u/More_Rich_2273

Picked up from Planet Nugg for $65+tax. I was going there to pick up a new PuffCo pivot since they had the pine color and saw this new drop as well. I had 15% off so figured might as well. Price is really solid for a quarter oz and budtenders said good things about the other strain they had.

Bag Appeal 9/10: This jar is really nice. It’s heavy and dark and seems to seal good. There was no additional seal inside but the buds were very fresh and sticky. Nice color and nice trichomes. This is above my expectations for this price range.

Smell 7.5/10: It is a touch muted but very nice smell from what you get. Warm fruit and pine notes come thru the most which I always enjoy. I wish it was louder but it only tested 0.96% terpenes. Personally I think it is a bit higher terps than the lab says because wouldn’t under 1% have no nose or taste?

Taste 7.5/10: Following the smell its the same notes and I like that. It comes through as much as the nose. Was not very harsh but I have had smoother as well. For the price it is still very solid.

Effects 8/10: High is very nice body high. Very relaxing but isn’t knocking me out. Some wanna be knocked out but personally I enjoy this type of indica high where I feel better but not dead. This one was lowkey nice for pain relief I been pretty sore and right now I feeling pretty ok.

Overall 8/10: I knew of Jerome Baker for glasswork but never knew they were dropping flower until I saw it. Honestly I would put this in my daily/budget smoke rotation if it was around regularly.

coa: https://midncustorage01.blob.core.windows.net/4-3965/019e2207-44e5-79c3-a048-f829b8d16184?sv=2026-02-06&se=2026-05-21T16%3A22%3A15Z&sr=b&sp=r&sig=3O15hFmGk%2Bcycsl6BjhwNM1ODGCAqHEhEHFU%2BsQRUtY%3D

Picked up from Happy Days for $95+tax. Been enjoying The Botanist as a daily smoke option. In my quest to find the good value bud in NY they have so far been my favorite. I had a decent half oz a few weeks back and bought this to see if it was a one time thing or if they truly have improved. Glad to say seems like they are constantly improving over the last year.

Bag Appeal 8.5/10: Looks like they updated their packaging and these new bags have a little window on the back to view some nugs, but rest if it is covered to preserve the bud. Buds were all really solid size and decent trim. They were not dry at all and decently frosty as well! As a designer/artist I love that gold foil emboss and design but I am not accounting design/art in my rating.

Smell 9/10: This stuff smells very nice and captures both strains crossed (Apple Fritter x Cereal Milk) very nicely. The Cereal Milk is more pronounced on the smell for sure. Creamy on the front with red fruit notes and was not muted. I would have given it a 10 if it was slightly louder but I did enjoy what I smelled.

Taste 7.5/10: The taste swapped with the Apple Fritter being more pronounced but it was slightly more muted than the smell. Was still a very smooth smoke and burned nice as well. Not harsh at all but was hoping it followed through on the smell more.

Effects 9/10: This stuff hits hard right away. I was impressed its a head and body high and a bit of a couch locker. Very relaxing but forces you to actually chill. I wanted to do some work and had this before and it had me to shlumped to really be productive so definitely and end of the day strain. I had more later at night and was a much better time to be that type if high.

Overall 8.5/10: Im very happy with how much the Botanist has progressed ever since the earliest days when NY was only medical. At first their strains were good but everything was bone dry. Supposedly they swapped growers last year and since then has been consistently great value. The price for them in all quantities is pretty good even without a sale, but I have seen it drop to $66 for half oz + 126 for a full oz which is where I would like prices to be. Definitely will be buying Botanist more when I need more daily smoke.

Side note: I am rating this as a budget option. The pricier micro options I had are 100% better quality, but I rate those based on their price as well.

Other side note: I am not affiliated with or paid by any brand and if I ever am you will see some type of brand role or disclaimer if that ever happens.

Picked up from Planet Nugg for $44+tax. I had a $15 off the expired so I ended up getting it $44OTD. I have tried some of the recent Heady Tree batches from a friend and was blown away so I had to get for myself. Hearing in the past how it was always dry and then seeing how it improved is always great to see! Over 3% terpenes as well is a huge plus.

Appearance 9/10: Very fresh and nice sized buds. Super frosty and dense as well! The jar cane sealed properly as well which is great to see. I took off a point just for the plastic jar. This would easily be 10/10 in this category if it was not plastic.

Smell 10/10: Gassy funky fruit and very loud upon unsealing the jar! Rare to get that on NY market but the nose on this can go tow to toe with 1/8ths being sold $10-15 higher.

Taste 7.5/10: Sadly taste did not follow the nose a ton. It’s definitely not as loud as the smell and I lose the fruity note. The gas and funk is there buts wasn’t the same as nose. It also had a grassy/herbal note which is not my favorite but it very well may be someone else’s style. Overall wish the taste was a bit more like the smell but there was nothing really bad or off putting in anyway.

Effects 9.5/10: Very strong effects both body and mind high. Not very productive and social this is a relaxing end of day smoke for sure. Takes very little to begin feeling it.

Overall 9/10: Heady Tree is doing great things at a slightly cheaper price than other top shelf products! I have tried some of the other recent strains and feel similarly about all of them. Definitely will be looking out for more of their drops and I hope they drop some more bulk options larger than a 1/4th.

Side note: given older reviews of Heady Tree and the dryness, I believe them due to plastic jar. If the seal was slightly off it probably ruined tons of batches and shortened their shelf life drastically. They clearly solved those problems, but some dispensaries still have their older batches on their menus. Be sure to check the jar before leaving to make sure you get that new stuff! My jar had a date on the label (which is great!) so I knew for sure this was recent.

Purchased from Happy Days for $70+tax. I always searching for cheaper mid-top shelf options and seen this brand for a while. Haven’t seen a lot of reviews and in doing my research, could not find the coa on their website for this particular strain. Lot of reviews had good things to say so figured worth a shot.

Appearance 8/10: Bag is decent in terms of maintaining freshness but as you can see in the 3rd pic, the nuggs got a little smushed. A jar would have prevented that, but regardless these buds are pretty! Very frosty leaves with some nice green and purples. Very dense and sticky to the point it clogged my new-ish grinder. Could be from being smushed but also from these buds being very fresh. Trimming is decent with a few little leaves missed, but definitely better than other brands in this price range.

Smell 8/10: The smell is very nice but I wish it was a bit less muted. Nice blueberry and cream notes that are subtle but sweet. This tested 1.89% terps and that checks out. I think if smell had the same flavor notes but louder this would be a 10/10 on smell for sure.

Flavor 8/10: Very similar to the smell I don’t get the amount of flavor i’d want, but what you do get is very nice with sweet fruit and cream notes. Smooth smoke and clean burn but a bit muted. Still solid for the price.

Effects 8/10: Very heavy indica effects on this. A bit heavy on body high for my liking but it’s very strong and doesn’t take a lot to feel it. Definitely wish I waited until end of the day to try this one but hey what am I gonna do.

Overall 8/10: This is a decent smoke for the price. Im not sure if their $50 1/8th are better or same quality, but $70/q for this im pretty happy. Would see myself buying this brand again especially if theres ever a sale. Good value for this legal market.