Wednesday, March 24, 2010

La Jolla Medicinal Cooperative

858-459-0116

originally reviewed 03/20/2010

4.4 stars / out of 5.0 stars

Finally, another club in the Downtown La Jolla area. It's very convenient for me considering its proximity to where I work. I feel a lot better knowing there are now options close by when I'm in need of meds. They're located on the corner of Pearl and Eads, on the second floor of the same complex Dick's Liquor is in. Once you enter the complex, they're fairly easy to find due to the big sign they have on their door. Parking is not that great so you might have to walk a bit.

The first thing that came to mind once inside the coop was how great the place looked. The waiting room was very clean and well organized with an overall cozy feel to it. The room itself is rather large and equipped with a flat screen, 3 comfy lounge couches, table with reading material, and some beach inspired art adorning the walls. When it came time to be verified, I did encounter some issues. Apparently the guy working the front couldn't get a hold of anyone to confirm my patient status?? He said my Doctor's office was having problems with their system?? Long story short, I ended up waiting a good 15-20 minutes before I got to see any flowers. I don't really know the reason behind the delay so I can't really hold it against anyone.

Instead of being told to enter through a door to a nug room, one of BT's, Tom, actually came out and met me in the waiting room! I like that. After the initial introduction I was led back to the nug room where Tom gave me the low-down on all of their flowers, hash, greener side tinctures, sodas, edibles, and infused body products. They don't carry wax, PHO, or anything like that cause apparently it's against the law?? They have about 38 or so flower strains at the moment, divided into two separate glass cases. Donation prices range from $12/$35 to $25/$60, their cap. The first couple sample jars I opened blew me away. They were off the chain as far as WoW factor goes, hell maybe it's just me, but I felt many of their top shelf strains lacked in aroma and all shared a similar bouquet/grassy odor. Their OG and Master Bubba both had their correct scents, but were faint for the type of quality flower they appeared to be. Organic or hydro growing methods could be the reason for this. Well, I didn't let the smell deter me from trying the Master Bubba. It looked to good to pass up, even at $25/$60, I felt the need to try it. I kind of felt like a sucker getting the gram, but I had no way of knowing how good it really was and didn't want to get much if it wasn't. After a bowl I realized that the Bubba was indeed sleeping on its smelly end, but was still teaming with great flavor. It had a real nice Bubba after taste and left me stoned to the bone after just one snapper...1 hitter quitter worthy.

The OG X Nice Full Melt ($27.50/$55) is some amazing stuff. It's pliable, but not too pliable, similar to Laffy Taffy and a tad sticky to the touch. Its sweet, lung collapsing smoke, burns the throat gently on exhale and produces a long lasting euphoric sensation that permeates throughout the mind and body..wow! That's a mouthful. I found smoking it by itself over a screen will give you the best results.

Anyways, the gram of Master Bubba and half gram of OG Nice Full Melt ran me $52.50!! Kind of pricey, I should have clipped that damn coupon out of the Reader. Tom did weigh it up right though, 1.4 on the flowers and .7 on the hash..nice!, and he handled the full melt with gloves too! I will call upon this club again in the future, but they should really rethink those $25 grams. I almost forgot, for being a first time member they kick you down with a free eighth. It ain't the nicest eighth, but rolled in a blunt, who can tell the difference right??!!. I think Tom said it was Hindu Skunk. It was dark, not easy on the eyes, smelled like Hog Moss, and weighed out to 3.3, but hey it was free. A blunt of it took me back to the days before chronic, when we used to blow that Pretendica.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Fresh Selection Cooperative

858.746.4207

originally reviewed 03/17/2010

5.0 stars / out of 5.0 stars

I actually stumbled across this club a while ago, probably within their first week of opening. They're located off of Turquoise St. and Mission Blvd. where Chronic Smoothies used to be. It was an easy check-in and from what I remember, I took home some nice buds. I'm pretty sure I got the Banana Kush and Blue Dream, both of which were quality meds. They also had some cheap outdoor Grape Ape that looked and smelled super bomb. Before I left I even told Skee to get on board with weedmaps so he could get the word out about the shop...and so I could write a review too. So instead of writing an ancient review I figured I'd just go and pay them a visit.

They're only about 4-5 blocks away from where I live, so convenience is definitely there. When I walked in, Skee remembered me right off the bat and even a BT who I hadn't met, knew of me and my reviews. I was also introduced to a chill little frenchy named Debo, who welcomed me into the club with a couple licks. I see they still have a fresh selection to chose from, along with a newly lowered cap. Donation prices now range from $20/$55 (their cap), down to some decent $50's and 45's. A good mix of indicas to sativas.

