That doesn't really have anything do with MMD, but it was reason enough for me to stop by -- just to get a look at where Bird Man was caught on candid Internet camera.
MMD ColoradoLooking at the place now, you wouldn't recognize it from the map. The vinyl banner has been replaced with an actual MMD of Colorado sign on the front, and shelves of pimped-out pipes in the Mad Hatter Smokeshop now occupy the vacant space next door. Even when across-the-street neighbor Casselman's isn't having an event, parking can be a bitch, but there are loads of spots around the side along the spray-painted mural. Some overly dramatic Edward Norton movie played on the TV hung on the wall facing the couches and coffee table, and a few snacks were set up on the bar below the screen, for people who perpetually have the munchies. After signing over some paperwork and waiting for the woman working behind the security-glass window to copy my ID and card, I was let back through to the weed-stinky bud bar.2609 Walnut St. Denver, CO 80205 303-736-9642 mmdofcolorado.com
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Raw marijuana price range: $25/eighth-ounce, $150/ounce. Members get 10 percent off purchase, 20 percent discount on purchases over an ounce, and monthly $5 eighths. Other types of medicine: BHO, CO2 oil, hash, edibles, tinctures, lotions, drinks. Online menu? Yes. Handicap-accessible? Yes.
Herb is kept in glass jars on smudgy glass shelves in a black display counter that makes a small "L" in the middle of the room. There were about nine or ten jars on display during my visit, most all of them with the same shaky, packed-full look that jars at all discount/bulk places like MMD seem to have. The few edibles from EdiPure and Incredibles were kept on the other end of the counter setup. Nothing huge, but the shop did have four or five different chocolate bars from Incredibles -- and I've heard nothing but great things about them, specifically the Blueberry Bliss bar. Also available were large jars of THC-infused topical rub selling for $10 a pop -- about half what I've seen at other dispensaries lately.
Herb sells for $25 an eighth and $150 an ounce to non-members, so it's no secret that MMD moves a lot of herb. There was also a discount strain of the day: a jar full of wispy, early Grapefruit selling for $20 an eighth. I skipped it and the jar full of discount shake, opting instead to check out the hash and full-priced buds.
Hash was kept in smaller jars on a bookshelf along the back wall, with four strain-specific bubble hashes and one blend on hand. My purple-haired budtender said MMD normally carries wax but was out during my visit. The sand-like crumbles of the icewater hash at $10 a gram was too good to pass up, though. Unlike the buds, which were on par with warehouse-quality, $150 offerings elsewhere in town, the hash was worth a second look.At home over a screen, it mostly burned down to a fine, powdery white ash, although a few of the large chunks sizzled and melted slightly with a full, deliciously earthy hit. I opted for the Power Plant hash to match the flowers I brought home, but ended up enjoying the hash much, much more than the buds themselves.
Continue for the rest of the review and more photos. The Super Lemon Haze had the most bag appeal, with huge, thick orange pistils that had trichomes of their own. Tight, compact buds underneath the fluffy appearance, with a full, lemony-haze scent when broken up. In a vape, the buds seemed clean, with mid-strength on the flavor. Burned, the buds weren't as smooth and even in a bubbler; they were harsh and probably needed some more time flushing. Potency-wise, this was certainly a strong sativa, and one chillum-full in the morning put me in gear and got me moving with coffee-like energy. It also helped move my stomach along, giving me a quick appetite within twenty minutes of smoking/vaping. At $25 an eighth and $150 an ounce, I can see how MMD would move a lot of this, even if it was a bit chemmy.Most of the other strains were on the same level. The shaky and crumbly Swiss Bliss, which had a surprisingly full spiced-vanilla-milkshake thing to the smell, and the Vortex, with its rotting orange-peel funk, weren't bad, but they weren't great either. Nothing awful, just rushed out to the shelf without much TLC.
The Power Plant flowers were hacked at by a trimmer, but they had an over-ripe mango scent that bordered on hippie B.O. and potting soil mixed together. That looks awful when you read it, but I assure you it was enticing in a way that only cannabis can manage to be. As the name suggests, this strain is a Power Plant, with a heavy punch of THC to the head. Though it's a sativa-based strain, it acts like a powerful indica for me and fogged me up for a while even as it chilled out the rest of my body. Like the Super Lemon Haze, though, the bud crackled and popped when burned and left a harsh aftertaste on the back of my throat.In all, an eighth and a half-gram of hash were just over $32. Easy on the wallet, but it's warehouse bud selling for $25 an eighth and $150 an ounce: You get what you pay for.
Read more reviews from Westword's medical marijuana dispensary critic, William Breathes, in our Mile Highs and Lows blog, and keep up with all your Colorado marijuana news over at The Latest Word.
