening the seal hit me with a wave of dank, sweet, diesel fuel smells… that wonderful sulfuric smell of a stinky OG. A true gas-lovers delight!

When I poured out the nugs I was a bit disappointed in the size – I really had to hunt to pick out a nug to photograph.

The eighth was rather scrappy, almost shake, but weighed in exactly at 3.50 grams. While I wasn’t expecting top shelf nugs, I was expecting something a little more impressive… but then I remembered – 36% THC! And I had three and a half grams of it to try out, so I pressed forward…

While taking photos of the nugs I zoomed in and I was amazed at the density of the trichomes. I mean, when you think about it, 36% of this plant material is all cannabinoids, so there should be dense trichomes, but still… oh my!

The nuglettes – the little nugs – cut up very nicely… maybe a touch dry, but not a problem. I was getting a little lost in the aroma while I cut them up. I’d just had another OG the day before that was very dank, with diesely fuel smells also, but on the sour side… with that in mind, I’d say Fatso was on the sweeter side.

Elevator Going Up!

The exhale from the first hit tasted sooo good! I just wanted to let the flavor hang out in my mouth for awhile. And I also wanted to take another hit immediately… so I jumped into bong rip number two right away, just as the first effects were starting to hit me. Straight to the head. Not like a hammer, more like a nice soft pillow.

I rode the second hit for about five to ten minutes and I could feel myself getting higher and higher – elevator going up! I just wasn’t sure how high the ceiling was on this one, because I kept floating up higher. I hadn’t experienced such a high since the early days of smoking. I felt like a serious cannabis newbie.

Then I took a third hit and, oh man, it was like going over the mental waterfall. The stone hit me hard. Seriously. Solidly. Stony time distortion set in…

Somehow I was able to finish the review we were filming, because now my whole body was so stoned… my eyes could barely stay open they were so lidded. My brain felt heavy with the marijuana fuzzies, and my body was absolutely comfortable, yet vibrating a little.

Distortions In Time And Space

When I stood up from the Red Bench the physical nature of the stone became very evident. As I walked around the cabin it felt like my spirit had become separated from my body… when I moved it felt like it took my body a second later to catch up. It was so weird I kept doing it, moving around the room just to feel the strange, disconnected body sensation.

Meanwhile, everything had really slowed down. I couldn’t have moved fast if I wanted to, but I didn’t need to – I just wanted to calmly walk around, experiencing distortions in time and space. Not bad effects for small little nuglettes of herb…

I was surprised that the herb caused me a little anxiety. Not overwhelming in any way, but noticeable. This is a heavy Indica, and the only time I’ve felt anxious smoking herb is when I’ve had a powerful Sativa, so I was surprised – but the anxiety dissipated rather quickly…

Other than the touch of anxiety, the Fatso ride was delightful – heavy, but delightful! I will definitely look for Fatso again. I’m going to go easy on the jar I have… special occasion herb, for sure. This is for when I really want that powerful, soaring high. And then I’ll probably just take a couple hits at a time.

In the video review I jokingly suggested that newcomers to smoking the herb should wait “about six years” before trying Fatso… I might have only been half-joking. This is seriously powerful herb, not for the inexperienced smoker! Enter at your own risk!

But for a seasoned smoker – you are in for a ride like you haven’t had in awhile! And if you are both a seasoned smoker and a diesel lover – run, don’t walk – to the dispensary when you find out Fatso is in town. If you hesitate, it’ll probably be gone.

Until next week, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainFatso
TypeHybrid – Indica Dom.
GeneticsGMO Cookies X Legend OG
BrandHerb & Zen
Location PurchasedDesert Organic Solutions – Palm Springs, CA
THC Level36.01%
Cost$32 + 32% tax = $42.24
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.50 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorLight Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3
Look & Feel ImpressionsNo big nugs – all small pieces, verging on shake
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsDiesel, Chemical
Strength – SmellStrong
Smell Rating4.25
Smell ImpressionWhat a powerful diesel, fuel, sulfuric smell! Awesome!
Taste
FlavorGassy
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TasteStrong
Taste Rating4.25
Taste ImpressionsThis is what a gassy herb should taste like!
Effects
How Much Injested?3 hits
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Near-Psychedelic, Relaxing, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsPowerful
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.5
Effects ImmpressionThe strongest herb I’ve ever smoke, hands down!
Total Rating4
Total Rating – Why?What a powerful herb! Not for everyone, but for the diesel lover… oh my – perfect!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Deep End Farms | AV Chem Dawg

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

 

Welcome back to the Red Bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

The Top-Five

Do you have a list of your top-five favorite strains? I do, and it looks something like this…

1. California Skunk Buds (circa 1984) – This strain no longer exists, but it’s my all-time favorite!
2. OG Kush – of course!
3. Chem Dawg, AKA Chemdawg, Chem 91
4. Sour Diesel
5. Girl Scout Cookies

As you can see, right there in the middle of the list at number three, is the wonderfully and deliciously diesel strain, Chem Dawg! I love the Dawg! Not only is it delicious, but it’s a great medical strain for my depression. It’s one of the strains I would, literally, pick up anytime I see it. It’s a strain I’ve reviewed before and I’ll review it again in the future, you can count on it.

I saw this week’s strain – AV Chem Dawg from Deep End Farm – at Joy of Life Wellness Center in Palm Springs a few weeks back and, like I just said, I had to pick it up! In the back of my head I was thinking, I wonder what the AV stands for?

Deep End Farms

Anderson Valley in Mendocino County is where Deep End Farms is located, so AV stands for Anderson Valley cut. What I take this to mean, is that Deep End Farms has taken a particular clone from the Chem Dawg family tree and brought it to market.

Deep End Farms is an organic farm, whose growing approach is “regenerative agriculture and land stewardship in southern Mendocino county where other plants and animals flourish in a balanced and thriving ecosystem…” I like sun-grown, organic herb from a farm in balance with nature and with a good growing ethos, so we’re off to a good start!

The Big Question

The one question I had when I went into this review was how does this brand stack up against other varieties of Chem Dawg I’ve had in the past? I’ve smoked a lot of Chem Dawg since the 1990s so the competition is tough…

As a side note – I love the graphics on the box the jar came in… I’m a graphic artist – it’s one of the many hats I wear – and good graphics really catch my eye. The whole package was well-done and they even included an insert in the box you could tear off and use as a crutch on your joint… how cool is that!

I liked the warm and comfortable feel the graphics conveyed and that was the first thing that drew me to this box… that, and the fact it contained an eighth of Chem Dawg.

Unfortunately, the jar only contained 3.30 grams of herb. That’s not cool to sell eighths that weigh under 3.50 grams! Not to complain too much, but 0.20 grams is nearly a whole bowl’s worth…

Getting Into The Jar

As you can see from the photo this was a photogenic nug – medium green, with hints of tans and reds, with plenty of orange hairs and, if you took a look with a magnifying glass you’d see it had a ton of trichomes. The well-cured nug was thick and dense, with just a slight give when I gave them a gentle squeeze. Cutting it up with the scissors confirmed how well-cured they were.

Just another side note – as I’ve mentioned in other reviews – when I say “gentle squeeze” I mean it. I believe in respecting the herb, and that includes handling the buds gently and cutting them with trimming scissors to minimize the destruction of trichomes. I want the trichomes in my bowl and not on my fingers. 😉

The smell while cutting up the nugs really got me excited… boy, this smelled EXACTLY like I expect Chem Dawg to smell – sour, gassy… a hint of black pepper and a little bit of overripe fruit – and I mean that in the best way! Riding on top of the various aromas was the strong diesel smell that hung like a cloud in the air above my rolling tray.

This diesel smell, which is associated with so many great seshes in the past, immediately put me in the right mindset to have another great Chem Dawg sesh! I loaded up the bong in anticipation – so far this one was checking off all the right boxes… what would the flavor and effects be like? This herb had 21.98% THC – I was expecting good things!

Thick clouds of smoke – sour and gassy – just like the smell… and what an aftertaste! Oh boy, I didn’t hesitate to take a second hit right away. I felt the herb’s effects creep under my eyes, and back into my brain almost immediately. The marijuana ‘fuzzies” filled my head. My body slipped into the comfortable cannabis cozies and I was on my way to the placed called “Stoned”. And not just any stone, but a familiar Chem Dawg kind of stone which feels about half Indica-like, and half Sativa, but leaning towards the Sativa side. So nice!

The high lasted for well over an hour, and was great for writing. It was also a great herb for hanging out and talking. The stone didn’t disorient me, it just provided an intensely uplifting, cerebral time – rather euphoric, and if I was prone to giggle… well, this one would have had me giggling. Positive vibrations, as they say…

Checking Off The Boxes

So, now to answer that question that I started with – how does this Chem Dawg rate against others I’ve smoked in the past?

Chem Dawg smell – check! Chem Dawg taste – check! Chem Dawg effects – check!!! I’d put this in the top-ten of the many different varieties of Chem Dawg I’ve smoked over the years. A winner cut, for sure!

I would definitely buy this strain again from Deep End Farms, but I would be curious to see if the under-weight was just a one-time occurrence, or is that just the way this brand rolls? I hope not.

Thank you for joining me this week – until next week, best of health.

Bonus –

Because we can’t just have a top-five list of herb, here’s my top-ten, which, of course, goes to eleven! 😉

Jon’s All Time Top-Ten Herb Strains

1. California Skunk Buds (circa 1984) – This strain no longer exists, but it’s my all-time favorite!
2. OG Kush – of course!
3. Chem Dawg, AKA Chemdawg, Chem 91
4. Sour Diesel
5. Girl Scout Cookies
6. Wedding Cake
7. Mendo Breath
8. Purple Punch
9. Banjo (from Coastal Sun Farm)
10. Hindu Kush
11. Larry OG

 

The Lowdown

StrainAV Chem Dawg
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsAndersen Valley cut of Chem Dawg
BrandDeep End Farms
Location PurchasedJoy of Life Wellness Center – Palm Springs
THC Level21.98%
Cost42.00 + sales tax
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.30 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar in Box
ColorTan, Medium Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.75
Look & Feel ImpressionsThe fact that the jar weighed 0.20 grams under an eighth was a bummer… other than that the rating would have been higher.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsDiesel, Fruity, Pepper
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating4
Smell ImpressionSmelled EXACTLY like Chem Dawg should!
Taste
FlavorGassy
Flavor – OtherEarthy, a hint of black pepper, a note of overripe fruit.
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4
Taste ImpressionsTasted EXACTLY like Chem Dawg should!
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Eyes
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Motivating, Creative, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.25
Effects ImmpressionI got certifiably stoned!
Total Rating4
Total Rating – Why?What a great version of Chem Dawg! Spot on… the weight was the only downside.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Marley Natural | Dough G

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Click to see the video review!

The Review

Welcome back to the Red Bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

It has turned cold here in the hi-desert with temperatures dropping to freezing at night. So let’s bundle up and get into this week’s review…

Bob Marley’s Legacy

I don’t think there is a pot smoker out there who hasn’t spent serious amounts of time listening to Bob Marley. What a great voice… what a great musician! He was a crusader for the herb deep in the dark years of prohibition – he fought the good fight and sang powerful songs for the righteous cause of legalization.

This week we’re looking at a strain called Dough G from Marley Natural, the brand that has received not only the Marley family stamp of approval – it’s their family business now.

I’ve been wanting to try something from this brand for a long time. Bob’s name is on the jar – what would be inside?!

The Low Humidity in the Hi-Desert

When I was down in Desert Hot Springs at the Green Leaf dispensary the budtender suggested this strain, saying it was very popular with her customers… so I added this eighth to the herb I was buying to review. That was four weeks ago.

The humidity here is regularly around 10-15% – very dry. This dries out herb so fast, even herb sitting around in sealed jars just dries out so quickly! It’s a situation I’m in the process of fixing with humidity packs from Boveda. More on that in a future issue of Jon’s Daily Sesh.

The low humidity got to this jar of herb before I did, and it was very dry when I unsealed it during the review. I tried not to be disappointed… reviewing dry herb is kind of a bummer for me. The herb loses much of it’s smell when it dries out and I love reviewing the smell, sorting out all the various aromas. But we pushed on, knowing that this was a rather dry herb I’m reviewing.

Dough G

Dough G is a cross of Forum Girl Scout Cookies and Vader OG. This is not only my first time trying out a Marley Natural strain, but also my first time trying out Dough G. Girl Scout Cookies is on my top ten strain list and I have fond memories of smoking Vader OG some years ago, so I was looking forward to seeing what this cross was like.

The budtender at Green Leaf picked out a jar with a couple nice looking nugs in it. The biggest of the two nugs weighed in at 2.37 grams and was a beauty.

When I looked at the close-ups of the nug it was full of frosty trichomes. If it wasn’t dry it would have weighed a bit heavier, but still, the structure was rather leafy and lacking density.

Oh, but when I lit up that first bowl – gassy, diesel flavors! I wasn’t expecting much because of the dryness, but instead I was hit with a full palette of tastes. The aftertaste was a sweet citrus flavor that was delightful… a clean and fresh tasting flavor that mixed well with the dank gassy flavors. I quickly took a second hit, just to taste the flavors again.

Sometimes I walk out of the room I’ve been smoking in just to clear my nose and walk back in, smelling the wonderful aroma of freshly burnt herb. I think it might be my favorite smell in the whole world! I loved doing that with this one… the smell in the air reminded me of the crust of a chicken pot pie cooking! A pot-infused chicken pot pie, to be sure!

The high moved in right away like a chill friend showing up at the party. I didn’t get “stoned” from this one but I was lifted with a nice head high – the high was very much on the Sativa end of the hybrid. I imagined Bob Marley and the Wailers smoking a big spliff of this one and kicking the soccer ball around the yard of the studio. I saw a picture of Bob playing soccer once that makes me think of this…

I think this herb would be best for a Saturday afternoon, hanging with friends and chilling to some fine Bob Marley music on the stereo, maybe his album Kaya. Kaya is, of course, the herb, as in, “got to have Kaya now”…

Re-hydration

I put the bud in a mason jar with a Boveda humidity pack… and in just a few short hours the nug was re-hydrated to a perfect 62% relative humidity.

The re-hydrated nug smoked wonderfully, burning nicely with all the flavors increased. Effects-wise, it’s a perfect strain for an occasional smoker. Not overwhelming at all… a chill high.

I tried smoking several bowls during one sesh to see how the ceiling was on the high, and it’s fairly low on this one. Even though it tested at 18.6% THC, I couldn’t get my high beyond what I felt by smoking about four hits. No reason to waste good herb by over-smoking with this herb, I’ll be taking only a few hits at a time and enjoying that high, just letting it ride…

Dough G… I’ve got to say that’s an odd name, but still, I’ve found myself walking around our cabin saying “Dough G” to myself… a strange name, but kind-of catchy. I’d love to know the story behind how that name came about.

Now, the big question – would I buy this one again? Yes, and I’d smoke it right away so it doesn’t dry out… or on the first afternoon I have free to chill and hang out.

Thank you for tuning in this week… until next week, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainDough G
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsForum Girl Scout Cookies X Vader OG
BrandMarley Natural
Location PurchasedGreen Leaf – Desert Hot Springs
THC Level18.6
Cost$40
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.41
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorMedium Green
FreshnessDry
TouchNot Sticky
StructureLeafy
Look & Feel Rating2.75
Look & Feel ImpressionsThe nugs looked great and really improved once they were re-hydrated.
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine, Diesel, Lemon
Strength – SmellSubtle
Smell Rating2.5
Smell ImpressionBecause of the dryness the smell was so subtle.
Taste
FlavorGassy
Flavor – OtherLemon, Diesel
Smoke TextureDry, Smooth
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating3
Taste ImpressionsThe taste was nice and better when re-hydrated.
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Motivating, Creative, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsPronounced
Duration30-45 minutes
Effects Rating3.5
Total Rating2.95
Total Rating – Why?This one lost a lot of points on it’s dryness. I’d love to try this in it’s prime.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Source Cannabis | Blue Dream

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Blue Dream, a sativa-dominant hybrid originating in California, has achieved legendary status among West Coast strains. Crossing Blueberry with Haze, Blue Dream balances full-body relaxation with gentle cerebral invigoration. Novice and veteran consumers alike enjoy the level effects of Blue Dream, which ease you gently into a calm euphoria. With a sweet berry aroma redolent of its Blueberry parent, Blue Dream delivers swift symptom relief without heavy sedative effects. This makes Blue Dream a popular daytime medicine for patients treating pain, depression, nausea, and other ailments requiring a high THC strain. – Leafly

 

 

The Review

The written review has been delayed due to the election. This will be updated later…

J&K Distribution | President Jefferson

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Jefferson is a new strain grown by Northern California Hemp Farmers. This beautiful and dense flower resembles a cherry strain with deep and danky pine and citrus notes. Amazing terpene profile these buds pack 3.2% terpene potency! – J&K Distribution

 

 

The Review

Welcome back to the Red Bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

This week we’re going to take a look at something a little different… CBD buds! These are hemp flowers, and they are completely legal in the United States. I bought the tin of buds we’re reviewing today online and it was shipped to my PO Box, no problem. It even came with legal documents and lab testing results – very impressive. So let’s get into this and check it out…

CBD Buds? What Are Those?

There are many varieties to the plant we know of as cannabis or marijuana. What we’re most familiar with is the cannabis side of the family. Cannabis contains THC, in varying amounts, with levels reaching into the 30% range these days. Hemp, on the other hand, has less than 0.3% THC. The 2018 Farm Bill opened the door to a whole new product – hemp flowers, exactly like cannabis flowers except high in CBD and with practically no THC.

Of course, I live in California where you can get the highest THC buds available, so why would I want to try smoking buds with no THC? Well, lets flip this script… it’s not about what’s missing – it’s about what CBD brings to the table.

CBD provides many of the positive physical effects that regular marijuana provides, without the heavy psychoactive elements. It surprises me how often I run into people that want the positive health benefits of cannabis, whether is dealing with insomnia or depression, but don’t want the high. Well, say hello to CBD buds!

Anxiety, depression, body pain, insomnia, appetite loss… all of these conditions and more have been claimed to be helped by smoking CBD. I’m not saying this is a miracle drug, a silver bullet that will cure whatever ails you, but I feel it is definitely something worth looking into…

But what do CBD buds look like? What is the smell, taste and feel of hemp flowers?

