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Last month, history was made when online marijuana dispensary/strain database Leafly bought a full-page ad in The New York Times. That's how quickly the site became the Wikipedia of weed and the Yelp for card-holding patients, including thousands of user-reviews for the 800-plus known strains across the United States. But, this week, we review a strain that shows the limits of the emerging web giant.
Most dispensaries link up their online menus with Leafly's strain descriptions, but Chillberry didn't seem to have a link amidst Pure Green's more categorical inventory. Was it broken? I clicked and clicked again, then searched on the website itself, but nothing reminiscent of the name âChillberryâ could be found on the strain database. We donât know a lot about this strain. Lab tests can verify the potency and freshness of weed, but they don't have the means to identify the genetics. According to the grower, itâs an indica-dominant hybrid, which means you can expect a bit more physical pain relief than mental head high. Beyond that, this strainâs background is vague at best.
The grower, Shango Farms, got it from an equally ambiguous "long-time grower in the hills of Northern Washington," who didn't know much of its origins or genetics either. Mother Google brought up a few results for an ill-defined "Chillberry Kush," but all searches were too bogged down by frozen yogurt shops of similar names to find anything legitimate.
Aesthetically, Chillberry isn't far from a chilled dessert: fluffy and sugar-coated with an abundance of dewy trichomes. The scent is piney, crisp and enticing, as sharp as a whiff of lemongrass-lime froyo.
It has great flavor, too, leaving a fresh, almost minty taste in your mouth—like you actually took the time to use your bong's ice-catcher.
Judging from its name and lab results of 21.1 percent THC content, I figured this strain would make me fall asleep and/or give me a craving for Crunch Berries. I expected hours lost in red-eyed oblivion, but Chillberry turned out to be anything but dozy. The head high hits first, swinging all the wheels in your head into motion for a thoughtful, invigorating little rush. In my experience, passionate political discourse quickly ensued.
The rush evens out to a solid buzz, so that you feel awake and refreshed yet calm, how well-balanced hybrids are supposed to feel. I find this an ideal wake-and-bake strain, workday or otherwise. For those of us with less-pleasant day jobs, the indica genes provide some relief of physical tension to start the day off on a good, relaxed foot. For Portland in general, this edgy, mysterious strain has your name written all over it. Roll one up before Leafly does.
WWeek 2015