Strain reviews

painkills2

New Member
Grape Ape from R. Greenleaf
(Albuquerque)

Grape Ape - Indica
18.711% THC; 0% CBD (per website)
$12.50/gram

Grape Ape is a strong, sweet-smelling diesel, medium amount of resin, no seeds, and more than the usual amount of sticks/stems. Smooth taste, with grape-flavored undertones. The initial effect is not particularly strong (for a chronic pain patient), but it is strong enough to last longer than usual.

I would recommend this strain whenever it is available. Unfortunately, I was only able to purchase it once, and I don't know when it will return to the strain rotation.​
 

painkills2

New Member
Island Sweet Skunk from High Desert Relief
(Albuquerque)
Island Sweet Skunk - Sativa
Batch 11.15.15.ISS
21.9% THC, 0.33% CBDs
$13/gram
Island Sweet Skunk lives up to its name, with a strong, sweet pineapple/citrus smell and taste. The medicine came in a vacuum-packed jar, which I appreciated, not only for storage but because I can wash it and return it for re-use. There were lots of stems and sticks, and I thought the buds could have been trimmed better. I only found a few seeds. There was a good amount of resin left on my fingers after cleaning the bud. I have read that this strain originated in Canada and as it's from High Desert, I am assuming that it is hydroponic. This strain is mid-range in strength, but I think the great smell enhances the effect. I would probably purchase this strain again.
 

painkills2

New Member
New York City Diesel from High Desert Relief
(Albuquerque)
Sativa dom
Batch 2.14.14.NYCD
HDR Grade A
15.9% THC
$12/gr

No seeds, with average amount of sticks/stems. No resin left on fingertips after cleaning, but still has some stickiness. Very strong smell; cross between diesel and kush, with citrus tones similar to HDR's Island Sweet Skunk (but with more lemon). Nice and smooth, with a definite citrus after-taste.

This is a really nice strain, but is not strong enough for chronic pain.
 

painkills2

New Member
Larry OG from R. Greenleaf
(Albuquerque)
Sativa
Purchased 02/11/14 (no batch number)
24.438% THC, 0.393% CBDs
$12.50/gr


Strong, fresh smell; lingered in car. Earthy and diesel mixture with perhaps a hint of citrus. Small buds that crumbled between my fingers, so no use of scissors to clean. No seeds and average amount of stems and sticks. While crumbly, not powdery, and wet enough to roll nicely and easily.

For comparison's sake, I think the Larry OG is stronger than R. Greenleaf's Sweet Tooth strain. This batch had enough strength (and terpenes) to be a good recommendation for chronic pain.

This strain does not appear to be a regular on R. Greenleaf's menu. Sometimes you can catch it on a walk-in day, but I've only been able to pre-order it once (if I remember correctly).
 

painkills2

New Member
Bubba Kush from The Verdes Foundation
(Albuquerque)
Indica (80%)
Purchased 3/6/14 (no batch number)
13.3% THC (did not see test results)
$45/eighth or $12.85/gram

Verdes' Bubba Kush strain is similar to its Skunk #1 strain, both in smell and taste (earthy kush). Low resin, no seeds, very few sticks. I think the THC percentage is not high enough to match the strength of this strain.

This strain is strong enough for moderate pain, but not for chronic pain.
 

painkills2

New Member
The latest batch of Blue Dream from The Verdes Foundation -- definitely strong enough for chronic pain.
(Since I'm part Irish, I'm off to chase the ends of rainbows, looking for that pot 'o gold... race ya!)
 

banks dank

Active Member
What do u think of high deserts og kush and flo strains?

Also interested in ur opinion of greenleafs hash..
 

painkills2

New Member
I have tried about 5 different kushes from High Desert, and their best is the BlackBerry Kush -- strong enough for chronic pain and consistent in quality through two different batches. My last purchase of OG Kush (2.28.14.OG) was lacking in quality, unfortunately, but I rated a previous batch at strong enough for chronic pain. I think HDR's Pre98 Bubba Kush has some strong possibilities too, but just needs that consistency factor.

I haven't tried HDR's Flo strain, or Greenleaf's hash, sorry. But if you have, what did you think?

Also, if you're interested, I have been posting more detailed strain/dispensary reviews at a local medical cannabis forum.
 

painkills2

New Member
OG Kush from The Verdes Foundation
Sativa (55%)
Purchased 3/15/14 (no batch number)
15% THC (did not see test results)
$45/eighth (or $12.85/gram)
$16.36/joint

Verdes' website indicates that they "obtained this highly sought-after strain from a California breeder's collective called Reserva Privada."

The buds were not pretty -- small and light, they had lots of butter leaves and did not have the best trim. (Sorry there is no picture attached -- it appears my digital photos are too big for this website.) With medium to high resin (that's right, I said resin), I needed scissors to clean, finding one seed in an ounce.

