Why Colorado Tokers Love Cobra Lips

A white stoner male born in the early ’90s, I won't surprise you by recounting a childhood full of cheesy action flicks. And the older I get, the more interested I am in the forty-year-old rivalry between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. I was always a Schwarzenegger guy, but Stallone had his fair share of classics. Cobra, a shitty cop movie Stallone wrote and starred in after unsuccessfully trying to make Beverly Hills Cop more serious, was not one of them. (Stallone was supposed to have Eddie Murphy's role in BHC; thank God he didn't.)

Cobra has since gone on to achieve a cult following for being unintentional comedy, but Cobra Lips, a terpy weed strain that dabbers love, has been a critical success from the start. Bred by Bodhi Seeds, this hybrid of Appalachia and Chemdog #3 produces strong hash yields and a lasting flavor, gaining the strain some recent intrigue in Colorado. Several wholesale growers and extractors have taken a liking to Cobra Lips this fall, and that mentality usually extends to the dispensaries they supply. If I had to be force-fed a strain, though, Cobra Lips isn't a bad choice.

Chemdog strains produce notoriously cloudy highs, and although Appalachia is too rare in Colorado to make it to my bowl, I do know it's a spawn of Green Crack, an espresso-like strain that makes minds race. Pooling the two lineages sounds like a quick trip to the land of internal questioning and forgetting why you walked into a room. That's not exactly how I want to spend this second round of self-isolation. Luckily, the Cobra Lips high, while powerful, is hardly venomous to my day.

Small amounts of Cobra Lips make activities a little more fun without getting things too foggy, uplifting both my spirit and curiosity without making me susceptible to Internet rabbit holes or afternoon naps. A joint to the dome isn't a model step toward productivity, but my body is still able to function even when my mind gets lost. And despite cutting off half of my focus, Cobra Lips' high provides enough enthusiasm to make up for the space cadet mindset, allowing me to complete tasks without falling into zones — which are dangerous when food is in the oven or Zoom calls are on the calendar. Such balanced potency is good for the "productive stoner," but it's certainly not the type to make me burnt enough to sit down for the entirety of Cobra, or even Tango & Cash. (Rocky IV's a yes vote, though. Always.)

We've caught Cobra Lips at Apothecary Farms, Emerald Fields, Euflora, Frosted Leaf, Kaya, The Health Center, Lightshade, Lova, Northern Lights Cannabis Co., Smokey's and Terrapin Care Station. At less than $30 an eighth, the Health Center take is a funky trip to flavor town.

Looks: Shining bright and battered in trichomes, Cobra Lips' glowing buds have a lighter, looser structure than their indica designation implies, with a healthy display of orange pistils covering olive-green calyxes.

Smell: Like a deep draw of thick forest air, Cobra Lips packs an invigorating hit of pine and musky, wet soil, with notes of fuel and rubber following. But the real star of the show is the back end, a sweet, tart slap of green apples that makes Cobra Lips perfect for fall.

Flavor: Impressively similar to the smell of the buds, Cobra Lips' flavor carries heavy doses of resinous pine and skunky rubber, with surprise hints of wood and a tart, fruity end.

Effects: Although it was hard to focus on a single task after smoking Cobra Lips, I remained relatively clear-minded and capable — or at least capable enough to be competent at a tenth-grade level. That might not sound like much, but it's honest work after smoking anything with Chemdog or Green Crack genetics. Consider Cobra Lips the black sheep of the family.

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