Origins and Backstory: I was gifted these by a friend who reproduced them, which were in turn reproduced by AK Bean Brains. These are a line of Durban Poison from the Super Sativa Seed Club (SSSC), a defunct mail-order seed catalogue from the 1980s. I guess I should note that AK Bean Brains simply calls this “Durban,” while the variety is more popularly renowned as “Durban Poison.” Durban Poison is a legend, hailing from Durban, South Africa. It has long been renowned for its anise and licorice dominated aroma and flavor, as well as its electrifying, psychedelic effect. Over the years, clones and seeds being called Durban Poison have been circulated, but many longtime smokers and cultivators report that these are watered down versions of the real thing. Personally, I have smoked many different samples of alleged Durban (it was nearly ubiquitous in Colorado around 2010), from many time periods and locales. Surely, the best I have experienced have the sweet, licorice-like aroma and flavor and the reputed high to match. I have also smoked samples that were likely hybrids (most likely, Durban Poison x Skunk #1), and one might describe them as “watered-down”—but I personally thought they were still good. Not as good as the pure thing, but close enough to still be pretty awesome. In any case, this seemed like a rare opportunity to see for myself what might be in some Durban Poison genetics that are relatively close to the original thing. I grew a single female at 8300’ altitude, and this female started flowering on her own after becoming rootbound. I bounced her around from indoor to outdoor to greenhouse back to indoor again etc., so it really is not the best representation of this plant. It is still stellar cannabis.
Morphology: The plant itself grows with thin leaves and leaflets, characteristic of a narrow leaf plant, while branching is actually fairly heavy, with tight internode spacing. The plant grows relatively stout and bush-like for a narrow-leaf plant. It is quite vigorous, and I had to aggressively top plants while I waited for some other seedlings to catch up in size. I allowed my female plant to get rootbound when I did this, and she began to flower all on her own. I up-potted her and put her in 24/0 light, but she kept flowering. There was minimal stretch when she went into flower. Buds were somewhat light, not as well-developed as “modern” and especially broadleaf plants. Plants were a dark green while vegging, and stayed green throughout the entirety of its life, with no purpling. Dried flowers were relatively light and wispy, but I wouldn’t go so far as calling them fluffy. Relatively high resin production.
Aroma: Dried flowers smell of terpinolene and black pepper, with a sweetness that conjures childhood memories of opening licorice jars at penny-candy stores. It is not unlike the sweetness of roasted fennel, and many people liken the aroma to anise. When flowers are broken up, the sweetness is accentuated, bringing licorice, metal, and a vague sweet-fruitiness (bordering on classic bubblegum) all to the foreground. It’s sweet and fruity and candy-like, and the mid-range notes of terpinolene and black pepper add dimensionality.
Flavor: Sweet licorice and fruit dominate, with fennel, metal, and tones reminiscent of dental work and medical plastic adding complexity and mouthfeel. It is really a highlight, and I’m at a loss to come up with other smoke that offers a similar experience. It’s unique, enjoyable, and addictive, really pleasant in and of itself. The flavor is relatively long-lasting, but does go from being more nuanced and complex to generically fruity over the course of a session.
As an aside, my wife really does not like the smell of offensive cannabis strains, and does not enjoy the smell of my breath after smoking plants like ‘87 Limepop or TCPK (link needed). The first time I consumed this Durban, I met with my wife soon afterward and she gave me a kiss. She asked if she could have a piece of gum—I told her I didn’t have any, and she was incredulous. She tasted Durban on me, and it was so fruity that she thought I had been chewing gum to cover up cannabis. She thought it was so nice-tasting and unusual that she wanted to try it! I thought that was kind of amazing. She really doesn’t enjoy the aroma of vaporized cannabis either, but remarks that after I vaporize Durban, it leaves a fruity, perfumey aroma in the air that she actually enjoys. Obviously this aroma and flavor is desirable for all kinds of reasons—if you desire discretion for any reason, it seems this particular line of Durban Poison is a great option.
Effects: Rivaling the aroma in its uniqueness, the effects of Durban are somewhat stunning, and deeply desirable. True to form, Durban is a cerebral, active, euphoric, happy and optimistic smoke that can be motivating and even psychedelic at times. The onset often begins with an almost-rushing and euphoric sensation, and does have a bit of creep to it. Notably, Durban is felt strongly in the body—which goes counter to the stereotype of broadleaf vs. narrowleaf plants. However, the character of the “body buzz” is almost a 180 degree turn from a smoke like LAPK (link needed). It is an energetic, vibrating sensation that is the best example of “electrifying” or “electric” cannabis that I have encountered. Instead of suggesting couchlock, there is a sense of creative urgency, like you need to get out in the world, move your body, do things, live your life, and make your mark on the world. It really is somewhat motivating in and of itself, but is also greatly complimented with a cup of coffee or tea (I recommend Maunamoku if you appreciate high-grade tea as much as cannabis—and tell them I sent you). The effect is satisfyingly-intense, which is often not the case with motivating and clear-headed varieties. Thoughts are consistently positive and euphoric and generally future-oriented, and can at times be of the psychedelic variety, while still staying quite functional overall. Although, it injects a bit of a Fear and Loathing vibe into my life sometimes—while I always find myself able to function outwardly well on this weed, sometimes the intensity and psychedelic nature can give conversations or other activities (even the mundane) a wacky and weird feeling, like everything (including yourself) is hanging on by a thread. Most of the time I don’t feel that way at all, I just feel great on this weed!
The soaring feeling does seem to be limited to about once a day—if I smoke this weed later in the day after coming down, hoping to achieve the same effect, I am always disappointed. I get more of a generic high, one that is less clear, euphoric, optimistic, and generally just overall awesome, and it feels like a waste of these super-special flowers. If I consume in the morning, Durban is my favorite and go-to, and I follow it up with Sour Dubb x Jaro (link needed), instead of more Durban. It’s really an ideal day-starter and motivator, and just incredible weed to fill the niche of clear-headed, euphoric, optimistic, functional high.
Overall: I’m so glad this SSSC variety has been preserved by AK Bean Brains, and it really is one of the best representations of Durban Poison I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. Other Durbans are likely Durban Poison x Skunk #1 or other similar crosses, but this one strikes me as being as real as it’s going to get. I can’t believe how well this plant managed all the moving about—from indoor to greenhouse back to indoor, then outside, all after being rootbound and auto-flowering on her own. The fact that the smoke is still so favorable after that amount of stress speaks volumes. The aroma and flavor are definitely unique and inherently very enjoyable, but their ability to afford discretion makes them doubly-valuable to someone like me. I love the sweet licorice thing, and I really love that my wife likes the smell. The effect though, is the real highlight, and reason enough to keep smoke like this around. Many sativas that breeders and smokers describe as '“motivating” are in my experience, not really motivating—they might be somewhat active relative to the more potent couchlock experiences, but they still generally put me in a relaxed and lazier state. It’s rare that I find genuinely-energizing and motivational smoke, and this is it. The fact it comes in a package with euphoria and such an enjoyable flavor really makes it a complete one, and it has quickly become my favorite morning smoke that I need more of. After checking AK Bean Brains website, I see he really undersells this one, simply noting its potency of concentrate, and “metallic terps.” If you like motivating smoke but don’t want to deal with some finicky, long-flowering sativa, Durban is the clear answer. This variety is my number one priority to increase seed of, I love it and want it around that much!