Origins and Backstory: Bred by Hawaiian Heirloom Genetics and gifted to me by @spacemanspliff808, this is a cross of the famous Maui Skunkdog, and a plant called Lemon, presumably from Eureka, California. Skunkdog is a famous clone from Hawaii, and legends abound about its parentage and origin. It’s extremely popular on the islands both with smokers as well as growers, although I have never tried the pure thing. Knowing nothing about Eureka Lemon, I germinated these in the hopes that I could find some plants resembling the legendary Maui Skunkdog.
Appearance: These flowers are highly resinous but also pretty fluffy. My understanding is that the loose bud structure inhibits mold growth in the highly-humid islands of Hawaii, and it certainly makes sense after seeing the plant finish. Buds are light green, and despite weathering snow and several frosts in the Colorado outdoor season, did not display much color. There were some pink pistils that showed up mid-flower, but these finished a dark reddish-brown by the time of harvest. All in all, these look like some looser green bud from the ‘90s.
Aroma: Fresh, sharp, and astringent, this plant smells like a fresh load of laundry with some extra dryer sheets. The dominant smell really is the exact note of dryer sheets. There are other notes of febreeze, hairspray/sharpie marker tip, aloe vera, and sanitizing hand wipes. It mostly smells like fresh laundry though, with distinctive aromas of fabric softener and dryer sheets. There was a less loud phenotype that had subtle notes of macadamia nut and whipped cream, but the superior plant is the one that smells like laundry coming out of the dryer. Talk about comfort weed!
Flavor: The aroma translates to flavor, and it is a velvety smooth experience of dryer sheets, Febreeze, and fabric softener down the palate. It is seriously like inhaling from a skunky, dank doobtube**—an awesome and bizarre experience! It makes me recall a bag of weed I received in my youth. I was actually concerned at the time that the smell came from smugglers who had sprayed the weed with chemicals, and it made me anxious about potential health effects. It was notably killer weed at the time, so I ended up smoking it. Looking back, it was probably just really killer weed and I was just paranoid. The flavor is really a wonderful experience!
**A doobtube is a cardboard or otherwise hollow tube that is filled with crumpled dryer sheets. Smoke or vapor is exhaled through the tube, thus being “filtered” by the dryer sheets, and minimizing the cannabis aromas—or at least covering them up! This was a popular choice of mine growing up and toking in an outdated midwestern state.
Effects: Very dreamy and very stoney, this Lemon Skunkdog v2.0 is not lacking potency. It is actually some of the strongest outdoor weed I have smoked from the 2020 outdoor season, and some of the only outdoor to stand up against the sheer potency of the Gelato 41 and London Pound Cake on the shelf. This hits similar to an OG or other heavier strains, with potency and authority. It isn’t uppity, but gives a classic cannabis effect that seemlessly meshes with island vibes. This is laid back, no-worries-no-hurries type weed. I could smoke this weed on a porch, on a beach, on a river, or just about anywhere, and contentedly watch the world go by. It is euphoric and happy, and gives rise to optimistic thought. This is happy, good times bud that I really love.
Overall: This is probably the strongest of the 2020 outdoor season, and the aroma/flavor are almost unprecedented in weed (the only exception in my personal experience being that bag of dried flower I purchased in 2007-8). The plant did take an extended time to finish flowering, and I think would typically need to be prematurely harvested most winters. We had a very mild winter this year, despite the early snows. The quality of the flower is absolutely top tier, and the structure of the plants and flower certainly seem to lend themselves to mold-resistance in high-humidity environments. I did cross this plant with Lime 1 x Grape Soda Skunk F2, an earlier finisher, and I hope to retain many of the traits of this plant in the cross. I am glad the weather allowed for these plants to finish, as they are some of the most exotic and enjoyable to smoke of any this year. I love smoking this weed for all kinds of reasons, and really look forward to seeing which traits she passes to the next generation.