Daily, as I do my regular research, I’m reminded that there are so many strains out there in the big wide world that I still need to try, let alone review. I make mental notes to try this strain or that strain, but honestly, lack of time (and money) is the only thing stopping me from trying out more herb. Today’s strain, Sundae Driver, has been on my mental list for quite awhile. I first noted it when we started Red Bench ReviewS, and it’s taken this long to finally try this strain.

Last week I had a unique tin of herb put into my hands by a brand called Screaming Trumpets, a product of a company called Desert Underground that makes Desert Hot Springs its home. Desert Hot Springs, right next door to cannabis-friendly Palm Springs, is one of the rapidly expanding centers of the modern cannabis industry.

[Disclaimer: This herb was provided by Screaming Trumpets in exchange for an honest review]

Sundae Driver is a 50/50 hybrid that is a cross of Fruity Pebbles OG and Grape Pie, both delicious strains, in and of themselves. This version that we looked at tested at 21.46% THC, which I understand is a bit high for Sundae Driver.

The Look and Smell

So, first off – I was really blown away by the packaging of this product. The tin box the herb comes in is made of stamped tin with raised lettering all around. Very old-school, like when people used to use an old tin Band-aid container to hide their baggie of weed in… back in the day I had a friend who did that.

Opening the tin I immediately saw that there were several items inside… the first thing I pulled out was the resealable, paper and Mylar pouch that held the herb – “premium loose leaf cannabis”, as the box said on the outside. It must also be noted that “Quality Cannabis” and “High Potency” were stamped on the sides of the box, raising expectations.

The package also included a pack of RAW brand rolling papers and a pack of matches with the Screaming Trumpets logo printed on top… everything you need to get going! So cool. Roll ‘em up, light ‘em up, and smoke ‘em up!

I was very impressed at this point… the graphic artist in me was over the moon, as they say. But this great packaging is just that, great packaging, if the herb inside isn’t worth smoking. I mean, I’ve bought a few bags of “rolling herb” in the past that wasn’t worth the Mylar bag they were sold in. Part of me was a bit skeptical of “loose leaf” herb part of this deal… I don’t want to smoke shaky sugar leaf and trim that tastes like grass cuttings. Been there, done that.

I tore open the top of the bag and the aromas immediately hit me – deep and rich… a bit fruity and something else. I smelled the bag several times and I realized that other smell was a faint chocolate aroma. Once I smelled the chocolate it became more prominent.

Pouring the herb out on the tray I could see there was a mix of shake with small pieces of buds. I saw just a few sugar leaves and I found one small stem.

The cure was fresh and rich, and the herb almost seemed alive as I turned over the pile with the edge of the rolling papers. I could easily see this was really good herb. The herb was ready to go – straight to being rolled up in the papers without any processing time. From pouch to paper – easy peasy.

The chocolate aromas coming off of tray was like having a light but rich chocolate drink sitting in front of me. As I looked down at the tray I was quite pleased with the amount of herb Screaming Trumpets had packed into that resealable bag – 10 grams! I’ve seen this tin of herb on menus online and this goes for about $65. Not bad for a collectible tin, 10 grams of premium cannabis – ready to roll, with papers and matches.

Not being the best at rolling joints I got out my rolling machine and proceeded to roll one that was way tighter than necessary. Oh my, I think I was trying to stuff too much herb into the machine because I don’t like skinny joints – I like ‘em fat! The joint was, indeed, fat – and the dry hit I took tasted strongly of a deep, rich earthiness and chocolate. The air flowed through the joint well enough, so I lit it up…

The Taste and Feel

This herb tasted exactly as it smelled, but deeper and richer. I’m not a fan of RAW rolling papers because I can always taste the papers, but the flavor of the herb seemed to overwhelm the paper taste in this case. As I kept hitting the joint the flavor just got more intense. I don’t know how many hits I took, but five to seven minutes later I had smoked two thirds of the joint and I was seriously feeling the effects stone me.

The first thing that I noticed was the smile on my face. Oh, this is a fun herb, a good time herb, I thought. The strength of the effects started to build at this point, and kept going while we filmed the rest of the review. I was so stoned when we came back from the ten minute break, that I wondered at one point if we would be able to finish filming the video…

By this time the “fuzzies” had settled in, insulating all my nerves with that wonderful cushion that the herb sometimes provides. Soon I forgot about my body entirely. All the little aches and pains went away… I was just so content to sit, pleasantly stoned off my gourd, and let my mind just run around.

After the filming was done – yes, there were many extra takes on this one and enough stuff to fill a bloopers reel – I ventured to get up from the bench. I was surprised how energetic I felt. I danced around a little, just feeling great, happy and stoned… I felt refreshed and talkative. I was loving the high!

The Wrap Up

I must note that this is a great herb for music making. The next day after the review I packed a king-size cone with the herb and relaxed outside, looking out at the hi-desert landscape of the five acres we live on, and spent awhile with the herb. And then the singing started. Everything was like a song to me and I couldn’t help but break into vocalizing. As Jim James says, “it just feels good to sing”. Well, the singing continued for several hours, and I might of driven Tania a little crazy, but I was having a great time 🙂

I’ve also noticed how well this herb works for other creative projects, as I got lost in one project this afternoon in Photoshop after a sesh with Sundae Driver. The feel of the herb was definitely Sativa-leaning in my experience. I have several creative projects I’m working on this week, and I think this is going to be the perfect herb for them.

Public service message here: Don’t smoke this herb and drive. Don’t be a Sundae Driver driver… because this is one of those strains that really distorted time for me. I imagine I’d be driving 30 in a 55 zone after smoking a joint of this one. But I’d love to smoke a fatty, and be the passenger in a convertible cruising through the desert on a spring Sunday afternoon… ah – Sundae Passenger.

I must note that this herb tasted even better smoked through my bong. I also tried this herb in my pipe, but of all the methods, I liked this strain through my bong the best, and that has become my go-to as I’ve spent the last few days with this extraordinary strain. But, leaving the bong aside, this strain does smoke well as joints, and that was my second favorite method.

One last, small point – Screaming Trumpets has four different strains in their lineup, each with it’s own colored tin – Sundae Driver, Wedding Cake, GMO (Garlic, Mushrooms and Onions) and Durban. Yes, I’m going to try and collect all four tins! I mean, what’s not to love about some GMO, Wedding Cake or Durban if it’s as good as this Sundae Driver?

Until later, best of health.