Tag: #topshelf

The Holistic Health Headband

Posted on by danielk1

3/18/17

Holistic Health
105 Edwards Village Blvd
Edwards, CO 81632

707 Headband

Grade A ganja

Edwards, Colorado is one of those mountain towns that looks like a photo of it belongs on a Christmas card. I visited a their recreational-only shop that is here last year, Roots Rx. I went there last year because it is hard to find medical shops in the area. Everyone out here is rec-only. It is great to see that there is a medical shop here in town.

It is apparent that Holistic Health has been around for a long time because it is so hard to find. (2006 or 2009?) Pot shops used to maintain low profiles because they did not want to shake up the status-quo. Like skid row, the canna shops used to really struggle to get a foothold in our cities and towns. The green cross was often the only cairn that showed you the way. This place seems to have been built with that caution in mind. Today, the pot shops are as bold and bright as a 7-eleven. They are as ubiquitous as the gas stations, to say the least.

Holistic Health is a reminder of how much things have changed.We can now ask google (or Siri) to find a place. In this case, maps gets you close, but not quite. Google maps puts Holistic Health in the middle of the street. Of course this isn’t true, and as I looked around, I spotted a green cross glowing on the second-floor hallway of the building to the right. There it is?

The cross is half the battle. Finding the front door is the other half. After parking and finding the entrance to the building, I had to go up some stairs, down a hallway to the end, where a poster guiding me the rest of the way. To the right, under a big vent, and then a door with a note. “back at 1:00” it said. I glanced at their hours, and they opened at 11 AM. OoooooKaaaaaay.

“Not today”, I thought, and went on my way.

So I went back the next day. Everything was golden, the sun was shining, spring was in the air, and I knew where I was going. After a quick rap on the door, I was greeted by a lovely young lady who was thrilled to help me with my purchase.

They had a wide assortment of flavors. They were a basic mixture of a few sativas, a few indicas, one CBD-rich strain, and a few hybrids. They all looked good. Their buds were nice and healthy, thick meaty morsels of cannabinoids and fiber. They are mountain grown too, so they grew up happy and stress-free.

The budtender is a nutritionist. She left a rec shop to come here because she cared more about the health of her customers than making a sale. I mentioned that I was going on a hike, and she had all sorts of ideas. 707 Headband is what I took home.

A good herb is like a good parmesan cheese or a nice glass of port after dinner. It only takes a little bit to accent the day fantastically. I don’t need to get stoned out of my mind. I dont want to get stoned out of my mind. I just want to enjoy a bit of a smoke and enjoy the day. This Headband certainly fits the category. It does not burn; rather it is smooth and light. It is like spring in the mountains, a breath of fresh air.

Indeed, this Headband fits in well with the crisp and thin mountain air and the rising elevation pushes the heart, which in turn pushes the legs, and a walk becomes a jog up the peaks of the earth. This weed is sublime, and a little bit goes a long way.

Good Chem is all Good.

Posted on by danielk1

5.1.15

 

Good Chem

330 E. Colfax St.
Denver, CO 80203

Durban Poison

Good Chem came highly recommended by a co-worker. In fact, Good Chem is almost always one of the first names uttered when I ask people what shops they think are the best. Consistently. This much acclaim for a place is not accidental, and so I knew I had to try it. I chose three different flavors; Durban Poison is a landrace classic, Sour Diesel is a classic, and Ingrid is a homemade variety.

It is always easy to choose Durban Poison. Everybody loves Durban Posion, the landrace from South Africa. While I would love to try many, many more landraces, Durban and Kush seem to be the only ones that make shelves. They dominate the shelves like the two parties dominate American Politics. I only know of Panama Red from the lore of those who survived the party of the 70’s and the drug war of the 80’s. Were Thai Sticks really even a thing? This is another indication of the massive niche market opportunities that are available in this fledgling industry.

The Durban Poison bag I got was full of nice, tight buds. These dense and aromatic herbs smelled sweet. They are dark, deep green with abundant orange hairs tightly wrapped around the bud.

The smoke is smooth. It is just a tad harsh on the throat. The aftertaste was faint, and the high was mild.

#landrace
#classic

 

Sour Diesel

A+++

When grown right, Sour Diesel is an amazing strain. Its aroma is one of a kind and truly remarkable. This indica- strong hybrid can kick you in the head like a thoroughbred- when it is respected. In the commoditized cannabis world of Colorado, it is hard to find owners who respect their product. Most owners respect the numbers at the cost of quality.

The model of quantity over quality is a basic Capitalist trait, especially when demand pummels supply like big brother smothering his little brother with a pillow here in Colorado. Yet, there are owners in this muddle of marketing crap who still respect their product. Many of the best growers are still underground, but there are a precious few who made the jump to the legal market. They are hard to find-so far I have found about 5. Good Chem is one of them.

Some buds are just a mess when it comes to their form. This is one of them. This bud was thick! It was compressed together tightly, with all of the hairs smashed together. The green flower clashed heavily with the white crystals like they were fighting for dominance on a TV screen in the wee hours of the morning. It smelled sweet and, um, soapy.

This strain of Sour Diesel is in the heavy-hitter category. I puffed on a bowl for a good hour. It was nice and smooth on the throat, and very stoney. It is prolly best to enjoy this one at the end of the day when you don’t have to get off of the couch- for anything.

#classic

 

Ingrid

A++++

Ingrid. It is like so many names in the ganja scene; completely proprietary. This is a natural progression, though. As the cannabis industry grows, the business owners will want to protect their investment any and every way that they can. Monsanto has had generations of success with their proprietary seed genetics. Of course they will do this with cannabis flavors (or brands) now that there is a legal, accessible way.

Ingrid is the local flavor for Good Chem. It is in the homemade varieties where the ultimate plan of the business can really come out. You don’t go to a Bordeaux vineyard and ask for a Pinot Grigio. Some strains grow better here than others, and indicas have a long history of growing well in high altitude environments. This Ingrid is an indica that was grown well. It had dense buds that were light green. Its smoke is light and is not harsh when it is burned.

This leads to a smooth, subtle high that is also very stony. My friend was right, I might have to pick his brain for more strains that are out of sight.

#topshelf
#localfavorite