Cannarado Genetics Pyxy Styx (Outdoor)

Origins and Backstory:  A clone-only strain boasting a hype-worthy lineage of Grape Pie x Wedding Cake , this plant was gifted to me by @divineareslain. Originally released by Cannarado, this plant must have been selected by someone relatively locally to Colorado and eventually made its way to my garden. While mostly reviewing my outdoor plant that was grown beyond organically along a creek in one of Boulder’s little farming communities, I also have some indoor-grown organic flowers (grown by @divineareslain) pictured and incorporated in the review as well. This plant was pollenated in my garden by a Cherry Royale male. She was late to finish, the last plant I harvested, making it nearly to Halloweeen. Luckily the weather on the front range cooperated and we didn’t get any significant snow until Pyxy was ready.

Appearance: Certainly the most beautiful plant in my outdoor garden this year, and debatably the most beautiful in a bag as well, this plant finished entirely purple to the point of almost being black. I harvested it right around Halloween, and the aesthetic was completely fitting. While the plant and leaves do not generally turn purple indoors, the plant in its entirety (with the exception of some stems) turned purple in my outdoor garden. The buds are dense, fully-formed, and outdoor nugs are so frosty and multi-colored that they appear to be grown indoor. The flowers have an excellent structure, frost-factor, color variation, and the overall bag appeal is off the charts really.

Aroma:  Another high point of the strain, Pyxy Styx is an apt moniker. The smell is skunky, sweet, and is super-loud when cured properly. The outdoor plant’s flowers emphasized a super-sweet aroma that is present in powdered sugar, fun dip, and yes, Pixie Stix candies. It is something to behold in cannabis, and honestly makes me wonder—am I being duped through evolutionary means to smoke this weed? I mean, it smells like delicious artificial candies more than anything natural, and I wonder how much of my yearning to smoke this weed is wanting the effects (which are potent) or if I’m merely chasing the olfactory sensations that seem impossible to occur in a plant. In any case, the sweet, perfumey, candied, and skunky aroma is complex and wonderfully enjoyable, and warrants the name.

Flavor:   At least equally as enjoyable as the aroma, the flavor of Pyxy Styx is perfumey, sweet and candied, dankly skunky, with added floral tones that aren’t always detectable in the smell. Probably the high point right next to the effects, the flavor of this weed keeps everyone coming back for more, long after ideal blood levels of THC (and other cannabinoids) have been achieved. Of course the sugary-sweet candy notes are there, again bringing Pixie Stix and Fun Dip to mind. Additionally, classical “dank” notes are present as well, coating the palate in an herbal and perfumed skunkiness that really can only be associated with high-quality cannabis. Nobody has complained about this one!

Effects:  When you thought Pyxy Styx couldn’t shine any more, you feel her. The stone of Pyxy is immediate and strong, certainly not lacking in potency, or really anything else. This effect is a complete package and total representation of cannabis really. The effect is euphoric, wonder-inspiring, numbing, thought-provoking, stoney, and spacey. It is feel-good as well as relaxing, and tends to blast my mind into a silly space of introspection, reflection, contemplation, and giggles. While coming on immediately and strongly, the full effect takes maybe 20-30 minutes to fully onset and “bake in.” I tend to feel the more heady effects in the beginning of the experience, while the later experience is more stoney, felt in the body, numbing, and frankly a bit dumbing too. Sometimes my mind makes connections on Pyxy Styx that are pretty far out, and my ideas require some extra explaining to those around me. This is high-THC cannabis, guaranteed to stone you to the bone. What I really enjoy about Pyxy is that she isn’t a one-dimensional narcotic-like indica, but also features all the heady, giggly, fun, and enjoyable effects of cannabis that so many folks love.

I should also note, perhaps because of its potency (or some other trait), Pyxy can cause anxiety for some. Mainly, me! Sometimes I’d get paranoid when smoking Pyxy Styx, or start contemplating some of my deepest fears. This is a semi-typical experience for many folks on weed in general, but it was interesting to me that none of my friends had this experience with PS—just me. Go figure! I thought it was worth noting.