President Jefferson

Several weeks ago I visited the J&K Distribution website and scrolled through their menu. What sweet looking nugs! I ordered a few different strains to see if this was worth sharing with you, my readers and viewers. We are, after all, interested in all forms of cannabis, and so, hemp flowers are right up our alley, so to speak.

The flowers arrived very quickly in a standard post office shipping box. Inside the box, along with my tins of hemp flowers, was paperwork with the lab results – Certificate of Analysis (COA) – and legal documents. The COA lists all the cannabinoids and terpenes. President Jefferson has lots of Myrcene and a bunch of Pinene and Caryophyllene along with a smattering of other terpenes. The total terpenes were listed at over 3.2% while the CBD amounts listed were 18.425%!

The tins looked like small cans of tuna with a plastic lid on top. Once you removed the plastic lid, there was a pull-top lid to remove. Inside the tin was a sweet selection of dried and cured hemp flowers and a humidity pack to keep it all fresh. The eighth weighed in at 3.69 grams – nicely generous!

The smell that the nugs presented at first was mild… earthy, sweet, piney and kushy. I think I detected a hint of chocolate in there.

When I cut up the first dark green nug the smell just jumped up from the tray. The well-cured bud released a wonderfully dank, chocolate smell that reminded me of some herb I had years ago – Chocolate Thai. The earthy aroma was very complex and full and the sticky pile of herb on the tray was just begging to be smoked. So I obliged.

Thick, smooth smoke. Pure smoking pleasure!

From the first rip I knew this was a good smoker. Very well-cured. I was surprised that my eyes felt lidded after a couple hits.

The hits went straight to my head in a very pleasant fashion… not unlike being high. I definitely felt lifted. My eyes could feel it. After about ten minutes it dropped down to my chest and made my breathing feel looser and free. And then it just released a comfort that filled my body. The body feel was very much like an Indica-dominant THC bud. The head buzz just lasted a good fifteen to twenty minutes before fading into straight body comfort with a mildly sedative effect… and then I got the munchies!

My quick assessment of CBD bud and President Jefferson in particular – it amazed me how strong the effects are… more than enough to give that satisfying feeling of “this smoke is doing something” –there is a nice head and body buzz that I didn’t expect and is very comfortable. Two thumbs up… I will explore this some more, for sure.

CBD + THC

I love mixing my herbs! So now that CBD bud has entered the picture I wonder what it would be like to mix some President Jefferson with some regular THC bud. I have some Avalanche OG on-hand – a nice, even-balanced herb that seems perfect for this experiment.

CBD is known to lower the negative psychoactive effects of THC – paranoia and anxiety – so I wondered if the two types of herb would cancel each other out or enhance each other. I cut up a nug of each and mixed them together on my tray. I took a bit of the resulting mixture and loaded up my bong. Time to do some serious experimenting!

Flavor-wise – the two paired perfectly. The flavors of each herb enhanced the flavor of the other. Avalanche OG has a floral sweetness that’s different than the President Jefferson chocolaty sweetness, and together they blended very nice.

The effects of the two together was a “bigger” high, a fuller high than just smoking the Avalanche OG. The effects of each herb enhanced the other, creating what I’m calling “a full-spectrum high”. The two together got me to a place that neither could on their own, and that’s got me very excited about the possibilities this presents.

Here’s an added bonus – CBD bud costs about half as much as THC bud. Mixing the two is a definite cost-cutter for the daily smoker. Make your THC bud go twice as far while experiencing a full-spectrum high – not a bad deal for those of us who are watching our budget!

Do you mix CBD and THC buds? I’d like to hear about your experience!

Customer Service, Oh Yes!

I wanted to end with a note about the customer service at J&K Distribution, and that’s to give them the thumbs up. I apparently entered my zip code wrong on my order and the company contacted me before shipping because the zip code seemed wrong for my address. That’s attention to detail!

Customer service is handled by the owners of the company, Jaime and Keiji. The emails we exchanged were both professional and friendly. The problem was fixed in no time and the order arrived with no further problems. Customer service like that creates return customers!

Have yourself a great week, and until later, best of health.

The Lowdown

StrainPresident Jefferson
TypeHybrid
GeneticsUnknown
BrandJ&K Distribution
Location PurchasedOnline
CBD Level18.425%
Cost$22 an 1/8
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.69 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingTin
ColorDark Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.25
Look & Feel ImpressionsThese nugs were packaged a year ago and still look great
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine
Secondary Smells – OtherChocolate
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3.5
Smell ImpressionThe smell didn’t really express itself until the nugs were cut up – then it was a delicious dank chocolate smell – yum!
Taste
FlavorEarthy
Flavor – OtherPine, Chocolate
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.5
Taste ImpressionsLove the chocolate hints
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Eyes
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Relaxing
Strength – EffectsMellow
DurationTwo Hours
Effects Rating3.5
Effects ImpressionThe effects were very satisfying for a hemp flower. The head effects lasted about 15-20 minutes but the body comfort lasted several hours.
Total Rating3.45
Total Rating – Why?I am new to CBD bud, but really enjoyed this one!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
CRU Cannabis | SFV OG

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

SFV OG by Cali Connection is a sativa-dominant hybrid that is great for patients who need strong pain relief but don’t want to be stuck on the couch. As the name indicates, this OG Kush relative originates from California’s San Fernando Valley. Although their names are barely distinguishable, SFV OG Kush is actually the Afghani-crossed child to SFV OG. Leading with aromatic notes of earthy pine and lemon, its body effects take a little longer to feel than the initial head haziness. – Leafly

 

 

The Review

Welcome back to the Red Bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

This week we’re looking at a classic strain here in Southern California, something called SFV OG. SFV stands for San Fernando Valley, and this strain is a phenotype of the OG Kush family and was developed by Cali Connection Farms.

If you live in So Cal and have been smoking cannabis for a long while, then you have probably tried this strain at one time or another. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve smoked this one in the past, and like many strains, I’ve had a wide variety of experiences – from very uplifting versions to ones that couch-locked me.

Now it’s been a while since I’ve had any SFV OG and I’ve been looking forward to trying it out again – I was curious to see what CRU Cannabis brought to the table.

This Sativa-dominate hybrid tested at 22.35% THC. The dark green nugs were solid and well-cured. They had a pungent aroma of earthy pine and diesel – a very deep fragrance. I was getting excited cutting up the first bud which seemed well-cured, but that excitement was dampened a bit by the slightly dry quality of the bud once I got into it.

I was also a little disappointed that the eighth weighed in at only 3.44 grams. Anything under 3.5 grams is going to lose points in my book. I wouldn’t mention it, except I’ve noticed that every eighth I’ve bought from CRU Cannabis has weighed in a little light. After a few packages I start to think twice about spending my money with a company that consistently does that – just saying…

A Southern California High

This one had an immediate effect, and I knew my eyes were gonna be lidded in no time. I could feel the herb causing a slight pressure in my forehead, and pushing back into my brain… but in a very pleasant fashion. Except for a noticeable body comfort and relaxed feeling, this high was mainly a head high. I was nearly immediately energized and I had no problem filling out the questionnaire I do for every video review.

The taste was nice – Spicy. Herbal. Earthy. Pine. Diesel… I was hit with a stream of ganja flavors on my first hit so I eagerly took a second.

This is when the high started to kick in – and the feeling sent me back across the years…

The high took me back to the 1990s and early 2000s – before I started going to dispensaries. Often, when my dealer had pot, it had no special name, it was just “pot”. Every so often he’d have something special but usually it was a herb like this SFV OG. To me, this feels like Southern California late 90s pot. The high is good, it’s uplifting and the flavor was nothing to complain about but… something was missing, it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.

This herb lacked that special quality, a certain something that is hard to pin your finger on, but when you’re having some really great herb – you know it. And I expect that special something when I’m paying $45 an eighth. If this herb was $25-$30 I’d be giving it a rave review, but at $45 an eighth… I can find a lot better herb than this nowadays.

I spent the rest of the evening with this herb, after the video review was done. I just wanted to see how it would perform after the novelty wore off, because often a herb will perform differently after the second or third time getting high. I kept running up against this feeling that something was missing from this herb. Maybe it was the way it was grown? I don’t know, but I was surprised that I kept being a little disappointed by this one despite the nice high.

Now the big question – would I buy this again? No, not at this price. Considering all the great, amazing herb out there, I would probably skip over this one.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s review – and until next week, best of health!

The Low Down

StrainSFV OG
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsOG Kush phenotype
BrandCRU Cannabis
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level22.35%
Cost$45
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.44 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingFlavor Seal Bag
ColorDark Green
FreshnessWell-cured, but slightly dry
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsGood looking nugs…
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine, Diesel
Secondary Smells – OtherHerbal
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3.5
Smell ImpressionLike climbing a pine tree with a can of gas. The smell came on strong at first and then faded.
Taste
FlavorEarthy
Flavor – OtherWoody, Sweet, Pine, Gassy, Herbal, Spicy
Smoke TextureSmooth
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating3.5
Taste ImpressionsVery complex flavor.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Motivating, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsPronounced
Duration30-45 mintues
Effects Rating3.5
Effects ImmpressionClassic uplifting high…
Total Rating3.5
Total Rating – Why?This is one fine herb, but the price was a little high.
Would I buy this again?No
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Arcanna Cannabis Flowers | Jedi Nights OG

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

The Review

How many strains can you have on your favorites list? Holy cow. This week I added one more, and this one – on taste alone.

Let me introduce you to a strain called Jedi Nights OG from Arcanna Cannabis Flowers, a herb company based in Mendocino County. If you haven’t heard of this strain, let me fill you in…

I am becoming a big fan of Arcanna Flowers! I wrote a rather long review a couple weeks ago about their strain called Lion Claw – a Ruderalis hybrid… I have picked up several jars of that strain since the review, I love it that much!

Last time I picked up the Lion Claw at Desert’s Finest in Desert Hot Springs, I saw they had another strain from Arcanna… Jedi Nights OG. The eighth jar was just $35, and I couldn’t pass up a chance to try something else from a company that impressed me so much the first time around.

Jedi Night OG should not be confused with the strain called Jedi Knights – these are entirely different strains. This strain is a cross of Mystery OG and Arcanna’s own strain called True Berrymore – a cross of Blue Dream and True Kush. Jedi Nights OG is a half and half hybrid – 50% Indica, 50% Sativa, and as far as I know, you can only get this strain from Arcanna.

The Look, Smell and Taste

One of the things I like about the Arcanna’s packaging is that they use smoky, amber glass jars. It’s great for keeping the ambient light in our cabin from even slightly degrading the herb – and their jars do a fine job of keeping the herb from drying out, even with our 10% humidity.

The eighth weighed in a 3.54 grams (!) and the nugs were mid-sized to small. The medium to dark green buds had lots of orange hairs – the trichomes were milky and thickly covered the nugs. When I cut them up they were compact, dense and lightly sticky – just like slicing through good cheese, as I like to say. These were some well-cured buds, and the smell just erupted from them as the scissors sliced through… deep, rich and pungent.

How is marijuana supposed to smell? Exactly like this flower! I mean, there are lots of great smells and flavors cannabis can produce. If you remember my Banjo review – that flower smelled exactly like a tangelo, and I loved that… another strain on my favorites list. But this is different… this is THE smell of well-grown and cured marijuana! Exactly, in my mind, how marijuana should smell – a rich earthy aroma… very complex with hints of citrus, pine and floral notes.

And the flavor – just like the smell – but amplified to eleven. I smoked this in my bong, and I smoked this with my pipe – and for some reason the pipe really brought out the deep, heavy, thickness of the smoke. A seriously satisfying smoking experience.

The Effects

Of course, all that great flavor is going to waste if the herb doesn’t have some kick, right? Well, this one had a high that made my body feel so nice… but, wow, was it a creeper! I was about to take my sixth bong toke before the effects really hit me. I was just smoking along, really enjoying the taste, thinking to myself, where’s the high? And that’s when it hit me. Be forewarned, if you get into a sesh with this one, it takes about ten minutes for the effects to really kick in, not that there’s anything wrong with that… 😉

The high hit me with that lidded feel first and then it got all the synapses in my brain popping, after that I could feel the physical effects of the THC drop to my shoulders and spread throughout my body. By this point the high was turning into a stoned feeling… a stoned feeling that just kept coming on for ten more minutes, growing in strength. The ride was very pleasant, stony and put me in that contemplative mind space.*

Lets talk about the “marijuana fuzzies” for a second… this is a very common effect I feel when smoking some strains. I call it the fuzzies, but it isn’t a mental fuzziness at all, it’s a physical feeling, like insulation has been put on my nerves. And this strain has it – serious fuzzies.

The high lasted well over an hour as the stoned feeling relaxed after about a half hour and turned right into pure body comfort. The come down was very mellow and I re-upped as soon as the high wore off, I just wanted to taste some more of that sweet marijuana bud!

The Follow Up

The herb in my jar is disappearing awfully quick, and I’m blaming that on the amazing taste… I keep wanting just a little bit more! A bowl here and a bowl there and before you know it, you’re looking at a nearly empty jar… oh my.

Will I buy this herb again? Oh, you can count on it! If Arcanna keeps their prices the way they are, I’ll keep buying every chance I get, and not only that – I feel pretty confident trying out their other strains.

Until next week, best of health.

*I would like to point out that your smoking experience will, quite likely, vary from mine – smoking herb is a subjective experience based on many factors including the set and setting of the user, so keep that in mind when trying out this herb or any herb I review.

 

The Lowdown

StrainJedi Nights OG
TypeHybrid
GeneticsMystery OG X True Berrymore
BrandArcanna Cannabis Flowers
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level23.255%
Cost$35.00
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.54 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorMedium Green, Dark Green, Orange
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3.75
Look & Feel ImpressionsLove the dark jars! Very well-cured nugs – near perfection!
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine, Floral, Citrus
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating4.5
Smell ImpressionOh my – that is THE smell!
Taste
FlavorSweet
Flavor – OtherEarthy, Citrus, Pine, Slightly Woody
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating4.5
Taste ImpressionsSweet to the last hit!
Effects
How Much Ingested?5 hits (over a 1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetLong Creeper
Where Do You Feel It?Eyes
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Relaxing, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsPronounced
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4
Effects ImpressionMarijuana fuzzies! Like insulation on the nerves… things really slowed down.
Total Rating4.2
Total Rating – Why?So amazing – love this herb and I can’t wait to take another sweet hit!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Farmer And The Felon | Hashbar OG

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

In the old days of clandestine growing, people found many strains to be unsuitable for stealthy indoor grows. Sativa strains were too large and took too long, while many indica strains smelled too strongly to go unnoticed. Enter the Pacific Northwest Hash Plant, a compact, quick-flowering, low-odor plant that still delivers large yields and tons of resin. Archive Seed Bank crossed this plant with their favorite male, the Face Off OG backcross, to create Hashbar OG, a 70% indica-dominant hybrid that generates THC levels between 20% and 24%. While the smell of this strain is light, it still delivers a nice OG flavor when smoked. – Leafly

 

 

The Review

Welcome back to the red bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

This week we’re getting into an Indica-dominate hybrid strain called Hashbar OG from Farmer And The Felon, a cannabis company that prides itself on being socially conscious. This is my first time ever trying this strain, or this brand, so I was very curious to see what they brought to the table.

I was specifically drawn to the brand because of their support of The Last Prisoner Project, an organization we are happy to bring your attention to… this is a quote from the LPP website:

“Imagine sitting in a cell for years, decades, or even for life, convicted of an activity that is no longer a crime, while thousands of other people build intergenerational wealth doing exactly the same thing.

That is the situation that over 40,000 cannabis prisoners face today in the United States alone, while countless others languish in jails and prisons worldwide. The Last Prisoner Project is a nonprofit coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives, and artists dedicated to bringing restorative justice to the cannabis industry.”

I recently wrote a blog post about the organization, and if you’re interested, go check it out and find out a few ways you can support this worthy project…

So let’s get into it – let’s “unbox” this herb and try it out!

Genetics

Hashbar OG is a cross of Hash Plant and Faceoff OG, bred by the Archive Seed Bank. This version we’re trying today came in at 23.10% THC and a total cannabinoid percentage of 27.52 – oh my!

Hash Plant used to be one of my favorites around 2008-2009. It’s a short, compact Indica plant that has a dank, Kush smell, and a strong Indica high that really sets you back in your seat.

Faceoff OG is a serious, knock-out strain. Not for beginners, as they say. Good stuff for a serious chill-out sesh. I’m surprised how often I come across it while researching other strains, Faceoff OG seems to have found it’s way into the lineage of a number of strains.

The Look, Smell and Taste

Farmer And The Felon have opted for a flavor-seal bag to package their product in… there is a little window in the front of the bag to check out the herb you’re buying. On the back of the package are the words “Cannabis For Change”, the standard California warning, their web address and they let us know they are proud sponsors of The Last Prisoner Project. I certainly applaud that, as you may have gathered.

The bag was double sealed, first with a tear-off seal on top and then a zip-lock inside. But unfortunately these seals didn’t prevent the herb inside from being a bit dry. I could tell the small to medium sized light green nugs had a good cure – the smell was there, in a mellow fashion – but Hashbar OG is known to have a very mellow smell so I wasn’t surprised.

The aroma that hit my nose when I cut up the first nug was the traditional, hashy, dank Kush smell. Unmistakable if you’ve ever spent time with a Kush strain. Already my brain was getting excited by just that smell… it’s a sensation that takes me back to the days when I used to photograph herb for collectives in Long Beach. Smell is such a time-machine.

I should also note there was a sweet pine smell to the nugs, and they had a slightly sour OG finish. This strain definitely landed on the sweeter side of the OG family… all-in-all, a delightful combination of smells.

The flavor of the herb was just like the smell – dank, kushy, earthy, woodsy… a bit piney. The smooth smoke had such a nice aftertaste that I let the few hits I took during my first sesh with this herb linger on my tongue. My mind drifting back over the years, remembering the delightful Hash Plant strains I had smoked over a decade ago…

Hold it… just a few hits?!? Did I read that right? Oh yes, let’s talk about how strong this herb was…

The Effects

Stoned. I think they must have invented the term for this strain. There was no “high” the first few seshes I had with this one – it went straight to stoned from the first hit! And then to very stoned, as the effects quickly built to a powerful (but pleasant) kick to the head that settled on to the shoulders and down into the body.

