greennursevt
Jimmy Hendrix and the Jimi Hendrix Experience brought us music that people have rocked from 1967 to today. Purple Haze is an all time classic and always rates high on any music aficionados list.
Speaking of rating high, when a seasoned Vermont cultivator with over 20 years experience offers you some Purple Haze flower to review, you know not only what music to play while judging, but also that it’s sure to be a rocking time with a name like that.
Purple Haze (the cannabis strain) originated in the hills of the Emerald Triangle, with a bit of mystery and magic beyond it, much like Jimmy. It is said to be a hybrid of both haze genetics and Purple Thai, hence named rather appropriately.
LB farms is in St Albans VT, owned and operated by Amy and Miguel Lopez, a lovely green thumbed couple, will be entering the Vermont market as adult use sales start October 1, 2022 as organic growers with a tier 1 mixed license.
Miguel is a champion of medical cannabis and says he was “chosen by the plant.” His cultivation journey began as selfless and noble as one could, to heal his own family when they were in desperate need. A true labor of love.
Before we started our own labor of love, sniffing, grinding, inspecting, rolling and, of course, consuming PurpleHaze (while listening to Purple Haze), we took a few moments to chat amongst ourselves with our guest reviewer, Kelly McDowell. With Kelly and cannabis combined, we knew this one would be a laugh!
Who knew before we even opened the jar, the chatter about tips vs no tips (cardboard rolling crutch) on the joints (pre-roll vs hand rolled) would bring out hysterical conversation about bodily parts. Male anatomy to be precise. I won’t go too into detail, but you probably get the picture. Somehow, body parts and cannabis often come together in our conversations…
It was almost tough to get the review started with all the chatter and silliness. After lots of giggles, we made some tea, chatted about consignment shopping, and heard a bit more about our amazing guest Kelly and her medical use of cannabis for epilepsy, including the tale of the first time she consumed cannabis. Kelly is now a cannabis-consuming professor and goddess at UVM for hemp textiles, fashion and sustainability.
Needless to say, this was a fun review, with Jessilyn having just come back from passing her Ganjier certification in the Emerald Triangle of California (where the Purple Haze strain is said to be from, remember we mentioned that a few paragraphs ago….or did you do your cannabis review already and can’t remember?!). What is a Ganjier you ask? Well, in the tradition of the wine sommelier, cigar aficionado, or master chocolatier, Ganjiers are certified experts qualified to accurately distinguish and assess the nuanced qualities of cannabis.
Ganjier has a specific assessment protocol for the cannabis review, so it was exciting to discuss our old school thoughts, expectations, all the new things learned and how to do it Ganjier style (SAP-systematic assessment protocol).
Ganjier has four categories with each category having at least half a dozen criteria in it themselves: Appearance, Aroma, Flavor, and Experience
When we looked and discussed the initial appearance review, we all mentioned the fox tail look, with the fingerlike presentation. Foxtailing can be caused either by genetics or by stress. With outdoors, foxtailing is often due to genetics, with some strains more prone. Foxtails can also be caused by stress on the plant, both indoor or outdoor. We didn’t feel this was a negative trait, just something to note.
On first smell for aroma, there was a bit of a grassy smell possibly from a short lived cure (weeks rather than months) with grape undertones.
The prevalent aromas were earth, sweet and a touch of fruit. As a ganjier, you always pick two of the most prevalent aromas (Fruit, fuel, earth, sweet, or gas)
the Essence (a fun way to describe what you smell!) was described, after a bit of banter and chuckles, as
- Stoner Grape Juice or
- Hazy Manischewitz (Grape Mint Spritzer-ish kosher wine)
The earth reminded us all of dirt, like playing in the dirt box as a kid, with a bit of that cannabis catpiss smell noted in the undertones. So must’ve been both sandbox and dirt box we were playing in…
Knowing that everyone has different preferences with cannabis, especially on the visual “bag appeal” and trim jobs, we heard one comment that this was “trimmed closer to your liking then mine…with lots of trichomes intact.” As reviewers, we have our preferences too.
Another reviewer felt this was trimmed really well, especially for a nugget that was generally a bit looser than the standard. The closer and tighter the trim job is, the more likely one will knick or cut open the trichomes. With what many call the “farm trim,” trimmers leave some smaller sugar leaves and work around the nuanced shape of each individual nugget and usually allows ALL trichomes to stay intact.
The best outcome, and reviews, come from those that do NOT knock or cut open trichomes, leaving all trichomes intact, full of resin, cannabinoids and terpenes, for the ultimate presentation and effects!
This trim job gained a score of an 8 on the Ganjier SAP, which is quite high, pun intended.
As we gazed with an even closer eye (jewelers loupe) for appearance, there were definitely a lot of trichomes intact, moderately, if not mostly covering the flower (even after some admitted mishandling of the jars by one reviewer). Not everyone understands how easy those little trichomes break off just by bouncing around a jar or by touching the nugget with your fingers. It’s always a great reminder to treat your cannabis like a delicate piece of ocean coral.
As we continued to assess, we felt there may have been some room for improvement with the cure category, as the stem held some moisture and did not make that typical stem snap you’d want to hear and feel when breaking it up. This can sometimes be the difference between a shorter cure phase at a few weeks as compared to longer (several months), or it could even be the horribly humid Vermont weather this summer!
When broken up, it was a bit sticky, leaving us wondering if it would clog our grinder as we prepared for our joint. The flower was fluffy and a bit moist on the grind, blasting a heavy grape aroma, much more intense than the jar opening effect, with that piss and dirt nicely coming through.
The dry hit of the joint (Dry hit=inhale without lighting it! Try it, you will love it!) was grapey with a haunting and lingering grape flavor. As we assessed Purple Haze, the lights flickered amidst a Vermont summer storm, interrupting our internet connections momentarily. “Grapes come back to haunt us” was the strain’s new name as we regained our zoom connection, smoke clouds filling the air.
On combustion, the smoke was moderately smooth, typical of a haze and burned better than we had expected through the entire joint.
With a light and fresh feel in the mouth, the flavor was mild but lingered, much like iceberg lettuce.
The flavor brightened in the last half or so of the joint. A good reminder when reviewing or judging, be sure NOT to make your assessments in the first half only, take your time and assess (and enjoy!) the entirety.
For one reviewer, the “effect” came on quickly, with effects taking time to manifest and lingering some for another. We all agreed the effects were more of a cerebral high than the body buzz, leaving a feeling of calm and cool. It elicited a balanced energy, not leaving you on the couch or ready for a run kind of jazz, but somewhere in between.
The quotes that best explained the mood were, “I got the bops going” and “this is some actionable weed” as pastel colors and music ran through our heads.
By the time the crew was finished, everyone felt physically energized and that this is definitely one we would want to share with friends and take out on the road with us!