u/TerpsandSayso

The Kaleidoscope Collective - Desert Mintz 3.5g

Bag Appeal: 9

Smell: 9

Taste: 9

Smoke: 9

Effects: 9

Overall: 9

Last in my “is it worth it or not” line of reviews (and if I was to continue this series i’d need a second job), The Kaleidoscope Collective. Roughly around the same price of the North Fork Cannabis Co., I picked up their TKC’s Desert Mints and it provided a very similar experience. High expectations from the steep price for great bud that isn’t perfect.

The flower is beautiful, smelled a little more complex and loud than the North Fork. Smell translated to taste, not overtly but you could taste the Mintz on a dry pull and throughout. Pretty smooth however didn’t burn the cleanest. High was a pretty strong mood uplift and body relaxing experience. Was expecting more of a sleepy experience but wasn’t as sedating as I thought it’d be.

The flower is solid, top tier, just the price isn’t. Which, in my humble opinion, is something you’ll find with any brand over $50. It goes from being very solid flower to mid the moment you start charging quarter prices for eighths. I enjoyed it yes and would even recommend for someone’s lineup but at the price, this is a novelty not a go to.

COA:
https://app.1a4.com/landingpage/1a4120300001ca2000000652/67

Bag Appeal: 9.5

Smell: 8.5

Taste: 8.5

Smoke: 10

Effects: 9.5

Overall: 9.2

First up in the “is it worth it or not” series of reviews is North Fork Cannabis Co. which has been pretty popular on the interwebs for some time now. At $68 post tax you start to think to yourself am I getting worked over here or what? Long story short yeah a bit but not for the reason you think.

Starting with the flower I can’t say it’s not premium and at the top of the class. Presentation, condition of the flower, effects, burn, all amazing. Smoking this effects are immediately notable as my head felt like it was growing in size and senses were tingling like my name is Peter Parker. Smooth as all hell and burned perfect. Smell was a bit muted, slightly like piney but not crazy. Taste was slightly citrusy sour. Nothing jumped out in flavor which at the price point you would really hope for.

That is the real crux of the issue at hand though. At $68, expectations of product are way too high for any one to match it. Especially when there are micros already providing better or matching flower at $50 pretax. I’m not saying the bud isn’t good, or that the growers work isn’t worth top dollar. Instead i’m arguing from the position that an eighth should never be over $50 pre tax, and if you are charging that price or more it better be damn near a ten outta ten. I like what this company is doing, their labeling is beautiful and informative, the work is obvious, but it isn’t perfect and this steep price makes me want it to be.

COA:

https://app.1a4.com/g/s/OklRoWJibHhCRi1TUFAtMy41Z0BOb3J0aCBGb3JrIENhbm5hYmlzIENvbGxlY3RpdmV-MWE0MTIwMzAwMDAxZWU5MDAwMDAwMDAy

Bag Appeal: 8

Smell: 8

Taste: 7

Smoke: 8

Effects: 6.5

Overall: 7.5

Golden Garden has a wide variance in how I feel about their flower. Really enjoyed their Blue Zushi for the effects, Melted Strawberries was alright but not as exciting as I thought it would be. This was a bit better but not a huge knockout. Will give them credit though for a many things but there was a couple things lacking.

The packaging hasn’t changed much but there was a definite step up in what’s inside their mylar aesthetically. Buds were pretty big and I didn’t run to my scale afterwards. Smell was pretty pungent, garlicky funk with a hint of peppery goodness. The flower looked phenomenal and wasn’t overly dry, still a little bounce but not too sticky. Smoked very clean in a joint but I have to be brutally honest, the smell didn’t translate to taste much. Effects wise I was expecting more of a couch locked feeling but I was pretty up even late into the night smoking it. Wouldn’t claim it to be that energizing though or particularly hard hitting to the head.

At $40 before tax it definitely holds up in many sectors but is missing either that punch to really make it memorable or notable flavor. It is super pretty and smelly, so Golden Garden is still showing promise in some aspects. When compared to others close in that price bracket though they have a lot of competition and are going to have to work hard to stand above.

