Monday, December 31, 2018

Seattle Bliss 2019 SOTM Dutch Treat DT07

"The Seventh Strain" sounds like something ominous, but it's really just the seventh sample of Dutch Treat available in Seattle during our tiny purchase window.  Some growers didn't have DT in Seattle at that time and are conspicuously missing.  Maybe next year.

Take a look!  Enjoy the video and microscopy!  The full report is almost ready.  Thank you, subscribers!  Single copies (digital or print) will be available at Amazon.com.  Summary video coming soon.

Become a legitimate subscriber by visiting the MEMBERSHIP page here at SeattleBliss.com.

Seattle Bliss 2019 SOTM Dutch Treat DT06

DT06 was some great Dutch Treat.  Watch the video and see how it did.  You can support Seattle Bliss by becoming a legitimate subscriber for as little as $1 per month.  See the Membership page to learn more.

More to come.

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Seattle Bliss 2019 SOTM Dutch Treat DT04 and DT05

This episode provides a starting place for commentary on cannabis presented by a Processor.  Here, a Producer (grower) sold two different crops of the same strain to two separate Processors. Such is the way of agriculture. JOIN THE CONVERSATION by becoming a REAL SUBSCRIBER.  Visit the MEMBERSHIP page to learn how.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Strain of the Month Dutch Treat sample DT03

Dutch Treat sample DT03 was a full year old at the time of this survey.  Exceptionally smooth and delicious, the 3.5 gram sample was very well preserved and protected in a glass jar.  Please enjoy the video.

Supporting Subscribers will receive the January 2019 Seattle Bliss via email with all of the survey data, corrected testing data, and full disclosure of WHO grew it, and WHERE to get it.

To become a supporting Subscriber, visit our Membership page.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Seattle Bliss Strain of the Month DutchTreat review DT02

The first issue of Seattle Bliss will be out soon. Please be patient as subscription links and delivery software are put in place. Click the video below to view the trial of Dutch Treat sample DT02, detailed in the upcoming issue of Seattle Bliss.  Subscribe on the MEMBERSHIP page to support this consumer advocacy that saves you money.


Sample DT02
Outdoor "Sun-Grown"
Processor (grower), retailer, scores and much more is included in the upcoming issue.

Monday, December 3, 2018

Matanuska Thunder Fuck by TJ's Organics

MTF Review_180927, (T.J.'s Organics), INDIVA lot 1857, h.d. 180206, total cannabinoids 25.85%, purchased at Greenworks 180925. MTF is also known as Alaskan Thunder Fuck (ATF). It was originally bred in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska, and is generally regarded as a Sativa Hybrid.

3.5 gram portions were available in zip bags only as INDIVA is the common or regular graded flowers from the very same harvests as the premium flowers found in jars from T.J.'s Organics.  T.J.'s is very well-known for those premium flowers. The bag smell upon opening expressed a fruity aroma, definitely sweet (4/5).

Flowers were nicely trimmed (5/5), were of respectable size (4/5) and appeared unmolested (appeared to have been handled with care; 4/5). Seattle Bliss microscopy revealed a dense forest (5/5) of clear-headed trichomes (2/5). This only means harvest may have been a day early for this nugget, while others may have been perfectly proportioned with opaque white and various shades of amber trichome heads. Ground herb was extremely aromatic (5/5); every bit as fragrant as the premium line.

In true Sativa Hybrid form, the first hits of MTF were fruity and sweet, expressing dominance of myrcene and limonene. Subsequent hits were spicy, like black pepper, due to beta-caryophyllene present throughout the entire smoke.

Energizing, Industrious and Creative are the terms that I would assign to this strain. I found myself accomplishing several physical tasks, thoughtful studies as well as some creative writing.

A note about T.J.'s Organics

All of T.J.'s Organics products surveyed by this reviewer, though pleasing to the eye and a genuine treat for the most discerning cannaseur tastes, were found poorly labeled for tested cannabinoids (0/5). Unconvincing "total cannabinoids", which could include cannabinol (CBN), make an ambiguous claim: that T.J.'s Organics either cares a great deal about that figure and attempts to inflate it as much as legally allowed, or they care so little about it that they are pleased to deliver such ambiguity to their ignorant, unquestioning customers. T.J.'s labels list no data, though any buyer may obtain a copy of the lab report from the retailer simply by asking.  THC-A, THC, and Total THC figures, though confusing to some producers, are given by the labs, are desired by consumers, and are required on the label by WSLCB rules. I would advise T.J.'s Organics to list total cannabinoids on the label if it so desires, but itemize the ones desired by consumers, such as CBG, CBD, CBC, CBN, and most importantly THC. A product as superb as T.J.'s shouldn't be so poorly labeled.

