This is hands down my overall go to strain! Back in the Black Market days, when you'd seek out your meds on the street, I would hunt this strain down. The fact that it's phenotype is used by so many growers as the foundation for breeding high quality strains, is testament to it's innate excellence. It makes sense too. I mean who doesn't want massive dense nuggs, covered in crystals, bursting with orange hairs?
This herb has that classic indica kush nug structure and trichome aesthetic. With that super clean pine aroma (like your out in nature, in the woods), and a lot of folks say it's earthy, which I can see, but to me it's more of a dark chocolate scent.
It's very strong, you'll see this consistently in the 20%+ THC range, making it perfect for medical usage. When the medicine is working on you, there is this intense body sensation, but your mind is very clear.
Even if I'll never use it, it is pretty cool that they have a real nurse on staff. I can see how that could be really useful for some folks trying to get medicine for specific medical conditions. Definitely part of the high rating, because you know they're serious about taking care of patients, because it's part of their overhead. It's part of their business equation.
Right now, I'm really happy, that they've decided to keep their 420 prices moving forward. I like making my own medicinals (tinctures, coco oil, salves, etc...) & I really appreciate having access to so many strains at such affordable prices. They're FTP deal is pretty sweet too. I got an eight of Katsu for around $17!!!!! I also got Kufu, Papaya, Fire OG, and OG flowers. All top quality flowers at such competitive pricing. This is the real deal people!!!
I would recommend asking which strains are the freshest, because everything is pre-packaged. Some of the older strains might be dry by the time you get them. I personally haven't had this experience, but I have talked to other patients in the lobby who have gotten dry herbs. I guess it goes with the territory of having so many strains on hand, all weighed out and pre-packaged. Again, just ask what's fresh.
Another recommendation is to look at their online menu if your looking for something other than flowers. They don't have everything on display at each bud tender register. Plus you can place your order online, making the whole process a 5 minute deal. You can also place your order as you check in, if you know what you want, or you can see a real person & have a conversation about all their strains if that's your thing. It's great!
OK! So, I reviewed HWC about a month ago & I thought I had not gotten the free 1/8 for being FTP! I was really sad about it, but apparently this was not the case. They actually had NO FTP deal at the time I went in!
Can you guys believe that shiznet???
You know, I definitely wined about it, like a little kid, and was rewarded with a free pre-roll. I guess I can let it slide, but I definitely think the dispensary ownership/leadership F***'ed a lot of FTP's over the years. Their hopefully headed in a good direction with the free 1/8th for FTP's. You all should definitely keep that going moving forward. I was told it was just a short-term 420 deal that's still in effect. I would encourage you all to at the very minimum HAVE a FTP deal of some kind. HAHA! Seriously WTF!
I don't live in Phoenix, just pass through on business, so I don't know if that's how you feniceros roll, but that's not how it goes down in the 520. Dispensaries hook you up down here in southern AZ. There are shops down here that sell the same strains for $35 an eighth (top shelf quality too), others who hook you up with a free 1/8th with a purchase of a 1/2 oz. That's how it should be too, it's not black market, you got to settle for what you can get. Not no more, everyone going in has some kind of medical condition, it's not recreational, so I do think giving out medicine is part of the game. Of course I fully expect HWC to make proper ends, its business too, but it's a one time freebie. It's like a first impression on a date. It's going to stick with you no matter what comes after.
I'm still giving these fools all kinds of stars though. Why? The selection IS good. For real, the medicine is top quality, and the bud tenders are the shiznet. They got the CBD strains & all that jazz. It's a good dispensary.
I just think the ownership/leadership dropped the ball when it comes to the patient side of things. For example you all are selling a gram of CBD oil for over $100 (like $125 or something). I can get that in the 520 for approx $65 a gram from several dispensaries. The prices do vary, but it definitely doesn't reach over $100. Yo that's what little kids are using to be able to function, it's kind of hard from the outside looking in to not see that as predatory. Maybe that's just how the math works out for the process you all use, but IDK definitely seems like you all are preying on little sick children. I honestly would be down to pay a tax on my purchase, to subsidize the cost of that medicine for those kids/MMJ patients. For real. PLEASE THINK ABOUT THAT. There are ways to do this, make money, and still take care of people.
It has a very spicy, herbal, flowery taste to it. In my opinion, I do appreciate the taste, but sometimes the flavor will turn on you when rolled up. The flavor holds up well in a vaporizer or a pipe with a small bowl. If you like a spicy tasting herb, then you won't mind this, if that's not really your thing then take a pass on this strain. I mean what I purchased was labeled "Purple Jones" & I was thinking that it was going to have a berry/fruity flavor to it. It smells flowery & herbal, not really fruity, but thats what I associate with the purple strains (fruity flavor).