Overall:  A winner in every category, Pyxy Styx was the unanimous favorite among my friends from my own personal harvest this year. She really does hit in every category. Pyxy is beautiful to grow (especially outdoor), yielding cookie-structured buds with copious amounts of resin (yes, she is probably a fantastic hash producer). In cold temps outdoors, she has the potential to completely purple over, which is really something. Her loud and diverse aroma make her an instant hit, both with mainstream folk at parties as well as weed snobs. This translates beautifully into flavor, and leaves one’s mouth nearly sopping with sweet, skunky, perfumed and candied terps. Often, so much modern cannabis stops here, being bred merely for commercial production and bag appeal. Pyxy Styx distinguishes herself and offers a complete and impressive stone, one that frankly I don’t think anyone could complain about, with the exception of the guy who only smokes pure sativas and landraces (has anyone run into him recently?). This is an easy daily driver, because she is such a complete package. Personally, I do see potential for improvement in the aroma—I think there could be more funk, or chemicals, or fuel, or some other aromas to complement the sweet and candied side. However, that’s really just me trying to find something wrong here. She’s a complete package, very enjoyable to grow as well as smoke, and I have thoroughly enjoyed her in my stash.

This flower was grown outdoors, and then bounced around jars for about 6 months before this picture was taken. The trichome production is still apparent, but was astounding 6 months prior. Don’t let the sort of haggard outdoor appearance fool you—this is just as potent as its indoor counterpart!

This indoor sample of Pyxy Styx was grown indoors by @divineareslain and is an excellent representation of the plant. A similar aroma to the outdoor but with a bit more rubbery funk and a bit less candy-like sweetness.

Exotic Genetix Lip Smacker

Origins and Backstory:  Grown expertly and organically indoors near Denver, these flowers from @divineareslain appear to be divinely grown indeed! @Divineareslain received the plant as a clone, but originally it is from Exotic Genetix seed stock. A cross of Sherb (is this the Sunset Sherbet? I’d assume so) and Strawberries & Cream, we can expect this plant to be colorful, beautiful, and popping with aroma/flavor. We did manage to pollenate this gal with some Passionfruit Dakini F2 pollen as well. Certainly a strain that is following the hype train, pursuing beautiful bag appeal, candy-like aroma, and killer frost factor.

Appearance:  Stunningly beautiful in a bag or jar, the nugs of Lip Smacker are high on the list for bag appeal. Buds are dense, incredibly frosty with trichomes, and exhibit a diverse color array ranging from dark purples to lime greens on the foliage. Pistils are a classic and fiery orange-yellow, adding a wonderful contrast and skittle or candy-like appeal. Plants grew relatively compact in an indoor setting.

Aroma:  Sweet, powdery, dessert-like and confectionary, and surprisingly mild, the aroma of Lip Smacker is interesting but nothing revolutionary. It is actually very similar to Pyxy Styx in some ways, but like a muted and less-complex iteration. I detect tones of ice cream cake (think the aroma right when entering a Baskin-Robbins), baked goods, powdered sugar, a hint of skunk, and some mild sour tones. It’s pleasant, attractive, and enjoyable, but surprisingly mild given the appearance and lineage of this weed. Overall this is fine, but compared to elite quality plants, it is lacking in both complexity and intensity.

Flavor:  A bit of a surprise here, the flavor is significantly more enjoyable than the aroma. While I break nugs open to expect the smell to “pop” more, but flavor needs no such coaxing. It is primarily sweet, conveying many of the confectionary and powdered-sugar like notes from the aroma. However, the skunk and sour tones come out more in the flavor, as does the sense of a true dessert like ice cream or baked goods. These notes are all well-pronounced in the flavor and come together in a fairly complex and layered way. It isn’t sopping with flavor but not as lacking as the aroma.

Effects:  Again, a surprise here. The effect comes on slowly, smoothly, and easily. I feel it mostly behind my eyes and in my forehead as a generally relaxed feeling. Shoulders and the body relax, as I wait for it to really come on in my head. And continue to wait…..This is mild weed, it’s relaxing, enjoyable, not overwhelming, but also not particularly euphoric or feel-good. It does seem to convey a sense of energy and lightness, and a friend of mine felt inspired to go work out after a smoke session. There is a creeping aspect, and I do feel like the full potency takes 20-30 minutes to really manifest. Even still though, it is not at all overwhelming or going to satisfy OG orChem lovers. It’s enjoyable and light, but ultimately I generally end up craving something stronger and smoking a more potent variety to follow.