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Enjoy Sights and Delights in a customized tour with Seattle Bliss


For people interested in cannabis, the SEATTLE BLISS ‘Sights and Delights’ tour is a great way to experience summertime in Seattle.  Four (4) tours in one, the SEATTLE BLISS ‘Sights and Delights’ tour includes tours of 1) a cannabis retailer, 2) a cannabis grower, 3) the Ballard Locks, and 4) several Seattle scenic photo spots before finishing with refreshments and a 4:20 sesh. Learn about the cannabis plant and its myriad uses on an elevated tour of Seattle.

The tour starts at 9:00 a.m., or 1:00 p.m. at the EMP museum, or really any spot we can pause to board the bus.  Please be on time as the tour is packed with things to do and see.  Book yours below.

Everyone loves to get a great photo, so our first stop will be Kerry Park.  This view point is one of the best in the city for getting a great scenic photo.  [See map]

We’ll spend 15 minutes at Kerry Park, and then drive to a cannabis retailer in nearby Fremont.  This will be the first of three (3) retailers we will visit, but spend all you like – this is the best one.

After spending 40 minutes at the retail shop, we’ll board the tour bus (or rent E-assisted Limebikes/scooters*) and head over to the Fremont Troll.  Never the same on any two days, the troll is often adorned with gifts from the hundreds of visitors it receives every day.  After a quick photo with the troll, we’ll ride to the Statue of Lenin and visit a second, very different cannabis retailer or glass shop.

From Fremont, bikes or scooters will ride to Ballard on the Burke-Gilman Trail, or tour bus riders will see city streets.  In Ballard, we will briefly visit Edith Macefield’s “UP” house [See article in The Stranger] and our third retailer before arriving at the Hiram M. Chittendon Locks.  Bikes/scooters will be left on the north side of the locks.  The tour bus will pick us up on the other side in Magnolia.

From south side of the locks, guests will be taken by bus for an indoor cannabis farm tour.  By the end of the tour you’ll know a lot more about cannabis than you did before.  As the clock will be quickly approaching 4:20, the tour bus will return our guests to their hotel to enjoy their haul.  Each guest will receive an item of Seattle Bliss™ branded merchandise as a keepsake from your visit to Seattle.

Non-Subscribers** book a tour!



Need room for more than four?  Call Jeff at (206)471-4367 or email seattlebliss1@gmail.com with your needs.  After booking your tour online, call Jeff to confirm.

Sights and Delights (3 to 4 hours)

00:00 Board at EMP
00:00 - 00:10 (00:10) drive time
00:10 - 00:25 (00:15) Kerry Park
00:25 - 00:35 (00:10) drive time
00:35 - 01:15 (00:40) Cannabis Retailer #1 (TBA, varies)
01:15 - 01:20 (00:05) drive time (Limebike/Bird scooter optional*)
01:20 - 01:30 (00:10) Fremont Troll
01:30 - 01:35 (00:05) drive time (Limebike/Bird scooter optional)
01:35 - 01:55 (00:20) Cannabis Retailer #2 (TBA, varies)
01:55 - 02:00 (00:05) Lenin Statue
02:00 - 02:10 (00:10) drive time (Limebike/Bird scooter optional)
02:10 - 02:30 (00:20) Cannabis Retailer #3 (TBA, varies)
02:30 - 02:40 (00:10) drive time (Limebike/Bird scooter optional)
(Seattle’s “up” house on the way)
02:40 - 03:10 (00:30) Ballard Locks (Limebike/Bird scooter optional)
03:10 - 03:40 (00:30) drive time, Indoor Cannabis Farm tour, or waterfront walk
03:40 - 04:00 (00:20) coffee/food, drive to your hotel.



*Limebike is a bikeshare company in Seattle that offers E-assisted options.  Rental requires your smart phone; not included in the tour.
**Supporting Members make Seattle Bliss (TM) possible, so Supporting Members get free tours.  Non-members may subscribe with the Buy Now button above (charges your card one time only) or use the Subscribe button on the Membership page (recurring monthly or annual charge).

Friday, May 11, 2018

Flo by Fire Cannabis (SESH) - Magnuson Park Seattle

We spent a few hours at Magnuson Park in the rain checking out The Flo, as grown by Black Market Music, marketed under the brand Fire Cannabis.  The price was fantastic!  Effects were nominal, as if it lacked potency.  I also found a few seeds, indicating the grower has male plants around.  If planted, the seeds would produce a bastard to be evaluated for its own merits.  Cinderella was discovered in this fashion, so who knows?


The rain cleared a bit for our walk after the show.

NOTE:  Always give yourself a couple of hours to come back down from your cannabis experience before driving.  This is why so many Seattle Bliss Tours take public transit.  Not only are we getting around legally on the tour, but with much less stress than driving the crowded streets of Seattle.
   