After inspecting the majority of their strains, I opted for the Super Skunk hybrid $20/$55. Let me tell you, these buds are a thing of beauty. Very light to lime green flowers with light brown-cashmere colored pistils. Medium denseness and a tad crisp, buds are frosted with milky trichs into a shade of white that screams WoW! There's a faint smell to this batch, but there's definitely some of that lemon/pine Jack Herrer odor lingering. I tasted citrus notes on the inhale while the exhale bares more of an earthy, spicy and smokey flavor. I'm loving the effects of this flower as a daytime dosage. It's not too much, but still potent enough to deliver some "couch lock" attributes. Especially when you smoke a joint of it like I did..lol. Yup, more than a couple bong loads and you'll start seeing the indica side to this strain.

For some reason I seem to have overlooked this place, I'll have to make it a point to check them out a lot more often. They sent me packin' too..on top of my Skunk, they threw in a couple halfmelt hash rocks ( which I haven't sampled yet and don't remember what he said it was) and a free pre-rolled (Skunk joint mentioned earlier). I'll be back!!

Horizon Collective- La Jolla

858-456-1779

originally reviewed 03/14/2010

3.6 stars / out of 5.0 stars

This club is conveniently located right down the street form where I work and has been known to carry some decent meds from time to time. The BT's are heavy-handed and always kick me down with free samples. Their flowers are capped at $60 and they offer an array of concentrates, tinctures, sodas, and other edibles.

On this occasion I was on the hunt for some decent blunt material for a nice after work sesh. There were two other members ahead of me so I had plenty of time to scope out their selection, which consisted of about 15-18 strains. While I looked over their strains, I noticed they had a new female BT (maybe she's not new, but she's new to me). Anyways, for some reason I felt like she was out of place. Besides being dressed provocatively, she didn't seem very knowledgeable of their house strains either. I really hope Horizon is not going in the whole "scantily clad female BT" direction..this does not make your product look any better. Most of their flowers on this visit were low-grade and looked like $40/$45's at the most. By the time it was my turn, I still hadn't found anything worth leaving with. Every container I opened seemed to smell the same as the one before. Their entire top shelf selection was rather depressing and I almost left without making a donation. This club seriously needs to rethink its donation prices if they're going to be offering such ugly erb. The Pure Kush I ended up getting was definitely not worth $60, but it was the best they had, I needed some relief, and I can't bring myself to smoke on crap. So..the Pure actually had a nice coat of powdery trichs and I was able to break it up easily with my bare hands (perfect for the blunt smoker on the run). I can't really comment on the taste, as the grape cigar I rolled it in overpowered any flavor it may have had. The buds do however have a nice scent to them, faint, but still present. I'd gladly come back for some more of this strain if they'd just lower the donation price by about $10

Green Tree Solutions

858 278 2128

originally reviewed 03/12/2010

4.6 stars / out of 5.0 stars

Came in to purchase one of their new Cal Med bongs and ended up leaving with some Weezy too.

The main purpose of my visit was to get this beautiful piece I saw on my last trip and had been thinking about ever since. Needless to say I couldn't wait much more than a couple days before I came back. What's so unique about this bong is that you cant buy one in a smoke shop, it's exclusively for MMJ patients..hell it even comes with a certificate of authenticity!! It's annealed by master level scientific glassblowers and believe you me, it hits like a dream! Go get yourself a little piece of history buddy. They go for like $250, but since I sprang for an eighth of their Weezy OG $25/$65, Adam dropped the bong down to $200 and kicked me down fat on the flowers!! The Weezy OG Adam showed me was soo fire I had to get it, even at the high donation price of $65 an eighth, this is the type of bud that forces you to swallow your pride and fork out the extra dough for a piece of something special. The Weezy is so stuntin, I mean bling bling! The trichs are just sparkling all over these buds, super sticky, gooey, and very hard to break up. The smell reeks of OG, intoxicating earthy, lemon and garlic notes. The taste doesn't really hit till the exhale and it has a spicy, garlicy, and hashy flavor to it. The head change was immediate and came on very strong. It had me feeling like my eyes were swollen and seeing fuzzy. Very relaxing, almost immobilizing, I was stuck on stupid for quite some time and hitting the sheets soon after.

If you're looking for a new piece you have to check out these new Cal Med bongs at GTS and while you're at it, pick up some of that Weezy and have something amazing to break it in with.

San Diego Holistic Healing.....NEW 55 1/8th CAP!!!!!