Overall:  I feel mixed about this one. The best things Lip Smacker has going for her are that she is beautiful, has an enjoyable aroma, is pleasant to break up/pack/roll etc., and is easy to grow. The buds look and feel absolutely beautiful, making it a real pleasure to go through the full ritual of smoking. The downsides, or perhaps more accurately, the unfulfilled expectations of Lip Smacker, consist of the lackluster aroma, flavor, and effect. The smell from this weed seems muted; there is no other way of putting it. It’s as if someone turned the intensity from 10 down to 5 or 6. It’s nice, but oddly does not match up to the appearance of this weed. The same is true of the flavor, although it is a bit of a step up from the aroma. The effect is also relatively unremarkable. While I am not exactly glowing here, I don’t want to convey the idea that this weed is garbage (because it surely isn’t), but it doesn’t stand out in any particular way, and I generally feel like I haven’t smoked enough even after a whole bowl by myself. With my strongest smokes around, I’ll take 3 or 4 hits and will put the bowl down because I’m satisfied! So, I feel like a snob to complain about this weed. In my youth, and certainly anyone in an illegal state, would absolutely love to receive a bag of this weed. However, in a world where we can pick and choose from the best of the best, Lip Smacker doesn’t compare to other so-called “elite” plants. There are so many other kinds of weed I’d prefer to smoke, but also can’t really feel like I can complain in earnest. Nothing wrong here, it’ll satisfy commercial growers and those going for bag appeal, but there are also many better smoking plants to be grown in my opinion and experience.

Higher Thought Golden Goat x Cherry Limepop F2 (Outdoor)

Origins and Backstory:  Golden Goat is a clone-only strain that I grew for the better part of a decade. There was a time period where this electric-highed plant was ubiquitous on the Front Range of Colorado. It was on the menu at every dispensary, in the grow room of all your buddies, and anytime one looked for clones, Golden Goat was on the tray. Everyone either loved or hated her, and I have grown fond of Golden Goat over the years. She is quick to flower, full of uniquely-tropical flavor, and when grown expertly, can be mind-bogglingly potent. Some describe her as psychedelic, myself included, which can be a double-edged sword. While I still haven’t made it around to giving Golden Goat a full review, I did find her high quality enough to cross her with Meangenefrommendocino’s Cherry Limepop F2, after finding so many wonderful things about that plant too. Hopefully a match made in Heaven, this is a test of the seeds grown outside around a mile high on Colorado’s Front Range.

Appearance:  Stunningly beautiful, this cross of Golden Goat and Cherry Limepop F2 takes after her pollen donating father, CL F2. At harvest time, this plant was a rainbowed mixture of yellows, greens, purples, debatably even some bluer and indigo-like tones that made her a joy to have around and a beauty in the garden. Buds are an equal balance of spear, pine-cone, and grenade shaped—just a classic nug shape that sits well on the plant. Truthfully, the bud structure could use larger nugs with less leaf structure, but all things considered she still isn’t below average. This plant obviously put out many huge tops, and grew untopped as an evenly spherical bush. Many favorable traits with some room for improvement.

Aroma:  Bursting with aroma, and certainly one of the high points of this cross, it is sweet, candied, fruity, and seemingly artificial. Gummy bears, Flintstone vitamins (the mineral-rich kind from the ‘90s), skittles, yancha or wuyi rock tea, and a medicine cabinet all come to mind. It’s a stretch for some, but there’s a chlorine-like note in the background present as well. Most prominent is the note of gummy bear, followed closely by the sweet-minerally notes of vitamins or pharmaceuticals. The chlorine I imagine comes from the Cherry Limenade, as it is a note similar to that in Cherry Pyromancer—bleachy and awesome! Primarily sweet and fruity, but more than complex and balanced enough to keep me interested. When flowers are broken apart, the tropical fruit-smoothie and mineral notes are intensified as is the chlorine. There is a sugary note so sweet it reminds me of a concentrated or powdered drink mix—that note of powdered sugar as it hits your nostrils when you stick your nose in a container of Gatorade, Tang, or any other drink mix. It is one of the smells that’s addicting and rewarding, making you want to break into bud after bud to repeat the aromatic experience again and again.

