AK-47 Medical Marijuana Strain Review

From:  Urban Dispensary

Grade:  B+

Type:  Sativa-dominant hybrid

Lineage:  Columbian x Mexican x Thai x Afghani (from Serious Seeds)

Price:  $45/8th

Appearance:  (8/10)  The colors of this one were deep and rich, with dark red pistils and a variety of bold greens ranging from minty to pine.  The density of this sample was below average for the strain, and it had a fairly open structure where the pistils seemed to poke out of it like a “Koosh” ball.  The trim was adequate but could’ve been closer for sure, but the real problems we had were the moderate amount of trichome damage seen throughout the sample as well as the smattering of medium-sized immature seeds which were seen in pods throughout the bud… it appears that this one (or a plant nearby in the room) may have hermied somewhat early on.  Still, this sample had good to great bag appeal in the hand and had us excited to try it — the closer inspection is where our excitement started to wane.  We did appreciate the harvest timing though, as there were a solid amount of amber heads along with cloudy and champagne-colored ones.

Taste:  (7.5/10)   The review team reported floral, woody and vegetable flavors, with multiple reviewers mentioning how fresh and outdoorsy it all tasted.  While the taste wasn’t overtly strong, it was pleasing and extremely smooth.  Nobody reported coughing and two mentioned this as being a good smoke for those with allergies or respiratory issues forced to incinerate their meds.

Effects:  There was complete agreement over the head, face, and eyes concentration of this medicine, with one reviewer noting the reddest eyes she’d seen in the mirror in quite some time.  Relaxation through the upper part of the body especially (head, neck, shoulders, upper back) came along with the mental uplift, boost in internal energy, and shift in cranial pressure as the early effects package.  The effect seemed to climb into the first hour, creeping up in potency while also shifting gears slightly as it edged up into the 1.5-2 hour area.  Humor, giggles, and perma-grins were the predominant descriptors used for the first half of the experience, and everyone loved the euphoric nature of this Sativa-dominant sample.  The euphoria died down over the 2nd hour and left us mostly feeling smoothly relaxed, with one reviewer reporting a bit of a ‘crash’ where she felt rather lethargic and drained entering the third hour.

Duration:  2-2.5 hours medicinal-level potency, 3+ overall

Medicinal Traits:  (We are NOT doctors – personal opinion ONLY)  Strong ocular, facial, and cranial attention, minor pain relief (mainly upper body, but also aided with menstrual cramps), mood elevation, increased appetite, some energy to start, and relaxation to finish.

Overall:  When first presented with this sample, we were all excited to try it, as we don’t see this old-school Dutch strain around that much these days, especially looking this frosty and appealing.  Once we really got into the medicine, however, it wasn’t quite as impressive, with some basic grow flaws that hampered the overall quality.  Simply put, this strain could be grown better, and we want to see it minus the tiny seeds and with a little more heft.  Regardless of the potential it has, what is present in the sample is a moderate potency Sativa effect that served to awaken our senses and put us in a great mood throughout most of the experience, converting to a more relaxed feeling later.  We see this one as a good choice for early evening of afternoon when an uplift is needed, but so is a winding-down afterwards.  The medical benefits of this sample were numerous, and the duration was also above-average, again showing its flashes of great potential.  If the smell and flavor took a step up and the minor seeds were absent, this one would definitely have made it into the A_ or greater range… we just couldn’t overlook the shortcomings.

Lavender Medical Marijuana Strain Review

From:  The Releaf Center

Grade:  A-

Type:  Indica-dominant hybrid

Lineage:  [Super Skunk x Big Skunk Korean] x Shantibaba’s Afghani-Hawaiian male

Price:  $35/8th

Strain:  Hawaiian

From:  Green Meadows Wellness

Pickup Date:  7/12/2011

Price:  $12/gram

Inspection Status:  Pass

Though we did find remnants of one stray fungus gnat (a pest that flies around and is present in almost every grow room to some extent, easily becoming trapped in the sticky trichomes and pistils of cannabis plants), this sample passed inspection with no other signs of trouble.  The trim was adequate, but there were some non-frosty guard leaves left on that we would’ve liked to see taken off.  Otherwise, this sample looked pretty solid, with a dense covering of small-headed trichomes at the peak of ripeness (a high number of champagne-colored heads) and a well-dried, dense feel overall.  We found small seed throughout the sample as well, indicating that it had been pollinated by something in the room.

