Friday, January 29, 2010

High Tide Caregivers Co-Op

858-729-9927

originally reviewed 01/25/2010

4.4 stars / out of 5.0 stars

This was my first time back to HTC since my last visit about 4 months ago and I'm not gonna lie, I've stayed away from this place for one reason: DONATION CAP. They were asking as high as 70 bucks for an eighth and top shelf grams were ranging anywhere from $25-$30!!!! Well, I caught wind from a neighboring club that HTC had dropped their cap..drastically. So I felt compelled to go back and give them another shot.

I wasn't sure if they'd remember me, but as soon as I walked through the door Russ spotted me, knew exactly who I was, and I kinda got the feeling he'd been expecting me. No hard feelings about any past reviews were expressed. In fact, he actually appreciated my honesty and seemed very eager to show me how things have changed at HTC, for the better.

Love their new selection of clones. They have a great mix of hybrids varying in dominance. Each appeared healthy and well rooted. They also have a wide assortment of edibles from Califorganics and Greener Side.

From what I saw they had about 20 strains available. Suggested donation price is $45/eighth for the majority of their flowers with the exception of 4 which were listed at $55, but these are 4 gramers so you're still getting a pretty good deal out of it. I think I inspected just about every strain they had and most looked like $45-$50 flowers except for about 5 which were above average. I ended up going with an eighth of Cotton Candy Kush and an eighth of Lemon Kush (which is not on the menu?) both strain's are 45ers so I got the quarter for $90. I also wanted to try some of their SkyWalker OG Bubble Hash cause I heard it was only $25 a gram. Russ ended up giving me everything for $110, but when it came time to make my donation, things got a little strange. They state on weedmaps that they take debit cards and they do, but there's a catch...they tax you on it. I ended up paying an extra $9 for using my card! Be sure to bring cash when you come here.

(The Lemon Kush I got looks so crazy. Mega fluffy buds with light and dark green's and rose colors and they're literally caked with trichomes, especially the smaller nugs. Nice citrus scent, but no citrus taste. To me this strain felt more sativa dominant.)

(The Cotton Candy Kush is more of a dense strain comparable to a Bubba type Kush with earthy, garden, citrus smells. Good trich count and a matching earthy taste to boot. Sativa dom. all the way with this strain too..smoked the Cotton Candy all day today and don't feel the least bit tired.)

(The bubble hash I got wasn't very pliable and crumbled easily when I tried to press it together. I squeezed out a little pancake and smoked it over a titanium screen in my bong. Sadly it did not bubble or even melt for that matter. Potency seemed off as well.)

Overall, I'm happy with what HTC is doing and when I'm tapped for cash, believe you me, I will be back, but I guess I'm the type of person who doesn't mind paying $60, just as long as I'm getting something beautiful and at the same time potent as hell! Anyways, Russ is a hella cool cat and should be commended for is stellar service..If you haven't been to HTC or it's been a while since your last visit, go check em out cause things really have changed for the better.

San Diego Holistic Healing

858-412-3105

originally reviewed 01/23/2010

5.0 stars / out of 5.0 stars

The majority of your "top shelf" medicine is most likely going to run you anywhere from $60 to $65 an eighth and in some instances, clubs can go as high as $75/$80 for a bag of their finest flower. Sadly most patients looking for the "best they can buy", fail to inspect the $50-$55 strains and miss out on cheaper meds that are just as good, if not better than the pricey options.

SDHHC's private reserve 1/8 donation is capped at $65 and believe me, it's all fire, but you'd really be surprised at the quality of their 50 dollar hollers. Their Romulan, Chemdawg, and Fire Bubba are all prime examples of bomb, inexpensive meds overlooked due to donation price. Especially the Fire Bubba..these sugary morsels are so dank. I believe the grower who manicured this batch purposely left it leafy because the underside of these leaves are so rich with trich's, the buds are practically white. Nice strong, earthy kush smell too. So sold, I got an eighth of the Bubba and left confident with my choice. Fired up a couple bowls when I got home and was equally impressed with the taste and potency. Definitely a PM med, those two bowls left me hella spaced out and rather sluggish..didn't really wanna do anything after medicating besides eat and sleep.

So if your looking to stimulate your appetite or get some some shut eye, and at the same time not break the bank, then score yourself some Fire Bubba.

Green Kross Co-Operative new 55 1/8th CAP!