Flavor:  Interestingly enough, the flavor of this cross keeps to the aroma as much as it differs from it. All the fruity notes are there, especially the specific Flintstone-vitamin-powdered-mineral note (very similar to Yancha and Wuyi tea varieties) among some generic fruity tones, but there are also velvety herbaceous and botanical notes present in the flavor. There is even some spice bordering on the back-end of the exhale that reminds me of some of the middle-eastern Kushes and landrace hash plants. Bright, sharp, fruity, sweet, complex, but quick-lived, this smoke is indeed a bit candy-like, with tones in the flavor leaning toward cotton candy. It’s very enjoyable, but the pleasure being so short-lived begs for more consumption. Dangerously tasty!

Effects:  Zippy to begin, this cross can have nose-crinkling and sinsus-tickling potency. Immediate in its onset, this cross is euphoric and feel-good, giggly and happy, almost celebratory even. However, the effect is as short-lived as it is zippy, recalling Cherry Limepop’s quick roller-coaster like high in my mind. This leads to frequent re-ups on the cannabinoids in here, making me want to keep toking every 30-60 minutes or so. The euphoria wears off relatively quickly, leading to a feeling of dreaminess edging on burn-out toward later sessions—a bit of chasing the dragon of euphoria, which can become disappointing. I suppose the effect is a low point of sorts—everything about this cross is really desirable and enjoyable, and the effect is not an exception—however, it does seem really short-lived and it’s annoying to chase after the desired effect multiple times a day, seemingly just pumping up my tolerance. Certainly not a downside, but also certainly leaving me wanting for more!

Overall:  All in all, I think we’ve actually achieved something here. Golden Goat is a fantastic clone-only that seems to have never made it outside of Colorado in a big way, but I have always thought should be more widely available and considered an elite. Cherry Limepop is one of Meangene’s creations that is a work of art in itself, a masterpiece of cannabis breeding in some ways. I’m of the opinion that this cross manages to wed the two varieties into something new and different. It doesn’t even necessarily exhibit the best of both parents, but does seem to pass on or otherwise combine their traits in ways that don’t really show up in the parents themselves. The aroma is vaguely reminiscient of both parents while also being unique enough to be something of its own, and the same could be said for effect and flavor as well. Overall, I love virtually everything about this plant, but I do wish that the effect was more pronounced and longer-lived. Perhaps a valuable piece of the puzzle for a future breeding project, and certainly an indicator that these are worth looking through further.

View fullsize

Freeborn Selections Motorbreath 15 x Northern Lights/Oil Can (Outdoor)

Origins and Backstory:  Received as a tester from @meangenefrommendocino, this intriguing seedling is a cross of the clone-only Motorbreath15 and one of Gene’s more obscure males, a cross of Northern Lights and Oil Can. Northern Lights needs no introduction, while Oil Can is an old northern California heirloom variety. I wasn’t told anything about these plants but was happy to get growing them and exploring the genes. These were grown outdoor on the Colorado Front Range just outside of Denver.

Appearance: Christmas-tree like, a bit tall and surprisingly an element of lankiness, but with solid and dense bud structure that goes every bit of the entirety of the branching. These plants remained completely green in spite of cooler fall temperatures, and other plants right next to them turning completely purple. These plants grew tall with extremely heavy flowers and the sizes of individual flowers as well as overall yields were excellent. Nugs are huge and full, very satisfying to look at in a bag, and relatively pale in coloring.

Aroma:  Distinguished from most of Mean Gene’s other gear, this cross is dry, woody, acrid, musty, smelling nostalgically of old-school indica weed from the ‘90s and early 2000s. It is not smack-you-in-the-face loud like most other Freeborn gear, but is layered with complexity. When broken up, these woody and herbaceous flowers release tones of mint, menthol, metals, pine, skunk, and something funky and inexplicably hard to place. It is at once attractive and off-putting, the indescribable note, asking for nugs to be broken up more and sniffed for further investigations. Overall it is a bit underwhelming.