Aside from the harvest timing and trichome density, the next best feature of this strain was its aroma, but that’s more a commentary on the lackluster flavor than anything.  The aroma was a pleasant and light pine-floral combination, which is a common package in the realm of Hawaiian and Maui strains — nothing remarkable, but there’s something elemental and enjoyable about it.  The flavor was just very neutral and bland, tasting more like smoke than anything distinct.  The smoke was relatively harsh and began to taste badly after the first 3 hits or so, degrading to an almost bitter flavor by the end.  We believe that there were residual fertilizers in this sample, as the final ash was a mottled dark gray and black — that, combined with the major degradation in flavor, it was somewhat difficult to finish the sample.

The appearance of this sample was above-average, but the flaws (tiny seeds and the flush especially) overwhelmed the positives, and we probably wouldn’t seek this one out again.

Critical Mass Medical Marijuana Strain Review

From:  Biocare

Grade:  B+

Type:  Indica-dominant hybrid

Lineage:  Afghani x Skunk #1 (originally from Mr. Nice Seeds, their version of Sensi’s Big Bud)

Price:  $40/8th

Appearance:  (8.25/10)  With its well-built structure and fairly thick covering of trichomes, this sample was very attractive to the naked eye — it also had rather bright colors for an Indica-dominant sample, showcasing a variety of greens and oranges at intensities normally reserved for Sativas.  The overall structure was a bit leafy, as tiny guard leaves seemed to be everywhere, snaking around all of the calyxes.  This is probably more a genetic trait than anything done by the grow team, but it would’ve been nice to see more calyx — we had a hard time getting a macro shot of anything but leaves because of the pistil coverage and lack of outwardly visible calyxes.  We suggest a slightly tighter trim to showcase more of this bud’s internal workings, as it was impressive when we actually saw it, with densely-packed, large-headed, mostly clear-colored trichomes which were mostly well-preserved.

Aroma:  (6.5/10)  We didn’t really expect much smell-wise from these genetics, and it ‘delivered’ on that lack of anticipation, with a pretty standard slightly earthy, musky, and lightly citrusy smell which just was never that pungent.  Even after we ground it up, there just wasn’t a ton there, and what was there didn’t impress us compared to today’s modern strains and some of the enduring clone-only varieties such as Chem ’91 that are known for being extremely pungent.

Taste: (7/10)  Like the aroma, the flavor just wasn’t that special, producing a base piney, earthy type of profile that was somewhat pungent, but didn’t really taste like anything specific of noteworthy.  It wasn’t just the taste of smoke itself, but was not too far from that point — the Afghani seems to have taken charge in the flavor department for sure, as there was no Dutch Skunk sweetness in it at all.  The smoke was moderately thick and tickled the throat a bit, causing some coughing at times, but nothing major.  It burned away to a smooth light gray ash and showed a good flush.

Effects:  This medicine came on fairly strong to start, hitting behind the eyes and giving a somewhat heavy feeling (like being pulled downwards) throughout the body.  An uptick in head pressure and a vibrating/buzzing feeling around the scalp and face made for a relaxing experience, as did the buzzing body.  The reviewer who had the largest dosage felt a bit more mentally-stilted than the others, staying in that slightly spacey, stare-at-nothing type of state for much of the first hour.  The others reported a less heavy feeling during this period, one that left them able to function if needed, and overall elevating the mood and making for a placid, smiley mood overall.  Regardless, the main feelings began to decline around 1 hour, leaving behind either a smooth relaxation, or a deep one, largely depending upon dosage.  One reviewer who did the review late fell asleep at the 1.5 hour mark, earlier than normal for him, and awoke feeling wonderful, so we believe there are some sleep aid properties to this one for sure.

Medicinal Traits:  (We are NOT doctors – personal opinion ONLY)  Mood elevation, anti-anxiety, strong appetite stimulation, body relaxation, mental relaxation, and sleep aid (especially at larger doses).

