Reviews: Purple Haze & Sundae Brunch
Dec 08, 2022 12:09PM ● By MEREDITH MANN, JESSILYN DOLAN, AND AMELIA
Jimmy Hendrix brought us music that people have rocked to since 1967. As an all-time classic, Purple Haze rates high on any music aficionados list. Speaking of rating high, when a Vermont cultivator with over 20 years experience offers you some. Purple Haze flower to review, you know it’s sure to be a rocking time.
Purple Haze (the cannabis) originated in the hills of the Emerald Triangle, with a bit of mystery and magic ... much likeJimmy. It is said to be a hybrid of both haze genetics and Purple Thai, hence named rather appropriately.
LB farms is in St. Albans, and is owned and operated by Amy and Miguel Lopez, a lovely green thumbed couple, who will be entering the market starting October 1, 2022 as organic growers with a tier 1mixed license Miguel's cultivation journey began as selfless and noble as one could, to heal his own family when they were in desperate need; a true labor of love.As we started our own labor of love, sniffing, grinding, inspecting, rolling and consuming Purple Haze, we took a few moments to chat amongst ourselves with our guest reviewer, Kelly McDowell.With Kelly and cannabis combined, we knew this one would be a laugh!
Kelly is now a cannabis-consuming professor and goddess at UVM for hemp textiles, fashion and sustainability.This was a fun review, with Jessilyn having just come back from passingher Ganjier certification in the EmeraldTriangle of California. In the tradition of the wine sommelier, cigar aficionado, or master chocolatier, Ganjiers are certified experts qualified to accurately distinguish and assess the nuanced qualities of cannabis.
Ganjier has a specific assessment protocol for cannabis review, so it was exciting to fuse our old school thoughts and the Ganjier style (SAP-systematic assessment protocol). Ganjier has four categories, each having several distinct criteria in it: appearance, aroma, flavor, and experience.
When we discussed the initial appearance, we all mentioned the fox tail look, with its finger-like presentation. We didn’t feel this was a negative trait, just something to note.
On first smell for aroma, there was a grassy scent possibly from a short lived cure (weeks rather than months) with grape undertones. The prevalent aromas were earth, sweet and a touch of fruit.The essence was described, after a bit of banter and chuckles, as Stoner GrapeJuice or Hazy Manischewitz (Grape MintSpritzer-ish kosher wine.)
The earth reminded us all of dirt, like playing in the dirt box as a kid, with a bit of that cannabis cat piss smell in the undertones.
Knowing that everyone has different preferences with cannabis, especially on the visual “bag appeal” and trim jobs, we heard one comment that this was “trimmed closer to your liking than mine...with lots of trichomes intact.” As reviewers, we have our preferences too.Another reviewer felt this was trimmed really well, especially for a nugget that was generally a bit looser than the standard. The closer and tighter the trim job is, the more likely one will cut open the trichomes. With what many call the “farm trim,” trimmers leave some smaller sugar leaves and work around the nuanced shape of each individual nugget which allows ALL trichomes to stay intact.This trim job gained a score of 8 on the Ganjier SAP, which is quite high, pun intended.
As we looked closer with a jewelers loupe for appearance, there were definitely a lot of trichomes intact, moderately, if not mostly covering the flower, even after some mishandling of the jars by one reviewer. These delicate trichomes can break off just by bouncing around a jar or by touching the nugget with your fingers. It’s always a great reminder to treat your cannabis like a delicate piece of ocean coral.
As we continued to assess, we felt there may have been some room for improvement with the cure category, as the stem held some moisture and did not make that typical stem snap you’d want to hear and feel when breaking it up. This can sometimes be the difference between a shorter cure phase at a few weeks as compared to longer (several months), or it could even be the horribly humid Vermont weather this summer!When broken up, it was a bit sticky, the flower was fluffy and a bit moist on the grind, with a heavy grape aroma; much more intense than the jar opening effect.The dry hit of the joint (dry hit means inhaling without lighting it!) was grape-y with a haunting and lingering grape flavor. On combustion, the smoke was moderately smooth, typical of a haze and burned better than we had expected through the entire joint.
With a light and fresh feel in the mouth, the flavor was mild but lingered, much like iceberg lettuce.The flavor brightened in the last half or so of the joint. A good reminder when reviewing or judging is to take your time and assess (and enjoy) the entirety.For one reviewer, the “effect” came on quickly, with effects taking time to manifest and lingering some for another.We all agreed the effects were more of a cerebral high than the body buzz, leaving a feeling of calm and cool. It elicited a balanced energy, not leaving you on the couch or ready for a fun kind of jazz, but somewhere in between.