Flavor: OK, so this is the surprise—while certainly herbaceous, woody, dry, and acrid upfront, this all shifts into a mouth-coating skunky dankness that reminds me of some of the more putrid smokes I received as a younger lad in the midwest. Occasionally, my area would be blessed with a variety of weed reeking of roadkill skunk, but would almost always come without any particular name. We’d always describe the aroma and flavor as “dank,” and this mouth-coating, pungent skunkiness is captured in Motorbreath 15 x NL/Oil Can. The flavor is really impressive and one certainly wouldn’t have picked up on it from the aroma alone. If you’re a skunk lover or miss classical “dank” weed from earlier years in cannabis, this is worth the experience.

Effects:  This weed is really a classic indica stone to the fullest. Eye-reddening, mellow, and easy-going describe the buzz from this weed. It isn’t too strong, and I usually end up smoking something else 30-60 minutes or so later. Maybe I’m a glutton. OK, I’m probably a glutton. However, I hold weed to a pretty high standard, and especially weed from Freeborn Genetics. This strikes me like a more basic smoke, and it doesn’t stand out in any particular direction.

Overall:   People are magnetized to Freeborn for a few different reasons—wanting something completely unique, wanting something stunningly loud and/or potent, or a combination of both. This strain certainly seems to fit in the former category, as I’m not sure if there’s really anything comparable that comes to mind. Landrace Afghanis and other varietals with origins in the middle east come to mind, but even then there is enough layered complexity here to warrant a category all of its own. This plant grew very easily and yielded spectacularly with little effort. The aroma is weird and intriguing and attractive, and the flavor follows suit. The buzz is a classically-relaxing indica stone, and relatively long lasting while also not being overwhelming by any means. From an overhead point of view, this plant is underwhelming in many respects. It is an impressive plant and the structure/growth are remarkable, but the aroma and effect leave me dissatisfied. The flavor is impressive, especially given the mild aroma, and gives me hope that there are likely more-favorable phenotypes to be found in these seeds. The reader should keep in mind that I grew a literal single seed of this variety—so it’s entirely possible that this plant is not representative of the genepool as a whole. In total transparency, I’d like to run a few more of these plants and see what else is inside this cross, as I suspect there are more desirable females to be found.

View fullsize

Greenshock Seeds Long Valley Sleigh Ride F2 (Outdoor)

Origins and Backstory:  Originally bred by Greenshock Seeds, Long Valley Sleigh Ride is a cross of Long Valley Royal Kush and Tropical Sleigh Ride, itself a cross of Meangene’s Pina and Purple Candy Cane. Known for its high ocimene content, Tropical Sleigh Ride has won the Emerald Cup. Pina is a plant from meangene known for its pineapple/caramel aromas as well as uplifting high and relatively high CBD content. These were taken to the F2 generation by a friend of mine, and gifted to me for this year’s season.

Appearance: I grew two females this year and they looked significantly different, but had some similarities. One grew like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, while the other grew more stout and shrub-like. Both of them had purple stems so dark they were almost black, with buds of a similarly dark purple hue. The foliage on both plants was entirely green. The buds grown stout and compact like little golf balls. They have strange formations on top, not like a normal bud which comes down to a symmetrical point; these nugs grow almost fractal-like like Romanesco cauliflower. Both highly resinous and dense, the two plants were easy to trim with little leaf material.