Click the link below to view the Seattle Bliss tour map.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=19KKIEIH5JLaqtHJqJzdH5lsFZtnH57wi&usp=sharing

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Laughing Buddha by Quincy Green terpenes characterization



Laughing Buddha
Produced by Quincy Green (Quincy, WA), #quincygreen
Sativa; Jamaican x Thai landraces;

Laughing Buddha (LB) is a “mostly sativa” cannabis strain that has gained popularity among consumers who prefer the more uplifting and energizing sativa strains.  LB is commonly recommended for focus, alertness, clarity, giggly elevated mood, and creativity.   LB was developed by Barney’s Farm from Jamaican and Thai landrace (wild) genetics.  Centuries of Jamaica’s long days, tropical climate and competition for sunlight among other fast-growing plant species surely contributed to LB’s tendency to grow tall.


Laughing Buddha takes more vertical space and 30% more time to harvest than most commercially available strains[1].  It is apparently this hunger for head space, and the fact that it takes about three weeks longer to grow, that urges most growers to choose another strain.  Reduced annual crop production for that space, about a 30% reduction, is the type of sacrifice growers make to stay in demand.

Seattle Bliss tour photo by John Rainwaters, copyright 2017

[Jeff Cole, on a recent tour of the Quincy Green farm, reacts with glee upon noticing the Laughing Buddha being prepared for shipment was headed for one of his favorite neighborhood stores – Hashtag, Fremont. Dutch Treat pictured.]

Aroma and Taste

Quincy Green's Laughing Buddha owes its signature aroma to terpinolene[2], ocimene, myrcene, β-caryophyllene, limonene and pinene.  The graph in the video is the result of repeated crop sampling from the same LB clone.[3]  The grower in this case is seizing the opportunity to examine their LB clone’s average cannabinoid/terpenoid profile by ordering a terpene assay along with their state-mandated tests.  Once a statistically accurate profile exists, usually at fifteen duplicate assays over time (1), the crop can be certified for chemotype.

Terpinolene is the most prevalent monoterpenoid in LB.  Terpinolene research is currently centered on conifer sap and livestock feeding.  However, as it is the dominant terpene in many uplifting cannabis strains popularly classified as a sativas, further study is eagerly anticipated. The scent of terpinolene is often expressed as “fresh” or “clean”, like a deodorant.  It has no anti-feeding effect on grazing animals (2), which means the animals aren’t disgusted (eating discouraged) by terpinolene.

Myrcene is a very common monoterpenoid in cannabis. Its metabolic activities include analgesic, anti-inflammatory, sedation, muscle relaxing, and inhibiting cancer cell formation. It blocks inflammation via PGE-2 (3) and inhibits cancer formation by aflatoxin in liver cells (4).  Pain intervention from myrcene can be blocked by naloxone, but most individuals will not encounter this situation[4]. Myrcene’s sedating properties have long been evidenced by German hops preparations for sleep (5). It is believed that this prominent sedative terpenoid may be responsible for the “couch-lock” phenomenon many recreational consumers either rave or complain about (6).

β-Caryophyllene is one of the most common sesquiterpenoids found in cannabis (7; 8). As it is a large (heavy) molecule and is prevalent in many cannabis drug strains, caryophyllene is often more prevalent in aged cannabis.  This is purely due to caryophyllene’s massive size (among terpenoids), which causes it to remain in the glandular trichome heads long after the more volatile, more pleasant-smelling monoterpenoids have evaporated away (7; 8).  Commonly found in black pepper (Piper nigrum), many consumers can detect and recognize the presence of caryophyllene in cannabis by its familiar odor. Caryophyllene is cytoprotective to gastric cells (9), has demonstrated as a full agonist to CB2 receptors (10), and produces anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity at a low dose of 5 mg/kg in mice (10).

Exceptional Value

Laughing Buddha by Quincy Green is an exceptional value at $42 for a 3.5g jar ($12/g) [November 2017].  Lab tests indicate that this crop tested at 15.6% THC, which is exactly where it should be.  The grower doesn’t order a terpene assay for every batch, but does so from time to time as a quality control measure.  [See the video: top of this page.]  Buds are beautifully trimmed, cured to perfection, and only the live flower could be more fragrant.

