Why Colorado Tokers Love Banana Cream OG

I grew up in a Cool Whip household. Whipped cream, a delicacy only experienced at ice cream shops, was never in my fridge. But the first time I spent Thanksgiving away from my family, I found that a new world was right at my fingertips as I held that pressurized can of whipped cream over a slice of pumpkin pie. After years of treating my tastebuds to additives and high fructose corn syrup, however, this new world was a letdown.

Processed foods and man-made flavors should probably burn in hell next to asbestos, but sometimes microwaving a $1 fruit pie from Walmart and then dipping it into Cool Whip is the only acceptable dessert on a long day. After a few minutes of scanning the dispensary menu, I was hopeful that Banana Cream OG could match some of those comfort flavors while providing a mental massage against daily stressors.

Banana Cream OG is different from Banana Cream Pie, which is a hybrid of Banana OG and Girl Scout Cookies, but it is somewhat of a stepbrother. A mix of Banana OG, Blue Dream and Ocean Beach OG, Banana Cream OG doesn't pack the instantly heavy high of its Cream Pie sibling. I prefer Banana Cream OG's snowballing effects and more complex aroma, though, even if the flavor and effects sort of conflict.

Images of everything from banana bread to fernet to the occasional wafer-covered banana cream pie dance in my head when I sniff a jar of Banana Cream OG. The smell effortlessly moves from piney to sweet to spicy, but the stops in between will remind your senses of much more than that. That's true aromatherapy, Hoss. If only the high matched.

Initially uplifting between the ears, Banana Cream OG takes a while to really kick in physically, and even then it doesn't knock me out. Still, the high stays close to its peak for hours and hits especially well when you get off work early.

Looks: Average in density and bud size but with thick trichome coverage, Banana Cream OG looks like a mix between an OG and a sativa, but with the tendency to have more purple spots.

Smell: Sugary, dry and spicy, Banana Cream OG steps between invigorating and sweet at first, with thick smells of simple syrup and pine followed by notes of citrus and banana. A calming hint of spice hangs around at the end, giving Banana Cream OG a clear after-dinner aroma.

Flavor: Banana Cream OG's flavor is more Kush-forward than I'd hoped, but there are still notes of sugary syrup, vanilla and...cinnamon? While that last flavor is probably created in my head, the first two are strong enough to get there.

Effects: Although the name implies a nighttime dessert, Banana Cream OG's high starts with energy, curiosity and little physical relaxation. The effects grow with time but magnify faster with each hit. As the physical relaxation increases, my mental capacity wanes. This isn't a comedown, but more of a sustained high, so I prefer Banana Cream OG for an afternoon spent inside.

Where to find it: We've seen Banana Cream OG at 1136 Yuma, Berkeley Dispensary, Canna City, Cherry Peak, Cookies, Den-Rec, Elite Cannabis, Emerald Fields, the Giving Tree, Golden Meds, High West Cannabis, the Lodge, Lowell Gardens, Magnolia Road Cannabis Co., Mile High Dispensary, Oasis Cannabis Superstores, Native Roots, Nature's Herbs and Wellness, Nature's Kiss, Pure Dispensary, Rocky Road, Stadium Gardens, Star Buds and Twin Peaks Dispensary.

The Clear and Dos Amigos both produce hash-infused pre-rolled joints of Banana Cream OG, and the Clear sells vape pods of the strain, too. Den-Rec sells an in-house flower cut of Banana Cream OG that easily takes the cake, though. The dispensary's grow produced a strain that smells like the top half of a cup of banana pudding sprinkled with OG Kush and has the resin-covered looks to match.

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