Origins and Backstory: Back in the days when I did some higher plant numbers, I was given the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup Winning clone of Amnesia Haze. I was using a Copper Chem male at the time for pollenations, and the Amnesia along with many others were pollenated. These were some really old seeds, and I tossed a couple in my indoor garden bed, thinking they probably wouldn’t germinate. I am continually amazed by this plant, as two of the seedlings germinated and grew some extremely favorable herb—the flower being reviewed. While growing the Gharuwood, I made sure to pollenate them with some Passionfruit Dakini plants (as well.
Appearance: These plants had a structure that was more reminiscent of their father—solid and well built, with the heft of the flowers growing conveniently and impressively at the tops. Very little larf. The color however comes from mom—the buds are an almost brilliant bright green, with pistils that die back to tiny wisps of what looks like saffron. Both females were extremely resinous as well., and really had a lovely bag appeal.
Aroma: Overall, these smell like an alien fruit-tree incense. It smells like some exotic fruit tree in Asia that one could dry and cure to use for incense. It is not sickly sweet in its fruitiness, but is vaguely sweet the way cherrywood can be. When breaking open buds, Bubbleicious gum and cotton candy come to mind, as does agarwood and aloeswood. There is some other sweet-but-sour note in there too, a cross of a lemon skittle and rotten lime.In the background, one can smell papaya and mango among other tropical fruits I cannot name. The has an exotic woody/incense aroma that is captivating and really attractive—but not what most American lovers of kush and “gas” are after. I really like this one, and find Chemnesia’s aroma to be almost endlessly intriguing, inviting me to more or less keep my nose in the jar.
Flavor: Many of the candied, sweet, and fruity notes are absent from the smoke—but I would not say lost. The smoke is extremely smooth, intensely floral and woody, with the incense-like notes in the aroma most prominent. If there is some cosmic and otherworldly temple where aliens burn incense, this is it. It is mildly spicy but still very botanical. This makes for a deeply complex smoke, one that is almost addictive in itself. It makes me fantasize about possible culinary endeavors using the flavor of the vapor or smoke from this strain. One of the most unique flavors I have enjoyed in years.
Effects: While really a creeper, the first leg of the Chemnesia experience is heady and almost psychedelic in effect. My vision is slightly altered, heart-rate speeds a bit, and the exterior world gets a little more beautiful and interesting than at baseline. The beginning come-up is definitely sensual and almost rushing in a way, but I wouldn’t say it’s paranoid. The enhanced sensuality continues throughout the duration of the stone, but moves to the background as the borderline-psychedelic rush feeling fades to a more relaxed, thoughtful, and inward-leaning state. I get really strong munchies about an hour in with this one pretty consistently. The intense euphoria is unfortunately somewhat short-lived, ending along with the craving for food, transitioning into a more thoughtful and introspective experience. It is a hybrid effect, fairly foggy and slowed down, yet mentally stimulating—it inspires one to get heavily involved in thought. About two hours in and the effect is over, with a mild but not overly intense desire for a nap.
Overall Experience: Perhaps I’m biased, but this was my smoke of choice after the Passionfruit Dakini. It is beautiful flower, and plants are easy to grow as well as relatively easy to trim. The bag appeal is high, but the bouquet is the highlight, followed by the flavor. The effect is definitely a fun one, but it was really the exotic smell that makes me such a big fan. I’m a sucker for anything pungent, complex, and otherworldy—Gharuwood hits on all three criteria. The incense-like aroma is so exotic and uncommon, I really don’t know how to describe it other than as an alien incense. It might be bizarre, but I would call the bouquet meditative, poetic, and peaceful. It is really something to savor, just like a fine stick of incense. I like the high on this one and it has some character, but I do think it was lacking in my favorite effect of general well-being. I hope to do more breeding work in the future with this one, and will look forward to the crosses to Passionfruit Dakini.