Works Cited

1. Identification of terpenoid chemotypes among high (-)-trans-Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-producing Cannabis sativa L. cultivars. Fischedick, Justin T. 1, Union City, CA : Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., March 29, 2017, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, Vol. 2, pp. 34-47.
2. Effects of gamma-terpinene, terpinolene, alpha-copaene, and alpha-terpinene on consumption of alfalfa pellets by sheep. Estell, R. E., Fredrickson, E. L., Anderson, D. M., & Remmenga, M. D. 8, 2005, Journal of Animal Science, Vol. 83, pp. 1967-1971. Full article pdf published at USDA (URL below).
3. Myrcene mimics the peripheral analgesic activity of lemongrass tea. Lorenzetti BB, Souza GE, Sarti SJ, Santos Filho D, Ferreira SH. 1991, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 34, pp. 43-48.
4. In vitro inhibition of CYP2B1 monooxygenase by β-myrcene and other monoterpenoid compounds. De-Oliveira, A. C., Ribeiro-Pinto, L. F., & Paumgartten, F. J. 1, 1997, Toxicology Letters, Vol. 92, pp. 39-46. View at the UW library..
5. Wichtl, Max, [ed.]. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. 3rd. Stuttgart, Boca Raton : Medpharm Scientific Publishers, 2004. Accessed at University of Washington Medical Library (too expensive to buy).
6. Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. Russo, Ethan B. 7, 2011, British Journal of Pharmacology, Vol. 163, pp. 1344-1364.
7. Essential oil of Cannabis sativa L. strains. Mediavilla, V and Steinemann, S. 1997, Journal of the International Hemp Association, Vol. 4, pp. 80-82. Compared mostly fiber type, found most pleasant smelling strains high in monoterpenoids, bad smelling strains high in sesquiterpenes, but this reviewer could not find support for Russo's ref/citation (from "Taming THC") that beta-caryophyllene is the most common sesquiterpenoid. For this reason Ross and ElSohly, 1996, is cited below.
8. The volatile oil composition of fresh and air-dried buds of Cannabis sativa. Ross, S. A., & ElSohly, M. A., 1996, Journal of Natural Products, Vol. 59, pp. 49-51. Article established that terpene profiles in cannabis essential oils remain qualitatively unchanged over time, though cannabinoids degrade.
9. Gastric cytoprotection of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene, β-caryophyllene. Tambe, Y., Tsujiuchi, H., Honda, G., Ikeshiro, Y., & Tanaka, S. 05, 1996, Planta Medica, Vol. 62, pp. 469-470. Full article accessed online at UW HSC library..
10. Antiinflammatory cannabinoids in diet–towards a better understanding of CB2 receptor action? Towards a better understanding of CB2 receptor action? Gertsch, J. 1, 2008, Communicative & integrative biology, Vol. 1, pp. 26-28. Caryophyllene is a full agonist at CB2 in vitro; perhaps also in vivo, but likely a partial agonist..




[1]  LB requires about 90 days in flower, compared to Gorilla Glue, which finishes in about 63 days.
[2] Terpinolene is also known as δ-terpinene (delta-terpinene) and identified as such by some labs.
[3] Laughing Buddha clone grown by Washington licensed I-502 Producer Quincy Green.  All “LB” references in this report refer to clones from this genetically unique individual. 
[4] Naloxone is administered by injection as a life-saving measure in the event of an opioid overdose.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

WiFi OG by Cascade 180215



Blue Dream tried first

I discovered a great bargain last week. Well actually I discovered it a couple of months ago, when I was out of my favorite Blue Dream and needed to buy some bargain Blue Dream. My budtender at Greenworks, Nozer, recommended Cascade because it was 4 grams for $26. He said it was kind of dry but it was good.


I bought the 4 gram pack, followed by several more since then, and recently bought a 28 gram zip. I don't usually buy the large bags because I just prefer the smaller ones. The bag only keeps it fresh for so long and once it's opened, forget it. The flowers are going to dry out really fast then.

Because experience has taught me that it's going to dry out quickly, as soon as I opened the bag I transferred these beautiful boulders into half pint jars. I also added a Boveda moisture pack, but I'll tell you more about that later (see video below).

I've really been enjoying this blue dream as it's potent enough and it's fragrant enough, but the real bonus is that it's a super value! The 28g bag was $120, and I got a veteran's discount on top of that.

The flavor of this one is just slightly berry, and it's not as fruity as some. It is delicious  and effective. I have to say that this is a fantastic value, grown outdoors in the Methow Valley - a super value at Greenworks.

***

Bonus!  The video above features Cascade's Wi-Fi OG.  Perhaps a fitting subtitle would be: "Bargain Bud Gets Sweeter With Proper Storage."

Friday, February 9, 2018

Powder Hound by Lazy Bee Gardens cannabis flower review

Sweet Peppermint is what I'd call the flavor of Powder Hound.
The written review will be posted here soon.

NON-SPONSORED REVIEWS:  Lazy Bee Gardens provided analytical data, which made this review and characterization possible, but provided no financial support.  Businesses may subscribe, but may not directly advertise with Seattle Bliss.