Why Colorado Tokers Love Apples and Bananas

We've all been there before. Thoughts are interrupted. Your headphones are sick of hitting all the same notes. Then, to finally expel the sickness, you accidentally blurt out a line of Smash Mouth's "All Star" in public. Yep, we all did that one summer.

But it's never really gone. Somewhere in the crevices of our brains, lyrics are waiting to erupt out of our mouths again. Even from a 1985 children's song from Scotland.

I hadn't heard "Apples and Bananas" since preschool, yet I couldn't help but belt it out as soon as I saw the strain on a dispensary shelf. Slightly more embarrassed about singing in public now that I'm thirty and not eight, I felt pressured to buy it after my toddler power ballad. Whether that was the result of a happy mistake or fate, I'm glad I did.

A hybrid of Blue Power, Grand Daddy Purple and Platinum Cookies, Apples and Bananas comes from the brains behind Compound Genetics, but the strain achieved its current popularity thanks to Cookies. Like a lot of Cookies-branded strains, other Colorado growers have put out their own cuts of Apples and Bananas, and it's all top-quality produce so far. Not only does Apples and Bananas bring dependable, euphoric effects anytime from noon to 9 p.m., but there are at least a half-dozen quality versions of the strain out there.

Apples and Bananas effectively kills stress and lubricates the stomach, so it's an excellent primer for happy hour or dinner. The high grows, however, so go slow, or you'll contribute little to the conversation.

Looks: Knotty and olive green, Apples and Bananas reminds me of when OG strains were all the rage. There are cuts that like to turn purple, with a 50/50 bud structure and a tendency to be stickier than average — despite so-so trichome coverage.

Smell: It's not quite the fruit cup I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless. A whirlwind of chemicals, fruit, spice and the wet forest ground, Apples and Bananas knows how to mix it up effectively. Hints of lemongrass and cherries are followed by a sour chemical blast and musty, earthy notes, though some cuts are more gas-forward than others.

Flavor: More chem-forward and Kush-like without the vanilla aspects, the fruit notes of Apples and Bananas like to wait a second before jumping around the back of my tongue. When the fruit hits, though, it really hits. Sweet notes of tangerines, cherries, red apples or ripe bananas all make appearances, depending on who grew the strain, but the cherry and orange flavors are most common.

Effects: I largely agree with a hybrid label for Apples and Bananas. The high can get spacey at times and the munchies aren't to be underestimated, but they almost always come with a strong sense of motivation to move or accomplish something. Harness that energy and euphoria, and Apples and Bananas can be quite the midday or after-work boost. Smoke on an empty stomach or inhale too much too fast, though, and you'll be brain-dead and waiting for bedtime.

Where to find it: A Cut Above, Callie's Cannabis Shoppe, Canna City, Colorado Harvest Co., Cookies, Doctor's Orders, EverBloom, Frost Exotic Cannabis, Green Man, Greenfields, the Happy Camper, the Herbal Cure, Higher Grade, Lakeshore Cannabis, the Lodge, Lova, Lucy Sky, Mana Supply Co., Medicine Man, Oasis Cannabis Superstores, Nature's Kiss, Peak, Silver Stem, Spark and WolfPac Cannabis have all recently had Apples and Bananas on the menu, but more stores probably carry it, given all of the growers and extractors that have taken a liking to the strain.

Bloom County, Colorado Harvest Co., Cookies, Cherry, Snaxland and Veritas have all grown Apples and Bananas, while Dadirri Extracts sells a caviar version of it. Like pizza, the strain seems hard to fuck up, with all six versions worth a smoke. Colorado Harvest's in-house version may bring the most bang for your buck, though, with Cherry and Snaxland's packing the most flavor.

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