Why Colorado Tokers Love Blue Garlic

Garlic, onions and steak are all on the menu at dispensaries now that growers are experimenting with savory strains. Sure, the general public prefers weed that smells like it was grown in a bakery or candy shop, but hash heads and longtime users appreciate the zesty qualities reminiscent of allium plants, which include garlic, onions, shallots and other bulbs associated with sautéing.

My only beef with allium-like terpenes is that they don't play well with others, outside of gas and hash aromas; mixing pungent garlic notes with other popular cannabis flavors like fruit or lavender usually doesn't work out. While this might limit the mass appeal of savory strains, it hasn't stopped growers from trying to breed the next transcendent hybrid of sweet and savory. And we all know stoners love sweet and savory.

Successes are limited so far, but I respect anyone pushing boundaries for the sake of tastebuds. Blue Garlic, a combination of GMO, Purple Punch and Lemon OG (or potentially Blueberry, but the trio version is more common) presented an intriguing play on two very different tastes and a relaxing high. While I wasn't optimistic that the flavor would work out, at least Blue Garlic could help me fall asleep when needed — or so I thought.

Blue Garlic's clunky blend tasted like someone making sauce for the first time. All of the herbal, zesty, fruity and sour flavor notes would have been good on their own, but misfired as a unit. The high was a pleasant surprise after my first run, though. GMO and Purple Punch are sedating and best kept for the nighttime, yet Blue Garlic brought an upbeat euphoria that only goes wrong when caffeine or too many tokes are involved. Burn slow and responsibly, and Blue Garlic's high can be productive almost immediately.

Looks: Lime-green, fuzzy and lightweight despite a compact appearance, Blue Garlic buds remind me of a caterpillar. That cuteness might not impress trichome hunters or weed snobs, but it's not unimpressive, either, especially if you dig a 2000s sativa look.

Smell: The sour, syrupy hint of blue raspberry, a sharp citrus jab and an herbal and zesty blast of garlic aren't a winning combination for my nostrils, but some people enjoy it.

Flavor: Citrus, herbal and spicy notes with a syrupy berry glaze is a different choice, for sure, but not one my tongue can get behind.

Effects: I expected a relaxing high given the GMO and Purple Punch background, but Blue Garlic's high was surprisingly upbeat and allowed me to zone in on tasks or activities for hours. It becomes too racy if overdone or smoked on an empty stomach, so take a slow ascension in order to avoid high anxiety.

Where to find it: We've recently spotted Blue Garlic at 14er, Apothecary Farms, Boulder Wellness, Callie's Cannabis Shoppe, Den-Rec, Fresh Baked, Dank, Golden Meds, Harvest House, Jars, Karing Kind, Kind Love, Lakeshore Cannabis, Leiffa, Little Brown House, Local Product of Colorado, The Lodge, Lova, Magnolia Road Cannabis Co., Medicine Man, Morrison Gardens, Reefer Madness, Rocky Mountain Cannabis, Silver Stem Fine Cannabis, Skunked, Social Cannabis, Solace Meds, Space Station, Three Rivers Dispensary, Unity Road and Xclusive Cannabis, but more stores probably carry it.

14er Boulder, Callie's, Dank by Pank, Leiffa, Loyalty Farms and Qualis all grow Blue Garlic for dispensary distribution, while Lit and Three Rivers have in-house cuts, as well. The Flower Collective and Leiffa both sell pre-rolled joints of the strain, and 14er, Binske, George Hashington, Newt Brothers and Summit all make extracted versions of Blue Garlic. Blue Garlic flower in Colorado is mostly average and similar across the board, though. For the stankiest representation of the strain, it's worth searching out George Hashington's rosin. The soft, batter-like hash is the best showcase of Blue Garlic's interesting flavor, and provides an upbeat high that new or light dabbers enjoy.

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