The quotes that best explained the mood were, “I got the bops going” and“this is some actionable weed” as pastel colors and music ran through our heads.By the time the crew was finished, everyone felt physically energized and that this was definitely one we would want to share with friends and take out on the road with us!
Sundae Brunch
Picture your typical light green, fresh looking nugget with bright orange hairs popping: this flower is just that. ”So very pretty!” as our guest KylaDuMont squealed. After spending years in the cannabis industry in California and now running her own Maple and CBD company in VT, Kyla knows a thing or two about pretty flowers.Donated by a newer grower with the excitement of a kid looking at gifts under a Christmas tree, Jay from Long bottom Farm out of Plymouth, Vermont started .From there, the indoor escapades began with seeds popping and lessons learned.
Today’s cannabis is named SundaeBrunch, a Sundae Driver x Mimosa crossbred by Woodstock Farmacy. To begin the review, we start a quick survey of the appearance and an overall visual inspection. As we noted, this particular nugget is visually very pleasing.
As we move onto aroma, or the nose, we all agreed on the famous mothball smell, or maybe grandma’s talc and the smell of fresh cannabis and mowed hay.Initially, the intensity was mild. But as we dug our noses deeper, the complexity was intriguing to say the least.
In the layers of aromas noted, earth was prevalent with both a fuel and a fruit kick that left us wondering where this was going. As a group, we always come back to the aroma assessment, description, and complexity rating after grinding up the flower for consumption(the joint). For some, the best part is the aroma hands down. The aromas can change a lot from a nugget in hand to aground up pickle, so be sure to check it out next time if you don’t normally.Before grinding or handling the flower too much, we want to assess the appearance more, and the trichomes specifically.
With our trusty jewelers’ loupe and scopes, we were excited that this sample had a moderately dense forest of trichomes coating this fresh looking flower, tip to stem. It was just as pretty to see up close under the microscope/jeweler’s loupe as it was to the naked eye.The trichomes were glistening milky white, boasting what we would call the moderate side of maturity. Many were intact and beaming with resin just waiting to be enjoyed. We continued on to discuss the trim job, noting these flowers were neatly trimmed, and optimal for our liking.
When we opened the flower, breaking it up for the grind, the earthy and herby aroma had undertones of pepper and spice, which seemed to compliment what some of us thought were grapefruit and licorice undertones. Sweet, almost cake-like, with a hint of fuel punched through when ground up. The aroma was sophisticated and complex for sure!
Once we sparked our joint, the complexity waned, with sweet being the dominating taste. “Tastes like sugar...likePixie Sticks.” It was almost a comforting sweetness. The aftertaste was that of the famous moth balls, and the final conclusion was: “tastes like weed!”After our joints, and we all weighed in on the effects, we were collectively left with a balanced, happy mood and a gentle level of intensity.
Kyla, our guest reviewer shared how great and fun it was to look at, smell, and enjoy, but this one might not be top on her list to get again. The general consensus agreed and rated this high on the munchy scale with “ice cream sandwiches being killed” in conversation.For a new grower, Longbottom Farms sure does make some pretty and potent smelling flowers! Keep on growing Jay...we can’t wait to see how much your knowledge and plants grow every year
Jessilyn cofounded NurseGrownOrganics, Vermont’s first Clean GreenCertified hemp farm, and is wellness director for CannaMommy‘s virtual clinic. Jessilyn is a yoga instructor, massage therapist, experienced herbalist, intuitive healer energy worker, cannabis nurse, activist, labor doula, and childbirth educator.
Meredith Mann is a medical cannabis patient and formerMedical Dispensary Manager, holding multiple cannabis certifications from The TrichomeInstitute. Meredith co-foundedMagic Mann hemp products, cannabis catering, and soon to be adult-use Vermont cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and retail. Meredith started the MagicMann Global Indigenous Fund to support nationwide indigenous communities in changing the ongoing inequities and helping to create food sustainability.
Ameliais the Director of Communications forGreen Mountain PatientsAlliance, is a graphic designer, medical cannabis patient, and fierce patient advocate. She advocates for progressive medical cannabis reform in Vermont, with a focus on connecting patients and caregivers.