In moments I felt the familiar cannabis vibrations throughout my body – strongly – from the ends of my toes to the tips of my dreads. Then the stone transformed – from the nearly overwhelming experience of cannabinoids and terpenes flooding the system – to pure comfort within a few short minutes. Ahhh!

And that was after just three hits, oh boy!

The effects at that point were pure “couchlock”. I don’t use that term too often, but in this case it fit. Want an herb that puts you back in your chair and makes you stay there? Try Hashbar OG and see if it doesn’t do the trick.*

The high lasted for awhile. I kind of lost track of the time when we retired to the patio to watch the moon rise while the afternoon sunlight transformed into blues, pinks, oranges and purples as twilight approached across the desert valley below… it was a perfect evening. When the stoned effects wore off I didn’t really notice – it just faded away into the night.

The Follow-Up

The seshes towards the end of the eighth lost some of the original kick, but that’s just because I have a higher tolerance then the average smoker. The hashy, Kush flavor kept bringing me back, and as my body got used to the effects it was easier to smoke through a bowl and get stuff done, like write this post. The body comfort side of the effects didn’t diminish at all and were, by the end of the bag, what I was enjoying the most from this strain.

I give this strain a solid thumbs up. I would recommend this for a more seasoned-smoker looking for a seriously chill sesh… a novice might find the initial effects overwhelming. Would I buy this again? I don’t see any reason not to… I’d love to spend more time with this herb, while supporting a good cause like The Last Prisoner Project. It’s a win-win!

Have a great week. I hope your bowl is full of delightful cannabis and your head is in a pleasant place. Until next time, best of health.

*I would like to point out that your smoking experience will, quite likely, vary from mine – smoking herb is a subjective experience based on many factors including the set and setting of the user, so keep that in mind when trying out this herb or any herb I review.

 

The Lowdown

StrainHashbar OG
TypeHybrid – Indica Dom.
GeneticsHash Plant X Faceoff OG
BrandFarmer And The Felon
Location PurchasedThe Lighthouse | Palm Springs
THC Level23.10%
Cost$35 + tax
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.45 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingFlavor Seal Bag
ColorTan, Light Green, Medium Green
FreshnessWell Cured, but a little dry.
TouchLight Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3
Smell
Base SmellSweet, with sour undertones…
Secondary SmellsPine
Secondary Smells – OtherKush, dank, a hint of pepper
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3.25
Smell ImpressionThe jar smell is light. A very Kush smell.
Taste
FlavorEarthy
Flavor – OtherSweet, Pine, Woodsy, Kush
Smoke TextureSmooth
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating3.5
Taste ImpressionsHas a Kush taste, predominately.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsPhysical, Relaxing, Creative
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4
Effects ImmpressionThis one had no high – went straight to stoned.
Pros1. Very stony for a seasoned smoker
Cons1. Extremely stony for a novice smoker
Total Rating3.45
Total Rating – Why?While this is a very good herb and the stone is quite nice, it just doesn’t get to that next level…
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Arcanna Cannabis Flowers | Lion Claw

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Click to see the video review!

Review

Welcome back to the red bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

Thank you for joining us as we do something a little different this week. Usually we have a transcript of the video in this spot, but the transcript didn’t get finished in time – so here we are, the show goes on!

Lion Claw first caught my attention last month because of the name. Rather different for a cannabis strain, so I paused to check it out, and that’s when I discovered that this strain is a Ruderalis hybrid?!? Say what? Ruderalis? I immediately googled Ruderalis and started researching. You can read the results of my research in the section at the end.

The jar presentation is very nice. A dark, smoky amber jar that prevents you from seeing what’s inside… it also keeps cannabis-destroying light out of the jar! The jar just added to the mystery of the strain, and for days I would pick up the jar, turn it around and wonder what I’d find inside.

The other day we finally filmed the review and I got to see what was in this mysterious jar. Inside was a collection of small to medium nugs with one large nug that weighed in at 1.62 grams… the color was medium green with hints of purple and a scattering of orange hairs.

The contents of the jar weighed 3.57 grams! I was very pleased because I’m often surprised by the number of brands that skimp on their eighths, which is not cool.

I picked out one nug to cut up and put in the bong… the dense, well-cured nug cut up very nicely, like slicing through a hard cheese. The strong smell of sweet berries and pine were rising strongly from the tray. I was getting excited by what I was seeing, smelling and the stickiness on my fingers after the bowl was loaded.

“I have never smoked Ruderalis before,” I mused at the camera as I got ready to light the bong, “until right this moment.”

I felt the smoke slide through my mouth and it felt like a sugary berry Kool-aid drink being poured down my throat. Oh yum, I thought. I quickly took a second bong toke. Already the high was moving in and I messed up the take, so we did another and I took another rip… and that’s how it went for the rest of the filming. Soon I had taken about seven delicious hits and I was getting sooo stoned.

The effect – even at that unexpectedly high level – was thoroughly comfortable to me, but I do have a high tolerance. I would call the high “a solid cannabis high” – just like cannabis should feel. It wasn’t as “fuzzy” as some strains, but definitely on the relaxed side.

I would recommend that a novice smoker go easy on this one. The seemingly low THC level might fool someone into thinking this herb is lightweight. It isn’t, but if you just take a couple hits the buzz is very pleasant, and you’ll still feel like getting up and doing stuff or getting into a creative project. The buzz was very much like an Indica-dominate hybrid with a hint of OG.

After the filming, and consuming a little more herb than I had planned, we retired to the patio and watched the light fade across the hi-desert as twilight approached. I was in such a good place from the herb… I felt talkative and alert. The high lasted well into the next hour and faded into a comfortable body high – very relaxed and not groggy.

Will I get this one again? Absolutely! Two thumbs up to Heart Rock Mountain Farm for creating this strain and to Arcanna Cannabis Flowers for making this available to the masses.

Thank you for joining me this week and until next week, best of health.

The Follow Up

After we finished the video review, and several hours later when the high had worn off, I started wondering… does this herb have a “ceiling” on the high? Because I hadn’t reached it yet, even as high as I had gotten during the filming.

Every herb I’ve ever encountered has a certain level of high you can get to – a ceiling if you will – no matter how much you smoke. It seems that smoking too much can actually diminish your high. Many seasoned-smokers will talk about “smoking themselves sober” – smoking so much at once that by the time the sesh is done you’re actually feeling more sober than stoned. Strange, but I’ve experienced this a number of times in my life.

This ceiling is different for every herb. Some definitely have a low ceiling. Several hits in and you are there. Some have a high ceiling and you can take a lot of hits before the high turns to sober. And a few… it’s like there’s no ceiling at all.

While getting way stoned on the Lion Claw during the video filming – there seemed to be no ceiling. It felt like if I had kept on smoking, I would have just floated off into the clouds. The thought ran around my head for a couple days, until I knew what I had to do before this eighth was gone – I had to find the Lion Claw ceiling.

Last night, I decided to take one for the team and go the distance… I would smoke until I found that ceiling. I cut up over a gram of herb and packed the first bowl as full as possible – over a quarter gram of sweet smelling cannabis. We filmed the event, so as the camera rolled I started to count off hits.

By the fourth bong rip – in just a couple minutes – my head was starting to feel like it was growing bigger, as if my aura was blowing up like a balloon. I had to take a break after five hits and gather myself… how high am I right now?

I took one more hit to dust the bowl, emptied it in the ashtray and packed another bowl. At this point I felt about as high as I like to get, and usually I’d ride this buzz for the next couple of hours. But not last night. I knew I hadn’t found the ceiling yet.

The camera started rolling again and I took hit number 7. 8. 9… oh my. I was seriously eight miles high at this point. And when I say seriously, I mean it. This challenge had lost it’s humor and had become a relentless climb up the mountain. I grit my teeth and prepared to press on…

“Hit number ten,” I said to the camera, holding up all ten fingers. The bowl was nearly finished but still held one more big hit. I held it in and… I think I bumped my head on the Lion Claw ceiling. In a moment I was sure – after the tenth hit I felt just a bit LESS stoned than five minutes earlier.

I looked at the camera and announced we had reached our goal… and boy, that was a lot of smoke to inhale in such a short period of time. I got up from the red bench with my body still vibrating from the herb. I felt sooo good because the Lion Claw buzz is very pleasant, even when pushed to the limits.

I would like to point out that I could have kept smoking… I’ve been in seshes that went on way longer than just ten hits. But I had reached the point of diminished returns, and that’s a good place to stop.

Background – About Ruderalis

Ruderalis used to be considered the ugly stepchild of the cannabis world because it grew very differently from it’s sisters – Indica or Sativa – and most growers weren’t interested in getting involved with this cannabis type. Back in the day, books on how to grow cannabis recommended avoiding Ruderalis because of it’s low THC content and difficulty growing.

Ruderalis is a very short cannabis plant from Russia, Siberia and Central Asia. It only grows about a foot to two and a half feet tall. It tends to grow a single, main stem with limited side-branching which leads to a smaller harvest than an Indica or Sativa. Indica plants grow three to five feet tall, and a Sativa can grow up to twenty feet tall under the right conditions.

The Ruderalis type of cannabis does a thing called autoflowering. That means it will automatically go to flower after a certain amount of time (typically 20-30 days), no matter what the lighting conditions are. As you probably know, Indica and Sativa go to flower once the photo period changes to about half the day in light and half in darkness, just like when Fall arrives.

Because it autoflowers after just a couple of weeks of vegetative growth, the flowers are ready to harvest after just 70-110 days! But, as I mentioned above, the harvest size isn’t as big as it’s cannabis sisters. This can all be changed with breeding…

Ruderalis, in it’s natural state, is also high in CBD and low in THC. So until recently, no one was interested in this strange flower. But the interest in CBD and the desire to have cannabis plants that flower quickly on a regular schedule has changed that. Ruderalis is now getting some attention and certain breeders are now creating hybrid strains, crossing Ruderalis with Indicas and Sativas.

Ruderalis flowers are naturally chunky, solid buds and the strain we’re looking at today – Lion Claw from Arcanna Cannabis Flowers – inherits that quality. Seriously dense nugs.

Lion Claw is a Ruderalis hybrid that started with Ruderalis plants grown in Mexico and brought to Northern California where they were crossed with Lion’s Gate OG by Heart Rock Mountain Farm in Mendocino. The official genetics are: Lions Gate OG X Mexican Cultivar / Siberian Ruderalis.

The Lowdown

StrainLion Claw
TypeHybrid – Ruderalis
GeneticsLions Gate OG X Mexican Cultivar / Siberian Ruderalis
BrandArcanna Cannabis Flowers
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level18.86
Cost$40
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.57 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingDark Smoky Amber Glass Jar
ColorMedium Green, Orange, Hint of Purple
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchMedium Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3.75
Look & Feel ImpressionsThe dark jar keeps the herb fresher! Nice nugs, very dense.
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine, Fruity (berry)
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating3.75
Smell ImpressionA very complex smell
Taste
FlavorEarthy
Flavor – OtherFruity (like berries), Sweet like a Kool-Aid
Smoke TextureSmooth
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.75
Effects
How Much Ingested?7 hits (nearly a 1/2 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?Starts in the head, moves down into the body.
Main EffectsPhysical, Relaxing, Narcotic, Creative
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.25
Effects ImpressionWith just a few hits this is a very social herb, easy going and good for daytime. The high has a very high ceiling. After 7 hits my head (or the aura around my head) felt like it had grown twice it’s normal size.
Total Rating3.9
Total Rating – Why?I wasn’t sure what to expect smoking a Ruderalis strain for the first time, but I really loved the high! A very good smoke all around!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Coastal Sun | Banjo

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Banjo is our signature strain and all-time best seller. This tasty hybrid is a cross of Boost and Tangelo with tangie zest and pine flavors. Its uplifting euphoric effects are great for a mood boost, while its mellow after effects can offer significant pain relief. A great daytime strain to enhance mood and help with daily aches and pains. Banjo tests at 4.5% terpenes! Pinene alone makes up 2% of the terpene profile. This cultivar also regularly tests over 30% total cannabinoids.- Coastal Sun Website

 

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench – it’s time for another Red Bench Review!

I want to thank you for joining us this week, because we are going to look at something special. This is a Sativa-dominate hybrid strain called Banjo, and it comes from Coastal Sun Farm up in Northern California. This is their signature strain, so I’m expecting there’s going to be a lot of goodness in here… let’s get in and do some close-ups and see what we’ve got.

 

Alright, here’s the jar from Coastal Sun that contains the Banjo… as we spin it around we see we’ve got a little label here that says this has 26% THC. Now we go back to the top where it says that we’re going to have some pine, we’re going to have some tangie zest… I want to find out what tangie zest is going to be like! Let’s get into this… let’s open this up, and check it out.

We’ve got a flavor-seal on the jar… [Jon opens the jar an inhales] oh, that has a really great smell! It’s not orange, it’s not lemon, it’s in-between there… it’s not tangerine, it’s tangelo! It is exactly what it says… a zest, I would say, and in there is a hint of pine… I imagine that’s going to come out more in the taste. [Genetics: Boost X Tangelo]

Let’s dump this out on the tray and see what it looks like… oh my, there’s some nice looking little nugs in here… they feel really nice… lots of frostiness, that I can see. Let’s do some close-ups, weigh this out, and we’ll be back in a minute.

As you can see from the close-up, that’s a nice looking nug… it’s kind of frosty, very tannish-green color – I really like that… it’s unusual.

We’re going to cut up this little nug and get a feel for the cure… as we cut this up, the scissors have a certain resist that they feel from the nug because the nug has a good cure, not dry at all – breaking up very fresh. That tangelo smell is just popping up there… it really does smell like you have taken the tangelo peel and you have zested it! I’m liking that smell! Let’s put this in the bong and check it out…

[Jon muses while lighting the bong]

Yeah, so I researched this strain about a month ago and got really excited about it, and I can’t believe the moment is actually here that I’m about to taste the Banjo… so let’s get into this and check it out!

[Jon takes a bong rip]

Smooth… very smooth. That was like a nice, cool drink of orange juice… that’s what that tasted like as it just slid down my throat… like I was sipping on some orange juice. Wow, I’d like to have this for breakfast in the morning! That is really good – it’s already tingling the synapses in my brain… they are just starting to pop a little bit – oh my goodness, let’s take a second hit and see where this goes…

[Jon muses again while lighting the bong]

Oh my… such a great aftertaste right now in my mouth… very orangey, tangerine – a tangelo taste…

[Jon takes a second bong rip and starts coughing]

Oh wow – that hit the back of my throat – bounced right back out again. Oh my gosh… yes, this is smooth, but if you take too big a bong toke I guess that’s what’s gonna happen… wow, oh boy – that like hit my brain like a hammer. Oh my gosh… a good hammer.. a nice, you know, happy marijuana hammer. Let’s take 10 minutes… I’m gonna like sit on this and I’m gonna fully soak in the Banjo. I will be back and I will tell you where this is taking me.

[ten minutes later… condition: feelin’ good]

Wow… I am four hits into this one, and I am loving it! In a word, this is what I would say about this strain – “soothing”. Complete body comfort has come in and has taken over, but I am not feeling hazy one bit – because when that soothing feeling came in, it came in with a pronounced clarity. My mind is feeling alert, it’s feeling sharp, it’s feeling creative, it’s feeling like getting stuff done. This is good herb for that “get up and go” kind-of-feel, but at the same time your body is like “oh man, I am… I’m feeling the stone… I am feeling the stone on…” good times.

This is definitely on my list of herbs to buy… anytime I’m shopping and I come across this – if I’ve got the money to buy it, I’m going to, because this is a great one! I thank you so much for joining us this week…

[Jon spaces out for a second]

I was having so much mental clarity, I forgot what I was doing! Let’s take a last bong toke… this is a happy herb, a feel-good herb…

[Jon takes a last bong rip]

Pure citrus goodness… the aftertaste, as I mentioned before… so brilliant. You can’t beat that. You just want to let that just sit in your mouth and hover on that for a while.

Thank you so much for joining us this week… fun herb! If you enjoyed this video, if it’s been helpful, if it’s been informative, if it’s been entertaining – we ask that you subscribe to our YouTube channel.

I also want to encourage you to visit our our website at redbenchreviews.com where I do a daily sesh Monday through Friday where I write about the herb and all kinds of things in the cannabis world, so you might want to come and subscribe to that.

Thank you so much, and until next time, best of health!

 

The Follow-up

I have been going very slow on this herb like I’m hoarding a precious object. There is none currently available near where we live, and yet, I have probably come across one of the best herbs I’ve ever smoked. What a dilemma! What to do?!? I will be hounding my favorite collective to get this one in stock – ASAP.

The high is as near to perfect I’ve ever had… if it would just last longer than an hour (given my high tolerance) I would have given this a five for effects – a first for me. Banjo has a certain positive vibe that is unique to this strain…

When I think about what I consider the Holy Grail of herb, I am looking for a high that is focused, with a great mental clarity and a creative burst – accompanied by a body high that completely puts the body at ease. These are effects that come up again and again when trying out new strains, but the mix of effects is where the cannabis high magic happens. Some strains have it, and Banjo has the magic.

I’m attributing a lot of the Banjo good vibes to the creator of this strain – Parker Sullivan. Coastal Sun Farm has made a nice video about the origins of the Banjo with some thoughts from it’s creator about this strain… check it out below!

I want to make one last comment about the smell of this strain, and I need to say this because it didn’t get noticed in my first impressions of the herb captured on the video.

Cheese… the more I smell the herb the more a nice stinky cheese smell comes through. The pine smell, which I was really expecting, was practically absent. I kept smelling for it, but smelled it only faintly. The overall smell is, without a doubt, fantastic.

Put this one on your list? I recommend it, with two thumbs up!! ??