Overall:  Though we could nitpick on the trim, harvest timing, and perhaps the cure (seemed like a little longer might’ve brought out more smell and flavor), we believe that this strain is mostly limited by its genetic potential — even a perfect grow of this strain will likely not blow anyone’s socks off.  That said, we always have a place for moderately potent Indica strains in our lives, and this strain fit that bill perfectly, signaling its Afghani roots in smell, flavor, and effect.  Though not overtly potent except right at the beginning, this strain had good “torque” and kept up at a fairly high level, declining smoothly over the 2nd half of the duration and leaving behind a relaxed and capable mind.  It didn’t help with severe pain, but it did really make our bodies feel good, and we like this strain mostly as an evening relaxer for days when a little mental uplift and a few hours on the couch leading into sleep is the perfect recipe.

Name:  Grape Ape Wax

From:  The Herbal Cure

Type:  Butane-extracted hash oil made from 100% in-house Grape Ape trim, whipped to a wax/budder consistency

Price:  $50/gram

Grade:  A

See full report here: https://secure.fullspectrumlabs.com/report/1104146

Consumption Method:  TI Skillet via bubbler

Visual: (9/10)  This wax had a medium golden color which had some whiter areas within it, especially when the chunks were broken apart.  The texture was soft enough to dab by just squeezing something against the wax, but it was also able to be scooped, making it easy to handle no matter what type of implement is used.  We saw a few random hairs and flecks of debris, but the actual extraction itself seemed extremely clean, judging from the color and the lack of visible plant matter.  Like their Papaya Wax, we’d suggest calling this one “budder”, as its consistency and color was more in line with that than standard (and lower-grade) “wax”.

Aroma: (9/10)  This extract was fairly unique in that it really smelled like the parent strain (see our review of the flowers this extract was made from here), with a mix of skunky and sweet smells which are uncommon in the “lemon-pine” world of BHO, where that pure trichome taste seems to overwhelm the more subtle nuances of smell and flavor.  Not here — the extract artist did a great job preserving the strain’s aroma, and it was one of the more pungent-smelling BHO samples we’ve had overall.

Flavor: (9/10)  Like the aroma, the flavor seemed to come through as a true Grape Ape experience, as we picked up some of the “purple” incense-floral-sweetness taste on the inhale, and there’s a lingering sweetness on the exhale as well.  It caused a good amount of coughing among our staff, but there was no lingering chest constriction or continual coughing/throat-clearing as happens with some BHO.  Seems clean, and it was very flavorful — again, great job by the extract artist.

Consumption:  Like most high-grade butane extractions, this wax disappeared when dabbed onto a skillet, leaving behind only an oily golden sheen on the dabber.  There was zero sizzling or other noises when it was vaporizing, and it seemed to be very clean overall.  Though we did cough, it was nothing out of the ordinary for a large dab and we were breathing free and clear a minute later.

Effects:  This extract had a smoothly relaxing effect that didn’t really come with much of the early jitters or Sativa-like raw potency that many BHO samples come with.  From the start, we felt fairly clear-headed and mentally active and able to function and focus on tasks, but there was an underlying deep relaxation that seemed to lay in wait over the first hour and a half or so of the experience.  One reviewer was dealing with terrible back spasms while performing the review, and while this extract didn’t outright kill the pain, it did relax the area and took his mind off the pain, which is really the battle when nearly any movement causes crippling pain.  This Grape Ape induced relaxation and we felt most comfortable sitting or laying down for sure.  As the second half of effects began to kick in, the body became heavier than before, and the eyes followed — sleep can definitely come with this extract if one allows it to — some of our staff were asleep at the 2-2.5 hour mark, waking up a few hours later and still feeling slightly medicated.  This is a long-lasting extract, and the lingering effects/comedown seem to add to the medicinal value for those seeking sleep, muscle relaxation, and pain distraction.

Duration:  Main effects 2.5 – 3 hours, lingering effects 4+ hours

Medicinal Traits:  (We are NOT doctors – personal opinion ONLY)

Overall:  This is one of our favorite wax samples lately, and The Herbal Cure continues to show that their extract artist is someone to be reckoned with in the MMJ community, turning out clean, great-tasting BHO routinely testing among the tops we see.  This Grape Ape was even more flavorful and like the initial strain than the Papaya Wax was, reminding us immediately of the parent strain and also having some of the same “up then down” qualities as the flowers have.  The long-lasting effects were smooth and enjoyable, lasting longer than most samples and carrying a high medicinal value for those struggling with pain, muscle tension, and sleep problems especially.