Purple Haze (the cannabis) originated in the hills of the Emerald Triangle, with a bit of mystery and magic ... much likeJimmy. It is said to be a hybrid of both haze genetics and Purple Thai, hence named rather appropriately.
LB farms is in St. Albans, and is owned and operated by Amy and Miguel Lopez, a lovely green thumbed couple, who will be entering the market starting October 1, 2022 as organic growers with a tier 1mixed license Miguel's cultivation journey began as selfless and noble as one could, to heal his own family when they were in desperate need; a true labor of love.As we started our own labor of love, sniffing, grinding, inspecting, rolling and consuming Purple Haze, we took a few moments to chat amongst ourselves with our guest reviewer, Kelly McDowell.With Kelly and cannabis combined, we knew this one would be a laugh!
Kelly is now a cannabis-consuming professor and goddess at UVM for hemp textiles, fashion and sustainability.This was a fun review, with Jessilyn having just come back from passingher Ganjier certification in the EmeraldTriangle of California. In the tradition of the wine sommelier, cigar aficionado, or master chocolatier, Ganjiers are certified experts qualified to accurately distinguish and assess the nuanced qualities of cannabis.
Ganjier has a specific assessment protocol for cannabis review, so it was exciting to fuse our old school thoughts and the Ganjier style (SAP-systematic assessment protocol). Ganjier has four categories, each having several distinct criteria in it: appearance, aroma, flavor, and experience.
When we discussed the initial appearance, we all mentioned the fox tail look, with its finger-like presentation. We didn’t feel this was a negative trait, just something to note.
On first smell for aroma, there was a grassy scent possibly from a short lived cure (weeks rather than months) with grape undertones. The prevalent aromas were earth, sweet and a touch of fruit.The essence was described, after a bit of banter and chuckles, as Stoner GrapeJuice or Hazy Manischewitz (Grape MintSpritzer-ish kosher wine.)
The earth reminded us all of dirt, like playing in the dirt box as a kid, with a bit of that cannabis cat piss smell in the undertones.
Knowing that everyone has different preferences with cannabis, especially on the visual “bag appeal” and trim jobs, we heard one comment that this was “trimmed closer to your liking than mine...with lots of trichomes intact.” As reviewers, we have our preferences too.Another reviewer felt this was trimmed really well, especially for a nugget that was generally a bit looser than the standard. The closer and tighter the trim job is, the more likely one will cut open the trichomes. With what many call the “farm trim,” trimmers leave some smaller sugar leaves and work around the nuanced shape of each individual nugget which allows ALL trichomes to stay intact.This trim job gained a score of 8 on the Ganjier SAP, which is quite high, pun intended.
As we looked closer with a jewelers loupe for appearance, there were definitely a lot of trichomes intact, moderately, if not mostly covering the flower, even after some mishandling of the jars by one reviewer. These delicate trichomes can break off just by bouncing around a jar or by touching the nugget with your fingers. It’s always a great reminder to treat your cannabis like a delicate piece of ocean coral.
As we continued to assess, we felt there may have been some room for improvement with the cure category, as the stem held some moisture and did not make that typical stem snap you’d want to hear and feel when breaking it up. This can sometimes be the difference between a shorter cure phase at a few weeks as compared to longer (several months), or it could even be the horribly humid Vermont weather this summer!When broken up, it was a bit sticky, the flower was fluffy and a bit moist on the grind, with a heavy grape aroma; much more intense than the jar opening effect.The dry hit of the joint (dry hit means inhaling without lighting it!) was grape-y with a haunting and lingering grape flavor. On combustion, the smoke was moderately smooth, typical of a haze and burned better than we had expected through the entire joint.
With a light and fresh feel in the mouth, the flavor was mild but lingered, much like iceberg lettuce.The flavor brightened in the last half or so of the joint. A good reminder when reviewing or judging is to take your time and assess (and enjoy) the entirety.For one reviewer, the “effect” came on quickly, with effects taking time to manifest and lingering some for another.We all agreed the effects were more of a cerebral high than the body buzz, leaving a feeling of calm and cool. It elicited a balanced energy, not leaving you on the couch or ready for a fun kind of jazz, but somewhere in between.
The quotes that best explained the mood were, “I got the bops going” and“this is some actionable weed” as pastel colors and music ran through our heads.By the time the crew was finished, everyone felt physically energized and that this was definitely one we would want to share with friends and take out on the road with us!
