Origins and Backstory: Freeborn Selections has impressed recently with its Sour Dubble crosses, especially Dubble Limes which I can’t stop hearing positive things about. Sour Dubble (popularly known as Sour Dubb or Sour Dubs) is an extremely resinous clone-only that impressed Meangene with its breeding ability—he compares it more to an Afghan than to the Sour Diesel clone, while it does have some features similar to Sour Diesel. Sour Dubble was originally found by Greyskull in some seeds that were given to him by the late breeder BOG as Sour Diesel x Sour Bubble. Greyskull passed the clone around and it received a lot of hype maybe 10 or so years ago. Jaro, the pollen donor in this case, is a line from Meangene which he frequently compares to Sour Diesel. Given Jaro’s lineage is Sour Diesel x (Pure Kush x (Black Afghani x Hindu Kush)), bringing Sour Dubble in seems like a great choice to breed on paper. The full lineage appears as:
(Sour Diesel x Sour Bubble) x (Sour Diesel x (Pure Kush x (Black Afghani x Hindu Kush))), making this seed line 50% Sour Diesel genes.

I grew this plant both indoor as well as in a greenhouse at over 8300’ altitude.

Morphoology: This plant was interesting. Super vigorous, it would grow somewhere between a beanstalk and Christmas tree indoors. In the greenhouse, it was more of a bushy Christmas tree. In both environments, plants were exceptional yielders with massive buds on each branch. The structure to the flowers is like Sour Diesel on PGRs or something; it looks like massive colas that are almost-fox tailing without being fluffy, whisps of floral material reaching for the sky. Flowers have the characteristic single green leaflet wrapping downward over them that is typical of Sour Diesel, and it really is a plant whose flowers looks like an ultra-robust Sour Diesel. Resin production is great, with finished flowers appearing almost white or platinum with trichome coverage. Plants are green and finish green without any purpling, regardless of temperatures. Dried flowers also look somewhat similar to Sour Diesel, but the smaller buds are more developed—larger, more substantial, and more mature-looking at finish. The plants in my greenhouse grew the largest colas of any plants I have ever grown, ever, and required pretty minimal support. Plants are relatively broadleafed.

Aroma: Somewhat enigmatic, I notice different tones at different times. A jar comes off immediately as sweet-skunky gingerbread, with prominent notes of velveteen hash, burning rubber, diesel fuel, and leather conditioner. “Bubba Diesel” comes to mind, as it is sweet and skunky with metallic diesel fuel notes, but also features leather and leather conditioner so commonly found in Bubba Kush. There are cola-like notes that are reminiscent of Dr. Pepper, and at other times sweeter bubblegum aromas skirt the background. This weed does not have much offensive character, but is much more of a sweet-skunky (think Gorilla Glue #4 but way less funky) that doesn’t scream “I just smoked dank” after consuming as much as other skunky weeds. It is like a sweet and leathery-diesel-cola thing. It is unique and attractive, but not over-the-top-loud. There is a softness and subtlety to the smell, bringing in notes that bring a soft pillowy pile of hashish or kief to mind. Overall pleasant and complex without being intensely loud or obnoxious.

Flavor: Sweet, hashy, and chalky, the flavor comes off as mild and understated at first, although it does coat one’s whole mouth. There are definite notes of leather and leather conditioner akin to Bubba Kush, and a soft, velvety character not far from pressed kief. There is a diversity to the aroma, however, that is only discovered through numerous encounters with this weed. I have experienced notes as far as gingerbread, butterscotch, diesel, and even cherry cola. None of them are dominant, but there are times when you take a toke and think “whoa, that just tasted like ______.” Joints, bowls, vaporizers, or whatever is your preferred method of consumption, it is interesting that this weed tends to taste decent for a prolonged period—past the point where most strains just taste like ashes.

Effects: The effects of this weed took me a long time to nail down. Just after harvest, I observed that sometimes I would get VERY high after consuming some, and at other times I did not feel like I consumed weed at all. That’s a crazy thing to say, because I can now definitively say that this is very potent and long-lasting weed. It is a bit heavy for a wake ‘n bake experience, as it can really make one feel like they’re living in a video game like Super Mario—thrusting the user into a cartoon-cloud-world of giggles, lightness, and simplicity. However, smoked after an OG or other heavyweight—it is so clear that it is almost not felt at all. The effect, when smoked earlier, begins as light and happy before becoming quite dreamy and surreal. It can be a thrust, especially if one overindulges. You do feel some effect relatively quickly, but the full onset takes significant time to fully manifest. In spite of this intensity and potency, it is also rarely too intense. Something about the Jaro brings in a clarity of character that is up, positive, happy, feel-good, but I would not describe it as a rushing euphoria. There is nothing about this weed that will make one feel crazy or psychotic, as can be the case (especially for casual users) with the intensity of OGs or Hazes. It has become my favorite ganja to enjoy early in the afternoon—it makes me feel great, hits with authority, will last for hours, but it doesn’t put me down. I find smoking the heavier, more intense varieties all day can be overwhelming, taking some of the joy out of both weed and life. If you consume this weed all day, you will be burnt out eventually. But for such a potent strain, the burnout effect is relatively mild, and one can avoid the pitfall-negative feelings that often accompany overindulgence.

Overall: I have struggled wondering how to think of this plant—is it an uppity Afghan? A mass-yielding sweet diesel? An enigmatic hashplant? It’s all of these and more, really. From a structural standpoint, this plant is like a huge-yielding and easy-to-manage Sour Diesel. From a consumption standpoint, it has the relaxation of an Afghan but with minimal burnout, and the positivity (and at times, even clarity) of a landrace sativa. The aroma is recognizable but also feels somewhat new, and it’s hard to imagine the flavor being offensive to some. I appreciate the flavor but it isn’t my all time favorite. It is a daily driver for me, and one I am fortunate to have—it is really an amazing dailly answer to anxiety, depression, and some of the general bullshit that comes with life. If someone visits, this isn’t what I take out to blow their mind with novelty or extreme potency. However, if their stay is multiple days, undoubtedly we’ll end up consuming this one multiple times, with good reason. This is a great workhorse of a plant, and a great workhorse of a smoke! This was one of the hardest plants for me to review, as it really defies being put in conventional boxes, and shows you different faces at different times. Sour Dubble x Jaro is special in its own ways, without being obnoxious or extreme in novelty. Because of this, I think it will have a hard time winning any cups, but I could see it becoming some people’s favorite smoke, especially after they really get to know it. It’s also useful to consider I only evaluated two females—I am curious about the outliers in this line I haven’t seen, too! I felt this plant was worth pollenating with both Cherry Pyromancer and Piña as well as growing sensimilla. Sour Dub is indeed a plant great to breed with, adding potency, burning rubber afghan hashy flavor, and excellent resin production. Jaro really adds something to the effect and structure, and I really haven’t seen anything else like these plants!