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There has been some turnover lately at Growing ReLeaf, with some new budtenders joining the team. But I've got to say, the service and knowledge and caring shown by everyone on the team is just as outstanding as it has been in the past. In fact, the current team is absolutely outstanding... and for those of you who don't know this yet, Growing ReLeaf is working to open another dispensary down in the Salem area. All that's left is for the city to give the go ahead, but the space is already there, and lots of construction is happening already. One very cool thing about this is that the new dispensary will be a very short drive (perhaps 5 minutes?) from the owner's licensed cannabis grow, called Vaksana Gardens. Some of you know the quality of Vaksana flower, and I've got to say, you haven't seen anything yet. Vaksana Gardens is going organic now, and upcoming harvests are looking really amazing. To quote the owner: "We've never grown nugs that huge in the whole time Vaksana Gardens has been in existence."

I only recently tried the Cheese strain for the first time, but really loved the rich, cheesy smell and taste. The high is very nice too, making me want to explore other Cheese crosses. All I had to do was mention my love of that strain to someone, and their immediate response was: “Oh, you like Cheese? Here’s something else you might like” following that by handing me an LA Cheese pre-roll. And I’ve got to say, it’s every bit as good as it’s Cheese parent. The skunky, cheesy smell is fantastic… and by contrast with Cheese, this strain has more pronounced cheddar and peppery notes. I like it even better than Cheese, although I’ve only had that strain from one producer so far. I think the combination of deeply relaxing physical effects and the gently uplifting euphoria would be just perfect for social gatherings or just hanging out with a friend...and for any of those times when you want your herb to put you into a vivid creative flow with no anxiety or paranoia. I look forward to seeing some LA Cheese flower on our top shelf, hopefully in the not too distant future.

I like the taste, but I don’t think this strain smelled or tasted at all like it’s namesake, however I could certainly see how someone impressed with it’s dusting of trichomes might be reminded of their favorite frosted sugar cereal. Somehow I expected this smoke to be a bit lighter, so smoked a bigger bowl than I’m used to. The waves of euphoria were pretty intense, and now I think of this as a strain as something to smoke at times when I’d rather forget my entire day. Whatever might be on my mind is not going to stick around for long…

I’ve tried the Lemonade strain a couple of times now, the most recent being the most interesting. It produces a seriously uplifted, creative, and even clear-headed, happy high for me. I often smoke late at night, but this strain strikes me as being very ideal for enjoying daytime activities. As an experiment, the most recent time I used Lemonade again, I decided to ‘enhance’ it’s uplifting properties, by dripping some limonene terpene isolate directly onto the flower. I thought to add only one drop because of how extremely concentrated the isolate is, but accidentally ended up with 3-4 drops of limonene instead… but decided to go ahead with it despite wondering whether that was a good idea. The experience left me with absolutely NO doubt as to the role of terpenes as primary qualifiers of particular characteristics of the (THC-driven) high from any given cannabis strain. I was so uplifted and energetic that I kept saying “Wow, this is amazing!” to the family member I was smoking with. I felt like I could get a million things done in a short amount of time, or perhaps even get started on writing that book I’ve been planning for too long. At almost 57 years of age, I found my brain more clear and focused than it has been in years. I felt like my mind was processing information much more quickly than is normal for me these days. But as positive as the experience was… it was definitely much, much stronger than I was expecting. If I’d added a bit more limonene, that positive, energetic high could easily have turned manic or paranoid, so the next time I do something like this, I’ll be more careful with how much isolate I add. But I must admit, I’m now very intrigued with the idea of adding a bit of myrcene or linalool to the next heavy Indica I smoke.

Not having read any reviews before consumption and simply judging by the parent strains, I was expecting Flo to be like a heavy, sedating Indica, but when I got it home was surprised by it’s functional, clear headed Sativa high. It was definitely relaxing, and also produced feelings of happiness, banishing anxiety and making for great social rapport and conversation. What was most remarkable about this strain was that as a fairly low-tolerance level user, I smoked several bowls of this flower and despite being unquestionably high, I was still very clear-headed and functional in a way I’m just not used to experiencing with most cannabis.

Subtle hints of citrus enhance amber and vanilla base notes, giving gentle intimations of the happily relaxed yet uplifted space this slightly Indica-dominant cross of OG Kush and Orange bud is likely to elicit at the end of your workday. It’s ideal for times – such as after dinner or at a barbecue – when you want that ‘relaxed flow’ which still allows full engagement with fun evening activities with friends or family... or perhaps when you want to stay active for things you need to accomplish before the end of your day. THC content is significant, so this strain may be too intense or sedating for a new cannabis user but for some, a few puffs may be just the thing to start your day in a positive way.

When I took these home, I didn’t realize at first that they were primarily CBD… but I do like them. The taste is great, and they are mildly relaxing, not too much. Just right for taking the edge off my day when I don’t want to be high. I also like to take one of these a while before consuming flower, because it seems to mellow the high out a bit. I’ll be interested to try the other varieties.

Not long before trying this tasty strain, I’d consumed some Ice Cream Cake flower at the recommendation of a coworker, and ended up loving it. More recently I was told Champagne Cake is every bit as good, perhaps even better than Ice Cream Cake. In my experience, the flower wasn’t nearly as resinous, and so it didn’t hit quite as hard, but was definitely reminiscent of that strain, and very, very good. I found myself pleasantly relaxed and happy, without being glued to the couch.

I’m learning to pay attention to cultivars whose immediate parentage includes one or more legendary landrace strains, and Nookies (Animal Cookies x Nigerian landrace) is no exception. It’s an energetic strain with bright cerebral uplifting effects. I wouldn’t say I was very mentally focused, but had plenty of energy and motivation to be moving and active. I think this would be very nice to set the appropriate mood for a trip to the Oregon coast. In fact, I think I’m going to try that very soon. I might even listen to the appropriate Limp Bizkit song while I’m at it.

At long last, I finally try the famous Granddaddy Purple. The buds are heavily frosted with trichromes, beautiful bright green (I don’t see any purple at all), showing through bright orange pistils. Profound relaxation culminating in heavy couch lock. Before drifting off to sleep, I also noted that this strain made my usual aches and pains vanish. From the reputation of this strain, I expected to wake the next morning still feeling a bit ‘fuzzy’ but instead found myself clear and refreshed for the day.