 

The Lowdown

StrainBanjo
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsBoost X Tangelo
BrandCoastal Sun Farm
THC Level26%
Cost$40
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.49 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorTan, Bright Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchMedium Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating4.25
Look & Feel ImpressionsA unique color – a tan and bright green mix with a light frost of trichomes.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsFruity, Citrus
Secondary Smells – OtherTangelo! All the way! The citrus is strong in this one… with a hint of vanilla
Strength – SmellStrong
Smell Rating4.5
Smell ImpressionThe smell is so clean and fresh with a strong citrus smell. The smells totally narrows down to a Tangelo smell that is amazing, especially on the fingers after cutting up a bud.
Taste
FlavorCitrus
Flavor – OtherTangelo!
Smoke TextureSmooth
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4.5
Taste ImpressionsTotal tangelo flavor – like you have taken the skin and zested it. Amazing aftertaste. It’s worth smoking just for the aftertaste.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Motivating, Creative
Strength – EffectsPronounced
Duration30-45 mintues
Effects Rating4.75
Effects ImmpressionPronounced clarity – better than coffee, not jittery. Very calm, positive vibe. The body high is near perfect! Completely comfortable.
Total Rating4.5
Total Rating – Why?This is such an exceptional herb. Closing in on the Holy Grail!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Cru Cannabis | Jack F1

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Descriptions

Jack F1 is a first generation hybrid developed by hybridizing Skunk #1 with Northern Lights and Mexican Haze. This 75% sativa-dominant strain produces very imaginative and energetic sensations, while simultaneously relaxing those tense nerves. With high concentrations of THC, Jack F1 can definitely induce potent highs. After heating the buds, the spicy and sweet aromas are unleashed… – CannaConnection

 

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

I want to thank you for joining us this week – we’re going to look at a strain called Jack F1. This Sativa-dominant strain – which is 75% Sativa and 25% Indica – is a combination of three strains. Those strains are Skunk #1, Northern Lights and Mexican Haze – which are all good strains on their own, but what is it like when you put them all together?

The version we’re looking at this week comes from Cru Cannabis, and this is a 26.37% THC variety. I am really curious what is that going to be like? So let’s unbox this one… let’s get into it and do some close-ups and take a look inside the box…

Alright, here’s the box from Cru Cannabis with the Jack F1 in it. There’s a little warning on the side here… on the back there is information – it tells us this is a little more active than relaxed and it’s going to give us cerebral invigoration. I want cerebral invigoration – absolutely! Now let’s look at the top – there’s a bit of information on the label, which is where we found out that it has 26.37% THC – thumbs up on that!

Okay, let’s open this box up. As you can see, it’s got a little package inside… there’s the package…

…on the back there it says Cru Cannabis. That looks like an interesting package of cannabis. I would like to get into this and find out what it smells like… and taste it.

Alright let’s cut this bag open, and take a look inside… let’s find out what this smells like.

[Jon cuts open the bag]

It immediately hit me with a pine smell, very pine… that is… wow, that’s just predominantly a pine smell. Let’s find out if there’s anything more in here… any more smells. Let’s dump this out on the tray and take a look. That is a nice looking eighth. There a couple nice nugs there… some smalls… some really smalls. Let’s weigh this out, do some close-ups and we’ll be right back.

Alright you can see from the close-up that is a very dense-looking nug there… let’s get into it! We’re gonna take this little guy and cut it up to get a feel for the cure. My initial reaction is that this is a little dry… but I’m cutting it up and the cure in this is pretty nice… it gets a little sticky as you get into it. The aromas are coming up… as I mentioned that is a bit pine – a lot pine. It’s also got an astringent kind of smell… sort of medicinal. It reminds me a bit of the strain called Trainwreck. If you’re familiar with Trainwreck, imagine that smell and that’s what we’ve got.

Let’s put this in the bong and see how it smokes because that’s what it really comes down to… right?!?

[Jon takes a bong rip]

There’s some fruity and floral kind of flavorings in there… both are very sweet… it tastes much different than the smell that I was smelling ahead of time. I don’t think I tasted any pine in there whatsoever… so, that’s really unusual. Let’s take a second rip and really taste the flavors.

[Jon takes a second rip]

Hmm… there’s lemon in there… okay lemon – that’s very predominant. There’s a hint of the pine down there… just a little bit of it coming in. Maybe I’m imagining it because I smelled it so strongly, but I got a hint of the pine in there… very interesting stuff.

The effects are just starting to trickle into my mind. I can feel them right around the edges – it’s very up here. [Jon makes motions around his head] Let’s give this ten minutes and see where this goes… we’ll be back.

[ten minutes later – condition: a Sativa stone]

Oh my – I transitioned so fast from feeling really straight to being stoned in moments. Wow! That was a ride but now it’s all settled down… I am stoned… I am really stoned. This is a good herb! That just took about three or four hits.

The high right now is just perfect for what I would call “brainstorming herb”. This is the kind of herb – if I’m just getting into a creative project and I don’t exactly know what pieces I’m putting together yet and I just want to get a whole bunch of ideas going… this is the herb for it!

Right now my brain is just hopping all over the place instead of like just focusing in as a Sativa sometimes does. This one has got my brain just popping like that [Jon makes popping motions in the air around his head] and I’m enjoying it!

Oh my, oh my… this is some fun herb! If you want to hang out with some friends and just let the ideas flow… just let them go, this would be a fun herb for that.

You know what? I’m gonna take another bong rip and I’m gonna sit down at the computer and I’m gonna do some writing… I don’t know where that adventure will go, but this is some good herb to get into it… I’m gonna use this for some writing, yup!

Okay let’s take a last bong rip (for now) and check out the smoke.

[Jon takes a bong rip]

Oh man… my word… hold on, I’m running ahead of myself. My brain started moving into a space as I was taking that hit… I almost forgot we were filming. My brain was like… “okay what’s that idea?!?” [Jon stares off into space]

Let me tell you about that smoke – this smoke is very thick, kind of oily… the kind of thing that gunks up your throat a little bit. I coughed a lot off camera – holy moly, it’s a crazy smoke. So you’re gonna want to drink a lot of water and get hydrated for this one. [Jon coughs] See! It’s got a little tickle in my throat going.

Thank you so much for joining us this week… this is a fun herb. I would totally recommend the Jack F1 from Cru Cannabis – good stuff!

Thank you for joining us and if this video was an informative and useful – fun, entertaining… any of those things, then please subscribe to our YouTube channel, and until next week, best of health!

 

The Lowdown

StrainJack F1
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsSkunk #1 X Northern Lights X Mexican Haze
BrandCRU Cannabis
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level26.37%
Cost$45
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.50 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingFlavor Seal Bag in a Box
ColorBright Green
FreshnessWell Cured, but a touch dry
TouchMedium Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsThe packaging isn’t what sold me… I picked this one because of the strain. Nice looking eighth.
Smell
Base SmellSpicy
Secondary SmellsPine, Lemon
Secondary Smells – Othermedicinal, astringent
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating3.5
Taste
FlavorFruity
Flavor – Othersweet with a hint of pine
Smoke TextureThick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.5
Taste ImpressionsThick, almost overwhelming smoke – kind of oily
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Motivating, Creative
Strength – EffectsPronounced
Duration30-45 mintues
Effects Rating4
Effects ImpressionThis is a fun herb! Came in strong – quick transition to being stoned. Brainstorming herb!
Total Rating3.625
Total Rating – Why?The look, smell and taste were very good but the high was a winner! Loved the high…
Would I buy this again?Yes

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Coastal Sun | THC Bomb

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

THC Bomb; our original signature strain, has created rave reviews around the world. This unique mixture of giant, rock-hard buds with explosive THC levels make it one for commercial growers and connoisseurs alike. Like Big Bomb, the harvest will be massive coupled with the power and strength of white strains. THC Bomb has very high levels of THC, well over 20% when grown under optimum conditions. The plant grows with extreme vigour and strength while staying relatively short and finishing very fast for such a large yielder. Outdoors THC Bomb can produce well over 1kg per plant. When ready to harvest the plant will literally be covered in frosty white trichromes. THC Bomb was developed to be something special delivering on every level: yield, strength, taste and speed! – Bomb Seeds

 

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of the video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

I’m so glad you could join us this week because we’re looking at a strain that is brand new to me. This is one that I just picked up last week at a dispensary down in Desert Hot Springs [Desert’s Finest] and I’ve been excited to try it ever since. This one is called THC Bomb and it comes to us from Coastal Sun Farm up in Northern California. They are an organic farm growing “healthy plants that heal humans”. This jar contains a Sativa that has 28% THC – that sounds to me like a THC Bomb, so let’s get into this jar and do some close-ups!

Alright, let’s look at this jar with the THC Bomb in it… it’s got a little label on the back here telling us how much THC we’ve got in there… on the top it tells us it’s going to be a lemon-diesel and wood grain flavor – really excited to find out what that smells like, so let’s unseal this jar and get inside.

Alright, let’s see what we’ve got in here… oh nice, a flavor seal means they care! Nice big nugs in there, let’s dump this out and take a look inside… oh they’re so sticky they don’t even want to leave the jar!

Those nugs have a nice solid, very dense quality… it feels like a good cure in there. The lemon smell, the lemon-diesel smell, is just popping up from the herb. Let’s weigh these out, and take some close-ups of these nugs and we’ll be back in just a minute.

Look at these nugs… as you can see from the close-up those are some really nice looking nugs here. We’re going to take this one and cut it up and get ready to put it in the bong. Let’s get a feel for this… oh, that just cuts up really nice. Really slices up wonderfully. That is well-cured marijuana right there, all right! What is this gonna smoke like? I want to find out – so let’s put this in the bong and fire it up!

Oh my, I’ve been waiting for this moment for days… okay, here we go.

[Jon takes a bong rip]

Lemon, Diesel… a bit woody… just a little bit woody… just as advertised. They nailed those flavors exactly. I’m not feeling anything yet from that first hit, so let’s jump into a second hit and see how it does.

[Jon takes a second bong rip]

Love that flavor… nice, smooth… a nice thick smooth hit. The diesel is coming in very strong on that second hit… very nice. You know what we’re gonna do? We’re take a couple more bong rips off camera and sit on this for about ten minutes. We’ll be right back, and we’ll give you our notes on how this… oh my, I’ll tell you right now – before we even get away for ten minutes, that this is going straight to my head! Oh my gosh, this has got an immediate effect that’s coming in strong… we’ll be back in ten minutes, and we’ll give you a rundown on where I am then.

[ten minutes later]

Wow – that one came straight in with an uplift. It was like a shot of espresso… my body is still pulsating with energy from those hits. My eyes were immediately cleared after smoking it… I was kind of a little bit of fuzzy before and it sharpened my brain. This is a Sativa – a serious Sativa… straight up.

This is very active herb. You know what I’m gonna do as soon as we’re done filming this video? I’m gonna get straight into editing. Usually I let it sit for a little bit and then come back to it later on in the day or the next day – but not today! I’ll probably take another hit of this herb and get straight into editing because my brain is buzzing like a beehive right now.

There was lemon and diesel flavors in there… I didn’t understand what they were saying about wood grain before I tried this, but I do now. There is a little woodiness that is under there, a little bit of a lumber yard flavor (meaning there is a bit of a fresh-cut lumber smell) which is very interesting… I’ve never mixed lemon, diesel and a little bit of woody together… so that was a really nice flavor.

The smoke was very smooth, very thick, totally enjoyed that. I’m more of an Indica guy, so I’m gonna probably make a blend of this with a nice Indica that I’ve got… I’m gonna mix them up and try that out.

I totally recommend this one if you’re a Sativa person… they nailed it… a strong, energetic, Sativa buzz.

We’re going to take one last bong rip… not that I need it. I only took three hits and this herb got me going as you can tell… I’m very talkative… I feel like I’ve had a cup of coffee and a shot of espresso to follow!

[Jon takes another bong rip]

Look at that beautiful, thick smoke… just the way we like it!

Thank you for joining us this week for this review… we give a recommendation that if you are a Sativa person, check out THC Bomb from Coastal Sun Farm. You can look them up online and it is available all across California.

Thanks for joining us… if this has been a helpful or informative review, we ask that you subscribe to our YouTube channel, and until next week, best of health.

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The Follow Up

Coastal Sun Farm sent me a message when I asked about the genetics. Apparently the genetics are a bit of a secret, but this strain is an Indica/Sativa hybrid. The seeds came from Bomb Seeds in the Netherlands. I would say this cultivar from Coastal Sun definitely leans towards the Sativa side. We’ll officially classify this one here at the red bench as a Sativa-dominate hybrid.

As I noted in the review – the highs were energetic and uplifting, almost too powerful when I took a few quick rips in a row. I learned to go slow with this one and let the effects hit before overdoing it. After about fifteen minutes the high settled into a wonderful groove, a creative and active grooviness.

I had a handful of seshes that were just straight THC Bomb to really feel the power of the herb, but because I’m more of an Indica person, I tried a couple seshes where I blended the THC Bomb with some strongly Indica-leaning Skywalker OG. The flavors were very complimentary and the high got even better for me as the Indica added a nice lower-end body high, lots of body comfort. Like adding some extra bass to a musical mix.

Now for the all-important question – would I buy this again? I would definitely buy this again in a two-thumbs up fashion! Even as an Indica lover, I appreciate that Sativa kick too. I really enjoyed my time spent hanging out with the THC Bomb running around my brain 🙂

As a final note – the power of the Sativa side of the herb seemed to fade as I progressed through the eighth. My last couple seshes with this herb were a balanced ride, still very active but more contemplative.

Thank you Bomb Seeds for creating this strain and thank you Coastal Sun Farm for doing such a great job of bringing this cannabis goodness to the people!

The Lowdown

StrainTHC Bomb
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsUnknown – Seeds from Bomb Seeds
BrandCoastal Sun Farm
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level28%
Cost$40
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.53 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorBright Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid, Dense
Look & Feel Rating4
Look & Feel ImpressionsVery impressive, well-cured nugs.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsDiesel, Lemon
Secondary Smells – OtherWood or lumber
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3.75
Taste
FlavorSweet
Flavor – OtherLemon, diesel and a hint of wood or lumber
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating4
Taste ImpressionsA delightful smoke, the flavors don’t overwhelm the senses and the smoke is nice and thick.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Eyes
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Creative, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.25
Effects ImmpressionImmediate effects that provided an uplift like a shot of espresso. Cleared my eyes and brain and left me pulsating with energy.
Pros1. Generous eighth – weighed more than an eighth.
2. Well-priced.
Total Rating3.95
Total Rating – Why?A very good strain done exceptionally well.
Would I buy this again?Yes
High Garden | Mendo Breath

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Mendo Breath is an interesting mix of OGKB (OGKushBreath, which is the supposed patriarch in the Cookies Fam genetics) and Mendo Montage. Their forces combined make dense frosty buds that reek of sweet vanilla and caramel. But no matter how good this smells, save it for after work. This thumper can pivot your entire day’s plans with its powerful body high built for chronic pain and discomfort. – Leafly.com

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another red bench review…

We’re so glad that you joined us this week because we want to talk to you about a strain called Mendo Breath. This strain is very near and dear to my heart. I get it at the local collective whenever they have it in stock. The reason I do that is because I use this for medicinal purposes.

I have depression – chronic depression, and it hits me on a regular basis. When it does, not only does it mess with my head, but it messes with my body. It is a very physical illness. A lot of times it feels like I have the flu… my arms feel weird and my body feels uncomfortable… I get aches… I get pains… it’s a whole kit-and-caboodle of badness.

When that hits me I need to deal with it, and the way I do that is I smoke an herb that’s appropriate for this illness. One of those herbs that I’ve come across in my travels is Mendo Breath. Mendo Breath, being an Indica, is very good for the body… and this strain hits the body in a really good way. At least it does for me. Not only does it help me with the mental issues that depression brings on, but it helps with the physical body issues. A lot of times I don’t feel like I fit comfortably in my body and Mendo Breath puts me back in my body the way I want!

This particular version that we’re looking at today comes from High Garden. It comes in at 25.45% THC and that sounds pretty good… that should help out with my depression, which is hitting me hard this morning. You may not even know it by looking at me, but it is coming down like a hammer, and I’m gonna have to deal with it… so let’s get into this box and see what High Garden has put in here.

Let’s take a look at the outside of the box first… as you can see there’s a nice little view of the inside… there on the back it tells us this is a more relaxed herb, along with some other information. On the top they give you information like the THC content… let’s open this up and see what they put inside!

Alright, there’s the whole package. [Jon holds up the package from inside the box] That looks like a nice eighth of Mendo Breath. I’m really excited to get into this…

[Jon pours the eighth out onto the tray]

This looks like a nice size eighth… there are really nice smells coming up at me… it’s very piney and diesely with hints of citrus in there… very nice. It looks a little scrappy, but it looks a nice size eighth… let’s weigh this out and let’s do some close-ups and we’ll be right back. [eighth weighed in at 3.39 grams]

As you can see from the close-up there’s a little bit of purples in there… a little bit of oranges… it’s really nice looking… little dark green. They are a little fluffy… they’re not as dense as I would expect from an Indica… they have more of a Sativa kind of look to them.

Let’s take these little two nugs here… let’s cut those up and get inside. They have a nice cure to them. Not dry, just really well done… they cut up nicely… just slicing through nice little buds. The smell… the pine just kind of jumps up there… a little bit of diesel… oh, a little sweetness… a little bit of fruity sweetness in in. Okay, we’re going to put these in the bong and we’re going to take a rip.

[Jon takes a bong rip]

Gosh, that smells really good! There’s a sour taste that comes in with that… very nice sour taste… a little sour pine… a little bit of diesel. I love those gassy flavors, a little hint of those at the bottom… really delightful. Let’s take a second rip of this because we’re into something good here… we’re into something good all right.

[Jon takes a second bong rip]

Oh my, that is Mendo Breath, alright. That is definitely Mendo Breath. Mendo Breath is a cross between OG Kush Breath and Mendo Montage. Of all the times I’ve experienced it, that definitely nailed the flavor. Good job High Garden, awesome!

Well, the creeper effects of this are going to start coming in… I can just feel them starting to move in. Oh my, this is where the fun begins. My body is already – quickly – feeling a little bit of comfort. We’re going to be back in 10 minutes, and we’re going to tell you how this feels after the effects have settled in…

[ten minutes later]

Oh my, good times. Here we go! This one came in very strong after about five minutes, it just kind of overwhelmed me in a very good way, a very pleasant way, and now it’s settled into my body. I’m feeling comfortable – I’m feeling good… that discomfort that comes with depression has faded. My body is feeling good all through my core which normally doesn’t feel so good. This Mendo Breath – give it about 10 minutes and you’re in heaven.

I must say I was surprised looking at the buds… they looked like a Sativa, but they have a very Indica-like effect. Let’s take one last long rip of this and really put this one to bed. I just gotta say, this is very strong. I’ve taken three hits already, and this fourth one is gonna really nail it for me. I’ve got a high tolerance, so this is pretty strong herb.

