Origins and Backstory: I discuss the plethora of Pure Kushes on the LA Pure Kush review more in-depth, but it’s worth noting again that I have heard of this specific cut referred to as Topanga Canyon Pure Kush, Hollywood Pure Kush, ‘91 Hollywood Pure Kush, Malibu Pure Kush—but most commonly and affectionately as just “PK.” I am not sure if the above-mentioned cuts are all identical in reality, but I purchased this one as Topanga Canyon Pure Kush alongside L.A. Pure Kush and SoCal Master Kush from GMO’s House of Clones, a tissue culture clone bank. The most-likely story I have heard about this clone’s lineage is that it is an unspecified OG Kush clone crossed to a hybrid of Cotton Candy and Bubba Kush. I am not sure if this is truly the lineage, but it seems plausible given the plant’s characteristics. It’s a well-known OG clone in any case, and is generally renowned for having a lime flavor, as well as being the choice of smoke among Hollywood’s elites.
I first heard about “Pure Kush” reading the Cannabible as a teenager, and of course have felt that I needed to try it ever since. During a trip to California as teenagers, my older brother was offered “PK” from a local connection, and instead informed this contact to buy “the stinkiest weed available” from the dispensary. I was pretty incensed at my brother, as I was pretty sure “PK” was the renowned Pure Kush from the Cannabible, and the local guy was raving about it (I always trust local opinion on the matter of quality herb)….in any case, I felt like the chance to try this weed was taken out from under me. We did receive some exceptionally stinky weed and were told it was “Kush.” It was ridiculously and offensively stinky like roadkill skunk, and the most dense flower I have experienced. I still recall attempting to roll joints in our hotel room, but the weed was too dense and sticky to break up with our fingers and roll (PGRs?). My brother kept trying to roll something and I asked what was taking so long. He explained he couldn’t break up the weed, and I tried….I saw what he meant. It broke apart in massive, sticky chunks that we had to buy a cheap glass pipe to smoke. The inability to break up the buds was a detriment to consuming it, and I don’t recall exactly how strong it was or wasn’t, but I do recall that we had that weed instead of the local recommendation, “PK,” because my brother couldn’t just accept what was being offered to him. About 20 years later, obviously the sense of a missed chance sticks with me!
After moving to Colorado, I encountered Hollywood Pure Kush, but it obviously did not match the Cannabible description (it’s much closer to Master Kush or Bubba Kush), and my search continued on.
I heard over forums that TCPK featured a lime aroma, and so I wasn’t sure if it was the PK from the Cannabible. However, I also have enough experience in this realm that I knew I had to find out for myself, and that was really the only way to satisfy my curiosity, so I acquired the clone to grow from GMO’s House of Clones.
For those curious about what made me so curious, here is an abbreviated version of Jason King’s description of PK in the Cannabible, from 2006:
”Arguably the rarest and most expensive elite ganja strain on the planet…$1,000 an ounce…an exquisite treat for the rich and famous…an awesome aroma, almost identical to Fruit Loops cereal but with an intense Kushy bottom end…intense buzz comes on before the smoke is exhaled…once the high fully hits, the strain’s elite status begins to make sense…very similar to Chem/Dawg, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were closely related…”
King does mention that in reality, the smoke is not necessarily better than other OGs and comparable elite clones, but that all these “elites” are on par with one another, and its a matter of personal preference. He relates that “PK” had a near-mythical reputation, while some other online cannabis discussions offer sentiment that King was either exaggerating this, or misinformed. In any case, Topanga Canyon Pure Kush, often referred to as Pure Kush or PK, is a legend among legends, an OG clone that is considered one of, if not the very best of them all.
I had the extraordinary pleasure of growing this plant both indoors and in a greenhouse, both over 8300’ altitude.
Morphology: TCPK likes to branch, and its growth patterns are somewhat indicative of sativa or narrow-leaf ancestry. It is a fairly vigorous plant, aggressively stretching and branching without sacrificing growth at the bottom—it benefits from pruning and/or training. My plants stayed entirely green in spite of cold temperatures. Floral structure is typical of an OG Kush variety, as seen in the picture above. This plant yields heavily, branches heavily, and is difficult to control if one waits too long. Finished flowers have a beautiful green aesthetic to them, as they are impressively-resinous, brightly colored, with highly-contrasting bright orange pistils. Really beautiful, sparkly-looking dried flowers with typical OG structure to them. They were on the fluffier side of OG flowers for me, but nonetheless had a distinctive OG structure and appearance.
Aroma: While it is reputed as a lime-flavored OG, this cut is so much more than that. It is sour (more sour than Sour Diesel in my opinion), sweet, rich with chemical aromas and fruit, and is simultaneously attractive and off-putting—personally, my favorite combination of aromas in cannabis, as it offers so much depth and intensity. I would describe it as an OG Kush, sure, but it is certainly unique even among the most famous of clone-only OGs. My indoor flowers smelled markedly different from greenhouse flowers grown in the same soil, and the greenhouse flowers were significantly more complex and intense in their aroma.
While lime is present, there are other fruit notes that are sometimes even more dominating—sour stone fruits reminiscent of peach, as well as green honeydew melon aromas come to the fore. It is a quality not far off from Fruit Loops cereal, or Fruitopia beverage—super attractive, and also completely different from other OGs which usually feature lemon, if any fruit. PK flowers are intensely skunky and loud, leaving a skunk-pine-funk aroma on fingers or whatever other surfaces they encounter. There is significant astringency like a typical OG, with notes of acetone, nail polish remover, kerosene and gasoline, fresh asphalt, vinyl, and a skunky funk that just screams “dank.” It has the signature and typical OG tones that most of us know and love, but so much more complexity that make this a very unique OG. It’s hard to get past the aroma, and even after smoking this daily for almost half a year now—I still smell my fingers repeatedly every time I break up buds, because it is that enjoyable, interesting, and shows a different face each time I enjoy it.
