Purple Haze
A magically potent sativa-dominant strain.
Welcome Unicorns!
Today’s lesson is on a magically potent strain, Purple Haze. Just look at those beautiful violet veins!
Appearance
Purple Haze is a 60-80% Sativa-dominant straing that grows in gorgeous long fern-like stalks. The buds have a deep forest green base color with flairs of orange hairs, and then the green alternates with deep lavender hues close to the stalk. It’s these deep purple veins that came to associate the strain with Hendrix’s classic song in the 60’s and the rest is history.
Lineage
Purple haze traces its lineage to the classic strain Haze crossed with Purple Thai. Haze is a west coast strain developed in the 1960s rumored to have origins in India, Thailand, and Colombia. Purple Thai is a cross between Chocolate Thai (of Thai Stick fame) and Oaxacan Gold. Those famous icky sticky Chocolate Thai buds, dripping with resin, were some of the earliest examples of wildly strong Sativa. Oaxacan Gold was a cash crop staple of the Mexican/Southern California cannabis movement. One of the first pure Sativa strains to reach mass appeal, its long fern-like stalks came to define the classic Sativa shape apart from the rounder more clustered buds of Indica. A “landrace” strain is a genealogy that is known to be associated with a specific geographic area, similar to the “terroir” of a wine. By crossing these three deep-rooted Sativa landrace strains - Thailands Chocolate Thai, California’s Haze, and Mexico’s Oaxacan Gold, Purple Haze became like a super group of sativa rock stars.
Biochemistry
Terpenes are the botanical elements of marijuana that give each strain its distinctive smell as well as unique cognitive effects. The main terpenes in Puple Haze are Caryophyllene (β-Caryophyllene) and Myrcene (β-Myrcene). Caryophyllene is also found in black pepper, cloves, and rosemary. It’s a spicy element associated with heat, strength, and extremely potent flavor. Myrcene is an earthy, spicy substance commonly found in hops, lemongrass, eucalyptus, parsley, and thyme, giving these herbs their earthy, slightly bitter, and intensely aromatic qualities. The combined neurochemical effect of these terpenes combined with the high 21% THC level make this strain a creative powerhouse. The high is extremely energetic and inspirational.
Durban Poison
Strain Review - Durban Poison, a pure sativa originating from the South African port city of Durban.
Hello unicorns,
Welcome to the first day of class! Lesson one - did you know that weed is fucking LEGAL?
There seems to be a cognitive dissonance effect happening here where people think they need to be all nonchalant about this rapid and profound evolutionary step in the history of unikind!
Well we’re not taking this for granted. In the many millennia that unicorns have proudly galloped across the earth, we’ve always had to hide our one true joy: getting caned. Well NO LONGER! We’re here, we’re stoned, and we’re proud!
A “Manageable Bud”
For our very first lesson, we’ve picked one of our current favorites - Durban Poison. Durban is a “manageable bud.” In other words it’s something you can smoke and still be an active participant in modern society. It makes you creative, relaxed, and yet still very lucid and productive. If you want a strain to smoke in the morning or afternoon before you go about your day, this is a lovely choice! Whether you’re planning to do something creative like writing a song or painting a picture, or something mundane like cleaning your house, Durban is a safe bet for inspired yet full functionality.
Aroma: Durban has an incredible citrus / perfume aroma like candied lemons and tulips. It’s just a delicious nose, not skunky but very potent. Light, floral, citrusy, and a tiny bit musky like a nice perfume.
Flower: The buds are very light, covered in bright yellows, red hairs, and a bright florescent green. The sample we have (From INSA East Hampton, MA) is very soft and perfectly cured. It doesn’t crumble, it rips apart like cloth, with long sativa leaves unfurling and leaving behind a thick coating of THC crystals on your fingers.
Smoke: Durban burns very soft as well. It’s not harsh in the slightest (perhaps a compliment more for the curing than the strain, but it’s wonderful). You can rip a simply monstrous hit without crippling yourself. The smoke carries forth the lovely citrus / perfume quality. The taste is lemon & orange hard candies, crisp spring herbs and spices, and leaves a floral aftertaste.
High: As striking and delicious as Durban is, the real magic of this strain is the high. It’s MOTIVATIONAL. A lot of strains claim to be this, but Durban is very reliably going to push you to explore new directions and do things. This is not a sleeper. It opens the mind, making you both creative and determined to accomplish something!