[Jon takes a last bong rip]

Pure Indica delight… just the way I like it!

Thank you so much for joining us this week at the red bench. If you found this to be a useful and informative video review, we just ask that you subscribe to our YouTube channel… we really appreciate that!

Until next week, best of health.

 

The Follow Up

This batch of Mendo Breath is a little stronger than the version of this strain I picked up from my local collective. This is one that will definitely change up your day. Start slow and let the effects come on… they take at least 5-10 minutes to hit you and it’s easy to over-do-it if you start out too fast. Prepare for a chill sesh, because time is about to slow down and enter the stoned zone.

I’m keeping this eighth on hand for the days when the depression hits me. Serious medicine for a serious condition.

 

The Lowdown

StrainMendo Breath
TypeIndica
GeneticsOK Kush Breath X Mendo Montage
BrandHigh Garden
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level25.45%
Cost$35.00
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.39 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingFlavor Seal Bag
ColorDark Green, Purple, Orange
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchMedium Sticky
StructureAiry
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsA little scrappy looking…
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsPine, Diesel, Citrus, Pepper
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3.75
Taste
FlavorSweet
Flavor – OtherPine, Gassy (Diesel)
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4
Taste ImpressionsNow that tastes like Mendo Breath 🙂
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsPhysical, Relaxing, Contemplative, Body Comfort
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationTwo Hours
Effects Rating4
Effects ImpressionI got seriously lidded and after the full effects hit I was very stoned.
Pros1. I find this to be a great herb for depression.
Cons1. May be a little strong for an unseasoned smoker.
Total Rating3.8
Total Rating – Why?They totally nailed the Mendo Breath taste and feel!
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Disclaimer: Depression is a serious illness. I am, by no means, suggesting that cannabis will heal your depression. I use it to alleviate the symptoms of depression. I also have a mental health care professional I see on a regular basis, along with a daily regimen of prescription medicines I take. Cannabis is just a part of my plan for wellness.

Sessions Supply Co. | Mai Tai

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

The Mai Tai strain is a tropical strain that likely gets its sweet and tangy terpene profile from crossing Maui Waui with Tutti Frutti. However, there is some debate over this strain’s genetics as some claim it to be the cross between Sunset Sherbet and Purple Punch. Either way, when you open up a package of Mai Tai, you’ll be greeted with notes of citrus and berries combined with hints of fresh, damp earth and tropical flowers similar to what the cocktail offers. The taste is similar on the exhale, as its flavor becomes even more like its fruity cocktail cousin. – read more at Hytiva

 

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench… thank you for joining us for another session here. Today we’re going to look at a strain called Mai Tai that comes from Sessions Supply Company.

This strain, which comes in at 21.67% THC is a Sativa dominant hybrid, and it is a cross between Tutti Frutti and Maui Wowie. That sounds like a good summer herb to me. It should be nice and fruity… let’s find out as we get inside.

[close up]

Alright, let’s look at this box from Sessions Supply Company. We can see that it says Mai Tai and that it’s a hybrid cannabis. There’s a little logo on the side… back here is all the information telling you that it’s 21.67% THC. On the side it says they want to give you “sparkling inspiration”… let’s open up this box and see what they have put inside. As you can see it’s time to blast off… nice little swirls on the top so you know you’re smoking some marijuana.

A nice little jar… turning it around it looks like some pretty tight nugs inside. They’re pretty frosty tight nugs. Let’s open this up and get inside… let’s take off this this seal. Not impressive smell right off the bat. A little little citrus in there… I feel like the smell might be hidden inside the nugs and when we crack these open maybe we’ll get a better idea of what this really smells like, but the jar smells not that great.

Okay. Let’s pour this out and take a look at it. We’ve got a purple, dark green and orange nug here. This one looks really nice… I don’t even want to handle it too much because it’s got such frosted trichomes. You know, you’ve got to respect the herb. We’ve got a couple little small nugs in there…

What we’re going to do now is we’re going to take some close-ups of that big nug that I just showed you and we’re going to weigh this out. We’ll be back in just a moment.

As you can see from that close-up that is a beautiful looking nug with some purples, some oranges in there… really delightful. One little disappointment – when we weighed that out, it weighed only 3.36 grams, which is not quite an eight. A little disappointing.

We’re going to get into this now and we’re going to cut this open and we’re going to get the feel of this… we’re going to see how the cure is. Well that cuts really nicely… oh, and it’s a little dry. It’s just a little dry, it’s crumbling up here at the bottom of the tray… uh yeah, it’s really dry. Okay, let’s move forward – let’s put this in the bong, take a rip, and see what’s at the heart of this Mai Tai herb.

[Jon takes a bong rip]

I am not impressed, this is not the flavor I was expecting. This tastes stale… it’s not a fresh tasting flower at all. I’m going to take a second rip here because I want to get the effects. I’m hoping that the THC hasn’t degraded too much in this, because it really does not have a fresh flavor to it. Alright, bong rip number two – let’s see if this herb is going to stand up.

[Jon takes a second bong rip]

Yeah, I’ve just got to reiterate that this has a stale flavor to it… I imagine that maybe this might have been some good herb at one point, but all of the flavor is gone. I’m smoking a cardboard box… very disappointing.

[ten minutes later]

Well mark me disappointed. This herb did not match up to any of my expectations whatsoever. Very stale – it was dry, it was harsh when I smoked it. I took about four hits and I’m not feeling anything… well, maybe a smidge. Not at all what I was looking for, so I’m not even going to bother with the last bong toke.

I’m just thankful that you joined us today for this review. I’m sorry that this herb is disappointing. I’m gonna see down the road if I can get myself a good batch of this because maybe I just got a bad batch. I don’t know, but I’m going to see if i can get a good batch down the road and do another review of this herb. Anyways, thank you for joining us today, and until next time, best of health.

 

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Follow Up

I didn’t want to write off this eighth of herb. I added a small piece of lettuce to the jar to add moisture to it… I’ve done this numerous times over the years to restore some moisture to dry herb. Usually it works. After the lettuce was in the jar it started to develop a strange smell. I left the lettuce in another four hours and by this time there was a rank smell coming from the jar when I opened it. Not dank, but rank – horrible… unfortunately this jar is going to end up in the trash.

I am guessing the packaging just didn’t hold up. As I mentioned in the review, this looks like it was really good herb when it was packaged. It was packaged in December of 2019 and I opened it on August 8, 2020. Lesson learned – check the packaging date on the herb when you buy it, and don’t buy old herb.

I will keep my eyes out for another version of Mai Tai to review in the future, because I still don’t feel like I’ve had a proper Mai Tai experience.

 

The Lowdown

StrainMai Tai
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsTutti Fritti X Maui Wowie
BrandSessions Supply Co.
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level21.67
Cost$50
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.36 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar in Box
ColorDark Green, Purple, Orange
FreshnessStale
TouchNot Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating2
Look & Feel ImpressionsGood presentation… herb looks good, but the reality is it’s very dry and stale.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary Smells – OtherCardboard box
Strength – SmellSubtle
Smell Rating1
Smell ImpressionVirtually no smell.
Taste
Flavor – OtherStale!
Smoke TextureHarsh, Dry
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating1
Taste ImpressionsI don’t like smoking cardboard box flavored herb
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetNothing
Where Do You Feel It?No where
Main EffectsNothing
Strength – EffectsNot there
DurationNot experienced
Effects Rating1
Effects ImpressionMaybe I felt something… maybe not.
Total Rating1.25
Total Rating – Why?Apparently I got old, stale herb.
Would I buy this again?No
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Coastal Sun | Tropical Punch

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Tropical Punch is a slightly sativa dominant hybrid strain (60% sativa/40% indica) created through crossing the delicious Skunk X Haze X Northern Lights strains. Ready for a sweet punch of delicious tropical flavors? Tropical Punch will definitely bring that on, filling your mouth with delicious tropical pineapple and sour citrus with each and every toke. – read more at AllBud

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

During this sesh we’re going to be looking at a strain from Coastal Sun, from up in Northern California, called Tropical Punch, which sounds to me like a good strain for a summer afternoon. This strain comes in at 23% THC… it is a cross between some well-known strains like Haze, Skunk and Northern Lights. This brings a lot of heritage to it so we’re going to look forward to finding out what this tastes like. The information I have on this herb is that it should give me a good refreshing tropical fruit punch flavor, but what does that mean? Let’s find out! Let’s get into some close-ups and take a look…

Alright, let’s take a look at this jar that we got from Coastal Sun that holds our Tropical Punch in it. As you can see, it’s got a little label here on the side that tells us it’s 23% THC.

We’ve got our typical California warning label on the back. On the top it tells us that this is a berry flavor that is going to make us calm and sleepy… well let’s find out. You can see it’s got a little seal on the back so let’s open up the seal and get inside. It’s got a little flavor seal on the top. I always appreciate that… I like to think that they’re keeping my herb fresh for me. Let’s get into this and take a smell.

Okay, hold on, that’s tropical fruit punch, but let’s break this down… this is what’s standing out to me is just this tiny hint of jalapeno down under the flavor… it’s not the most predominant thing, but it keeps jumping out at me I feel like this little tart little sharp thing hits me. [Jon puzzles over the smell for a moment] I don’t have words to describe the smell right at this moment so we’re gonna we’re gonna come back to that…

Let’s dump this out on the tray and take a look at what they put in the jar.

Oh my, these are some very frosty nugs. [Jon, still puzzled by the smell, digresses] It really surprises me when I smell an herb and there isn’t a name I can put on the smell. This is something that I am working on, training my nose to smell even better. You gotta have a name that you can put on a smell to identify it. This smell comes in sweet and sour at the same time, with this pungent, tangy aroma, but there is nothing in my memory that says, “here you go Jon, this is what this smells like.” That is why I’m at a loss to describe the smell… but the nugs… we’re looking at light green buds with some oranges in them, a little bit of purples in them, they are very frosty with trichomes. I can’t wait to photograph these so we can see what a close-up of this looks like… we’re going to weigh this eighth out and we’ll be back in just a moment.

Our team [meaning Jon and Tania] put our noses together on this one and the best we could come up with is that this smells like a bit like an old box of incense and Bubble Yum – grape Bubble Yum most likely… so if you can put those smells together in your nose… but of course, because it’s marijuana, it smells wonderful. Now we’re going to take a look at this particular nug here… it looks so nice and purple… it’s covered with trichomes… nice purple flavors… it’s very dense, so let’s cut it open and see how the cure is… oh that just sliced through so nicely, look at that… well cured… we’re looking at well-cured nugs.

More of the grape Bubble Yum starts coming up there as you start cutting it apart, yeah, grape Bubble Yum… the incense starts to fall away as you cut it and the grape definitely rises to the surface. Let’s cut this all up because we want to get this in the bong and give a rip of this… really find out what it’s like.

By the way, we’re going to do a little smell test right now while we have it all cut up. This is a little something I learned this week. We’re going to see where I smell this in my nose… I’m smelling this right here in my nose…

…matter of fact, a little up here, and this tells me that this is a hybrid, more of a Sativa-dominate hybrid. If it’s an Indica you’re going to smell it lower in your nose, if it’s a sativa you’re going to smell it right up here, and if it’s a hybrid you’re going to smell it through the length of your nose depending on if it’s a Sativa or an Indica – higher and lower in your nose, depending. Why don’t you give that a try at home? Check that out with your own herb and see if that bears out. Anyways we’re going to put this now in the bong and we’re going to give it a rip. Alright, my favorite part… this is when we get to really enjoy it.

[Jon takes a bong rip]

That is very purple. Do you like a purple flavored herb? This one is very purple… what a nice aftertaste in my mouth. Let’s take a second rip and feel the flavor once more, because I just want to taste that again. Those trichomes just went up in flames and turned into delicious purpleness and I want to experience that happening all over again.

[Jon takes a second bong rip]

Right here…

…my head is just starting to feel it… this went straight to my head just like a Sativa. I don’t even feel it in my eyes, don’t even feel it in my body right now… just a delightful head high. I have a feeling this is going to progress, so we’ll be back in 10 minutes and we’ll tell you how this turns out.

[ten minutes later, condition: high]

This is a delightful herb. If you’re looking for something a little more mellow, something that’s not going to knock you off your feet, this is a really good herb. I took about four hits and I was talking off camera and I said I’m calling this “Easy Rider” because this is just a really nice cruise. I feel it in my head, it’s mainly a head herb… very little in my body. I feel it has mellowed me down. I feel like I’m slowed down a little bit. If I was in a more of a high anxiety kind of mode this might have taken me down a little bit… I think that’s the Indica doing that. At the same time I’m having very contemplative thoughts, this is one that you could definitely chill and just do some thinking… I think that’s the Sativa end of it. If you’re looking for something that just is a very chill herb, this might be the one that you’re looking for.

[Jon lights the hemp wick and pauses…]

I love purple herb… it’s just really wonderful. Granddaddy Purple, back 10 to 12 years ago, was my total jam… that’s what I used every time I could get it… the purpleness in this… I must say, very impressive…

[Jon takes a third bong rip]

That is some smooth herb, I must say. Look at that… big hits. No cough. Good, smooth herb.

I just want to thank you guys for joining us here at the red bench. It really makes our day! If you like this video, if it’s been helpful to you at all, we just ask that you subscribe, and we will be making more videos for you. Until next time, best of health.

 

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The Follow Up

I really enjoyed this eighth! It made me feel content, lifted, and elevated with a really clean head high. After about a half hour to forty-five minutes the head part of the high started to fade but for the next several hours my body felt a very relaxing body high. Not stony at all, at least for me, but a really delightful morning smoke. I can say from experience that this herb pairs well with coffee for a wonderful elevated morning sesh. Would I buy this again? Oh, yes 🙂

The Lowdown

StrainTropical Punch
TypeHybrid – Sativa dom.
GeneticsSkunk X Haze X Northern Lights
BrandCoastal Sun
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level23%
Cost$40
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.49 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorLight Green, Purple, Orange
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3.75
Smell
Base SmellSweet, Sour
Secondary SmellsFruity
Secondary Smells – OtherSour, Fruity, Old incense box crossed with grape Bubble Yum
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating3.5
Taste
FlavorWoody
Flavor – OtherSweet, grape Bubble Yum
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick, Heavy
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating4
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsMellow
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4
Effects ImpressionVery nice head high for about 30-45 minutes that settles down into a very pleasant body high that lasted several hours.
Pros1. Good high that doesn’t kick your butt
Cons1. That eighth went quickly…
Total Rating3.8
Total Rating – Why?Good herb, nice presentation, perfect for daytime smoking or for the less-seasoned smoker.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating ScaleSCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Visit The Product Catalog to find out how to get this herb!


CRU Cannabis | Pure Kush

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Clear your schedule because Pure Kush is one potent indica. A longtime favorite for pain relief, this strain will leave you feeling heavily sedated. Pure Kush’s strength begins with a signature kush aroma that is extremely pungent and skunky. Its head-heavy sensations may be complemented by a relaxing body feeling, giving Pure Kush its reputation as a powerful medical strain. – Leafly

 

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

During this sesh we’re going to be looking at a strain called Pure Kush. I like to call it the Legendary Pure Kush because I’ve had this strain a few times and loved it each and every time, but right now that’s a distant memory… it’s something I remember from eight or nine years ago and I haven’t experienced it any time since then.

Legend has it that Pure Kush is a heavy, heavy strain… the kind that will knock you on your ass. Well this one from CRU Cannabis comes in at 25.20% THC and definitely has the potential to knock us on our ass. We’re gonna find out as we get into this strain… let’s do some close-ups and take a look at what we’ve got inside the box.

I’ve been very excited to check out this strain since I picked it up earlier this week down at Desert’s Finest in Desert Hot Springs. For days I’ve been looking at this just sitting there on the counter and I’ve wanted to get into it, but I had to wait for the review… so now let’s take a look at what’s inside the box.

As you can see it says Pure Kush – Indica-dominant on the front… on the back it gives you a little bit of information – it tells you it’s a bit more of a relaxed strain. At the top here it tells you the THC content and the fact that there is zero CBD in this one… it is all THC.

Alright, let’s open this box up. There’s a flavor-seal package inside. How do you… [Jon struggles to open package] I need scissors… I need scissors! Okay, we got some scissors, now to cut this open. Just one little side note – these are not my favorite kinds of packages for keeping pot in. I like glass jars… I don’t like these little plastic deely-boppers… this is the last time that herb is gonna be in this plastic package – it’s going straight into a glass jar after this.

Oh, I just got hit with a wonderful OG Kush smell… oh my gosh, a little spicy, peppery flavor in there… that is really delicious. Mmm, that is coming in very strong with the peppery smell. I really like that a lot, and the OG is under there… I bet you when we cut this open it’s just going to puff up with Kush smells! Well, let’s go weigh this out and take some close-up photos… we’ll be back in just a second.

When I cut that bag open the smell of OG, citrus, spice, and pepper just filled the whole cabin. It’s like we’re in a cloud of it right now… this is some of the strongest smelling pot I’ve smelled in a long time. Let me just say offhand that if you’re trying to hide this from somebody, you’re not going to be able to… everyone’s going to know that you’re smoking pot. If you’re smoking a joint outside that wind is going to carry this smell and everyone around you is going to know that you’re smoking some herb. So, just a word to the wise, this is some pungent herb.

We’re going to cut this nug open here and we’re going to take a look at the inside and see how the cure is on this one. Oh, that cuts really nice… that’s like cutting through cheese… like a Gouda cheese or something like a Monterey Jack… something like that. Oh my gosh, the smell just keeps increasing as you cut it… these are dense… very dense nugs. This is some really finely cured herb… it is not dry at all. It has that kind of thing where it drops to the tray as you cut it and it just kind of moves a little bit… I love that… it makes me go, “oh, this is really fresh”. Now we’re going to put some of this in the bong. I’m going to take a rip, and get down to the heart of this issue.

I’ve got some sticky fingers from cutting up that herb, that is just really so fresh and so wonderful… I cannot wait to get into smoking it. As a long-time, well-seasoned smoker, this is the kind of herb that excites me… when I come across an herb like this that has great presence, it cuts up really nicely, the smell just fills the room… this kind of thing gets me really excited… so let’s taste this now.

[Jon takes a bong rip]

That goes straight to the head… straight to the head with an orange punch. A very citrus flavor, a bit earthy, it has a little OG aftertaste. If you’re familiar with the OG taste you know what I mean… I don’t need to describe it to you, you know what that tastes like.