Aroma:  The dried/cured flower differs significantly from the live plant, but I would say that both are enjoyable. The live plants smelled like apples, grapes, tropical fruit,honey, and Febreze-like chemicals, with a characteristic tone that Royal Kush enthusiasts would recognize at once as being common to Royal Kush and its progeny. My favorite of the two females is sweet and candy-like, leaning toward artificial grape, apple, honey, and sugary-sweet candy cane aromas. The shorter plant finished with less candy-like notes, and was heavier on a sort of sour fermented dairy (maybe a lactobacillus note?) that is similar to yogurt or a milkshake. Both aromas are enjoyable but most folks agreed with me that the aroma rich with fruit and candied tones was preferable. Both plants finished with heavy floral tones which could also be called perfumey, and I’d describe them overall as honey-fruit-blossom-candy. It’s really desirable and different from most offerings in the mainstream today—undoubtedly an attention-getter! Overall, the candied fruit, the floral perfume, and the notes from Royal Kush we know and love all come together for something unique and special. I often feel like most weed aromas these days are akin to remixed music—something played around with, but nothing truly original is expressed. LVSR sheds this stereotype of modern weed, offering something simultaneously novel and nostalgic, a total winner.

Flavor:  Echoing qualities of the bouquet, the flavor is at once unique and familiar, and thoroughly enjoyable. The flavor of LVSR’s smoke is soft and velvety, heavy on all of the floral, perfume, and candied fruit notes. Interestingly enough, there are also some more sour tones in the flavor than the aroma would let on about, almost like a sour patch kid. It all comes together in a wonderfully complex and deep flavor sensation, ranging from sweet grapes and apples to a sourness so pronounced a friend described it as “almost like hoisin.” The floral, perfumey, and herbaceous/botanical notes contribute significantly, maybe making up 50% of the profile. I don’t want to turn anyone off by saying that either—it is really these elements that makes the flavor so complex and multi-dimensional, and ulitmately so enjoyable—the sweet and sour fruit tones have something to contrast against, and it’s simply wonderful to smoke. Really unique and high grade, something to be sought after repeatedly.

Effects:  More relaxing than anything, Long Valley Sleigh Ride is some of the most chill new weed around. Despite the very mellow relaxing effect, Long Valley Sleigh Ride contributes strong feelings of euphoria, “feel-good,” and just a general strong sense of well-being. I’m guessing there are high levels of alternative cannabinoids in here. Whether CBD, the ocimene effect, or something more obscure (or even unknown), Long Valley Sleigh Ride is laid back and mellow, and consistently-so. Surprisingly, this has consistently been the favorite among my friends from this year’s grow. This weed is always “feel-good,” contrasted by the sometimes too-potent strains that are so common today. This is excellent beach weed, excellent movie weed, really it is great weed for just about anything making it an incredible “daily driver.” While relaxing, it can be enjoyed with some light activities and certainly could be categorized as recreational, or medicinal for certain things (but probably not pain). Overall, the effect is one that is universally loved and enjoyed, and I have a very hard time seeing anybody going overboard or having an overly-intense experience of any sort. Highly underrated, consistently and thoroughly enjoyable. Everyone loves how this weed feels, myself included.

Overall:  It should come as no surprise that combining genetics like Long Valley Royal Kush and Pina would produce something as high quality as Long Valley Sleigh Ride. This weed was some of the favorite from the season, and really stands out as a different smoke. The bud structure and ease of trim are icing on top of the cake that is the high quality aroma, flavor, and most importantly, effect of this fine cannabis. I love smoking LVSR as does everyone else I’ve put in contact with it. It’s a rare thing for everyone to enjoy any given strain these days, and for this (among other things) LVSR stands out. The aroma is an intriguing one, with the sour Febreeze notes a real pleasure to experience with the growing plant. This morphs into the sweet-sour-candied-perfume thing that I’ve come to love, which translates so magically and mysteriously into an flavor that one couldn’t predict from the aroma alone. The effect is really what we’re seeking though, and LVSR delivers. This is weed that simply makes one feel good, and confers all the benefits of cannabis that we’ve all come to appreciate. Highly underrated, very unique, and very high quality. I’ll be growing with this one again, and hopefully making selections to continue F3s and beyond in a direction more personal to me.

View fullsize

Freeborn Selections Cherry Limenade ("4FB") x Sky Cuddler Double Kush (Outdoor)

Origins and Backstory:  Labeled Cherry Limenade 4FB x SCDK 24, I received these as testers from Meangene at Freeborn. The CL4FB plant (labeled “from back” for the breeder) happened to be a lime-leaning selection from Cherry Limenade, and SCDK 24 is a male meangene used. Sky Cuddler Double Kush is an impressively-inbred line of Meangene’s choosing, and is known for its strong aroma, robust plants, heavy yield, and overall desirability. These sounded like they would be fantastic outside in every way, and were dry-farmed at about 5300’ in elevation on Colorado’s front range.

