Cap Junky - Living Matter
It’s no secret that I have absolutely no love for Cap Junky, but Living Matter has always really impressed me with their products the few times I’ve tried them. A mutual friend told me the batches of Cap Junky and Wedding Pie were truly on another level this round after moving to a new facility. Wrapped in a dense supremely resinous dank kush package, this version of Cap Junky is one that I’m glad I didn’t miss.
Chem 91 x Skunkdog- Funk House Farm
Funk House has been really crushing it with the Skunkdog crosses, and lucky for me Jane Doe hooked me up with the second one, which is Chem 91 x Skunkdog. Chem 91 is a legendary hybrid that’s thought to be the underpinning of all gas genetics we know today. Maui Skunkdog has been popular in Maine for a while, and the melding of those flavors and effects is truly killer.
Cheddar Wedges - Blended Family Farms
Another debut of a local grower, Blended Family Farms reached out and submitted his Cheddar Wedges for review, and samples like this are why I accept review submissions the way I do. It’s clearly an off the beaten path genetic grown with much care, and it’s clear Blended Family Farms is only on its way up from here.
Pioneer Piff - Funk House Farm
Welcoming a new vendor to the community is always a serious pleasure for me. We’re long past the salad days of I71, so finding someone like Jane Doe Deliveries that’s in it for the love of the game and to chase the dragon on quality, is always special.
Motorbreath - Ryder Farms
It’s not a secret that I’m a big Motorbreath lover, but this version from Ryder Farms is truly exemplary. It’s another cut that’s been kicking around the Maine scene for the past half decade or so and for good reason.
“Triangle Mints” - Ryder Farms
If you get to try this sample from Ryder Farms, it’s immediately obvious that this is not just a regular Wedding Cake. Unfortunately, this is a situation where I’ve been asked not to publicize what the clone is, but if you’ve been smoking elite flower in Maine for the last couple of years, the effect and stink will make it pretty obvious.
Trich Beast - Ryder Farms
Ryder Farms had been telling me about Trich Beast and some Solfire hybrids they had been running in their garden, and as like other Solfire strains from recent reviews, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. So far Ryder Farms is batting 1000 with samples and the heat doesn’t end there.
Glueberry - Ryder Farms
Glueberry is another strain I’ve been dying to try from Ryder Farms for a while now, with this one passing me up on a few times as hash and flower. This was another strain that was hyped up beyond belief, and after smoking this and the Sour Glue, it’s really difficult for me to decide which is better.
Sour Glue - Ryder Farms
Ryder Farms has set their stake in the ground, but don’t get it twisted, these guys are not just showing up out of thin air. Sour Glue has been moving around the traditional market from the Maine underground scene, and it’s gotten a reputation from the proverbial beta testers for being truly lethal smoke.
Chem DD - Tread Lightly Collective
I reviewed Chem D from Skunkfoot Farms a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the classic one note Chem, but there are tons of other Chem hybrids out there that are more complex in many traits and Chem DD (“double D”) is one of those. Chem DD is Top Dawg Seeds’ take on adding more complexity to the Chemdog line, and succeeds with its lime juice flavor and a much heavier body effects.
Gary Payton x Sherbanger - Upstate Gardens
I reviewed the rosin version of this strain earlier in the year, but Terpy Dabber hooked it up with the flower version, which I was super hyped to try. I really liked the Zsunami flower I tried from them, so was expecting more of the same type of quality, which for the most part was delivered. Right out of the jar, these nugs are obviously resinous and well manicured.
Gummiez - Shmu the Canna Prophet house curation
Gummiez was a strain I first tried a few years ago when I believe Papermill Cannabis Co. tried his hand at growing it, and I remember enjoying the candy peach rings flavor to it. This version off of Shmu’s curation is quite different, starting with the cinnamon front note, but it retains a lot of the great effect features I love.
Kush Mints - Swell Cultivation
Kush Mints has been a favorite of mine since I tried it the first time about four years ago, so when I get to try an excellent version of it, it’s a real treat. Shmu got in this version from Swell Cultivation in Maine and even when it hit the menu before I saw it, my personal hype meter maxed out. For those unfamiliar with Kush Mints, it’s a hybrid between Bubba Kush and Animal Mints bred by Seed Junky Genetics. It’s a parent in a bunch of my favorite strains, Georgia Pie, Secret Cookies and Zushi to make a few.
Pink Paloma - Tread Lightly Collective
Pink Paloma I think is the true star of Tread’s last run here and a serious winner. Like other Raw Genetics strains, this has been in the zeitgeist for the last couple of years, and tread selected something seriously special. This is a hybrid of Cherry Paloma x Z Pie, and Tread selected this from seed out of only a single pack.
Zsunami - Upstate Gardens
I first learned about Upstate Gardens about a year ago when I went to Not Your Average Fest, and it’s been a mystery since then why it’s not more common on import menus. Terpy Dabber now is stocking their Zsunami flower after he started carrying their rosin earlier in the year, and if I’m being real their flower hits with better first impressions than the already exceptional rosin.
Blue Zangria - Tread Lightly Collective
Tread has been growing some really interesting work in the DMV but so far the most intriguing has been the Blue Zangria, which I’ve been following intently since he popped the seeds. The strain is a hybrid of Rainbow Zangria x Blue Lobster released by Cipher Genetics in collaboration with Maine Trees.
Pure Michigan - Shmu the Canna Prophet house curation
The first time I tried Pure Michigan was the Pure Maryland cut from Flowerboy Gardens back in 2021, and at the time I was impressed by it, only to have progressively worse and worse batches over time. The hybrid is Mendobreath x Oreoz, and obviously I’ve pretty actively avoided this strain because I think it’s just not worth it and has no terps. This time though, I’m grateful the Shmu guys hit me with this version because it’s quite good.
Blue Waffles - Nebula Gardenz
I wrote before about the rising stardom of Nebula Gardenz, and probably the strain of theirs I was the most excited for is Blue Waffles. The name it obviously a catch, but beyond that, these terps are really unique, especially for being a bagseed of London Pound Cake 75.
Death Star x Skunk Dog - Funk House Farm
It’s not a secret that I’ve been pretty impressed with Funk House Farms’ work over the last year or so, and being honest I thought that streak might end with Death Star x Skunk Dog because the eye appeal is just not in the same league as Runtz or Black Maple. That is, at least on the outside of the nugs, which if they weren’t large, golf-ball dense and geode-esque on the innards, would be in scrungly territory.
Red Runtz - Untouchable Genetics
Last year I smoked Untouchable Genetics’ Blueberry Donut, and as Terpy often does, he wanted to show me the new batch to show how much the brand has changed since the last batch. Red Runtz is a strain I’ve enjoyed a bunch of times over the years, and after it won what I think was Ego Clash Barcelona 2023, I got a pack of the S1 seeds from Exotic Genetix myself.