I bought this by accident! (I had bought a different strain I like, Kush Petals, but it was stale, had been harvested over a year ago, so I returned it and got this in exchange.
I usually prefer balanced CBD:THC strains, like 1:1 or 2:1 or at least 1:2. This one is pretty much straight THC but I love the aroma and flavor (when vaped with a DynaVap). I'd call it spicy-herbal? Effects: Pretty stony, spacy but also physically relaxing. Nice strain. And it was on one of the lower-priced shelves. I'd like to grow this one.
Love this one. Happened upon it while clone shopping last year. The name sounded good, and I read that it had won a homegrow competition in Alaska!
It grew very well despite a difficult summer, with wildfire smoke, high winds and a neighbor's fence falling on my plants.
Beautiful purple plant and produces fragrant berry-lavender buds with heady high. Pretty much the opposite of my usual weed, but I love it anyway.
It's high CBD but balanced with a good amount of THC. So you get a nice mellow grounded high. Mostly body but also some mental effects.
The aroma and taste are wonderful. I'm not so good at identifying the flavors in pot, but I'd say woody/herbal with some fruit. Just really delicious and very definite strong aroma and flavor. And that is what makes this a great strain -- often the high-CBD strains have very little aroma or flavor. Critical Mass wows you, though, at every step, from opening the container to lighting it (I use a DynaVap flower vape) to enjoying the effects. You can make nice edibles out of it too.
Growing it can be tricky, especially in a wet climate like the Pacific Northwest. It grows tight, heavy clumps of bud (hence the name), which are prone to mold. You might have to harvest early, before the fall rains, or rig up a covering to keep it dry. Other than that it grows well and produces a lot.
It's just a splendid variety that you should try, whether you grow it or buy it. Oh and it seems to last a long time -- I just found a sealed jar from my harvest of the year before last, so it's almost two years old -- the aroma is somewhat subdued with age, but the taste and effects are still terrific.
As a homegrower, I'm looking for clones every spring, and this is one of my go-tos. They usually have a nice selection including some balanced CBD:THC strains (which is what I prefer) as well as some all-CBD ones and a variety of hi-THC ones. The prices tend to be higher here than other places, but the quality is good.
The service is always good. I am particularly impressed with how they are handling the lockdown situation: you can order online or by phone and they will have your order ready and bring it out to you in the parking lot. (Unfortunately it's not a hands-free transaction, you still have to get close to the deliverer to show your ID and pay in cash. But at least you don't have to enter the building. They are making more of an effort than other dispensaries.)
The staff is always friendly and helpful. I come here mainly for clones -- this is one of the few dispensaries in town that carries clones, and they often have interesting strains that others don't (like Purple Apricot, which I picked up two of today -- sure sounds yummy).
Also their prices are good, and they have daily specials. With today's deal I got the clones for $20.40 apiece -- compared with $30 at another dispensary.
I also like the location, in the heart of Kenton, There are plenty of other cool businesses to visit in the neighborhood (well, when we're not under lockdown orders) including a great headshop, a liquor store, a couple second-hand stores, a public library, a pizzeria, a couple bars, even a post office.
And I have to also give this place a shoutout for its name alone! Kind Heart Collective. It just sounds sweet and inviting.
So why am I not rating them five stars all the way across? Well they didn't set up curbside service during this crisis. I realize that is a strain on the staff, but I think it's what any business should be doing to make things easier and safer for its customers right now. Unfortunately with cannabis you still have to show your ID and pay in cash. But if you at least didn't have to enter the building it would seem safer.
Also their flower selections are usually short on the varieties I seek: balanced CBD:THC ones. The menu here is pretty much stoner weed. I suppose that's what most customers want. But still they could try to always have two or three CBDish strains on hand. It would seem to go with the name, for gosh sakes! And really the same with the clones. Last year I did buy a nice strain here called Royal Highness which, despite the stoner-sounding name, actually is a nice balanced strain, about 1:1. But this year it's all high-THC strains plus one all-CBD strain, Remedy. I suppose I could grow that and blend it with a high-THC strain? Anyway, I did pick up Purple Apricot, which is a high-THC strain as far as I know (when you grow something in your garden you never really know how it will come out, sometimes they surprise you). It just sounds good! Maybe I'll enjoy the aroma even if I don't consume it myself. Oh, also they had a clone called Whappy, which I never heard of, could not find online, and the budtender had no info on either. That's cool to have such an obscure strain, but please provide us with some info on it!
In case you can't tell, I still like this place and will be back -- next spring for clones, if not before.
This is one of the rare high-CBD strains that actually smells and tastes good! Hopefully there will be many more, as breeders realize there is a demand. But most of the common ones smell like grass or not much of anything.
I'm not great at describing scents so I'll leave that to others. But it has a strong scent that I enjoy.
It is challenging to grow, especially in moist climates like the Pacific Northwest where I live. It's called Critical Mass because of the big clumps of buds. Try to protect them as rainy season comes in. Use umbrellas, tarps, plastic sheets or something so the buds don't get wet and moldy.
Or just look for it at a dispensary if you'd rather not try to grow it yourself. Either way it's worth seeking out if you like a balanced (varies about 1:1 to 2:1 CBD to THC) mellow fragrant weed.
Homegrown from my backyard.
It was one of the few high-CBD varieties I could find last spring, so I bought and grew a clone. An experienced-grower friend warned me that it's an old-school high-CBD strain without the complex aromas and flavors of the newer ones. Friend is correct, at least from my sample. This plant did not have much aroma while growing. (I might not be the world's best grower, but the other three plants in my yard, of different strains, all smelled strong and terrific.) After curing it still doesn't have much aroma -- grass, caramel, a little cheese, a little orange. But all quite subtle. Flavor when vaped is also subdued, grassy.
Since I prefer big scents and flavors I haven't even been using this pot even after growing it! But I tried some today. Two capfuls in a DynaVap. And while the flavor still is meh, the effects are quite nice! Big body high with some heady effects. Great winter eve strain to break you out of the doldrums, maybe go dancing!
My favorite strain is Critical Mass, and I wasn't able to find a clone of it to grow this year, so I was worried about my homegrown pickings (I grow four plants in my garden). But with this baby I think I'll be happy all year! I'm not the best at describing scents but I'd say fruit, funk, hops? Taste is sweet and fruity.
The buzz is very balanced, similar to my girl Critical Mass. This one a bit more energetic, probably a little more to the THC side than Critical Mass.
Very good strain for listening to music, playing music, or dancing! Also goes well with beer, especially a floral-hoppy beer that complements the flavor. And a nice strain for playing with cats...it's almost like you tune into the cat way of feeling with this one. OK, I'll bump it up to 5 stars.
Very impressed after one visit. Small, friendly shop with great variety of flower, including some unusual varieties. I like CBD-rich strains, so I was very pleased that they have so many of those -- five or six, instead of one or two as many shops have. And much of their flower is grown outdoors, at the farm they are affiliated with, Cannananda. The pricing structure is cool, too, with the two-gram option. And the prices seem good. I'll be back!
Lovely decor and organization -- they are obviously trying to be a high-end shop. And the the pot I bought there was excellent, although expensive. However, the service is poor. The woman at the ID-check desk was imperious and unpleasant. The budtender was attentive but nervous and businesslike. I prefer friendly, laidback, helpful staff. Will shop elsewhere.