Weed Coast: This Hybrid Strain Will Leave You Super Sociable

“This sparkly, bubbly stone lasted for a few hours and left me craving more once it had worn off.”

I’ve fallen into a comfortable pattern of picking out my next strain through one of two methods. Usually, I set myself up with some good music and a glass of wine, then dive headfirst into an internet wormhole of reviews, comment sections and forums. More often than not I emerge the other side a little drunk and armed with a few more strains added to the ‘must-try’ list. If I’m feeling slightly more spontaneous, I’ll meander into a dispensary and pick the brain of the budtender behind the counter. Either way, I am at least prepared when I start experimenting with whichever strain I commit to.

This week, that whole rhythm was disrupted when a friend surprised me with a nameless strain. Well, less so “nameless” and more so he couldn’t remember what he purchased merely hours before presenting it to me. (We’ll talk more about how to navigate the foggy effects weed can have on the memory another time.)

Promising to call the dispensary the next morning should I enjoy the high and want more, we lit up.

It was to be an entirely backwards process so I fell back on my rudimentary steps of stoner analysis. I was going to go full-blown Sherlock Holmes on this flower.

Visually, the bud was pretty appealing. It was a classic lime green sporting a nice amount of rusty red hairs and a heavy coating of white thrichomes. Its sweet, acidic smell, colour and wispy hairs told me that it was probably a sativa, but the bud itself was bulbous and dense side. I likely had a sativa-heavy hybrid on my hands. It was also fairly dry, leaving very little residue on my fingers, which set off alarms that it may not be too potent. The flavour was unremarkable, but the smoke pulled really nicely and in less that a few minutes we were very, very stoned.

I have never been one to turn down a good Netflix binge session, but as soon as this high hit it became clear that we were going to have to satiate a desperate need for socialization. The high delivers right to the head and provides a seemingly endless supply of energy. I was the chattiest I have been in a long time, which, to my dismay, was an immediate indicator that we had smoked a very strong sativa. There was very little in the way of physical effects, minus a sensitivity to audio and visual stimuli, meaning it likely came with a heavy helping of THC. This sparkly, bubbly stone lasted for a few hours and left me craving more once it had worn off.

I have never been one to turn down a good Netflix binge session, but as soon as this high hit it became clear that we were going to have to satiate a desperate need for socialization.

The next day, buzzing from stumbling on such a good find, my friend began to hunt down the real identity of the mystery strain. After spending several minutes on the phone with a very confused man who told him he had no idea or record of what was purchased the day before, we were faced with the disappointing truth that we may never know. A few minutes after that, my well-intentioned friend realized he may have just called the wrong dispensary. (Again, memory fog…another story for another time.) One phone call later all was revealed: we had smoked Sour Jack, a hybrid of two classic sativas, Sour Diesel and Jack Herer.

Some digging online revealed our experience was true to most other users—chatty, highly energetic, productive and heady. All elements matched up except one. Consumers rave about Sour Jack’s “delicious” flavour and aroma. Supposedly, the bud smells and tastes like sour citrus candy with earthy, diesel notes. I did not get that, at all. The strain boasts 22 per cent THC content, with a very low 0.22 per cent made up of CBD, which explains the heightened sensitivity to audiovisual stimulation and virtually non-existent effect on the body. Anyone new to cannabis or with a low tolerance may want to proceed cautiously with this strain as it packs a punch even for seasoned stoners.

As I was initially underwhelmed by Jack Herer, I can confidently say all it was missing was a little Sour Diesel. This hybrid is stronger, more interactive and provides significantly more energy.

Sour Jack

Sativa, $10/gram. Weemedical. 109 1st St E, North Vancouver

Find more of Piper’s pot recommendations here.