COA:

https://app.1a4.com/g/s/OltRoWJibHhUR29sZGVuIEdhcmRlbiBGbG93ZXIgRGFudGUncyBJbmZlcm5vIDMuNWdAQ2FwaXRhbCBSZWdpb24gQ29-MWE0MTIwMzAwMDAxYWExMDAwMDEwMjQ2

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/68c37df5fc1d9e412f8b72f5/6958113fb2b4c25b9b783815_X251110_0034_Dantes_Inferno_21384.pdf

Bag Appeal: 8

Smell: 10

Taste: 9.5

Smoke: 9

Effects: 9

Overall: 9.1

I usually wait a bit, roll a few, then write my reviews after much consideration over multiple runs with the strain i’m reviewing. There was one other time I jumped at getting some words out and that was last year’s first try of the Lituya Bay. That was months ago and there hasn’t really been anything that has piqued my interest this much since. I can’t even stress how much I want to have a large stash of this right now and will tell you all the reasons why you need to hard invest in some of this Cali Orange.

This flower looks beautiful, crystals all over, smell of orange rinds that keeps growing and growing as the bag stays open. There were good sized nugs inside and a few smaller ones but nothing that would scream underweight to the eye. That orange smell rubbed off on my fingers as I loaded it into the grinder and stuck on me. Joint burned clean and the smell translated to the taste so well with a little funky undertone. High was very heady and uplifting almost immediately and it brought me back to this CBX I smoked in Arizona in 2022. Even then i’m pretty sure I paid more for that CBX than I did for this at $47 after tax.

This was lovely and i’m dreading when I finish this bag. From talks with Lindsay at Major it’s not that the new mylars dropped in quality but the yield was so high they can afford the price drop. Any other company making that claim and i’m calling bullshit but after smoking this I know she’s right because this could definitely go for $50 pretax in a jar. This is packed with flavor and has such a nice high that really settles over time and lingers. Would definitely recommend especially for a less than $50 eighth if you’re looking an experience cause that’s what you get. OCM definitely needs to take a look at these labs because these numbers do not reflect what i’m seeing.

COA:

https://app.1a4.com/landingpage/1a41203000022c5000000193/11

Bag Appeal: 7

Smell: 8

Taste: 7.5

Smoke: 7.5

Effects: 7

Overall: 7.4

Revert has been providing the state with some decent sungrown options and like other brands have had their hits and misses. Presidential Kush was a reliable pickup last year for late night relaxing smokes so I was excited to see how their work improved with this new batch. Sour Glue has definitely been a great smoke for value, the pickup was only $29 with tax and was an improvement from what they had last go around.

Surprisingly the smell on open was very nice and loud for Revert. Buds were bouncy not dry and twiggy. Smoke fell more to the GG4 side than the sour side which i’m not disappointed in. Taste is there which is rare to say with some of the Revert helpings, and the effects are pretty middle of the road hybrid. Won’t feel like falling asleep nor like cleaning the whole house. More of a “I need to relax but have shit to do soon” kind’ve smoke which I can get behind. Definitely not a heavy hitter which at less than $30 I didn’t expect anyway.

I’m not saying this is a go out and try this smoke but definitely should be considered when on a budget. If your tolerance is a little lower this will probably be a knockout, but don’t consider this a replacement for some more premium options. Would smoke again without hesitancy though which should speak volumes for any brand/strain. Definite improvement for Revert and hoping the rest of the new drops jumped as much in quality as this one.

P.S. idk whats going on with labs because this does not smell or taste like .155% terps

COA:
https://app.1a4.com/landingpage/1a4120300001aa1000032437/14

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/68c37d602f5425023dcf5efd/69580f451c895bd85ab42367_X251110_0034_

Bag Appeal: 7

Smell: 8

Taste: 8

Smoke: 7.5

Effects: 8.5

Overall: 7.8

Hepworth has been one of those brands you can count on to get you high for a low price. It’s not going to get you wrecked, especially if you’re a heavy user, but it will take you from sober to sauced. They had one of the tastiest Oreos cross last year so I had to check out their take on Blue Dream.

