Why Colorado Tokers Love 9D4

As a young guzzler, I was really turned on by fancy barrel-aged beers and sours — the weirder, the better. My stomach has become weaker with age, though, and so has my tolerance for weird. Don't pineapple milkshake IPAs make you want to kick dust in the air and shake one fist angrily at the sky while the other holds a good, hearty Coors?

For a second there, I was becoming my dad in my own version of a Progressive commercial. Luckily, that irritability hasn't yet extended to my enjoyment of cannabis. In fact, as long as my grass doesn't taste like actual grass, all is good in my pipe — which essentially makes Gorilla Glue (usually labeled GG or Original Glue at dispensaries since the adhesive company lawyered up) a hulking enemy of mine. The steroided grass has become one of our most popular cannabis strains despite its consistent lack of flavor compared to other easily attainable options. Sure, a good grower can pull light chocolate or piney flavor out of it, but no one will ever mistake Gorilla Glue for something truly stanky, like Skywalker OG. The strain's THC levels override the noses of a lot of today's legal shoppers, though.

On the other hand, Super Skunk represents nothing but old school chronic. The 1994 cross of Afghani and Skunk #1 is the old yet premium pilsner I always depend on for a tasty session and easy feelings after a shitty day. Such good genes never go out of style, and seem like a worthy opponent to Gorilla Glue if bred together. 9D4, a hybrid of the two strains now declassified for Denver, gave me the chance to find out.

I'm not sure what the name 9D4 represents, but if it's something scientific, like the ninth edition of the fourth pheno or whatever, then it was worth all the work. Without compromising Gorilla Glue's potency, 9D4 vibrantly emits classic weed smells like hashy vanilla, skunk, chocolate, pine and kerosene. That immediately sold me before I'd even smoked it, so my first experience was playing with house money. And I won big.

Consider 9D4 the R2D2 of my weed stash for the next month, by my side for adventures to new galaxies at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m. The high is stimulating for the mind and relaxing on the body, starting fast and jubilantly before mellowing out to a deluxe cruising altitude after thirty to sixty minutes. That cruising altitude doesn't knock me out, nor does it keep me awake at night, making this an amiable strain for any time of day. However, waves of hunger come no matter how full my stomach is, and they rarely subside.

We've been seeing a lot of 9D4 lately, with the strain recently available in flower or concentrate at Colorado Harvest Company,  Den-Rec, Euflora, Greenfields, Green Man Cannabis, Lucy Sky, Mile High Dispensary, Terrapin Care Station and Verde Natural. According to budtenders, wholesale cultivator Indico has provided much of the 9D4 flower around town.

Looks: Both Gorilla Glue and Super Skunk have dense, bright-green buds and rusty-peach pistils, which are retained by 9D4 — as is Gorilla Glue's heavy trichome coverage.

Smell: Like a stoner's bouquet, notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, gas and pine are all wrapped up inside a heavy skunk aroma.

Flavor: Skunky, chemical and pine flavors predictably overshadow 9D4's hints of spicy cocoa and vanilla, but the smoke is layered and well-rounded, cloaking my mouth in a Chem and Kush aftertaste that sticks to my breath for hours.

Effects: As much as I love 9D4's smell and flavor, it's also one of my favorite utility strains, providing my body with relaxation, mental and spiritual enhancement, mild creativity and a never-ending bout of the munchies. While there's a comedown, it isn't debilitating, enabling use in the morning, afternoon and evening without keeping me inside or aloof.

Is there a strain you'd like to see profiled? Email [email protected].