Oh my gosh, this is just coming in like a cloud, like a cloud wall that’s just moving into my head… let’s take a second rip of this and let that cloud wall move fully in… let’s see what’s going on behind the cloud wall.

[Jon takes a second bong rip]

Now my whole body is going boom, boom, boom, boom, boom… it’s like the THC is just processing through my body and it’s coming on really strong. Oh my gosh, you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to sit on this for about 10 minutes and I’m going to get my bearings… I’m going to write down some notes and we’ll be back.

[ten minutes later]

My body is loving this high and my mind it’s just along for the ride. I’m way stoned… I took a couple hits there off-screen, and boy that just set me back in my… you know what.

This high came in like a cloud, as I described earlier, then it just filled my whole body and now I just want to relax… this is not a social herb, in my opinion. This is the kind of herb that makes you want to sit and do some thinking… you want to have some “me” time… okay, let’s turn off my cell phone and let’s just put on some music and chill out.

If I had a long commute home (I used to do that)… if I came home after a long drive all I would want to do is take a couple hits of this herb, maybe pop a beer, put on some chill music and just forget that the world out there exists, because this one’s going to take care of that.

I’m going to just relax now and enjoy this ride, because it is it feels so good on the body. I just love the feel of this high… it pushes all the right buttons in my body…

[Jon spaces out]

Oh my goodness… wow, anyways… um, I forgot what I was gonna say…

I don’t know if I need a last bong toke, but you know what, I’m going to take one anyways 🙂 Just because it’s that good, and we’ll see if I can remember what I’m supposed to say at the end of this video. Let’s fire this up one one more time… just one to grow on, as they say.

[Jon takes another bong toke]

Oh that hit – so smooth – has a little tingle effect in the back of the throat… unexpected. But that’s been there with every hit that I’ve taken so far. I’ve taken about three or four hits total… or five, I’ve lost track. Every hit has had that little interesting tingle… it’s not a burn, it’s a tingly feeling… very interesting. It seems like a signature kind of feeling on this herb.

So that’s it for this review. I thank you so much for joining us here at the red bench. We’re going to… um, hold it… what was I saying…

[Jon spaces out again]

Thank you for joining us at the red bench! We’re so happy to see your hits on our YouTube page. If you like these reviews that we’re doing, we ask that you subscribe to our channel… that really makes our day!

Until next week, best of health.

 

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The Follow Up

Pure Kush is pure heaven! I loved this one all the way through to the last crumb. I tried to go slow smoking this eighth but it was very hard when each hit was so exquisite in taste, smell and feel. Such smooth bong tokes full of a citrus goodness. A strong, powerful strain even as my body got used to it. Just a few hits would send my mind off and bring a relaxing comfort to my body. A definite winner!

Would I buy this again? In a hot second! Love, love, love this strain! And I love what CRU has done with it…

 

The Low Down

StrainPure Kush
TypeIndica
Geneticsa branch of the OG Kush family
BrandCRU Cannabis
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level25.20%
Cost$45
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.53 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingFlavor Seal Bag
ColorDark Green, Purple, Orange
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchMedium Sticky
StructureDense
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsThe nugs look great. Not a fan of the packaging.
Smell
Base SmellSour, Spicy
Secondary SmellsPine, Citrus, Pepper
Secondary Smells – OtherEarthy
Strength – SmellPowerful
Smell Rating4.5
Smell ImpressionThe smell completely filled our cabin. Huge smell.
Taste
FlavorEarthy
Flavor – OtherCitrus, Pine, Gassy
Smoke TextureSmooth
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4
Taste ImpressionsThe smoke caused a tingling feeling on the back of the throat with every hit.
Effects
How Much Ingested?4-5 hits (over a 1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Body
Main EffectsPhysical, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an hour
Effects Rating4.5
Effects ImpressionTotal chill herb. Starts strong and gets stronger. This is not a social herb…
Pros1. Weighed over 3.5 grams
2. Great indica feel
Cons1. Packaging
Total Rating4.15
Total Rating – Why?A winner! What I want in an herb – smell, taste and feel!
Would I buy this again?Yes

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Visit The Product Catalog to find out how to get this herb!


 

Royal Tree | GMO Cookies

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

GMO Cookies (aka Garlic Cookies) is a powerful indica-dominant strain crossed between Chemdawg and GSC. GMO Cookies is known for its ability to relieve pain without putting you to bed in the process. The Chemdawg ancestry in GMO provides a petrol smell layered with coffee and fruit, while its GSC parentage provides a sweet and earthy flavor. GMO Cookies is bred by Divine Genetics. – Leafly.com

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

This week we’re looking at a strain called GMO Cookies that comes to us from Royal Tree. The strain comes in at 33% THC… that’s 33.7% THC… oh my, this could be interesting!

This strain is a cross between Girl Scout Cookies and Chem Dawg, and you know Chem Dawg is one of my favorite strains. This Indica is reported to have a very garlicky flavor. I’m really curious because I’ve never tried GMO Cookies before… I’ve never smoked anything at 33.7% THC before… this is going to be a first!

I do not know about the reputation of this garlic flavor, but I’ve heard about it, and I’m really looking forward to trying it out… so let’s do some close-ups and get into this thing.

[close up of the jar]

Alright, let’s get inside this jar and check it out. This eighth comes to us from Royal Tree in Santa Cruz… on the back here we have a label that tells us it’s 33% THC. You can see that it’s got a seal on the side here… on the top it tells us that this is an Indica – perfect – so let’s open this seal and let’s get inside. Oh my, a difficult seal to get into… once it’s open it says VOID so you can’t fool around with this one.

Let’s open this jar up and get a smell… I want to smell this one.

Oh my, there is definitely Chem Dawg in there… I can smell the diesel… there’s diesely garlic. These are flavors that if you didn’t run into them smelling marijuana, you would be like going “whoa, hold on”, but because this is marijuana, they’re absolutely fabulous.

Let’s check this out… let’s pour this out on the tray and take a close look at herb.

Lots of little nugs… some mediums. They’re very flat. This is supposed to be very typical of GMO Cookies, also called Garlic Cookies at times. They’re little flat nugs… very nice… a little dry [Jon put a little squeeze on a nug] well that feels like a pretty good cure. We’re gonna go take some close-ups of these and we’ll be right back in a moment.

I’ve chosen a couple nugs here, and we’re gonna cut these up and get a feel for them… see what the cure is like. They cut through really nice, a little sticky, a nice sticky feel is released as you start cutting them… a very nice cure… a little dry… a little drier than I would like. There is a little bit of crumbling going on, a little bit of turning to dust here at the bottom of the tray… but for the most part we’re looking at a good cure, or it was when this was packaged.

We got a nice little pile. These are dark green nugs… they’ve got purples in them… they have some oranges in them… they’re actually very beautiful marijuana, except that they are very flat nugs. I’ve only seen one other strain grow like this, and that’s G13 but this is flatter… it’s got the little branches coming out of it which reminds me of G13 a little bit.

So we’re going to put this in the bong and we’re gonna check it out… we’re gonna get to the heart of this issue. Alright, let’s fire this baby up. I’m looking forward to some garlicky flavors…

[Jon takes a bong rip]

Hmm… garlicky, most definitely… there’s some coffee in there, maybe like coffee grinds… yeah, absolutely… definitely. There is the diesel from the Chem Dawg… everybody has shown up and is present in this one… and that is going straight to my head. Holy cow 33.7% THC… that little bit there, that was a great hit, let’s go for a second one.

There is approximately 90 milligrams of THC loaded in this bong right now. So if I take all four hits that this bong load will do, that will be 90 milligrams of THC – in one sitting.

[Jon takes another bong rip… big cough]

Oh this is a ride… you know what we’re gonna do? We’re gonna go think on this for about 10 minutes… I’m probably gonna take another rip of this… I’ve gotta make some notes. I don’t know if I can even think straight right at the moment… this is just really powering in. We’ll be back in 10.

[ten minutes later]

Wow, I am certifiably, absolutely, 100% stoned right now.

That has hit me in a way that I am not used to being hit. I’m a bit disoriented actually right at this moment, and to tell you the truth, I have not encountered an herb that disoriented me in over several years, so that is really something.

My mouth is dry… I keep getting dry mouth… I keep having to drink water. My eyes – I think they’re red. They certainly feel red from the inside so you know… if you smoke this, don’t go talk to people that you don’t want them to know your stoned, because you are going to be stoned.

I’ve been sitting here attempting to fill out this form. [Jon holds up form]

This is the form that we use every week when we make our videos. I fill out all kinds of information and we digitize this and we put it into the computer, and then we turn it into The Lowdown, which you can find on our website at the end of every review. Well, this has been a very difficult chore… I’m like… counting to 10 would be would be a difficult chore right now.

So I’m just gonna say – if you’re a lightweight, I’m afraid this one is not for you… and if you’re not a lightweight, this one’s for you!

There’s a lightness that comes in with the beginning of this herb during the first little bit there, when you’re really disoriented… during the first 10 to 15 minutes… and then after that, here comes the Indica. If I seem slowed down, or if I seem serious… I am not serious at all – I’m actually kind of cracking up inside…

[gratuitous bong toke]

I’ve got to tell you this is a very fun herb. There will come the Indica backside later on, you know that is expected from an Indica… you know this is couch lock city if you smoke enough of this one… [really?!? see The Followup below] but for me, my body is at ease.

I haven’t felt comfortable in my body… I have depression, and it affects me physically. I have not been comfortable all day long and for the first time all day my body is at ease. I feel like a normal human being right now… well, a stoned one… but a normal human being. My body feels really nice, so I would definitely chalk this effect up to the herb…

If I was gonna go do something right now… well, I am gonna go do something when I’m done with this… and you know what I’m gonna do? I think I’m gonna put on some music, maybe slap on some headphones… I’m gonna chill out, and let my mind take me…

When I was filling out my form before, one of the effects that you can choose from on the form was near-psychedelic – and I hovered over that one for a moment, asking myself – is this near-psychedelic? Well, if you’ve never done psychedelics, you would probably categorize this as near-psychedelic. If you’ve done psychedelics, you know this is nothing like psychedelics whatsoever… but that being spoken, this is a heavy, great high…

I’m gonna enjoy smoking the rest of this eighth. I’m gonna go easy on it, absolutely. One word of warning – if you smoke this, do not get behind the wheel of a car! This is too disorienting even for a seasoned smoker like myself.

I’m going to stay seated at this bench here for a while. I’m going to go get my iPhone, I’m going to slap on the headphones, and I’m going to chill…

Thank you very much for joining me at the red bench. I hope this has been very helpful for you. If it has been helpful to you, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Until later, best of health

 

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The Follow Up

The disorienting effects of the herb wore off in about a half hour and the high settled down into my body to create a distinctly relaxed feeling that lasted for several hours. There was no Indica backside, no sleepy effects that showed up later… I would say this works well as a daytime herb. The high was very clearheaded once the disorienting effects wore off.

The next day, when I smoked this again the disorienting effects were completely gone. The high was very delightful and very productive.

 

The Lowdown

StrainGMO Cookies
TypeIndica
GeneticsChem Dawg X Girl Scout Cookies
BrandRoyal Tree
Location PurchasedDesert Organic Solutions – Palm Springs, CA
THC Level33.77%
Cost$45 +tax
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.41
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorDark Green, Purple, Orange
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSuper Chunky
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsFlat, small nugs.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsDiesel
Secondary Smells – OtherGarlic, Gassy
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating4
Smell ImpressionAn original with Chem Dawg undertones.
Taste
FlavorGassy
Flavor – OtherGarlic (Strong), coffee grinds
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating4
Effects
How Much Ingested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsPhysical, Relaxing
Strength – EffectsPowerful
DurationTwo Hours
Effects Rating4.25
Effects ImpressionThis strain is no joke – not for lightweights. Dry mouth. Red eyes. Disorienting for the first 15 minute. Settled into a great, relaxing body high.
Pros1. Super strong – not for lightweights
Cons1. Not for lightweights

2. Jar weighed a bit light

Total Rating3.95
Total Rating – Why?This is a special occasion herb. A little too strong for regular use, but great for body comfort.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Smooth Cannabis | Illemonati

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Product Description

A citrusy and pungent strain that turns from a nice sweetness to a clean earthy taste. It’s effects begin almost immediately with a calm relaxation starting with the crown of your head and melting down the body gradually. Lineage: Lemon Skunk X Kosher Kush. Dominance: 15% Indica 85% Sativa – Weedmaps

 

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

Today we’re talking about a strain called Illemonati that comes to us from Smooth Cannabis. It’s got the little eye in the triangle situation going on… it’s packaged in mystery, and it also comes to us with a mystery…

I do research before I do every review and in my research, I found that that that most places say that this is an 85% Sativa – 15% Indica strain. But there’s markings on the front of the bottle, and the markings indicate two for Sativa and eight for Indica… we’ll show you the close-ups of that in a moment.

It makes me think… if it’s two Sativa and eight Indica, doesn’t that sound like a heavy Indica-dominate hydrid not a Sativa-dominate hybrid? Well we’re gonna get to the bottom of this mystery and find out… we’ll know by the end of this video.

So we’re gonna take some close-ups now… let’s check it out.

[Jon holds up jar and turns it around]

Alright let’s look at this bottle here… as you can see on the front we got the two for Sativa, we have the eight for Indica. Illemonati… what is it inside?

We got the little eye in the pyramid or in the triangle there… you can see it’s a Lemon Skunk crossed with Kosher Kush. It’s got a little seal on the side here, so let’s break that seal and get inside.

Alright, let’s open this up and get inside… oh, you know me, I’ve got to smell it. Mmm… strong pungent lemon. The Illemonati is named for the lemon inside apparently. Let’s put this out in the tray and take a look at this.

[Jon pours the nugs out on the tray]

Nice! Oh, I’m just looking at this and I’m guessing a Sativa… these are Sativa-like nugs. [Jon holds nug up to camera] Really strong lemon smell reminds me a bit of Trainwreck, a little bit of Lemon Lysol in there, but I was expecting that, so I’m really excited about this. Alright let’s cut some of these up… but first, we’re gonna go weigh these, and then we’ll be back to you in just a moment.

Alright, we’ve picked out these little two guys to cut up to get a feel of them and see what the cure is like.

They have a little slight give to them as I would expect from a Sativa. Let’s cut this up… oh nice, very nice cure… just the way you want it to feel. I’m calling this a very good cure. This is cutting up nice… I’m not even gonna need that second nug that I set aside. This is very generous looking as you cut it up.

On the bottle, I’ll have you know, they say that a serving of this Illemonati is a half a gram. When you smoke a half a gram, you are taking in 100.5 milligrams of THC into your system… just a fun fact to know. I am now going to imbibe about 1/2 of that amount. I’m gonna put about a quarter gram in my bong and smoke this mysterious herb… let’s check it out!

Alright, here we go… we’re gonna dive into this Illemonati. Is it an Indica or is it a Sativa? That is the question that we’re gonna find out here in just a moment…

[Jon takes a bong rip]

Mmm… sour lemon. Wonderful sour lemon… not a sweet lemon, but definitely a sour lemon… there is a bit of a melon flavor.

Kosher Kush crossed with Lemon Skunk… definitely those two are in there. There’s definitely a Kush effect going on. Okay, [Jon pauses…] no, I don’t know yet. Let’s take a second hit. I thought I could jump in there, and, you know, make a determination, but yeah, I’m no genius… I’m just an experienced pot smoker with a bong in my hand.

[Jon takes a second bong toke]

Well lemon Kush. That’s a lemon Kushy… mmm, delightful taste. That’s probably about one of the best lemon-based herbs that I’ve ever smoked. It’s the way that it combines the lemon with the Kush.. it’s really brilliant.

Now I’m leaning towards Indica even though the nugs look like Sativa nugs to me. Let’s take a break for about ten minutes. I’m gonna make some notes and we’re gonna ponder this for a bit and get into the mystery of the Illemonati. We’ll be back shortly to tell you what what we think of this herb.

[ten minutes later]

Alright, well… that was a really delightful 10 minutes…

I’m kind of in the first wave of the creeper effect of this herb coming on to me. The inside of me feels like it’s just billowing up like clouds… it’s like my body’s expanding… you know, it’s got this expansive feeling and my mind is following, doing the same kind of thing. I’m ready to get into the mysteries of the universe…

My verdict on this one… I’m calling this an Indica… yes, indeed. The creeper effect, the quality of the stone that I am feeling, I would guess Indica, not a Sativa. There is a cerebral effect in there… definitely some Sativa in there somewhere, but that is not what is prominent. The most prominent is the Indica effects. I’m very happy with that.

Okay, so we’ve gotten to the bottom of the mystery [as best we can], so let’s talk about the effects for just a moment. I would say that this is a very calming herb. Very calming, very relaxing yet motivating at the same time. I feel like getting up, and going and doing stuff… that’s obviously the Sativa undertones. While the calming effect is the Indica on top of the whole thing.

[short, unsolicited smoking tip]

In case you’re wondering, I’ve been using Raw’s version of hemp wick when I light my bong, and I do that for two reasons.

First I want to taste all the flavor that’s in the herb. The second reason is, I don’t want to get butane in my lungs. This takes care of both of those.

[back to the review]

Alright, let’s take one last bong rip and enjoy this herb just a little bit more. This has been the Illemonati by Smooth Cannabis. They’re from Humboldt, California… the home of much great herb in the history of marijuana… so here we go.

[final bong rip, Jon exhales towards the camera]

Thick, smooth smoke… do you see how much smoke that was? For a guy like me, I’d usually be coughing my head off, but that was very, very smooth…

We hope you have enjoyed this review and that this has been informative and helpful. If it has, please like, please subscribe in the buttons below, and go to our website at redbenchreviews.com and get the full lowdown on this herb. We’ll talk to you later, and until then, best of health.

