Cannabis Strains

Hello everyone, welcome to Gryphon's Reviews. This is our first post here after a hiatus of five years, and what better way to reinvigorate the blog than a review of cannabis strains?

Fairly recently, cannabis has been made legal in Canada. I've made two updates on the topic on my main blog, one with me being kind of a wet blanket, stressing the importance of responsible use, and the other being a play-by-play of my experience purchasing it. Here they are:

Cannabis in Canada

Legal Purchase of Cannabis

Initially, I was concerned about speaking on the topic of personal use considering I am a professional in the social services, but as I thought more about it, I realized that cannabis has always been accessible and widely used. The real difference now is not in our ability to consume cannabis, but in our ability to talk openly about it.

So I am going to take advantage of my newly acquired right to speak on the topic. Today, I will be reviewing five different strains that I have purchased legally from the Ontario Cannabis Store. I've never been a huge connoisseur of this product, so I will be inventing my own vocabulary to describe my experience.

I have used each strain on separate occasions to make sure that each experience is appreciated in isolation. Unlike alcohol, which has a fairly uniform effect with variances occurring mostly in flavour, the over all experience of cannabis may differ between products, so I felt it was important that each one be tested separately.

Harmonic

Harmonic is a Sativa strain with a THC content of 9.33% and a CBD content of 9.01%. Of all the strains I tried, this one has the highest content when both percentages are combined. The name seems to imply there is a harmony between its THC and CBD values, with neither overcoming the other.

Visually, it is a medium green with red notes. Of the five I will be reviewing today, three look fairly similar with the other two being outliers. Of the five, Harmonic might be the most middle-of-the-road, with two strains appearing paler than it, and two others looking darker. Appropriate for a strain that is known for it's equal distribution of THC and CBD. One thing that makes it stand out in appearance is that, its red notes seem to extend in thin, almost hair-like strands, whereas the other strains have flatter, leafier red notes.

In terms of scent, I've determined broadly that some strains smell "sweet" and some smell "spicy". I prefer the spicier smell, as I find the others to be almost sickly sweet. Unfortunately, Harmonic leans in favour of the sweeter side of things.

I don't have a grinder, and I smoke with a pipe, so one of the metrics I will use to judge these strains is how they cut and how they burn. What I've observed is that some strains are "drier" and some are "gummier". The drier types cut easier and burn easier, whereas the gummier types tend to retain their form and are more difficult to keep alight. My initial impression was that drier types are preferable, as they guarantee a good, clean, quick hit, but other people I've spoken to have said that gummier types might be preferable, as it indicates a higher level of potency. As it so happens, despite having a high overall potency, Harmonic has more of a dry cut.

In terms of effect, it was easily the strongest of the first three I purchased. It was sort of a delayed hit, though. I didn't begin to feel an effect until I finished my first bowl, after which it picked me up to an existential crisis and eliminated my ability to speak coherently for about an hour before it dropped me down to a more comfortable high.

So what do I think about Harmonic? It got me high, but in a way that I am on record saying kind of puts me off. It's not my favourite, but if you want a significant high, it's not a bad option. I might be a bit too much a wimp for it.

7/10


Ace Valley CBD

Ace Valley CBD is a hybrid strain with a THC content of 5.02% and a CBD content of 9.9%. It's medium green in appearance with red notes, slightly paler than Harmonic but not by an appreciable amount. It's red notes are flatter and leafier that Harmonic's.

It smells sweet, cuts gummy. Its effect might be my least favourite of the five. I know I said I don't like a strong high, but if I'm smoking weed, I want some kind of effect. This strain gives you a sensation that you could get from spinning in circles. It makes you dizzy, but doesn't do much to you psychologically, and the feeling is over fast. No matter how much you smoke, it doesn't result in more than a quick headspin.

3/10

Dreamweaver

 Dreamweaver is an Indica strain with a THC content of 15.5% and a CBD content of 0.03%. Before I made my order, my impression was that Indica strains were higher in CBD and created more of a "body high" whereas Sativa strains were THC dominant and created more of a "head high". Originally, I wanted to get a THC dominant Sativa, a CBD dominant Indica, and a balanced hybrid. When I found out that not a single Indica strain available on the website was CBD dominant, I made do with a balanced Sativa, a CBD dominant hybrid, and a THC dominant Indica for my purposes of a diverse sample set.

Visually, Dreamweaver is by far the darkest, with a deep green colouration and reddish-brown notes. It smells spicy and cuts gummy.

I am tempted to value THC and CBD content over knowledge of whether it is Sativa or Indica when predicting effect, because that seems more scientific, so I was surprised that, despite being  THC dominant, I got that Indica body high. Felt warm, comfortable, and relaxed, without the existential crisis. Of the three I've reviewed so far, this one is my favourite.

8/10


 La Strada

After ordering these first three, some more strains were produced that fit the more typical reputation of Sativa=THC vs. Indica=CBD. La Strada is a Sativa strain with a THC content of 14.9% and a CBD content of 0.07%. It is by far the lightest in colour, as it is pale green with orange-pink notes.

It cuts dry, smells sweet. Provides a decent head high. For some reason, seems the least memorable. Strictly average.

6/10


Balance 

And finally, we finish off with Balance, an Indica with a THC value at 5.37% and a CBD value at 9.85%.. Visually, it is a medium green with red notes, darker than Harmonic and Ace Valey CBD, but not by an appreciable amount.

It cuts dry and smells spicy. I was expecting it to be kind of wimpy, like the Ace Valley CBD since they are both CBD dominant, so I was pleasantly surpised at a mellow body high, which smelled pleasant and burned easy. My favourite high, with my favourite cut and scent.

My favourite easily.

 9/10

Final Notes:

None of these strains gave me the munchies for some reason. I mean, I was hungry, but no more than usual. I was expecting flavour-enhancement. It's weird, being high and not wanting to eat.