Origins and Backstory: Pura Vida is a cross of Hollywood Pure Kush and Bodhi’s famed Appalachia (Green Crack x Tres Dawg, originally bred by High and Lonesome) male. Bodhi describes it as good life bud (a loose translation of the name), good herb to pull out with friends, to enjoy good vibes with, to be social around, etc. I personally grew these flowers outdoor organically, sun-grown and earth-grown, at 5300’ on the front range of Colorado.. This clone was selected by @bocobeans.
Appearance: While I can only speak for outdoor samples (I have seen prettier indoor), the appearance of Pura Vida is middle-of-the-road, high-quality green bud. The flowers didn’t turn a tinge of purple, despite very cold outside temperatures, and daily swings ranging up to 40 degrees. The resin production is high, and the pistils on the plant were really impressive while she was growing. Mostly vibrant oranges, but the occasional purple or pink pistil would manifest itself on these flowers. Sadly, all of the pistils have died back to a dull brown after curing. The structure is full and chunky, but the trim on this outdoor flower was not particularly easy. Overall, this looks like high quality green bud not to be scoffed at, but it also won’t be impressing any loyal fans of MAC, Gorilla Glue, etc..
Aroma: Probably the least-impressive aspect of this flower, the aroma is indeed very soft and feminine as described by Bodhi. However, it is disappointingly subtle. It almost smells like generic cannabis being cooked in butter or something, and is relatively subdued when one shoves their nose in a jar. It is a light skunky, soft aroma that reminds me of a turned-down Pure Kush. Up front is a citrusy (mostly orange) marshmallow aroma that is desirable, but the marshmallow isn’t as pronounced as in Pure Kush. There are some other spice-like hashy notes I usually associate with middle-eastern broad leaf varieties. While trying to nail down exactly what makes this flower “feminine,” I can notice tones that remind me of feminine hygiene products like hand lotion, facial sunscreen, incense, and vanilla. It is an enjoyable aroma, but very mellow. Strangely, this flower is extremely skunky from across the room! The notes are just much more subtle close up.
Flavor: The flavor is actually pretty nice, and reminds me of classic cannabis. It reminds me of some of the first bags of decent weed I had in my youth. There are earthy, typical “Kush” flavors that are like tasting temple incense. The flavor is floral with just a hint of orange citrus, but there are strong, bitter botanical notes layered in as well. Overall, I’d say the flavor is surprisingly complex considering the more muted aroma. However, I have noticed this as a trend with some of the more subtle, incense-like broad leafed varieties—sometimes the flavor is surprisingly spectacular!
Effects: The effects are stand-out, especially compared to the other aspects of the flower. This is potent indica herb. Bodhi pegs it as a laid back, chill smoke—while this is on par with the aroma, I find the smoke to be pretty strong! The character of the effect is easy-going for the most part, but it is pretty potent and long-lasting. A bowl in the morning will keep me feeling laid back and mellow into the early afternoon. The smoke is happy, relaxed, and ideal for chilling out—in the mountains (or on the beach, but we are short on those in Colorado), with friends, or home alone with a movie or video game. This is happy and easy going herb! However, I do find that if I smoke this one a few times in the same day, the narcotic aspects compound, and what was a nice, relaxing smoke in the AM can become debilitating and make me extremely lazy later on in the day. Overall, this is a versatile flower that is relaxed and mellow without sacrificing potency. This is classic SoCal beach weed.
Overall: There is nothing lacking here. Pura Vida is enjoyable on every level of analysis. However, my seed collection is too extensive and my list of strains “on deck” is too long to grow middle-of-the-road varieties. Pura Vida is nice, versatile, and hard to go wrong most of the time. It’s great to pull out with buddies, or home alone. It’s great to smoke in the mountains on hikes, and enjoyable for podcasts or nights in. However, it does not stand out in any one dimension, and is really pretty typical decent-grade cannabis. There’s really nothing particular to dislike here, but I have no problem letting this plant go to make room for more exotic varietals in my garden and life!