Why Colorado Tokers Love Citrus Sap

The cannabis qualities that we’ve grown to love don’t always make a good first impression. The skunky smells and earthy flavors of Diesels and Kushes take time to understand, much less covet. And I have yet to appreciate one popular characteristic of “good” weed: sticky buds. Anyone who’s ever rolled a joint, let alone trimmed a harvest, knows how sticky pot can get (don’t even think about rubbing your hands around your eyes afterward), so a strain called Citrus Sap sounded like too much for my fingers to bear.

A child of Gorilla Glue and Tangie, Citrus Sap is a sativa-dominant strain that revels in each parent’s most popular aspects: heavy resin production and stark orange flavor, respectively. Experienced users and growers alike enjoy the strain’s high THC potency and strong yields, but novices can find themselves in too deep for the same reasons. Tangie’s strong sativa burst of energy and intense citrus notes can be reduced for a more balanced high when crossed with another strain, like its pairing with Sour Diesel to birth Sour Tangie. But Gorilla Glue’s stiff THC content, known for routinely breaching 25 percent, made me worry that Tangie’s buzz had leveled up in Citrus Sap.

My concerns about the strain’s sticky nature and caffeine buzz were both unwarranted, however: While the dense buds can be difficult to break apart, Citrus Sap was easy on my picky fingers, and the body high was effective but gentle. Still, that potency can overpower the senses after one hit too many, leading into a hole of disorientation and lethargy.

Citrus Sap has recently been spotted at the Clinic, Life Flower Dispensary, Lightshade, RiNo Supply Co., Verde Natural and dispensaries carrying wholesale grower Veritas Fine Cannabis. Although pricier than other options, Verde and Veritas have pulled the best Sap in town, in my opinion, with voluptuous emerald buds and an above-average hit of mandarin orange flavor. The Clinic and RiNo Supply Co. also produce solid versions of Citrus Sap that look like they were dropped in bags of Fun Dip, and they have a sugary flavor to match.

Looks: Expect dense, swollen calyxes and compact buds. The strain’s limited pistil coverage and heavy coat of trichomes make it an easy winner in the looks department if you like fat, dense nugs. Just beware of them becoming rock-hard if grown in an industrial setting.

Smell: Earthier and more subdued than its Tangie parent, Citrus Sap still carries sweet notes of citrus reminiscent of mandarin orange cups with syrup. Thick, skunky notes and a wet-soil aroma at the end provide a welcome balance.

Flavor: If Citrus Sap’s smell is a roaring bark, then its flavor might be more of a stern but harmless bite. Its tangerine flavor and earthy aftertaste are impossible to ignore, but they don’t demand your attention, either.

Effects: Considered close to a 70/30 hybrid, Citrus Sap uplifts like a shot in the arm or a morning toke, giving users a relaxed state of mind despite the powerful body high. That high THC content can be a double-edged sword, though, making tokers useless from a lack of focus or body debilitation until a nap kicks in. The strain has been used to treat pain, stress, headaches, anxiety, exhaustion and nausea.

Home grower’s take: “I want to share this with some of my friends who won’t stop growing Gorilla Glue. I don’t blame them for going after easy yields, but I hear this can produce big time if you top it early and give it the right nutrients, and it has so much more character. Wouldn’t try it out before growing GG, though; you can find it in clones pretty easily, but I think you can only get Citrus Sap in seed right now, so you don’t want to mess up limited chances. Love the clementine and Kush flavor. It’s a good strain for flavor and potency; that’s not always easy to grow.”

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