Thursday, September 8, 2016

Rootworx Reviewed


I discovered Rootworx one Friday afternoon while picking up strains to try at Capitol Hill’s RUCKUS.  Mike Glazer, the store’s CFO, follows my trials of growers and understands my quest for quality.  As I always try a new Blue Dream, he recommended an eighth from Rootworx.
He said they had just gotten it in and that they seem to be focused on producing a smooth-smoking, ultra-tasty, terpene-rich product.  [Note: Ruckus is one of Seattle’s best pot shops for premium cannabis.  Prices may appear higher than other shops, but comparing prices of elite brands reveals otherwise.  Overall, you’ll find Ruckus to be a connoisseur’s shop that’s here for everyone. The budtenders are patient and very helpful.]  The eighth was $55 dollars ($15.71/g), which placed it, price-wise anyway, in the category of the elite.

I took it and gave it a very modest review on SeattleBliss.com.  By modest I mean I raved about how incredibly smooth it was and how it was totally worth trying.  The truth is it is absolutely the best Blue Dream I’ve ever had.

I wondered if I’d see a zip bag with their branding on it.  Rootworx says to deliver the product at its best the company only sells in jars.

Opening the jar was a joy as I had to tear across the label to free the lid for a spin.  This seems to remind me of something from my childhood – model airplanes and motorcycles come to mind.  I always place my nose right in a jar to enjoy that first whiff.  This one smelled exactly as I expected of Blue Dream, with grassy and lavender notes right in the forefront.  The hairs on the back of my neck stood erect, then relaxed all at once with the soothing inhale, and as usual I began to salivate.

Buds were larger than quarters, hand-trimmed and attractive, glistening with trichomes, on a perfect, medium density blossom of two very characteristic shades of green.  I ground them and found the moisture content to be perfect.  [Note:  I like to see my ground cannabis clinging to the inner surface of my grinder just a little as I empty it.  Too much moisture means it breaks up poorly and cleans away all kief from inside the grinder.  It may also be a little bit sticky and cling inside the grinder.  Too little moisture and the dried plant structures fracture chaotically in the grinder and are reduced to powder.]  Later I would learn the producer’s choice of packaging was intentionally chosen to preserve that premium quality.

Another note on packaging:  I’ve found even some Premium brands are falling flat because of bad choices in packaging.  Dutch Brothers Farms is an example of this.  I’m sure they hoped their package would preserve their premium product, but it failed.  (See my review at SeattleBliss.com)  I’m still looking forward to trying theirs from a better package.

Smoking Rootworx Blue Dream was incredibly enjoyable as I found it completely absent of the back-of-the-throat “sting” I usually detect in a lot of grows.  This got my attention and I tried it several ways to be sure, but it was an incredibly smooth smoke.  Rootworx attributes this smoothness to a thorough flush and cure process of two and three weeks, respectively.

When I smoke some really good Blueberry, I imagine myself eating a hot, blueberry pie and breathlessly coming up for air between bites.  My face is covered with berries and blue syrupy glaze is heaven to my olfactory center.  I can’t help but roll my eyes and groan in delight as my exhale brings these images to mind.  Really good Blue Dream such as this is very much the same for me, only more like a blueberry cupcake instead of a syrupy, gushy pie – quite enjoyable!

THC percentages in the neighborhood of twenty percent had no ill effect on taste.  A common misconception is to relate THC concentration to the quality of the smoke.  Not all flowers emit the same amount of fragrance, nor do they all smell as sweet as the one chosen for this mass production marvel.  It just makes sense that a terpene-rich flower will impart more taste than one that isn’t as rich in terpenes.

The experience after the smoke was as expected.  Blue Dream is a 60% sativa / 40% indica hybrid I like to use anytime, though beginners should probably reserve it for evening use.  I get relief from muscle and joint pain, anxiety, and I like having a big, blue burst of creativity for a couple of hours.  It also tends to enhance my alertness and therefore is not so great at bedtime, but taken a couple of hours before bedtime the soaring high spirals down into a restful drowsiness.

Blue Dream by Rootworx is definitely a must-try.  To find Rootworx at a retailer near you, check out their website at Rootworxllc.com

Watch my video review here.