Long Valley Royal Kush x Versailles OG F2

Origins and Backstory:  This flower might have some of the richest backstory of any on my blog.  Both Long Valley Royal Kush (which can be found on the archive) and Versailles OG are seed offerings from Aficionado Seeds.  I purchased and pheno-hunted the former, while @planthoarder searched through the latter.  @Planthoarder was kind enough to gift me his 4 male plants from his package of seeds--I selected 2 of these based on structure, vigor, and most importantly aroma for pollenation.  To make a long story short, I grew all these plants out to mid-flower, and then had to in turn give them back to @planthoarder to finish and process the pollenation.  After successfully making this F1 hybrid, I passed some seeds out.  @bocobeans was a recipient of these seeds, and grew out a number of them.  I do not know how he made his selections or pollenated, but he successfully made F2 from our own F1 selection.  This flower is the sample of one of @bocobeans F2 selections.  So, where to give credit for this flower? It rests on Ras Truth/Mandelbrot of Emerald Mountain Legacy, with Mean Gene from Freeborn Selections, with Leo Stone from Aficionado Seeds, with myself, @planthoarder, and @bocobeans.  There are obviously others preceding even the aforementioned characters, but the responsibility for this creation is spread far among the cannabis community.

Appearance:  This flower is pretty apparently OG.  Her appearance is similar to that of many OG plants I know.  The floral clusters appear dense (but are in fact more dense than they look), heavily resinous, with an almost sickly puke green color to the calyxes.  Pistils are a more dull red-brown.  The floral structure is dense and halfway between pine cones and fingers.  Leaf bottoms are resin-encrusted, while the tops of untrimmed leaves are a much darker green than the surrounding flower--this is the characteristic which makes me think "OG" when I see flowers of this build.

Aroma:  The smell is probably the most unexpected aspect of this flower, and catches me off-guard every time I open the jar for a whiff or break open a nug for smoking.  On first impression, the scent is more sweet and floral than anything.  It is a mild sugary-sweetness with hints of grape, like Welch's grape or raspberry jam.  The floral notes are unlike those I typically experience in cannabis.  Bocobeans insists on the presence of the terpene geraniol, named after the flower Geranium.  I am personally not so familiar with this terpene to confidently announce its presence here, but there is an unmistakable presence of rose-like aroma.  Accompanied by the sweetness, my overall impression of this flower is that of rose water or rose syrup.  One can find rose water/syrup and other similar products in middle-easter grocery stores.  It is typically used as a subtle flavoring in desserts--it comes out really nicely here!  The flower smells vaguely of a floral candy or something.  When broken up, the buds reveal nuances that an open jar does not.  The aroma is more complex, with many notes that remind me of hops from my homebrewing days.  It is skunky, piney, and has the very slightest note of citrus.  While I could be incorrect, I believe it is the Cascadia hop variety that this flower reminds me of.  I will also note that while the aroma from an open jar seems relatively mild, my hands absolutely stink of super heady, skunky herb for hours after breaking up some nugs.  

Flavor:  The flavor of this Rosy plant isn't as rosy or floral when smoked.  When combusted, this flower definitely leans toward the Cascadia-hop and skunk side of things, almost like a fruity or citrus-heavy IPA beer.  It is heavy pine, with a definite and bright fruitiness--citrus as well as other understated fruits.  It is sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the aroma would imply.  While rose and geranium do not take the forefront, there is a strange floral note that is noticeable toward the middle/backend.  While the flavor is enjoyable and hits several different aspects (floral, sweet, spicy, skunky, herbal), it is not as awesome as the bouquet--it is fairly complex but not incredibly original.

Effects:  This flower settles in slowly and gently, simultaneously in both body and mind.  The first noticeable element is relaxation and a sense of being at ease.  My breathing rhythm seems to slow as does my heart rate, and my thoughts begin to move inward.  This herb is more inner than outer, more mellow/relaxing than exciting or inspiring.  Perhaps it is just the day, but generally when I smoke in the evenings, I'm inspired to visit a creative project that I have been neglecting.  Today smoking this flower, I feel content with the day's work and am fine to retire into recreational pursuits and relaxation.  It is a good feeling of being content and satiated, but this is not the flower to smoke when looking for inspiration or euphoria.  For such indica-like effects, this flower is pretty functional.  It doesn't give the user that feeling of alien paranoia and of being watched in public.  The full strength creeps over time, and ends up being a warm cocoon of chilled out vibes.  I do not withdraw after heavy use of this variety, the same way I would with a pure OG--sometimes, today's designer strains are so powerful I just want to retreat to the comfort of my bed and watch a movie. 

Overall:  This cultivar looks like a classic OG cut, but the aroma tells a completely different story.  The bouquet reminds me of roses, grape jam, and a citrus india pale ale, heavy on floral, hop-like, and skunky notes.  These two factors really give the flower a lovely bag appeal, the buyer knowing they're in for a good time.  The flavor is certainly enjoyable and hits several different notes.  I particularly appreciate the brightness, and how similar to hops this variety is--if the reader doesn't know, hops and cannabis are very closely related.  It actually surprises me that I do not pick up more hop-like aromas in the vast array of plants I encounter.  I digress.....this phenotype is really not lacking in any category.  Her best attribute is definitely her smell, and I would say her weakest trait is maybe her effect.  While not lacking in potency, the character is just not my favorite cup of tea.  I prefer cultivars that lean more toward the extremes, either geared toward soaring cerebral sensations or debilitating paralysis and munchies.  Since this one sort of sits in the middle of most of the effects, it doesn't really stand out to me.  I will be really curious how the extracts of this varietal turn out--a cut with commercial potential.