858-412-3105

originally reviewed 03/12/2010

5.0 stars / out of 5.0 stars

Whenever SDHHC adds new medicine to their menu, I feel it definitely merits a visit from their best customer ;).

They added like 6 new OG's and a bunch of other bomb like their Razzleberry Kush . I'm really loving the stench this strain produces. It's very unique and once smelled makes your mouth water a bit, sort of like Pixie Stix and Fun Dip. Their Private Reserve OG rivals any Planetary or Presidential I've seen. Super stinky earthy smell and taste. Plus the high acts as an awesome sedative allowing you some deep sleep when you need it.

So the new Lemon OG wax everyone's raving about, really is the business! At $25/$40, the gram is the only way to go. I promise you you'll be sorry if you only get a half. This stuff is a little easier to work with than say the Diesel Wax or Golden Child OG Wax because it's not as gooey and has more of a butter or paste consistency to it. It smells of citrus rinds and a mint similar to Vicks Vapor Rub. A fair glob of this wax on a bed of flowers will sizzle down and produce a thick white and super sweet smoke that tickles the nose hairs and lingers on the palate. Very lemony and spicy notes on the exhale as well. The head change is instantaneous and very overpowering. It will leave you literally "Dazed and Confused" for at least a couple hours before making its slow decent out of you. I believe this concentrate is probably some of the best sleep inducing medicine available at the moment. If you're foolish enough to medicate with this during the morning time, you might find yourself forgetting, postponing and daydreaming the day away. Trust me, I speak from experience..lol!

As always the boys aka Eddie, Ryan and Alex are more than hospitable and always let me break up my eighths 3, even 4 ways if I want. Hey, I need some variety in my life!! If you haven't been by in a while, come check them out again cause they have a bunch of new strains and concentrates right now and a lot more on the way.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

California Best Meds

619 582-4035

originally reviewed 02/28/2010

4.2 stars / out of 5.0 stars

For my next review I had the pleasure of returning to one of my East County favorites, California's Best Meds. They're a bit of a ways away from where I live, but definitely worth a visit when in the area. If you're not paying attention you might have some trouble finding this place, as there aren't really any signs around. Just some lettering on the windows which can be a little difficult to read when you're driving by. Parking can also be a little tricky if you're not lucky enough to snatch up one of the spaces right outside their door. There's also some spots on University that are directly in front of the club as well.

Since I'm already a member at CBM, I didn't have to go through the verification process again, but from what I remember it was a pretty painless process. There were a couple patients ahead of me this time so there was a bit of a wait, but no more than about 10-15min. Besides, a lot of their members are real characters and there was plenty of funny stories and laughs going around. CBM's waiting room is equipped with a pair of plush couches, a TV that's always got something good on, and a security guard. It almost reminds me of my living room, minus the guard though.

Once inside, I was welcomed by all 4 members of their staff, who are super friendly and eager to help. Every time I come to this place it's always busy and I think it's pretty cool that they stock up on enough staff to keep the wait down to a minimum. On this visit I mostly dealt with Ray, who was very professional regarding my visit and took the time to break everything down for me.

Let me just come right out and say that CBM is bringing the Heat. I was very impressed with their selection and the quality of the medicine. They're carrying about 20 different strains at the moment and more than half of them are mouthwatering. A good mix of indicas and sativas ranging from $14/$35 to $20/$60 and 1 top shelf option (Diamond Kush) at $25/$65. They do have some ounce deals going, but were all in the 300+'s and not very appealing considering the donation price. They have a small selection of Hashables Brownies that range in potency and price $6/$20. The 20 dollar one has a gram and a half of hash in it! They have some real nice looking concentrates too, the Goo and Peanut Butter Wax ($25/$40) especially. They don't carry any tinctures, but they do have something called a "Fireless Joint" which is a blend of berries, honey, and T.H.C. in a plastic shaped joint that you squeeze into your mouth (wish I could have tried one). CMB doesn't carry any clones either :(, but what they do have is some killer flowers and deals throughout the week. Besides the gorgeous samples I picked, the Sour Diesel and OG stood out to me as well. Don't forget to bring their coupon out of the Reader.


Meds:


**Mendo Purp's (Indica $20/$60)**

My NugPorn pick and probably the best looking Mendo Purp I've seen in a hot one. Perfectly manicured and dense royal purple buds with very little green leaves and light orange almost copper pistils. The WOW factor is off the chain with this strain. It's chalk full of powdery and sparkly trichs that are practically sitting on top of eachother. The smell I got was really spicy, skunky, minty, and earthy with hints of candy purple (very pungent). It had a super smooth earthy taste that grabbed me by the throat and made me cough like crazy. I also tasted a sweet and spicy purp flavor on the exhale. The full effect took a couple minutes to hit and when it did, I was done. One hitter quitter status. I was left with a lazy, stupefied feel that made it hard for me to finish this review.