 

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The Lowdown

StrainIllemonati
TypeHybrid – Indica Dom.
GeneticsLemon Skunk X Kosher Kush
BrandSmooth Cannabis
Location PurchasedDesert Organic Solutions – Palm Springs, CA
THC Level20.12
Cost$40 +tax
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.51 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorBright Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating4
Look & Feel ImpressionsVery nice trim
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsLemon
Secondary Smells – OtherKushy undertones
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating3.75
Taste
FlavorCitrus
Flavor – OtherSour lemon, earthy kush
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.75
Taste ImpressionsDelightful sour lemon flavor mixed with earthy, kushy undertones…
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits (1/4 gram)
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Relaxing, Motivating
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an hour
Effects Rating4
Effects ImpressionAfter a few minutes my body felt like it was billowing inside like clouds… my mind was following, billowing, and now I’m ready to tackle the mysteries of the universe.
Total Rating3.9
Total Rating – Why?Very good full-bodied smoke.
Would I buy this again?Yes
GRAV | Small 8″ Wide Base Water Pipe

Product Description

The GRAV® Wide-Based Water Pipe is 8″ tall and made on 32mm tubing. Its downstem ends in a wide conical fission perc that diffuses smoke through water and is fixed inside the pipe to prevent damage. The narrow tube leading to the mouthpiece prevents splashback. The wide-based water pipe comes ready to use with a 14mm GRAV® Cup Bowl and functions best with approximately 1″ of water. Designed by Stephen Peirce – GRAV

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

Today I want to talk to you about this mean, clean, smoking machine. I’ve been using this thing for 30 days and I am just absolutely crazy about it. For 30 years of my life I was a pipe smoker… I used a pipe whenever I smoked herb. I smoke joints every once in a while when I smoke with friends, but it’s been 30 years since I had a bong and the last bong I had was this thing… it was this tall, double chamber, purple acrylic number that was a monster. You could not take hits without it blowing your lungs out. We rarely ended up using that bong, and it eventually it disappeared… somewhere, I don’t know where…

It was my birthday a month ago and for my birthday I had decided that I wanted to get a bong. I did not realize how much this was going to change my smoking game… it has changed it up immensely. My smoking is cleaner, I’m enjoying the herbs more. I am getting high more, not meaning spending more time getting high, but when I get high, the high seems to be that much better, and I’m not using a lot more herb to do it.

This particular bong is by GRAV. It’s called the Wide Base Bong [Water Pipe] if you look it up, and of course we will include links below. You can buy this water pipe in all clear, but I chose to go with the smoky accents, which are available exclusively from the GRAV website.

It ships with a rather small bowl, I call that a one-hitter bowl. It’s a “smoke-through” bowl so it’s got a hole at the bottom which means that the ashes are going to go through your bowl, down the downstem, and gunk up the inside of your bong… which means you’re going to have to clean it much more often. I decided to opt for what’s called an Octobowl. An Octobowl has a little handle on the side. It holds a quarter gram of herb when it’s packed so you can get about three or four good hits off of it. Because it’s got a glass flower at the bottom the ashes will not go through to the inside of your bong… meaning that your cleaning is going to be very easy.

I wanted to mention something… I call this a bong continually throughout this video. It is actually called a water pipe. In areas where marijuana is not legal, you’ve got to call it a water pipe, but for us in California, it’s a bong now!

I would like to attribute [credit] this bong with changing my smoking game. The way I perceive smoke, the way I enjoy it, has totally changed… because of the percolation system… the way the chamber works with water… the hits come through so smooth. I’m able to detect all the flavoring of the herb that I never noticed before… it’s like a new smoking experience. Of course, I do keep the water in my bong clean on a regular basis because that’s the best way to get the good flavoring, but the smoke intake is just perfect… as you inhale, the first breath, you pull all the smoke into the chamber… and then you release the bowl and it just moves so nicely up the stem.

I’m used to bongs like the classic straight bong… you got the four-footer [maybe a two-footer actually]… “dude take a hit”… It takes you a whole breath just to load the whole thing, then they release the bowl on you, and you get slammed like you got hit with a steamroller. This does not have that steamroller effect. This has a very nice, smooth effect. I cannot get enough of it. I sit here and I smoke through a bowl, and I meditate on it… sometimes I wish I wasn’t that high because I’d like to smoke some more from this bong… it’s that enjoyable.

This bong gets me high on a very efficient level. The amount of marijuana that I’m smoking is much less than before I got the bong, which is was unexpected to me. I thought bongs took a lot more pot, but not in this case at all.

I would highly recommend you getting this bong, but before I do, how about if I take a big bong rip and show you how good this machine works. Alright, let’s take a bong rip of this so you can see this mad machine in action… this little bong is just a beautiful piece of glass.. I was so happy to get it… here we go, you ready to check this out…

[Jon takes a bong toke]

That’s a smooth machine, isn’t it? Oh, got a cough coming… nope… yup [Jon coughs big time]. My lungs are 56 years old, and they’ve been smoking herb for 38 of those years… a guy like me, we’re gonna cough a little bit afterwards, but that’s not the fault of this bong. That was an extremely good hit… by the way, that was some Chem Dawg that we were smoking in there… very nice… I love that earthy flavor of Chem Dawg, but we’re not going there today.

Let’s take another rip and show off this machine again. I feel like I’m driving it up and down the road for you. Those six percolators down there under the water… I don’t know why they chose six and didn’t go with seven or eight, but it seems to be the perfect number because that hit is so proportionately nice [huh?]. There’s a heaviness to a draw that you really expect when you take a hit and sometimes with bongs you don’t really experience the heaviness of a hit… it’s really just a slam bam shotgun. But this one you can enjoy all the nuances that come from the herb, all the nuances of the smoking experience… and not to mention – you can do some badass bong rips from this thing!

Well that’s my report on the GRAV Wide Base Bong. We’ll include links below so you can go get one of these yourselves, or you can find more information about it if you like…

If this video was helpful to you in any way, please like, subscribe, and visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter.

Thank you very much and until next time, best of health.

 

Links

GRAV 8” Wide-Base Water Pipe (smoky accents)

GRAV 8” Wide-Base Water Pipe (clear)

Octobowl

 

Tru Cali | Chem 91

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Much like many other members of the Chemdog line, the origins of Chemdog 91 are shrouded in mystery. Rumor has it that the lineage was first cultivated by the illustrious East Coast breeder who also goes by the name of Chemdog, and some speculate it descends from a Thai landrace strain. Chemdog 91 is thought to be an offshoot of the original Chemdog strain, and the numerical addition of “91” is believed to reference the year the strain first came into existence.

Some growers believe Chemdog 91 to be a cross between Chemdog and Skunk, which may explain its particularly pungent aroma. In true family spirit, this hybrid has a very strong diesel smell with a piney-lemon aftertaste. Most Chemdog 91 crops tend to lean sativa, though you may find indica variants on some dispensary and retail shelves. Consumers should expect a cerebral buzz from this strain. – Leafly

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench. It’s time for another Red Bench Review…

Today we’re looking at a strain called Chem 91, also called Chem Dawg 91 because it’s part of the Chem Dawg family. This strain is about 50% Sativa and 50% Indica… it’s a 50/50 strain, and it’s known for giving you a euphoric, uplifting high, a creative kind of high, a high that starts slow and builds. I’m curious to find out if this version of this strain [purchased at Desert Organic Solutions in Palm Springs] that we have from Tru Cali, which comes in at a 24.53 THC… we’re curious how this strain measures up against the legendary Chem 91. Let’s go take some close-ups and see how this batch looks…

Here is the Tru Cali jar. It’s a nice little glass jar.

It’s got the label on the top that tells you the information that you want [strain, THC content]. It’s got a little seal on the side… it a paper seal, so let’s break that seal and get into it. It says press down and turn, so we are pressing down and we are turning… as you can see it is a [flavor] sealed bottle.

Let’s smell this… I would call that a diesel smell with a hint of orange and a little bit of lemon. Two citrus smells combined underscoring a nice diesel smell. You know, that’s one of those smells you could just sit here and just smell all day just because… but we don’t want to just sit here all day and smell it, we want to look inside and see what we’ve got – so let’s pour this out on the tray.

We’ve got a couple really nice nugs here, a few smalls. They have a little bit of give… they’re a little leafy, solid but leafy. Oh let’s just smell that again… that just is so nice. I want to cut one of these up and put it in the bong… yum!

I’ve selected these two little guys as our ones to cut up… the feel on the scissors is very nice. That’s a nice cure on these… not dry, with just enough moisture so that you get a little bit of resistance to the scissors. Perfect. Oh that’s a delightful little pile… you put it down on the tray and it just seems like it moves a little bit on you, so you know that it’s really fresh.

So let’s put some of this in the bong… all right, let’s take a rip of this legendary Chem Dawg 91.

[first bong rip]

So smooth. A good cure… very good cure… oh nice, a little diesel taste that I expect… kind of gassy, it’s got a little bit of a citrus undertones in there… this is a 50% Sativa strain and a 50% Indica strain so I’m expecting the high to come in with a euphoric, uplifting high. Right now, all I’m just grooving on is the taste, which was really delightful. Let’s take another hit of this, and savor that taste again.

[another bong rip followed by a big cough]

That’s a good kind of cough where you know you took in a good hit. This bong works so clean, works so well. That was a good hit and right now it is just going to my head… just shooting up into my head with very little body effect at this moment other than my lungs kind of going “whoa dude, you just really coughed a lot,” and I’m all, “yeah, I know I did, sorry about that lungs, but we’ll get over this, okay, so…”

Oh my gosh, this is gonna be a good ride. I can already feel it. I’ve gotten on the express train. I’m gonna go think about this for about 10 minutes… I’ll write down some notes that you can read about at redbenchreviews.com after this is over, and find out about my rundown on this herb.

[ten minutes later]

Well I can say that this Tru Cali version of Chem 91 is definitely holding up to the legend of Chem 91. I’ve been sitting here for the last 10 minutes and the high, it started up here in my head. As I sat here, after a couple minutes, all of a sudden it’s sitting down here on my shoulders, and then it was in my chest and then it moved down to my gut… now, it’s down my legs… it’s moving down my legs. I think it’s gonna end up at my feet and probably bounce back… I don’t know where this is gonna go. This is a really nice ride… I can’t believe that I just picked this up for 35 dollars. This is just such a good ride for 35 dollars. I would definitely go back and buy this again. I would recommend this to you. Tru Cali, good job.

[gives a thumbs up]

The high on this is really wonderful… I’m feeling creative, I’m feeling relaxed and creative and motivated at the same time. I’m ready to get up from the red bench. I’m ready to go relax, be social, be talkative… hang out with my love for a couple hours and just shoot the shoot the breeze, because this is a really nice high. I would encourage you to check it out.

I’m going to take one last bong rip and sit here and just enjoy this a little bit longer… l can’t believe it… such good herb is being grown these days. We are very fortunate to live in this time [not counting the coronavirus] because I’ve been there when it wasn’t like this, and this is really nice delightful…

[Jon takes another bong rip]

Diesel. Citrus. Lemon. Smooth… this has been a very enjoyable to review to do… when you come across a strain like this that has all the components that you’re looking for in an herb – a wonderful taste, a good smell, a good flavor, and a good high (not to mention the price)… you can’t go wrong!

Thank you again for joining us. If you enjoyed this review.. if it’s been helpful to you, please like, subscribe, do all that business that we ask you to do 🙂 and visit our website at redbenchreviews.com to check out the complete rundown on this strain, and until next time, best of health.

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The Low Down

 

StrainChem 91
TypeHybrid
GeneticsUnknown
BrandTru Cali
Location PurchasedDesert Organic Solutions – Palm Springs, CA
THC Level24.53
Cost$35 + tax
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.41
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorDark Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchNot Sticky
StructureLeafy, Solid
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsFine presentation in glass. Well trimmed buds.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsDiesel, Lemon, Chemical, Citrus
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating3.5
Taste
FlavorCitrus
Flavor – OtherPine, Gassy (Diesel), Earthy
Smoke TextureSmooth
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating3.75
Taste ImpressionsVery enjoyable flavors.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate, but grew for 15-20 minutes.
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Motivating, Creative
Strength – EffectsPronounced
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.25
Effects ImpressionsThe effects started in the head and moved slowly down the body until the whole body felt relaxed. Mostly a head high. Very social.
Pros1. Only $35!
Cons1. A bit underweight
Total Rating3.75
Total Rating – Why?Definitely above average. Totally pleasant, easygoing high. I could smoke this all day.
Would I buy this again?Yes
Rating Scale1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)
Los Angeles Kush | Black Gelato

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

Black Gelato is a pungent indica-dominant hybrid that offers relaxation without lethargy. A cross of our LA Sunset and Thin Mints, Black Gelato is a richly hued purple bud with a subtle, spicy sweet aftertaste. Try these flowers for a relaxing night in or as an accompaniment for a kick-back beach day. – Los Angeles Kush

 

Review

[based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench. it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

Now we’re going to talk to you about a strain called Black Gelato that comes to us from Los Angeles Kush. This strain is an Indica dominant hybrid strain. It has 23.37% THC. This reputable company must have put something very nice in this box so let’s go into some close-ups and see what we’ve got in here.

[close up]

Alright, let’s take a look at this box from Los Angeles Kush containing Black Gelato. You can see on the front that it says Black Gelato.

On the back you’ve got the strain information and the THC content. On the side you have the warning label. On the top it says, as always, “No Seal No Deal” so we’re gonna cut that open.

The box is purple inside and we’re gonna take out that jar. There’s our eight in there. Let’s get into this jar and take a look at it.

[Jon smells deeply from the jar]

Mmm… deep earthy tones… rich, a bit of nacho cheese in there… yeah, nacho cheese. Hmm… I love that earthy smell. It just feels really good in the nose… this is some well cured marijuana.

Let’s pour it out and take a look at it. What did they included in the jar? Well it looks like we’ve got seven nugs, they’re about medium size… pretty dense… not squeezable, not airy.

They’re light green and the smell is not strong… it’s not overwhelming me at all. It’s just giving me a faint sense of anticipation… I want to smoke these, so let’s cut up one of these nugs and take a look a what’s inside.

I’m breaking it up and it has a very nice cure. Not dry at all. I like to use scissors because a grinder doesn’t give me the feel of the herb as much as when I cut it up with the scissors. I can feel the denseness of the herb when I cut it up with these, and I can tell the cure a lot better from just how resistant the herb is to my scissors.

So, I’ve got a nice little bit here. Let’s put that in the bong and take a rip and see how it tastes, see how it feels… let’s get to the heart of this issue.

[Jon takes a bong rip, has a coughing spell]

That was delightful. Earthy, a little fruity around the edges… a little woodsy. Already it’s penetrating, it’s already going to my head. I don’t have to worry about waiting for this one to creep up on me. I’m feeling this right away. My my, that was tasty…

Black Gelato! Mmm, I might become a fan of Black Gelato. Hmm, let’s try it again.

[Jon takes another bong toke]

Definitely fruity, heading down that melon path. It’s earthy in a way where I feel like I’m in a forest. I just close my eyes and the smell, the feeling, the taste… Hmm, yeah, I’m in a forest…

Very nice. Okay, we’re gonna sit on this for about 10 minutes and fill out our report that you can read online after this is over.

[ten minutes later]

I am on a road that is leading to a place called Stoned. That is for sure. I took one more rip during the break, and that third rip just set me back to my seat. I thought I was getting a Sativa buzz, but now I’m being rapidly overtaken by a strong Indica buzz. It’s really nice if you’re looking for something with a heavy kind of punch. This one definitely has it once you get to the right level. I will  enjoy smoking the rest of this one, for sure.

I’m ready to sit and space out… I have this blissful feeling… there’s a definite euphoric lift going on, and right now I’m thinking pleasant thoughts about the Los Angeles Kush people. What a good job they’ve done with this herb. You know that the growers there must have good vibes or something, because it’s definitely coming through the herb…

I’m gonna take one last bong rip, just because I like the road I’m on right now.

[Jon takes a third bong toke]

I must note that the quality of the smoke from that hit was very light, very smooth. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t overwhelm your lungs, this definitely does the job. Some Indicas can be very resinous and they can hit you really heavy. They make your lungs feel like you just got run over by a truck for a second, but this one comes out really light.

You can visit our website at redbenchreviews.com, where we will have a full rundown of the herb. There might be some points that I might have missed in the video, so go and check that out…

Until next time, I’m gonna be stoned, and to you, best of health.

 

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Select list(s):

 

The Low Down

StrainBlack Gelato
TypeHybrid – Indica Dom.
GeneticsLA Sunset X Thin Mints
BrandLos Angeles Kush
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level23.37
Cost$55
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.54
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar in Box
ColorLight Green, Purple, Orange
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchNot Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.5
Look & Feel ImpressionsMedium nugs. The light green color makes it look more like a Sativa.
Smell
Base SmellSweet
Secondary SmellsFruity
Secondary Smells – OtherEarthy
Strength – SmellMellow
Smell Rating4
Smell ImpressionSmells like a sunset at the beach. Delightfully light and clean smell.
Taste
FlavorOther
Flavor – OtherEarthy, Fruity, Sweet, Candy and I think I detected Nachos, just a hint.
Smoke TextureLight, Smooth
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating4
Taste ImpressionsSmokes like a Sativa, light.
Effects
How Much Injested?3 hits
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head, Body, Eyes
Main EffectsCerebral, Physical, Relaxing, Contemplative, Euphoric
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.5
Effects ImmpressionImmediate effect that builds. That last hit really knocks you back in your seat.
Pros1. Great smell
2. Mellow Smoke
3. Strong Kick
Cons1. Oversized jar makes the eighth look underwhelming
2. Top shelf price
Total Rating4
Total Rating – Why?Top notch herb. Totally worthy.
Would I buy this again?Yes

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Links

Los Angeles Kush Website

 

Sessions Supply Co. | Orange Creamsicle

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Product Description


Taking the best attributes of parent strains Orange Crush and Juicy Fruit, Orange Creamsicle’s tall structure, heavy colas, and pungent flavor will be sure to keep you coming back for more. This hybrid strain, as the name suggests, has a strong citrus flavor and is used to treat nausea and anxiety. Growers will be happy with this heavy producer that flowers in 9 weeks with beautiful orange-white coloring and a thick coating of resin. – Leafly

 

Review

[Based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome back to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review…

Today I’m very excited to try out this new strain called Orange Creamsicle from Sessions Supply Co. I picked this up the other day because the idea of an Orange Creamsicle made me think (it’s the summer here) and I was thinking about sitting on a curb as a child eating a half and a half bar. It kind of took me back.

I don’t know anything about this strain. I’ve never smoked Orange Creamsicle before. I’ve never tried anything from Sessions Supply Co. so I’m very curious. I’m excited to get into this and see what it looks like so let’s have some close-ups and get into this product.

