Why Colorado Tokers Love Moroccan Kush

Cannabis is a worldwide affair, with the Hindu and Kush mountain regions, the Netherlands, several countries in South America, Thailand and Durban, South Africa, all receiving international praise for the pure landrace strains they've produced over the years. If one place deserves a lifetime achievement award for cannabis contributions, though, it's Morocco.

Moroccan hash is still sold in dispensaries thousands of years after its creation. The country where East meets West is also home to one of the world's oldest edibles recipes: majoun, a balled-up combination of dates, butter, figs, nuts, spices and hash. Majoun inspired the weed brownie, according to edibles historian Robyn Griggs Lawrence, and the recipe still holds up today if you like fudge or trail mix. Morocco has even produced a landrace indica strain, Moroccan — but good luck finding it in Colorado.

There's a juiced-up contemporary version of Moroccan out now, though it may have too many alter egos to achieve stardom. So far I've seen it also labeled as Rockin Kush, Rock n' Kush and Morockin' Kush, names that cause most budtenders to glaze over. Moroccan Kush is out there, though: All you need is a good pair of nostrils to spot it.

A cross of second-generation phenotypes of Moroccan and Pakistani Kush, Moroccan Kush is a new-school spin on classic genetics. It has an unmistakable cheesy aroma and one of the creamiest smokes I've enjoyed in a long time, yet it's still somewhat of a rarity in dispensaries. I only know of two Colorado growing operations currently cultivating the strain, and it's not very popular across the country, either.

As an ardent fan of cheesy cannabis and citrus-free palate-stuffers, I hope dispensaries get their priorities straight here, because Moroccan Kush has a spot in my evening rotation for as long as it's available. It's too early to call the strain my favorite of the year, but this creamy delight will definitely be on the short list.

Looks: Bright green and cone-shaped, Moroccan Kush's buds don't look like they have such a strong indica heritage, but they're fierce, nonetheless. A thick coat of amber trichomes and dense calyxes make sure of that.

Smell: Moroccan Kush is one of the cheesiest modern strains I've come across, but it's more sweet and creamy than funky. Pine, rubber and spice notes aren't weak in their supporting roles, either, giving Moroccan Kush a complex but identifiable aroma that's essentially devoid of citrus or fruit qualities.

Flavor: That milky-sweet creaminess somehow comes through in the smoke, almost massaging my tongue to open up for more dry flavors of resinous pine and juniper. The taste is smooth and warming, but not without a little zest, almost tricking me into feeling like I've had a bowl of soup.

Effects: Moroccan Kush's knockout power isn't in the heavyweight class, but it will put you down by a thousand jabs. Mental euphoria and stress relief hit me right off the bat, while the munchies come in strong about an hour later. The high usually leaves enough concentration for you to complete most tasks without forgetting a step, but prepare to yawn yourself to sleep eventually, even if you didn't feel tired at first.

Where to find it: A Cut Above, Doctors Orders, Elite Cannabis, Golden Meds, Greenfields, Herbs 4 You, LivWell Enlightened Health and Social Cannabis have recently had Moroccan Kush on the menu, but we hope more Denver stores will carry it soon. LivWell grows an in-house version, while Cherry is likely responsible for the rest of the Moroccan Kush around Colorado. No disrespect to LivWell, but Cherry's cut is the only version worth buying right now. The cheesy, creamy smoke warms my body like a cup of hot chocolate, leaving me enough energy to read a book or watch a movie before my eyes slowly shut.

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