Why Colorado Tokers Love Grandpa's Stash

Smoking weed with your parents isn't the outlier it used to be: Half of them were getting high in secret before legalization. But with your grandparents? That takes levels of diplomacy that Henry Kissinger still dreams of. Go ahead, look it up. He's alive.

Coming across Grandpa's old cough medicine was much more likely than coming across his stash, but grandfatherly characteristics are forever linked to cannabis. Qualities like "old man's closet" and "grandpa's gym socks" are commonly used to describe funky cannabis smells and flavors. I've heard a wine sommelier use similar phrasing when describing a natural red. And when I meet a cheesemonger, I'll be sure to see if they go there, too.

Although it's an acquired taste, I've always been a fan of pot that reminds me of basements, expensive charcuterie, new tennis balls and most things musty (there's a difference between plant mildew and funky terpenes). I also like strains that pay homage to the classics. The family tree behind Grandpa's Stash, a mix of ’90s OG Kush and Super Skunk phenotypes and a ’70s cut of Afghan Kush from Ethos Genetics, accomplishes that and then some.

Hats off to Ethos for figuring out how to give us a strain with an old-school background that still fits inside commercial production windows, because most of Grandpa's Stash's predecessors have fallen out of favor with growers trying to harvest in eight weeks. Afghan Kush is a pure indica from Central Asia with heavy sedative qualities, while OG Kush and Super Skunk are two timeless strains that helped bridge the gap between chronic and connoisseur cannabis. But outside of OG Kush, which is very much a results-may-vary strain at this point, you probably won't find many dispensaries carrying these. A mashup of all three sounds like a sensory journey worth chasing, though, and a long list of Denver-area dispensaries currently have Grandpa's Stash on the menu.

Looks: Average in density and trichome coverage by today's standards, Grandpa's Stash's bright-green buds remind me of 2006. That's not to say it looks weak, but it flashes back to a softer, lime-green style that Golden Goat fans would recognize.

Smell: Hints of hash, pine, skunk and teakwood are noticeable out of the gate, with an unmistakable earthiness that Afghan and OG Kush also carry. However, a rubbery-sweet Skunk scent becomes stronger the more times I sniff Grandpa's Stash, and those famous tobacco notes are harder to find.

Flavor: Grandpa's Stash covers the tongue with dank, dirty notes of wood and juniper, with dry Skunk and hash flavors hanging around long after the session is over. It's simple, straight to the point, and worth a toke if you don't like citrus- or sweet-tasting cannabis.

Effects: Users report a relaxed, euphoric and tingly high from Grandpa's Stash, and it was quite effective at killing stress. I found the effects more upbeat than advertised, though, with sustained creativity and motivation after a few minutes of stoned-out, zoned-out jubilation.

Where to find it: Ascend Cannabis, Best Colorado Cannabis, Berkeley Dispensary, Callie's Cannabis Shoppe, the Dab, Den-Rec, Elite Cannabis, Emerald Fields, Euflora, Everbloom, Ganja Gourmet, Golden Meds, Green Dragon, Green Valley Dispensary, Leiffa, LivWell, Medicine Man, Mile High Dispensary, NuVue Pharma, Oasis Cannabis Superstores, Rocky Road, Silver Stem Fine Cannabis, Simply Pure, the Stone and Terrapin Care Station have all had Grandpa's Stash on the menu recently, with Leiffa and Terrapin both growing in-house versions.

All Pro, Colorado Gold and gLeaf also sell wholesale cuts of Grandpa's Stash, while Binske, the Flower Collective, Green Dot Labs, Magnus and West Edison have sold extractions of the strain. None of the flower versions of Grandpa's Stash in Denver right now are particularly impressive, but Green Dot's Silver Label concentrates and the Flower Collective's bubble hash-infused joints both provide a stiff kick to the chest.

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