Why Colorado Tokers Love Lem Dog

Not sure if it was that report of record inflation, an insurrection hearing half the country doesn't care about or the human shit in front of my house, but last week had me down. With a  bad case of 2020s mopes, I needed something to take the edge off without gluing my flat ass to the couch. It was time to turn to my old friend Lem.

Short for Lemon Dog and liable to go by a few other names, Lem Dog is reportedly a mix of Chemdog and Lemon Skunk. Or Chemdog and Lemon G. Or Lemon Tree and a Chemdog phenotype from Northern California. Hey, no one ever said this cannabis thing was perfect, but they're all similar strains and carry the same mix of lemon cleaner, skunk and morning dew.

I've smoked Lem Dog in the Bay Area and Arizona, and was lucky enough to come across a homegrown version in Texas a few months ago. Seeing it on Denver dispensary menus felt like an olive branch from the universe, which I quickly grabbed. The $35 price tag on an eighth made me think the quality was safe enough for a pre-order. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

On better days, Lem Dog is a clear-cut mix of lemon and Chemdog characteristics. The bud structure is a little fluffy and leafy for my taste, but the flavor profile is a solid B for anyone who enjoys older sativas, and the daytime effects are dependable. Even when the price disappoints, Lem Dog always provides an enjoyable boost for exercise, park trips or chores at home. I rarely have to worry about losing focus, and a little goes a long way despite the average looks. Colorado's current Lem Dog offerings on the market need improvement, but give this sleeper a shot if you want a reliable daytime toke.

Looks: The wrong hands can make Lem Dog look scruffy and outdoor-grown, because it likes to spread and stretch. That makes breaking up the forest-green nugs a pain, while the loose sativa structure and mediocre trichome coverage will turn off some users.

Smell: A skunky mix of chemical cleaner, citrus and wet forest ground, Lem Dog has more earthy and herbal characteristics than a typical gas or citrus strain. However, Colorado's commercial versions haven't fully showcased the strain's ability yet.

Flavor: Lem Dog is minty, dry and lemon-forward at first, with skunky and earthy overtones clinging to the sides of my tongue. The chemical and herbal flavors come in at the end and like to hang around for a while.

Effects: Lem Dog provides two layers of stress protection. Not only does the high melt away anxiety and worries, but I find myself more excitable and curious. My head gets spacey if I smoke Lem Dog on an empty stomach, likely from the Chem side of things, and there is a slight comedown at times. Still, the attentive and stimulating effects Lem Dog provides would make it a perfect daytime sativa — if not for constantly puffy eyes and a growling stomach.

Where to find it: Lem Dog also goes by Lem Dawg, Lemon Dog and Lem Chem, though there are probably more names and spellings out there. We've found it at Bonfire Cannabis, Chronic Therapy, Doc's Apothecary, Euflora, Flower Power Botanicals, Green Tree Medicinals, Karing Kind, Kind Castle, Life Flower Dispensary, Local Product of Colorado and Pure Dispensary.

Wholesale growers Loudbird and Peak Mountain cultivate the majority of Lem Dog flower out there, with Green Treats and O.Pen selling extracted versions of the strain. While Peak Mountain's cut provided a respectable high, the smell and flavor were both bland and overly herbal, and the smoke harsh. Loudbird's take offered a smoother smoke and a better taste and smell, but the effects were slightly more cloudy up front and drowsier down the road.

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