As for the medicine itself, it's mellow. Not really too strong, not really too week, hence the 3 star rating. It's a good 3 stars, but it just doesn't have that 4 or 5 star kick to it. I like the hybridity of it, that it has that sativa mind effect coupled with the body effect of the indica. It did do that for me & that's what I was looking for at that particular moment in time.
For the record I didn't feel paranoid or anxious when this medicine was working on me. I read through the comments & saw folks had a problem with that. It did relieve my pain symptoms, but not really something I would smoke before bed. More during the day, because the Sativa is a little bit more dominant, or at least in the batch that I was smoking.
This is a very high 5 stars in my opinion. This is straight up FIRE!!! At least the batch I got was nothing but fire. Very LOUD! The smell is insane, especially when you blunt it up. All forms of smoking are awesome with this strain.
Definitely buy this if it's on the shelf. I would recommend this for smoking, vaporizing, and medicine making (i.e. tinctured, in a salve, infused in oil, edibles, etc...). Seriously super strong medicine, that will alleviate pain, and help you sleep. I would only smoke this in the evening when I was done for the day. You don't want to be running errands when this medicine is working on you. This is what you go for when you're trying to go to bed or are in need of serious pain relief.
Another thing to take into consideration is that this strain is most definitely a creeper. It will intensify as time goes on. I personally love that, especially when I'm in a lot of pain. It's great for insomnia. I know it's categorized as a Hybrid, but what I was smoking seemed way more like a pure Indica.
I've learned that my body reacts best to this strain when used for medicine making (i.e., tinctured, in salves, infused in coconut oil, etc...) & not when smoked or vaporized. I just don't get "high" or feel the THC too much when smoked. About 15 minutes into it, I do notice pain relief, and I mean it is definitely very noticeable. Even though I don't really feel the THC in this strain, the batch I got, definitely had a very distinct Indica feel to it. I feel it in my body more than in my mind. I take the tincture at night to help with insomnia caused by chronic pain.
I recommend you use this strain for tinctures, salves, making edibles, and things of this nature. You'll get the medicinal aspects without the psychoactive effects. I personally really like this for my own tinctures, salves, and edibles. I've come to use this strain almost exclusively for these types of medicines.
The taste of this strain in a vaporizer is awesome. It holds up well rolled up or packed up in a bowl too. The main thing with this strain is the flavor, if flavor is your thing, then this is something you have to get.
In my opinion, it's a light indica, not strong like the OG. If your going for potency, I'd rate this about a 3 stars in that department. It does provide me with pain relief, but there are other heavy hitters out there, that can really hit me hard when needed. This is strain is really all about the flavor & smell.
The quality of the flowers I purchased were top notch. They have a 3 tier pricing/rating system, which is cool, because you can walk out with quality medicinal flowers at an affordable price. They also, have rare & specialty flowers in their tier 1 & 2 line up. If you have a specific medical condition, that requires specific strains, they'll most likely have something for you.
When I visited this dispensary they had 4 CBD strains in stock, which in my experience is rare. I found the bud tenders to be very knowledgeable and helpful selecting strains for my medical condition. I got the FTP deal, a free gram, of some super delicious Grape Ape.
I do feel that the FTP deal could be way better & that's why they got 4 stars in the Service category. In my opinion, compared to other dispensary's FTP deal, they fall way short. Especially since they have a 3 tier system!
You can definitely see the relation to the Skunk strain when you smoke the Columbian Gold. Not as strong as Skunk, but very flavorful & good smoke nonetheless. Vaporized & rolled it up. I would mainly use this strain for smoking, because it does taste good, its potent enough, and their are other varieties that would be better suited for medicine making (tincturing, salves, oil infusions, etc...).
Classic Sativa, when the medicine is working on you, it's very euphoric & energetic. Not a strain you want to use when you're trying to go to sleep, because its going to make your mind race. You'll have a lot of creative energy when you use this medicine.
Is powerful enough to relieve pain & maybe other symptoms.
This is a strong Sativa that has a very fruity or tropical taste to it. Has a lot of trichomes on it, so use a grinder to harvest some kief from breaking it up for smoking. When the medicine is working on you, true to its Sativa nature, its very energetic, euphoric, and just lively. It does have a kick to it, meaning it's runs on the stronger side of the Sativas.
I've used this during the day for pain management, when I need something a little strong, but that won't necessarily knock you out.