The smell was more earthy, leaning heavily toward kush, with just very light hints of citrus. And there were a few times when I may have tasted something like menthol. Since I had this strain over a period of a couple of weeks, I was able to notice a loss of smell over time. But this deficiency did not amount to a loss of strength for the OG Kush.

This is the first time that I've tried Verdes' OG Kush, and I'm very happy that I made a good choice. Unfortunately, my "choice" appears to have just been luck. I didn't choose the OG Kush by its smell, or by how it looked -- I didn't see or smell the bud before purchasing. I didn't use the strain's 55% sativa classification, or its reported THC level, which was low. Looking back, I don't know why I chose this strain; but, it is strong enough for chronic pain.

In reviewing past menus for mention of this strain, it appears to be available on a fairly regular basis. However, I've been watching out for it, and OG Kush hasn't been on Verdes' menu for over a week. (That'd be bud, as an OG Kush extract is currently on the menu.)

While OG Kush is not the cheapest -- at $16.36/joint -- it comes out on the lower side for cost because it's strength allowed me to smoke less. If this strain proves to be consistent, then it definitely belongs on my short list of strains to watch out for.
 

painkills2

New Member
Bubba Berry from GrassRoots RX
Indica
Purchased 2/28/14 (no batch number)
THC estimated by GRRX: 18% - 22% (did not see test results)
$10/gram
$15/joint

The Bubba Berry had the usual amount of sticks/stems, no seeds or resin, and was crumbly but still held some moisture. It's got a very light diesel smell, but is not as fragrant as strains from High Desert or R. Greenleaf. Smooth and light, with less odor when smoking, but a little difficult to keep lit.

Since the Bubba Berry is not strong enough for intractable pain, I don't think I have any interest in GrassRoots' line of indicas, but their blends and sativas may hold some possibilities. Considering this is the cheapest price I've paid since becoming a medical cannabis patient in New Mexico, I will definitely try GrassRoots again. And I am really looking forward to the possibility of being able to view (and smell) future purchases at a store-front dispensary.
 

painkills2

New Member
About a month ago, I visited the Sacred Garden website and noticed two strains of interest: Island Sweet Skunk and Chem 4 ("very fragrant" sativa dominant, 22.3% THC, 0.45% CBD, 0.36% CBN).

Sacred Garden was fairly easy to find in Santa Fe, and when I arrived I was the third patient in line. The waiting room is small, but there are two areas where dispensary employees can help patients, so the room didn't become over-crowded.

There were about 10 strains available, including high-CBD strains. I did not pay much attention to Sacred Garden's selection of extracts, but their website says:

"We are also the only Licensed Medical Cannabis Producer in the state that has a sanctioned kitchen through the State of New Mexico."

Sacred Garden's bud comes in small, one-gram-sized plastic bags, or "prepackaged," as it says on the labels. I was able to smell the bud from these packages, but not touch. I asked some questions about popularity of strains and those used by chronic pain patients, and the young gentleman made some suggestions.

Unfortunately, none of the strains I tried were strong enough for intractable pain.

Island Sweet Skunk from Sacred Garden
Purchased 3/11/14 (bar code 3569-5)
19.6% THC (did not see test results)
$13/gram (2 grams)
$17.33/joint

Low-to-medium resin, regular amount of sticks/stems, and no seeds. Similar to (the memory of) HDR's Island Sweet Skunk strain, with almost the same THC strength, but less terpenes and resin -- giving this strain a strength rating of 4.75 (4.25, plus .5 for terpene strength).

Shoreline from Sacred Garden
Purchased 3/11/14 (bar code 7398-5)
13.11% THC (did not see test results)
$13/gram (1 gram)
$17.33/joint

Partially described as a good strain for PTSD, Shoreline reminded me of the ISS strain, but with a kush tone underlying the citrus/diesel smell. Hard to judge the strength on this one with only one gram to test, but so far I give it a 4 (3.5, plus .5 for terpene strength).

Chedderwurst from Sacred Garden
Purchased 3/11/14 (bar code 6164-5)
22% THC (did not see test results)
$13/gram (2 grams)
$14.85/joint

No seeds or resin, and a few sticks/stems. Weak diesel smell without too much of the lemony part (I did not smell cheese). Strength rating of 2.75 (3, minus .25 for lack of terpene strength).

Hash Plant from Sacred Garden
Purchased 3/11/14 (bar code 7370-5)
THC unknown (cannot find strain on website)
$13/gram (1 gram)
$17.33/joint

No seeds or resin, and a few sticks/stems. Nothing special in smell -- maybe some diesel? Strength rating: 2
 
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