Appearance: These plants, between bushes and christmas trees, stayed completely green despite temperatures in the 30s. The buds are consistently and incredibly dense and highly resinous, creating a strong sense of bag appeal. Even the lower nugs retain their impressive structure and density, and the yields from seemingly-small branches are impressive. The buds are super-dense, certainly the most dense I grew this year, and a grinder is highly recommended for consumption. Overall a good looking live plant as well as beautiful in the bag. The most dense flowers of the season, each bud weighs 1.5-2x what you’d expect it to.

Aroma:  A stunning high point, this is loud cannabis at its finest. Foremost are notes of a sour, classically sweet-skunk dank tone (leaning toward lemon and lime) and a nose-crinkling kushy perfume, which are strongly complimented by bile-like vomit tones. Other phenotypes exhibited more of a sour fuel, and a note I still have trouble describing—but I have smelled it in Pink Kush before, and it is a distinct perfume-candy aroma that one doesn’t forget. This is the kind of jar that begs to be huffed from repeatedly, as the aroma is half the fun. Nugs broken open reveal intensified notes of cherry, chemical cleaners/solvents, and freshly manufactured plastic. Beautifully complex and layered, it’s cannabis like this that makes Meangene so relevant in today’s market. Overall I’d describe this one as very sour, very loud, dank, skunky chemical lime kush. If you smell this jar and say you don’t like it, there’s something wrong with you and we definitely can’t be friends. The variation in the line is heavy enough that each phenotype is significantly different from the last while obviously being related, and you can pick your favorite—like lobsters in a tank!

Flavor:  The aroma translates well to flavor, and nearly everyone I smoke with comments on the flavor (without prompting). Like the aroma, the flavor is sour, skunky, perfumey, mouth-coating, and classically dank. While I generally consider descriptions like “kushy” as a cop-out from really being able to describe the flavor, this is dictionary kush. The sour, skunky, petroleum-laden flavor coats the mouth in a sensation that I have really only experienced with high-grade weed. The petroleum notes are more subtle in some plants than others, but range from fresh plastic and rubber to gasoline to barely perceptible. In any case, the flavor is sour and dank, and nobody will complain about it.

Effects:  Impressively potent, this weed has been one of my favorites to smoke, and I’m 100% confident it could win the Emerald Cup (or other cannabis cups). It is warm, powerful, euphoric, completely encompassing (head, body, etc.), long-lasting, and generally everything that a smoker looks for. The stone can be felt almost immediately following exhaling the smoke; this is one of the quickest-acting flowers around. While the high does build some, the peak is near-immediate and frequently forces me to tap out on joints—even when shared with others! The immediate and powerful effect is highly desirable in my opinion—I love smoking it, and this is the flower I roll up when trying to impress a smoking buddy. CL4FB x SCDK is also predictable in its ability to lighten my mood and make me giggle. I tend to find most things funny under the influence of these flowers, and am frequently chuckling, giggling, or laughing—even in the most casual of conversations—which imparts a light mood on my interactions, makes me much “looser”, and I sprinkle more jokes into conversation (contrast to my sober mind, which is often grave in disposition for whatever reason). This one sends my thoughts swirling as well, and I’ve had extremely enjoyable times just laying down with my eyes closed after smoking this flower, pondering the ways of the world. Genuinely, the effect is everything one could want from cannabis.

Overall:  Everything about this weed, whether discussing the living plant or the consumable flower, is desirable and impressive. I have no doubt this weed could win a cannabis cup while also being a favorite of the cultivator. This one is a joy to break open, grind, smell, and consume, while also a pleasure to grow. My personally favorite traits have to be the strength and production of the plant, the obnoxiously loud and sour aroma, incredibly dense bud structure and resin production, and the always-desirable effect. The consistently fantastic stone, coupled with the addictive aroma, are what keep me returning to this jar more than all others this season. The flavor is also enjoyable and highly desirable, with the vast majority of tokers commenting on it when smoking a joint. They don’t say it tastes like anything in particular, just “really good”—while not helpful, I think that testifies to the loud, sour, and classical component of the profile as opposed to any novelty flavors. There is absolutely everything to like about this weed, and it will be a favorite of mine for years to come.