**Super Jack (Indica $20/$60)**

The Super Jack is so heavily loaded with trichs, it was hard to see any color other than a whitish tint. Only once you start breaking up the bud you could start to see some lime and olive green towards the center. Buds are a tad dense and feel moist and sticky to the touch, kind of like chewed gum. I got a citrus, pine and sweet scent that was a little faint for old Jacky boy. The taste was there, but also a bit faint. I was able to detect some small traces of sweet skunk and pine. The smoke was smooth while still very expandable in the lungs. The high was uplifting and felt mostly in the face; forehead, eyes and jaws. For a sativa, the high was a lot more powerful than I thought it would be, yet I was still able to perform at work.


**Diamond OG (Indica $25/$65)**

The first thing you notice about this gem is its smell. I couldn't get over how pungent this strain is, it's what OG is truly suppose to smell like. Spicy, musky, earthy, kushy, yup it was all there. Buds have an even blend of dark forest, olive and light green with orange-brown pistils. Buds are dense, slightly leafy and not very resistant to the pinch. Decent trich count, not very sugary looking, but still very sticky and bulging with swollen calyxes. It had a mildly robust taste that can only be described as an earthy, spicy, smokey flavor. The high blew my mind. I had my fuzzy vision on and just an all around euphoric feeling, good night.



Besides the 3 flowers, I was also given a sample of their Goo Wax $25/$40. This stuff is a little difficult to work with, especially for the inexperienced smoker, but so worth the extra effort. All you need is a little glob atop a bowl of erb and just hit it normally. The heat from the flame will melt the wax into the bud, infusing it, turning it into a longer lasting, even more potent, annihilating bowl. The color of the wax is a dark to medium brown, but when spread thin, takes on a golden, tan, yellowish look. It smells like sweet pine hash and tastes damn near identical.



As always, for all my findings I use an L.E.D. magnifying glass, 420 scope, sparkling clean 2 foot binger, bubbler, and V2 volcano vaporizer.

Cannabis Creations Wellness Cooperative

(858) 356-7967

originally reviewed 02/23/2010

4.6 stars / out of 5.0 stars

For my fourth review I was sent to Cannabis Creations Wellness Cooperative in North Park. They're located on El Cajon Blvd., off of Texas and next door to Denny's. Not the nicest of neighborhoods and probably the reason behind the security guard out front. If it's your first time, be sure to have your rec. and ID ready because before the guard wands you, he will ask to see them both.

Once inside, I was greeted by a very friendly and professional girl working the front named Argelia. Their office consists of a couple chairs at a desk and a lazyboy for waiting patients. After signing a few sheets of paper, she had me verified and off to the nug room in a matter of minutes. It was there I met with one of their owners, Brent. He was also very professional and gave me the lowdown on the club. It sounds like they have some big plans in the works that even include a club masseuse! There aren't any places to sit in the nug room, but there's plenty to look at. I didn't even notice I was surrounded by live mother plants they had decorating the room. They also have an affectionate club dog (pit) that loves to greet and lick new members. Brent was very respectable and made sure it was ok with not just myself, but also with the other members in the club before letting her out.

CCW boasts a whopping 40+ strains that they categorize using a star system. 1 star being their lowest grade, starting at $5 a gram, (no price break) to their $25/$60 5 star options. I wasn't very impressed with their low end buds as they appeared poor in quality and mostly greenhouse/outdoor/organically grown (nothing against outdoor and organic bud), but I can see how someone who ISN'T picky, but on a tight budget can really benefit from this place. I was impressed with some of their 4's and most of their 5 star meds. Flowers can be inspected from small sample jars and with the use of a lit magnifying glass. Though flowers are pre-weighed, they will work with you if you want to split an eighth. They also carry an array of concentrates ranging from $15/$25 half melts and $25/$40 full melts to $30/$50 wax and $40/$60 amber glass. A nice selection of edibles from Greener Side, Auntie Dolores, and Cannabis Creations. Not to mention infused sodas, teas, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, olive oil, medical cream/lotion, bubble gum, and tinctures.

I really like the fact that they have specials throughout the day and incentives like a basketball game where you can win a free joint by making a basket. For every $100 you donate, you get one shot and let me tell you, it doesn't look very hard.

On my way out, Brent also gave me a tour of their "still in progress" grow room. For all of you looking for clones, CCW is currently carrying (phenom)Cherry AK and Lambs Bread.