Opening the bag you’re hit with a sweet smell almost like berries. Flower is sticky not dry to the bone but not fluffy at all. Grind was fine, it didn’t turn to powder. Smoke was pretty clean, not the cleanest i’ve had but at $24 pre tax not harsh at all. High is very heady, slightly body relaxing, and less on the energetic side but sometimes I don’t want that in my morning smoke.

I’ve had my experiences with people getting extremely mad over what is blue dream and what is not. This bag has been at the center of that argument at times and I don’t see it being a horrible representation of what I smoked decades ago now. People forget that cannabis is a plant, a living organism, and is subject to change. It’s been years and I miss the old Blue Dream like any other boomer but to knock this as a bad choice just because it isn’t exactly it would be kind’ve foolish. Especially when it is half the price of others that make the same claims and lack something I can vividly remember in one way or another.

COA:

https://app.1a4.com/g/s/OlZRoWJibHhPSGVwd29ydGggMy41ZyBCYWdnZWQgRmxvd2VyIC0gQmx1ZSBEcmVhbUBIZXB3b3J0aCBQdXJhfjFhNDEyMDMwMDAwMGEzODAwMDAwMDY2OA

Bag Appeal: 6

Smell: 7

Taste: 5

Smoke: 7

Effects: 7

Overall: 6.4

I’ve seen Electraleaf on the market a while now and when it comes to variety of flower offerings, they’re up there. Every month there is seemingly a new strain popping up and I won’t even claim to say i’ve tried them all. When you drop one called Purple Haze you’re pretty much asking me to check those claims.

The label is pretty and simple with no real frills about it. They do list their lineage on it as purple thai crossed with haze which is curious since hardly any other brand does that except for Revert now on the newer drops i’ve seen. If you haven’t smoked thai, you’ve definitely at least heard of it spoken of by older heads. “You ever have that thai stick?”, “they don’t have chocolate thai anymore it used to taste just like hershey’s”, or the infamous “back in my day the thai, panama red, acapulco, they don’t make it like they used to”. I had the pleasure of smoking older landraces, and something you find sometimes… is they taste… like grass. Very earthy and to be fair we’re lucky to have our wedding cakes and runtz and all that comes in the rainbow of weed terps now.

This definitely tastes like an old strain, not hazy but super earthy. The high is pretty hazy, not particularly strong hitting. Bud looks very pretty, but there was a big variety in how they looked. Some were bright green, others dappled in purple. It was a little dry to the touch and came with no humidity pack so maybe needs a better seal on packing. At $44 pretax it wasn’t the worst pickup but not something i’d go back to since it was a bit harsh and lacking in terps.

COA:

https://app.1a4.com/landingpage/1a412030000014a000000585/24

Bag Appeal: 7.5

Smell: 8.5

Taste: 9

Smoke: 8.5

Effects: 9

Overall: 8.5

Nanticoke has been on the market for a while and overlooked for other brands with bigger marketing budgets, i’m a culprit of that myself. I’ve heard rumblings about their coconut cream and i’ve smoked it years ago now and it was decent but nothing to really gush over. I don’t know what they’ve done on their back end but this has been a definitely improvement.

I may have been swayed by my prior employment but I had impressions of Nanticoke being overpriced greenhouse. This smokes like great indoor and at $40 before tax there’s no complaints or notes on the flower. Smell is earthy and sweet once you unseal it, taste is nutty and sweet, as close to coconut without being synthetically terped to taste that way. Effects are very sedative and chill, strong body high with low eyes. I reserve this for a pleasurable last smoke of the day.

My gripes have to go with the packaging. The top is damn near adult proof and feels on the verge of breaking whenever I try to open it. The seal is great and leaves the bud fresh without a humidity pack but I think about everyone that has dexterity issues the minute I lift the jar. The jar could be blacked out too since I always think about light bleaching. Would also like to see top terps listed since it’s a customer forward move.

Otherwise this has been a big standout from the brand and a definite recommendation for anyone looking for a reasonably priced high quality smoke.

COA:

https://app.1a4.com/landingpage/1a4120300000321000001168/661