Flavor: The flavor is everything the aroma offers, and more. One may experience lime, fruit punch (identical to the flavor of the beverage Fruitopia), gasoline, green melon, peach, asphalt, and skunk-pine-funk. The flavors are not subtle, and engulf one’s mouth and nasal cavities in the same way the incoming stone engulfs the mind. There are all the flavors present that made OG Kush famous, and more. It is an intense experience revealing the depth and complexity not only of this particular plant, but the depth and complexity possible in cannabis in general—OG Kush and TCPK really set the bar for what a flavor experience of cannabis should be like to be considered “elite.” It is flavors like this that I found so rapturous when I first became enthralled with cannabis. How is it possible that a plant could produce an experience like this, with elements borrowed from all over nature as well as synthetic ones that I thought only came from creations of mankind? How is it possible that the plant not only smells and tastes so incredibly strange, but also bestows such a wonderful feeling? It is all a mystery how and why and to what end cannabis does all of this, and speculation is endless. Personally, I believe the solution is found not in articulated word, but in reveling in the Great Mystery by diving head first into the experience. So take another toke, “buy the ticket, take the ride,” and let PK’s flavor plunge you into the bizarre bewilderment of existence before the cannabinoids do.
Effects: This is some of the finest cannabis in the world. Intensely potent, bordering on the psychedelic at times, and incredibly euphoric, Topanga Canyon Pure Kush defies borders of broad-leaf or narrow-leaf, sativa or indica—it offers the best traits of all of cannabis. It is exquisitely heady, producing cerebral thoughts that can be racing at times (and certainly can produce paranoia even for experienced smokers), while also producing intense euphoria and a floating feeling of well-being. It is felt intensely in the body as well, as a sense of euphoric, warm buzzing, and happiness. The feeling is certainly intense enough to assist in pain management of all kinds, be it physical, emotional, psychological, etc. The experience overall is long-lasting, potentially up for hours. A morning smoke will alter the entirety of the day, and it’s not worth smoking anything delicate like Durban Poison, Pina, and the likes later after this one. It’s hard to top PK’s smoke, aside from smoking more PK, or something related such as OG, Meangene’s Limes, etc. Topanga Canyon Pure Kush is not a casual smoke or one to be taken lightly, and is a favorite among veterans for this reason. Even among those with high tolerances and vast experience, it reliably provides potency and euphoria that is reminiscent of one’s first days of smoking. As with most intensely-powerful varieties, the experience concludes with a sleepy, dreamy character that encourages munchies before sleep. This is an experience not for the light-hearted, but certainly for enthusiasts of potent weed.
Overall: Pure Kush is a legend among legends, and such a reputation does not come from nothing. PK is undoubtedly one of the finest cannabis plants to grace the Earth and our jars, and is the stopping point for some on their quest for the finest ganja in existence. I’ve been fascinated by this plant for a long time for a few reasons: I wanted to compare it to Meangene’s various lines of Lime that are progeny of PK; I wanted to see how limey it really was; I wanted to see how it compared to my favorite OGs (traditionally Triangle, SFV, and Ghost) and make my own opinion of it. My curiosities have been satisfied, and I have been surprised in some ways. This plant does seem like an OG hybrid or something, as it has OG character but also has enough to distinguish it from the pack that I could be convinced it is an OG F1. I didn’t find the plant overwhelmingly limey, and Meangene’s Lime lines are far more satisfying in that respect (the reader can view the archive and search for all the Freeborn Lime things I have grown). The stone of TCPK is comparable to MG’s Limes as both are VERY strong and can be devastating and even overwhelming, but PK tends to be more cerebral, heady, and psychedelic than the Limes. I was surprised in the diversity of aroma in TCPK as I really did not expect so many other fruit notes and even candy-like aromas at times. The peach and melon are exotic and welcome and enticing—which brings me to the insight I got into Meangene’s other lines. His Sky Cuddler Kush and Sky Cuddler Double Kush lines stem from PK, just like his lime lines. I wondered how they could be so different then, from Lime? Well, it is a testament to MG’s breeding that he is able to tease out the different traits of Pure Kush so masterfully and to separate them into different lineages. SCK is known for being more like sour stone fruits and peach, while SCDK is known for melon, WD40, and solvents. Then there is obviously the Lime, also stemming from PK. TCPK harbors the genetic foundation for all this diversity, and likely more, and I’m impressed that someone was able to take it all of these directions, much less one. I know I digress, but it’s a tangent worthy of mention I think.
Back to TCPK—it is an incredible plant with diverse and unique aroma, complex flavor, and an absolutely exquisite effect. This plant is worthy of its reputation and likely more, and is some of the finest cannabis I have had the pleasure of growing and breeding with, and in my opinion, in existence in general. I am still struck that my indoor flowers, although nice, sort of paled in comparison to my greenhouse ones. I’d love to see really high quality indoor flowers from someone who has this one dialed inside, and can produce the same nuance and complexity of aroma and flavor that I have seen in the sun-grown flower. If you have the opportunity to grow or smoke high-quality TCPK, or someone mentions “PK,” do not take it lightly! It took me just shy of 20 years from the time of hearing about this weed to finally smoking it, and it has been beyond worth the wait, the efforts, and the whole journey.
“Travel long enough, and you’ll meet yourself” - Ralph Waldo Emerson