858-412-5944

originally reviewed 01/22/2010

4.2 stars / out of 5.0 stars

I'm always scanning GKC's online menu for new additions and noticed they had recently added one of my favorite all time herbs.."P91". I've seen many versions of this strain, but can't say that I've seen one decent specimen in any dispensary since I've been a patient. GKC's batch definitely wasn't the most appealing version I've seen, but it did bare some resemblance to the original P91. It did however lack in odor and was a bit too leafy and sparse for my taste, so I decided to pass on it (might come back and get a gram on a day when I have more loot..to see if the taste is there)

After further inspection of their selection I realized they had a variety of other new strains I had yet to see. One flower in particular that caught my eye was their Amethyst $22/$55. (Beautiful green, gold, and violet brushed nugs, especially the smaller popcorn kernels...super dense and meticulously manicured with the invigorating stench of lemon, citrus, garlic, and floral. Taste was on the mild side, but not harsh on the throat at all..it just seemed kinda grassy if anything. Mild indica high ideal for AM medicating)

As always, I picked up some of their Greener Side chocolate brownies $13. They're made with a little over a quarter gram of hash and man are they tasty! You can begin to feel their effects as quickly as 35-40min and be prepared to be completely hammered for about 2-3 hours before you feel any sort of come-down.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

California Best Meds

619 582-4035

originally reviewed 01/15/2010

4.0 stars / out of 5.0 stars

I live in Pacific Beach so CBM is a bit of a journey for me. Lucky for me they have a sister club in my neighborhood called San Diego Organic Wellness Association..they both carry some of the same strains, but SDOWC doesn't have the strain I was looking for on this occasion. So I made the trek to Californias Best Meds.

Place was easy to find..close to the 8 freeway, near College. I walked in and was greeted by a security guard and a friendly lady behind the glass. The waiting room was pretty normal..couches, flat screen..didn't see any magazines to read though. It really didn't matter cause verification was a breeze and I suffered virtually no wait. Once inside the nug room I was greeted by Will, one of their knowledgeable and friendly BT's. He was very attentive and made me feel right at home, I felt like he was someone I could trust and ended up showing me exactly what I was looking for. Three words: DYNAMITE MASTER BUBBA. This batch of goodness is sooo appealing to the eye..I mean it was visually stunning. The look, the texture, the odor, the heartiness of this flower is over the top. Now, the donation price is equally stunning, but not in a good way. They wanted $70 for an eighth. Normally I would never spend more than $60, BUT since I had a coupon out of the Reader, I was able to get a $10 discount, in fact Will gave me the eighth for $55..NICE!

As a first time gift I was given a free glass pipe which I then traded for a sick shirt after he saw me jocking it..VERY NICE! Also, because my visit landed on a Thursday I received two free edibles (chocolate chip cookies)..LUCKY ME! Couldn't wait to get home and put the flame to some dynamite. I got home, cleaned my new bong and let her rip....and I'm sorry to inform that Taste did not make it to the party. I really felt the strain lacked in flavor, aroma, and pungency, but just on taste though, the flower stinks to high hell before it's burned. The stone left me with fuzzy vision, bright lights glowed a little brighter after a bowl of the Bubba.

Overall, I am very pleased with the compassion this club offers and would love to come back and try some of their other strains. I don't feel one strain can define a Coop, Dispensary, or Collective and would like to give them another shot. The Master Bubba is a beautiful flower that was grown with love and care, I just value taste way too much and believe that a perfect flower is not complete without it's flavor.

Don't forget your coupon!

Gourmet Green Room

(858) 273-9300

originally reviewed 01/15/2010

3.4 stars / out of 5.0 stars

New spot in Pacific Beach right off the 5 freeway. It's actually quite secluded though, if you know where IGS (hydro shop) is, it's just a little further down the road from there (there's a couple signs that say GGR pointing out the way).

When I first arrived, I rang the doorbell and waited for a minute or so, didn't see any movement...then rang it again. After a couple more minutes I almost went back to my car cause I thought they were closed..that and the electronic open/close sign they had in the window was off. Right as I was about to lose my patients...I saw a door open and a gentleman walked out and open the outer door for me. He then informed me that he had been trying to buzz me in this whole time..DUH! I guess I just didn't hear the buzzer.

Once inside I was very impressed with the layout. Very clean, neat and tidy with a polished, professional look. I was quickly verified and invited into their nug room. The nug room too was very well organized, they had a huge flat screen displaying the menu instead of a dry-erase board..very nice touch!

On to the meds. I don't mess with the stress so right off the bat I'm asking to see the top shelf relief. That's when the "Private Reserve" menu came out from behind the table that listed eighths as high as $80!!!!!! The rest were like $75 and $70 WOW! I was real curious to see what goes for 80 bucks nowadays so I peeped out some of their so-called PR. Well, nothing I saw looked like it was worth 80 or even 65 for that matter. I believe that the private reserve stash should be reserved for the extreme kill and have a cap of no more than $65.

So after looking at a good amount of strains I decided on getting a gram of their Cheesewreck $20/$60 which was nice and dense, well manicured and covered in powdery trich's. Gotta love that Cheese smell, especially when it's mixed with the windexy smell of Trainwreck. Taste was decent and the high was definitely more heady than body. After medicating, it left me very calm and mellow, not to mention filling my room with a moldy cheese smell, but in a good way.

Their first time patient gift came in the form of a gram of their house whatever..a no name strain that looked better inside a blunt than on a bowl..they actually gave me a blunt for it!

