One of the most fascinating aspects of cannabis is that any given variety has the ability to affect people in vastly different ways. Take Haze strains, for example — I love the mellow mental stimulation they provide. My friend, Marie, on the other hand, finds them to be way too racy and uncomfortable.
So, when we were in Seattle for Cannabis Grand Cru 2016 and visited the Hashtag Recreational Cannabis shop in Fremont, Bondi Farms’ Super Silver Lemon Haze caught my eye. Marie knew immediately that she would be abstaining from this strain.
Although I couldn’t open the jar to smell it (due to Washington regulations that require cannabis to be pre-packaged), the frosty nug and Dom the budtender’s recommendation for the grower were enough to sell me.
Super Silver Lemon Haze by the numbers: Grown by Bondi Farms, $15/gram at Hashtag Recreational Cannabis in Fremont, 3540 Stone Way N, Seattle
I decided to smoke the heavy and sedative UW Purple the night before the conference to get some quality sleep, and saved the SSLH for a morning smoke.
When I woke up, I was still a little groggy (probably thanks to the UW Purple), so I made a quick cup of coffee and hopped in the shower. Once I finished suiting up, I rolled two joints — a SSLH one for myself and a UW Purple one for Marie, who was getting ready.
When I broke up the SSLH, it was extremely sticky, and denser than most Hazes I have seen. According to Bondi Farms’ website, Super Silver Lemon Haze is a cross of Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze. The former likely explains the density, along with the fragrance. It had a dull but funky citrus smell, almost like a box of Lemonheads. After I broke it up, I had to wash my hands to get the sticky resin off my fingers.
Once the joints were rolled, Marie and I packed up banners, swag and other booth materials and headed outside to smoke before we walked to the venue. First, I took a dry hit. It was slightly lemon-y, with a sweetness that I could feel in my nose. I lit it up and took a puff. The lemon taste popped more in the smoke than in the dry hit.
As I smoked the joint, I was hacking up a storm. I struggled to finish the joint between fits of coughing. I don’t know whether it was the coughing or the pungent smell of the smoke, but I caught a couple smiles from people walking by our AirBnB.
We tried calling an Uber because Marie was wearing heels, but it was taking too long, so we decided to make the 10-minute walk to the Fremont Foundry. I could feel my eyes relax and become very small behind my sunglasses.
By the time we got to the venue, I felt like I was floating around, a feeling that was accompanied by a slight raciness. We got inside and were greeted by the event organizers, who gave us our passes and escorted us to our booth. I robotically set up the booth and went on a mission to find a cup of coffee. As I got back to the booth, I was greeted by a Seattle buddy, Eric. As soon as we started catching up, I suddenly realized I had scheduled a meeting that was happening in a minute.
I hurried upstairs to the rendezvous point outside one of the rooms where panels were being held. As I walked up, my dress shoes loudly clunking on the wooden steps, I found myself making an unintentionally pronounced entrance to a panel that was already in progress. I peered around the room as approximately 50 people stared at me before I loudly and awkwardly walked backwards down the stairs.
I waited at the bottom stairs, now paranoid after interrupting the panel, and wondered if I was in the right place. Luckily, a few minutes later, the woman I was meeting arrived. After a pleasant conversation, I walked back down to the booth with the paranoia and raciness subsiding.
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Feeling much more relaxed, I refilled my coffee and went into the green room, where I was meeting all the speakers on the Cannabis Technology panel. I was moderating the discussion, and wanted to go over topics and flow so that all of us were on the same page. As I waited for the speakers to trickle in, we listened to CGC regular Addison DeMoura and his entertaining story about co-founding Steep Hill Labs in California and the origins of his nickname, #TerpHova. Listening to someone’s story about building a successful business is always interesting to me, but Addison’s eccentric personality and unapologetic attitude about his success made it even better.
As the high started to fade, I grabbed my standard pre-panel beer and headed to the main room for the CannaMedia panel. The rest of the day went smoothly, and we wrapped up another successful Grand Cru.
Many people don’t like the raciness of some sativa strains. I, on the other hand, appreciate their ability to kick me into gear, particularly in the mornings when I’m groggy despite getting a full night’s rest. Even the brief wave of paranoia couldn’t reduce my affinity for that sweet, cerebral high.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good Haze.