Audio By Carbonatix
In a sea of generically named pot shops labeled with words like “apothecary,” “alternative,” “herbal” and so on, anything original is sure to stand out. To be honest, though, I hadn’t noticed how clever Terrapin Care Station’s name was until a friend was playing a Grateful Dead album one lazy afternoon and the song “Terrapin Station” came on. Always one to live by the WWJD (What Would Jerry Do?) motto, I quickly drove to one of Terrapin’s shops, at 11091 East Mississippi Avenue in Aurora, to check out the talent.
Terrapin got its start in Boulder as a medical dispensary, so the combined hippie and medicinal pedigree had me feeling optimistic about leaving with something special. The flower lineup was a little restrictive, however, with half-eighths the smallest available option — and most of them were priced over $20 after tax. My budtender presented me with a few fox-tailed hybrids she liked, and I narrowed my choices down to Bruce Banner and Super Sour Ghost, which both had trichomes that shined out of their containers like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. I chose the sativa-dominant Bruce Banner to keep my day going strong and bought a half-eighth for $21.50 after tax.
Bruce Banner is a tart, rubbery hybrid bred from OG Kush and Strawberry Diesel genetics. Terrapin’s cut was lemon-lime green with some faint purple shades at the base of the stems. The buds were berry-like in structure, with round, dense calyxes creating little green raspberries covered in a gleaming coat of trichomes. Diesel and fruity notes were clearly present after a sniff, but they weren’t as strong as I’d hoped, and the inside of the bottle was covered in a layer of kief — both of which made me wonder how long ol’ Bruce had been sitting on the shelf. At least I didn’t need a grinder to get it ready for a Volcano bowl, though: It basically disintegrated after a pinch.
Although the taste was a bit too mild, the Bruce Banner provided three very cloudy hits out of the vaporizer. My post-coffee jitters were mellowed, which helped relax an uneasy stomach for one very sesame-sauce-heavy Chinese-takeout lunch. I was even able to get some homework done without procrastinating too much or dying of boredom, which is a very hard balance to reach when smoking pot.
The mellow effects and subtle characteristics of Bruce Banner — also known as the skinny dweeb who turns into the Incredible Hulk when he’s angry — match up perfectly with its comic-book-inspired name.
Terrapin’s version was a relatively low-key experience that provided a back rub and shot in the rear at the same time, making it great for wake ’n’ bakes, outdoor adventures or any other daytime sesh. Just hope you get a fresher bottle than I did.
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