NO edibles, concentrates, or clones. They said they we're waiting till the new city guidelines come out before they invest in anything other than flowers...kinda disappointing. This place is still very new and in the middle of nowhere...they need to beef up on their bomb and lower the donation price cap by about $20.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Green Tree Solutions

858 278 2128

originally reviewed 01/13/2010

4.2 stars / out of 5.0 stars

I always try to make my way out to Green Tree Solutions either on a Sunday or a Tuesday cause they have killer deals on those two days. They offer $5 off planetary strain eighths on Sunday's and with today being Tuesday, I was awarded a 4 gram eighth (excluding planetaries). The main reason behind my visit today was to check out this George Washington OG I've been hearing so much about lately, but unfortunately they were fresh out of our first prez.

I ended up having a look at all of their top shelf indicas and sativas, but nothing really caught my eye. Some of their strains looked real nice like the OG Bubba and Blue Dream, but they both smelled kinda fresh/grassy and had no recognizable odor. I tell ya, I really wasn't too pleased with the strains they had outside of their planetaries and presidentals.

I ended up going with an eighth of their better $60 OG (President Thomas Jefferson) which is actually not even on their weedmap menu. These fragrant little popcorn nugs are "the business". Taste and potency are definitely up to par as well. I have really bad insomnia and I need a strong indica to blow me back before I can even begin to think about getting any shut-eye.

So if you use indicas too and you find yourself medless on a Tuesday, then swing by the Tree and pick up a 4 gram eighth of their new presidential OG (Thomas Jefferson).

I would love to see GTS beef back up on their quantity again. Last time I was there they had damn near 30 strains and now they're down to about half that.

Monday, January 11, 2010

San Diego Holistic Healing

858-412-3105

originally reviewed 01/11/2010

5.0 stars / out of 5.0 stars

LOCATION: SAN DIEGO, CA. "HOLISTIC HEALING CENTER"
STRAIN: SKYWALKER OG
DONATION PRICE: $20/$60/$110
AVAILABILITY: PLENTY LEFT

This batch is some of the stinkiest OG I've smelled yet. Glistening with trichomes and just the right texture. The smoke is extremely smooth and easy on the lungs. Taste is perfect (beautifully cured) and the stone from the flower is unbelievable (during the day it kept me energized and at night it allowed me to get some sound sleep). The only bad thing I can possibly say about this strain is that it's not well manicured, but the excess leaf is covered in trich's so big whoopie!

Stopped in today and picked up another quad, only this time I received their Sunday discount ($5 off any eighth-2 eighth max)..so I got the quarter for a hundred EVEN, which a great deal considering the quality of the flower. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of this FIRE, I guarantee one snapper will have you voting this review helpful!!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Horizon Collective

8584561779

originally reviewed 01/07/2010

4.6 stars / out of 5.0 stars

Over the last 3-4 months I feel like I've watched this place gradually transform from a "SO-SO" spot into a real compassionate collective. They don't ask for my I.D. anymore, they know who I am. It's nice to be able to just walk right into the nug room without any hassle. I'm very familiar with their menu so any new strains pop-out automatically. On this occasion they had some Kali Mist that had the ol' cat piss aroma, but didn't really look like the Kali. I ended up going with an eighth of their Pure Kush $60 (super powdery nugs with a strong scent, taste was a little on the mild side and I personally thought the high was more of a sting than a stone.) Anyway, the BT's let me part with it for $50 instead of $60 which is great. He also threw in a .7 of another strain for free and when I asked about some little chocolate edibles they had on display...guess what? got one of those for free too. And OMG this chocolate! this little piece of nothing rocked my world...I mean, I feel I have a pretty high tolerance, especially with edibles, but this tiny treat had me feeling like I had just smoked back2back blunts by myself! It was like the size of a silver dollar for Pete's sake and it didn't even taste that bad at all. It was a Cayenne Mint Chocolate star and they're $10...don't let the size fool you...them things is mean.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Green Kross Co-Operative

858-412-5944

originally reviewed 01/03/2010

4.2 stars / out of 5.0 stars

I'm loving the new cap at the Kross! I hope this type of compassion sets an example for other clubs in San Diego to follow.

I always like to get eighth splits when I go here cause I usually find more than one strain I want to take home. On this occasion I went with a half eighth of their Earth, Wind, and Fire Master Kush $55...I really wanted the Skywalker $55, but they said they couldn't do a half eighth of that..only grams, so I went with the Master K.(the kush was very aromatic and extremely easy on the eyes, a good looking flower with throat-grabbing taste..was wasted off this erb) and a half eighth of their G13 X Diesel $55 (this hybrid is soo stunning, I mean, it's a beautiful strain and the smell from this flower is wonderfully overpowering, but it lacked in flavor and tasted a bit harsh...it picked me up after smoking the Kush though, definite head change.) Also picked up a gram of their OG Kush Full Melt $45 (this stuff melted down real nice like, bubbly even. real sweet, heavy, smoke that left me warped for a couple hours. I like to pinch off a little ball and squeeze out a little mini-pancake and toss it in my bong over a titanium screen...the best!)

The Kross is doing the damn thing..I look forward to seeing what else they have in store for their members!