Freeborn Selections Red Hindu Kush F4 (Outdoor)

Origins and Backstory:  Bred by Meangene (@meangenefrommendocino if you’re new), Red Hindu is a building block of many other cultivars. It was released via Aficianado Seeds in their debut, and I believe this is the F3 population that @deepoutthere pulled from to create these F4s. I acquired the F4 seeds, and grew them in full Colorado sun during the 2021 season.

Appearance: The plant was aggressively topped by a rabbit, and this resulted in the plant branching off and creating a shrub of itself—I’m not sure what it would have looked like otherwise, but it finished slightly shorter, and very much stouter than the rest of the plants in the garden. That being said, each branch on this plant was a towering cola of impressive girth, density, and production in every sense of the word. The plants yellowed strongly in senescence, with very mild red and purple coloring on some of the foliage. The buds are thick, dense, and look like high quality greenbud from the 90s and 2000s. It’s just big, chunky nugs that are both resin-heavy and pistil-apparent. Despite finishing late in very low temperatures, neither plants nor flowers turned purple. Very dense buds and a satisfyingly compact structure.

Aroma: I haven’t smelled or drunk mondo juice in likely 2 decades, and actually forgot about its existence, but on smelling the live flowers I immediately recalled Mondo juice. The dried flower is rich and fruity, juicy even, noticeably of grapefruit and citrus. Lavender is also prominent, both floral and perfumey, as well as a crisco-like note that is in the same vein of last season’s And It’s Deep Too!. The two strains actually have a lot of similarities in aroma and other traits, and are related somewhere. Finally, lurking in the background are earthy, mineral heavy loam and mossy forest floor-like notes. Overall, a very enjoyable reminiscent of weed from years past while remaining a thing of its own.

Flavor:  Grapefruit candy-lavender-moss (there are definite notes on the palate of all the above) with strong mineral notes makes for a compelling profile and smoke. My favorite aspect of consuming Red Hindu, the flavor is unique, understated, but surprisingly satisfying. While floral, sweet, and perfumey up front, the aftertaste is thoroughly mouth-coating and telltale dank—it is unmistakably high grade botanical-skunky-weed in a way that neither the aroma or flavor are in a direct way. The aftertaste is just as fun of an experience as the taste itself, as it seems to shift in character entirely. I love it.

Effects:  A chill and laid-back smoke, Red Hindu exhibits traits typical of indica weed. This is high-inertia bud, good for just chilling. Depending on exactly what you like, Red Hindu might be a decent social smoke too. Red Hindu is relaxing without being overwhelming, and makes for mellow conversations and social interactions. I appreciate smoking it in the evenings after dinner and/or before bed, especially if I haven’t smoked earlier in the day. It’s whatever the weed equivalent of having a beer would be. You get an enjoyable effect great for couch surfing, but it’s not debilitating or paranoia-inducing either. This lack of smacky-effect might be off-putting for some heavy tokers, but there’s definitely a place on my shelf for weed like this.

Overall:  Overall, Red Hindu Kush features many desirable traits. It’s vigorous and easy-growing, high-yielding with girthy, dense flowers, responds well to training, has a strong and diverse aroma (and an even better flavor). I can see why Mean Gene of Freeborn Selections has made Red Hindu a contributor of so many of his breeding projects—it’s a genetic line that seems to have nothing but great traits for the grower. However, I can also see why it wasn’t a stopping point, and more of a stepping stone—smoking pure Red Hindu may leave smokers wanting something more. The flavor is unique, complex, and interesting, but the current popular demand for artificial-like aromas would not find it overly attractive (my speculation anyway). I appreciate breeders who do unique things that you can’t find elsewhere, and Red Hindu has a lot of that. It’s special weed but is not popular among everyone—some of my friends really enjoy it while others really do not. That’s fine, more for me!