Why Colorado Tokers Love Alien Dream

I desperately tried to tiptoe around the flu bug that just swept through Denver, popping vitamin C and obsessively washing my hands for weeks. Didn’t matter. Within twelve hours of feeling a tickle in my throat, fluids were exiting my body as though I were a Civil War soldier stricken with dysentery. And after finally breaking through a weeklong Nyquil haze, I was ready for some cannabinoid relief — an indica, to be specific.

Not smoking for a few days affects every regular user differently, but all of my friends would tell you that I become obnoxious and immature (or at least more so than usual). So finding a buff yet pillowy indica to calm my nerves was paramount on my visit to Herbs4You, and Alien Dream sounded perfect for a head-first dive back into stonerdom. Alien Dream is an indica-dominant hybrid of Alien Bubba and Blue Dream, two strains known to take users to otherworldly heights. Despite its varying genetics, Blue Dream is known for its potency and yield, drying mouths and stupefying brains on its way to being the most popular strain in Colorado dispensaries since legalization, according to BDS Analytics. Pairing Blue Dream’s famous potency and trichome production with Alien Bubba, a hulking indica bred from Alien and Bubba kushes, creates mellow nighttime effects that are more kind than weak — and not to be disrespected.

I expected a stiff punch to the chin from Alien Dream during my first foray, but was greeted by more of a gentle pull that allowed me to enjoy the visceral, giggly sensations of an indica without the fast nap. However, I decided to start smoking it earlier in the day next time, and was a bumbling fool after the second bong snapper. While the strain might lean closer to a fifty/fifty hybrid than genetics suggest, this Dream is still a cloudy force to be reckoned with.

Some versions of Alien Dream are sativa-dominant and carry Alien OG genetics, which has a Tahoe OG influence instead of Bubba Kush. That cut, said to have more pine characteristics, is popular in the Midwest and northern California, but I have yet to come across it in Colorado. I’ve found the Bubba variant on the street for over a year now, though, most recently at Herbs4You. The Ninth Avenue pot shop’s take, while a little bland in flavor, packs some heavy potency and therapeutic relaxation for only $25 an eighth.

Looks: The strain’s striking wintergreen color, sparse pistil coverage and sheath of resin glands certainly look out of this world, with spiky, compact calyxes that foxtail into odd shapes with a hard-candy coating.

Smell: Alien Dream has a floral, lush scent, with tart, rubbery hints of Diesel and quiet overtones of hash and wood that combine for a calming aroma.

Flavor: Although it looks sugary, Alien Dream’s a little too grassy for my taste. Its subtle notes of wood, citrus and hash aren’t strong enough to overpower the floral and leafy flavors, but I know tokers who find it refreshing.

Effects: The relaxing high will eventually lull you to sleep if you consume it after a long day, but that same high can also make you amenable for entertainment and easy conversation if you’re already energetic. Mental anguish and sleeping and eating disorders can all be treated by the calming effects of Alien Dream.

Home grower’s take: “This grows taller than you would think, and it smells pretty sweet in the grow. Either way, I usually grow it for potency or the rosin press, because the yields are just average, and I haven’t figured out how to cure it yet. I’ve had friends grow this outdoors, and they say it’s pretty strong against temperature change, so I could see it as a cool option in greenhouses here if anyone was up for the challenge. They also grow a sativa-dominant cut out there, though, so I’m not sure if versions differ by region.”

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