[Close-up]

Let’s see what is in this box here… we’ve got a nice sturdy box from Sessions that they keep the jar in.

On the back it’s got the THC content, which for this strain is 20.97 percent, and it tells us that it was packaged on December 21st, 2019. This being July 4th, 2020, this herb has been in the jar now for seven months and I’m very curious to see how well their packaging has succeeded in keeping this fresh.

Let’s open up the box. It’s a very colorful little box inside. As we take out the jar we see it’s got nice little swirlies on the top so you know your going to be smoking some marijuana.

It’s a very nice jar, very clean glass. It’s got a seal on it right here that says Hybrid and a little California warning up there on the top. Let’s break this seal see what’s inside our jar. It’s just a very simple seal, a paper seal – and it’s open.

Oh, nice nugs. Let’s take a smell of this real quick… mmm… orange. That’s a very faint hint of orange, not a strong overwhelming orange, and there’s something fruity under there… a different kind of fruit smell… of a different fruity flavor that’s not exactly orange.

Let’s dump this out on the tray and take a look at what they’ve given us. We’ve got some big nugs here. Very nice size, as you can see in my hand that’s a nice generous-sized nug.

We’ve got two of those and we’ve got some couple little pieces.

Looking at this reminds me a lot of an Afgoo. It’s got very large size pieces in there [calyx], it’s a medium green and a little bit sticky.

Let’s cut one of these open and take a look at what’s inside.

Alright, I am about to get into these. I love cutting them up. They have such a solid feel to them, and I am dying to get into them and see what the cure is like. They seem really well cured, they’re not turning to dust, not dry, and have a nice level of moisture in them. They cut up really nicely. You know what I think we need to do? We need to put this in the bong and smoke it.

[Jon takes a big bong rip]

Ah, that’s kind of strange… I would call that prickly pear [note: It’s a sage tinged fruity taste]. A strange taste. It’s a smell I smelled in my childhood. Now I’m not sitting on the curb eating a Creamsicle bar, but I’m out in the fields, playing around where the cactus is when the prickly pears are becoming ripe. A most unique flavor. Let’s take another rip of that, let my mind think for a second, and see what other flavors arrive.

[One more bong rip later]

Still tasting the prickly pear. Now I got the orange… definitely the orange flavor going on in there. I don’t know if I would call this Orange Creamsicle, but that’s what they decided to market it as… Orange Creamsicle. I’m calling this Orange Prickly Pear. That’s my just personal name for it, but that’s because right now the effects are starting to hit me…

This has a really nice feeling. It’s coming in kind of subtle, kind of coming in low, kind of building. Two hits isn’t going to do it for me. I’m gonna go meditate on this for about ten minutes see what kind of effects I experience. I have feeling that it might creep up on me so let’s see if that happens. We’ll be back at about 10 minutes and let you know how what we think of this at that point.

[Ten to fifteen minutes later]

Welcome back. It’s been about ten to fifteen minutes, and I’ve had a very enjoyable time even though the high, I would say, is mellow. It’s very pleasant, it’s very clear-headed. I’m sitting there and I’m just doing all kinds of thinking. It’s puts me in a contemplative mood.

This herb would be very perfect for the kind of person who doesn’t want a “knock you off your ass” high, and would prefer something a little more subtle, something that will put them in the mood for just a nice conversation. I could go sit on the porch now and have hours of conversation. This feels very social, so for those situations, you would find this to be a good herb. If you’re looking to get couch locked, keep looking… this is not the herb for you.. and now [Jon stares off into space for a few seconds] Oh, I spaced out…

Now one last orange sickle hit cream… [laughs] this got me a little more stone than I expected. I forgot to mention this has a very strong creeper effect. The stone I had fifteen minutes ago is not the stone I’m having right now. Okay, we got the Orange Creamsicle high going on from Sessions Supply Co. Let’s take a last bong rip and go watch some fireworks. [Filmed on the Fourth of July]

As always, visit our website at redbenchreviews.com and get the complete rundown of this strain.

Until next time, best of health.

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The Low Down

StrainOrange Creamsicle
TypeHybrid
GeneticsOrange Crush X Juicy Fruit
BrandSessions Supply Co.
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level20.97
Cost$50
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.43
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar in Box
ColorMedium Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating4
Look & Feel ImpressionsNice Jar presentation. Impressive nugs in very good shape after being in the jar 7 months. Sealed and well labeled.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsFruity, Citrus
Strength – SmellPronounced
Smell Rating4
Smell ImpressionThe orange is strong in this one.
Taste
FlavorFruity
Flavor – OtherPrickly Pear, Tangerine, Grapefruit
Smoke TextureLight, Smooth
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating3.5
Taste ImpressionsWasn’t expecting prickly pear?!?
Effects
How Much Injested?5 hits
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Contemplative
Strength – EffectsMellow
Duration30-45 mintues
Effects Rating3.5
Effects ImmpressionA very pleasant high, settles nicely in the brain. Social herb.
Pros1. Great presentation
2. Good sized nugs
3. Mellow high
Cons1. Lacks a punch
1. Weighed light
Total Rating3.75
Total Rating – Why?A very good commercial herb.
Would I buy this again?Probably not

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Links

Sessions Supply Co.

 

Herb & Zen | Black Jack

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Product Description

“Bred by Sweet Seeds, Black Jack is a cross of Black Domina and Jack Herer. This strain produces thick buds with huge calyxes that are completely encrusted with trichomes. It has a heavy and flavorful taste and it produces exceptionally long-lasting effects. Because of its high THC levels, Black Jack is popular among medical marijuana patients.” – Leafly.com

 

Review

[based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome again to the red bench. It’s time for another Red Bench Review. We’re coming at you from the hi-desert here in Southern California where it’s a very windy afternoon…

Today we’re going to talk to you about a strain called Black Jack. It’s from a company called Herb & Zen.

I walked into the collective this last week and it was on sale for $25 an eighth… wow, that takes me back. I paid $25 an eighth for pot when I bought it back in 1983, when I first started smoking weed. But that was just one thing that brought my attention to this hybrid. The other thing was it is called Black Jack, and I had a grandpa whose nickname was Black Jack. Black Jack Shelton. He was a railroad man in Chicago, a gamblin’ man, and when I saw the name Black Jack I said, “let’s do this one for grandpa.” So for Black Jack Shelton, we’re doing this review.

This strain is a hybrid which means it’s a combination of some things. While most marijuana is a combination of different strains, this particular hybrid is a combination of Black Domina, which is an Indica. It’s known for being more relaxing, helps put you to sleep. And then Jack Herer, which is a Sativa, and it is known for being more uplifting and energetic. So when you combine the two, what do you get? Well, we’re about to find out. So let’s take a look at what’s inside the jar. Let’s have some close-ups here and check it out…

Alright, let’s take a look at this jar full of Black Jack. It’s a nice little bottle, a solid glass bottle, it’s not cheap glass here. It’s got a black lid on it [with the name of the herb]. It’s sealed as you can see. Let’s break the seal and see what’s inside.

As we pour it out on the tray we see we’ve got four nice little nugs. A couple big ones and a couple little guys. You want to be very careful when you handle the nugs, you want to respect the herb. You don’t want to squeeze them too much, you don’t want to squeeze those trichomes. So I’m looking at these and they are dense, not like Sativa can be, it’s not leafy and fluffy. It’s got very dense nugs. Let’s cut one of these up and see what it looks like…

Alright we’re cutting up one of these nugs, taking a look at the feel, the texture, the consistency. This is not dry, it feels very nicely cured… actually some of it’s turning a little bit to dust, but generally the nugs cut up really nicely.

Now we’ve got a nice little pile here. Mmm, there’s a faint scent of pine, pepper, not overwhelming, just a nice subtle kind of smell. Let’s put this in the bong and let her rip and really get to the heart of this issue.

[one bong rip later]

Mmm. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted an herb that has such a strong flavor of black pepper to it. That’s really surprising. I feel like we just got some food and you use the pepper grinder, and you grind that pepper… and that fresh smell of ground pepper comes up to your nose. That’s exactly what that tasted like. It was really delightful actually. I wouldn’t necessarily go for a strain like this, but in this case it hit me really nicely. Still waiting for the effects. We’re gonna have to take another rip see what happens.

[one more bong rip later]

Oh, I already know where this is gonna go. Straight to my body. I can already feel it in my arms with a sort of soothing effect starting to go on, everything’s starting to get a little fuzzy in the body. It’s not so much of a strong head effect at this point, might take another rip or two and find out if it creeps up on us or what.

[10 minutes later]

Oh my, I am stoned. I am stoned in a classic stoned fashion. My eyes, I’m sure if you can see it they are turning red right now. Wow, I’m you know, my body is like [makes waving motions], my head is like [makes different waving motions]. It’s amazingly, as I mentioned before, it was amazingly peppery, it has some pine in it, it even has some hints of mint in it. The effects are just really nice for twenty-five dollars. Thirty years ago, thirty-plus years ago, if I spent twenty five dollars on pot like this I would have been really thrilled. And if it came in a glass jar I would have been doubly thrilled because nothing came in a glass jar back then. Everything was in a baggie that you sealed with your tongue. Okay I won’t go down that road…

It’s a really fine herb for twenty-five dollars. Even if you paid up to forty dollars with this you might be fine. It’s a little on the dry side, but that’s okay. I’ll let that slide because other than that, it has a very nice cure on it. I’m gonna give this one a good rating and say this is worthy of going and checking out if you’re interested in a heavy Indica stone, a classic marijuana stone.

Alright, let’s take one last rip of this and I think I’m gonna go kick it on the sofa. This is that kind of herb it just makes you feel like hanging on the sofa for the afternoon. So here we go with one last little rip (yeah, little… ha).

Herb & Zen have done a fine job on this Black Jack. This is the first Black Jack I’ve tried so I’m going to compare it against some others down the road.

Until later, best of health.

The Low Down

StrainBlack Jack
TypeHybrid – Indica Dom.
GeneticsBlack Domina (I) X Jack Herer (S)
BrandHerb & Zen
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level27.9
Cost$25 (on sale)
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.45 grams
Look & Feel 
PackagingGlass Jar
ColorDark Green
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSolid
Look & Feel Rating3.3
Smell
Base SmellSpicy
Secondary SmellsPepper
Secondary Smells – Othersubtle mint smell
Strength – SmellStrong
Smell Rating3.5
Smell ImpressionStrong pepper!
Taste
FlavorOther
Flavor – OtherGround black pepper
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TastePronounced
Taste Rating3.3
Taste – ImpressionsGood, but not my preference.
Effects
How Much Injested?4 hits
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetCreeper
Where Do You Feel It?All Over
Main EffectsPhysical, Relaxing, Narcotic
Strength – EffectsPronounced
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating3.5
Effects ImmpressionHeavy, classic marijuana stone
Pros1. Good herb for the price.
Cons1. Tends towards couchlock
Total Rating3.4
Total Rating – Why?A good commercial herb. Classic.
Would I buy this again?Yes, especially at $25 an 1/8th!

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Original DabCap | DabCap V.3

Review

[based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Alright, welcome back to the red bench. Today we’re going to talk about the DabCap, a handy little accessory I got for my birthday the other day. I did a little research online because I was getting a new bong and so I was curious – can I attached my little vape pen that I use to my bong? Turns out you can because of the DabCap. At least that’s what it says it’ll do. Let’s take a look and see if it works as advertised.

The DabCap comes in a little plastic box. It’s a little round silicon object.

They come in a lots of different colors, I happen to have got the red, gold, and green one. There’s black, there’s pink… they come in all kinds of different colors.

So let’s attach this to the vape pen and see how that goes. I’ve got the Yocan Evolve Plus vape pen and it’s got an attachment for wax, crumbles, and things like that. I also use it with the 510 cartridges that most people are familiar with. This one happens to be by Heavy Hitters, it’s a Granddaddy Purple cartridge.

It just goes very easily on the Yocan… voila. and you’ve got your vape pen. Very easy on the go…

Unfortunately, I find the smoke of a vape pen to be a little harsh hits the back of my throat. You know, a couple hits in, my throat throat feels a little funny sometimes. I was thinking, because I was getting a new bong, could I use the smoothness of the bong and the vape pen convenience together?

The dab cap is the connector between the two. You just put the dab cap, very simply, right on the end [mouthpiece] there. Just sits right on the end.

Get your bong and remove the bowl so you have just the downstem. I suggest putting some cool water in the bong, make it an even smoother. Push the button on your battery [and hold the end of the DabCap to the downstem – inhale].

That is smoother. I consider that a definite upgrade to the smoking experience. If you want to use your vape pen with your bong this does exactly as advertised. I got mine for about $10 online at caliconnected.com. You can go there and check them out.

I definitely give this a thumbs up thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have a healthy and safe afternoon and until later, best of health.

 

Links

DabCap V.3 at caliconnected.com

Yocan Evolve Plus

 

Los Angeles Kush | Kushberry Cheesecake

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 3 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

 

Product Description

Our flagship sativa, Kushberry Cheesecake is one of a kind. A unique cross of Alien Moonshine and UK Cheese yields frosty buds that exude sweet notes of blueberry and cream. Consistently tested as one of our highest THC content strains, this sativa will leave patients with a euphoric body buzz and sharp, cerebral high. – Los Angeles Kush

 

Review

[based on the transcript of video, edited for clarity]

Welcome to the red bench, it’s time for another Red Bench Review. Today we’re going to be talking about Los Angeles Kush’s Kushberry Cheesecake. This is a strain that’s a cross between Alien Moonshine and UK Cheese. It’s a Sativa.

This high-end herb ran me about $55 when I picked it up at the collective the other day. Let’s check it out. It says “no seal no deal” [on the box], so let’s just open that. [breaks seal and pulls out jar]

By the way we have close-ups coming up here in just a second, so hang on.

[close-up. Jon shows off the box and the jar]

In my mind that’s an awfully large jar.

I hate to harp on people’s packaging but really if the jar was half the size that eighth would look much more impressive, instead it looks like… oh, I guess that’s an eighth in there… we’re gonna measure it and find out. We’ll let you know.

Let’s give it a smell.

Mmm… mmm. That’s some cheese! That’s some stinky cheese! …and if you know what I mean, that’s a good smell of stinky cheese. Mmm.

Let’s just dump it out here and take a look at what’s inside the jar. It’s looks like we’ve got four good-sized nugs and a couple of little pieces. The nugs are very dense, extremely dense, you can’t even squeeze them. You’ve got to respect the herb. You don’t want to mess it up, but I am putting a little squeeze on trying to get the feel for them.

Well, let’s weigh this out, and take some photos and we’ll be right back.

[photo break, eighth weighed in a 3.47 grams]

I’m in a wonderful cloud right now of stinky cheese. I don’t know what Alien Moonshine smells like. I’ve never smelled it before, so I can’t detect it’s lineage, so to speak, but I do detect the UK Cheese. That’s something I’ve smoked a number of times in the past and really have enjoyed the effects of UK cheese.

[close-up of Jon cutting up the herb]

I cannot wait to smoke this it smells so good. Let’s just put some quickly in the bong now. I’m already half-way to high just by smelling this. They really, really are good at this, the Los Angeles Kush people. I’ve smoked this before and I’d say this is totally consistent with what I smelled before.

Let’s move the tray out of the way and get our hemp wick. Hemp wick is, as you know, a very handy way to get the complete flavor of the herb. Butane will affect the flavor of the herb and hemp wick will help deliver the taste you want. And the taste is what I want right now. Here we go…

[one bong rip later]

Mmm, that was smooth herb! No feeling in the back of the throat, but a smooth feeling… it gave me a little bit of a cough at the end there, but that was because I took a pretty big bong rip.

The flavor was subtle, wonderful, almost like Gouda [cheese]. Very smooth… maybe like a smoky Gouda.

I already feel it going to my head. It’s like the brain cells feel like they’re popping, like the synapses are all excited up there – they’re like, “ooh party time”.

Let’s take a second rip because that first one was just so tasty…

[one more bong rip later]

Let me sit on this for a few minutes, we’ll be back.

[10 minutes later]

Alright, well it’s been about ten minutes and I’ve been sitting here enjoying this herb immensely.

The flavor is still resonating a little bit my mouth with taste of cheese, smoky cheese.

The effects of it have gone to my head – it’s actually sharpened my senses. I really feel like I could get some writing done. I could get to a creative project. I could go do something… the Sativa effects are really strong.

I don’t know what else to say about this except it’s a very good herb. I’m gonna very much enjoy smoking these nugs I’ve got sitting here and when that runs out I’ll probably go get some more because it’s that good!

Anyways, speaking of “it’s that good”, how about we go out with one last bong rip of the Kushberry Cheesecake from Los Angeles Kush.

Until next time, best of health.

 

The Low Down

StrainKushberry Cheesecake
TypeHybrid – Sativa Dom.
GeneticsAlien Moonshine X UK Cheese
BrandLos Angeles Kush
Location PurchasedDesert’s Finest – Desert Hot Springs, CA
THC Level23.5
Cost$55
Purchase Weight3.5 grams – 1/8 oz
Actual Weight3.47 grams
Look & Feel
PackagingGlass Jar in Box
ColorLight Green, Purple
FreshnessWell Cured
TouchLight Sticky
StructureSuper Chunky
Look & Feel Rating4
Look & Feel ImpressionsThe jar is a bit oversized.
Smell
Base SmellSour
Secondary SmellsCheese
Strength – SmellStrong
Smell Rating4.5
Smell Impression“That’s some stinky cheese.”
Taste
FlavorOther
Flavor – OtherSmoke Gouda Cheese
Smoke TextureSmooth, Thick
Strength – TasteMellow
Taste Rating4
Effects
How Much Injested?3 hits
MethodBong
Speed of OnsetImmediate
Where Do You Feel It?Head
Main EffectsCerebral, Relaxing, Motivating, Creative, Euphoric
Strength – EffectsStrong
DurationOver an Hour
Effects Rating4.3
Effects ImmpressionVery creative, motivation high. Perfect for daytime.
Pros1. Great smell
2. Very motivating
Cons1. Jar is a bit big, makes the eighth look underwhelming.
Total Rating4.2
Total Rating – Why?Great herb, definitely top shelf.
Would I buy this again?Yes!

SCALE – 1 (Poor) 2 (Average) 2 (Very Good) 4 (Exceptional) 5 (Holy Grail)

Links

Los Angeles Kush