Sundae Brunch
Picture your typical light green, fresh looking nugget with bright orange hairs popping: this flower is just that. ”So very pretty!” as our guest KylaDuMont squealed. After spending years in the cannabis industry in California and now running her own Maple and CBD company in VT, Kyla knows a thing or two about pretty flowers.Donated by a newer grower with the excitement of a kid looking at gifts under a Christmas tree, Jay from Long bottom Farm out of Plymouth, Vermont started .From there, the indoor escapades began with seeds popping and lessons learned.
Today’s cannabis is named SundaeBrunch, a Sundae Driver x Mimosa crossbred by Woodstock Farmacy. To begin the review, we start a quick survey of the appearance and an overall visual inspection. As we noted, this particular nugget is visually very pleasing.
As we move onto aroma, or the nose, we all agreed on the famous mothball smell, or maybe grandma’s talc and the smell of fresh cannabis and mowed hay.Initially, the intensity was mild. But as we dug our noses deeper, the complexity was intriguing to say the least.
In the layers of aromas noted, earth was prevalent with both a fuel and a fruit kick that left us wondering where this was going. As a group, we always come back to the aroma assessment, description, and complexity rating after grinding up the flower for consumption(the joint). For some, the best part is the aroma hands down. The aromas can change a lot from a nugget in hand to aground up pickle, so be sure to check it out next time if you don’t normally.Before grinding or handling the flower too much, we want to assess the appearance more, and the trichomes specifically.
With our trusty jewelers’ loupe and scopes, we were excited that this sample had a moderately dense forest of trichomes coating this fresh looking flower, tip to stem. It was just as pretty to see up close under the microscope/jeweler’s loupe as it was to the naked eye.The trichomes were glistening milky white, boasting what we would call the moderate side of maturity. Many were intact and beaming with resin just waiting to be enjoyed. We continued on to discuss the trim job, noting these flowers were neatly trimmed, and optimal for our liking.
When we opened the flower, breaking it up for the grind, the earthy and herby aroma had undertones of pepper and spice, which seemed to compliment what some of us thought were grapefruit and licorice undertones. Sweet, almost cake-like, with a hint of fuel punched through when ground up. The aroma was sophisticated and complex for sure!
Once we sparked our joint, the complexity waned, with sweet being the dominating taste. “Tastes like sugar...likePixie Sticks.” It was almost a comforting sweetness. The aftertaste was that of the famous moth balls, and the final conclusion was: “tastes like weed!”After our joints, and we all weighed in on the effects, we were collectively left with a balanced, happy mood and a gentle level of intensity.
Kyla, our guest reviewer shared how great and fun it was to look at, smell, and enjoy, but this one might not be top on her list to get again. The general consensus agreed and rated this high on the munchy scale with “ice cream sandwiches being killed” in conversation.For a new grower, Longbottom Farms sure does make some pretty and potent smelling flowers! Keep on growing Jay...we can’t wait to see how much your knowledge and plants grow every year
Jessilyn Dolan, RN, CMT, CLDis a certified Ganjier who wears many hats.She is president of the American NursesAssociation–Vermont, the founder of theVermont Cannabis Nurses Association, and serves on the board of directors for the American Cannabis Nurses Association. Jessilyn specializes in maternal and child health, opioid and substance use, mental health disorder, and chronic pain. As a research nurse at the Vermont Center on Behavior andHealth at the University of VermontCollege of Medicine, she recently published “Breast/Chest feeding andMarijuana Use: Recommendations from the Field Post Marijuana Legalization in Vermont."
Jessilyn cofounded NurseGrownOrganics, Vermont’s first Clean GreenCertified hemp farm, and is wellness director for CannaMommy‘s virtual clinic. Jessilyn is a yoga instructor, massage therapist, experienced herbalist, intuitive healer energy worker, cannabis nurse, activist, labor doula, and childbirth educator.
Meredith Mann is a medical cannabis patient and formerMedical Dispensary Manager, holding multiple cannabis certifications from The TrichomeInstitute. Meredith co-foundedMagic Mann hemp products, cannabis catering, and soon to be adult-use Vermont cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and retail. Meredith started the MagicMann Global Indigenous Fund to support nationwide indigenous communities in changing the ongoing inequities and helping to create food sustainability.
Ameliais the Director of Communications forGreen Mountain PatientsAlliance, is a graphic designer, medical cannabis patient, and fierce patient advocate. She advocates for progressive medical cannabis reform in Vermont, with a focus on connecting patients and caregivers.