I will come back to visit CCW when in the area and you'd better believe I'll be practicing my free-throws..lol.


Meds:



**Cotton Candy Bubba (Indica $25/$60)**

A gorgeous representation of this strain, the CCB from CCW has a combination of lime green with olive to dark green leaves and sporadic clusters of dark orange to amber pistils. Slathered in milky/gooey trichs, flowers almost appear to have a white tint to them. While the buds have a fluffy look, they're surprisingly dense. The smell I got was definitely more of an earthy bubba aroma with light sugary/candy notes that become more apparent with a little squeeze. On the inhale I was able to detect those same sugary notes with an expandable kushy exhale and aftertaste. It left me with a very heavy headed high that lingered around my temple, back of my head and neck. It also had me feeling pretty loose and restless, couldn't really relax.


**L.A. Confidential (Indica $25/$60)**

The first thing you notice about this strain is its long, stringy, dark red pistils. Mostly dark green with a hint of purple, these buds are super powdery with brilliant bulbous trichomes that add to the flowers WOW factor. I could definitely smell an earthy OG scent coming off these nugs, mixed with a touch of skunk and mint. The buds are a bit crisp, but very sticky and resistant to the squeeze. The taste was extremely smooth and sweet. I tasted spicy, minty, hashy, earthy notes as well. The high was pretty mellow and is more of a creeper. Starting with a tingly brain and facial feeling, then working its way into a nice body high that I felt mostly in my shoulders and arms. I feel this strain could almost have some sativa in it.


**Crystal (Sativa Dom. Hybrid $25/$60)**
(white widow X northern lights)

Fluffy, leafy, and sparse with a moist feel. Buds are light and olive green with dark green leaves and light brownish/cashmere colored pistils. The smell I got from this flower is intoxicating and incredibly pungent. Besides the obvious aroma of mint leaves, I picked up some spicy/earthy notes that tingled my nose as well (similar to Vick's Vapor Rub). The taste was more on the mild side and not very minty at all. The smoke was smooth, but not very expandable in my lungs. I did receive an immediate head rush after exhaling that left me rather cloudy and light headed. Great AM med.


**White Widow (Sativa Dom. Hybrid $15/$40)**

Mostly dark forest green with light brown to orange hairs. Though covered in clear and milky trichs down to the stem, buds are pretty dry and crisp to the touch. It's also not very sticky or resistant to the pinch, but easily broken up for vaping or rolling. It had a smell that reminded me of a garden, soil, plants, and vegetables (very outdoorsy). Pretty tasteless with light spicy and grassy notes on the exhale. For being a sativa dominate strain, the high left me rather relaxed and glued to the couch. There were some heady/spaced out vibes, but I would say this particular strain has more of an indica feel to it.


The two full melt samples I was given (Trinity & Head Band $25/$40) were both high in potency and left me SPUN, for lack of a better word. After the initial head high, I began to feel very relaxed and lazy eyed. They were both light in color, mostly golden brown with some dark brown patches on the outside. Soft, but not very pliable and easily crumbled. They both bubbled a bit when melted down and produced a sweet smelling aroma and taste. Both extremely expandable on the lungs and caused deadly coughing fits that sent warm vibes through my entire body. Excellent for insomnia, especially the Trinity.


Their $12/10x Auntie Dolores chocolate-peanut butter brownies are a lot more tasty than some of the regular brownies I've eaten from bakery's or candy stores around town. I find it hard to believe that there's .75 of a gram of cannabis sativa in them. For some reason I have a high tolerance for edibles made with canna-butter or oil and need at least a .25 gram of hash in mine to get me where I need to be. I'll tell you what though, after about an hour, old Auntie D got right on top of me. It started with some mild mind and body vibes which I thought were the peak of the brownie's effects, to an intense warming sensation/surge that left me annihilated for a good 3 hours. The come down left me pretty groggy and I was soon ready for bed. Great edible for the patient who doesn't care for the taste of cannabis.


I was also given a sample of their newly acquired Relief X tincture to try. The $12/2ml sample bottle carries 30 sprays and at 8-10 sprays per dosage, will medicate you about 3-4 times. Their larger 1oz. bottle will run you $80! I squirted 9 sprays under my tongue and let it marinate there for about 5 minutes before swallowing. This was my first tincture experience and I must say I was pretty disappointed. Almost 3 hours after administering the proper dosage, I felt nothing. I don't know, maybe I'm immune to this stuff.



As always, for all my findings I use a L.E.D. magnifying glass, 420 scope, sparkling clean 2 foot binger, bubbler, and V2 volcano vaporizer.