Colorado’s cannabis and craft-beer industries are often compared, but while they might boast similar demographics, the two businesses are very different in several important ways. For instance, unlike Colorado liquor stores, which often are state-centric in their craft-beer selections, Colorado dispensaries sometimes seem to favor California genetics over strains that got their start locally. So it’s always nice to see a hometown strain, such as Bear Dance, get some commercial love in Denver.
A cross of Snowcap and Suge Pure Kush by Colorado breeder 303 Seeds, Bear Dance is usually considered a daytime strain or even a near-hybrid by dispensaries, but it’s almost always a sedative high for me. The strain’s fruity, cheesy notes are made for an after-dinner smoke, and the effects are sufficiently calming and euphoric to relax a tired, full body.
Most commercial versions of Bear Dance carry a sweet funk, with heavy notes of cheese and chocolate and a touch of lemon. However, homegrown versions can get much funkier and fruitier and darker in color, showing the diversity in phenotypes on the market.
Thanks to its popularity among dispensary and wholesale grows alike, Bear Dance is easy to find in Colorado. We’ve seen it at Buddy Boy, the Dab by Next Harvest, DANK, Euflora, Ganja Gourmet, Green Dragon, Groundswell, the Joint, Kind Love, the Lodge, LoDo Wellness Center, Magnolia Road, RiNo Supply Co., Rocky Road, Smokin Gun Apothecary, the Stone and Tetra Hydro Center, and plenty more probably stock it as well, given the wholesale operations of Kind Love, Silverpeak and elsewhere. My favorite cut comes from Kind Love, which also sells clones of Bear Dance at the dispensary so you can grow that funky delight at home.
Looks: Although its segmented buds can make the strain look loose, Bear Dance’s calyxes can get quite dense. The strain’s round and cone-shaped buds can become extremely lime-green, with orange calyxes and plump, frosty trichomes that are good for extraction.
Smell: Floral, sour and funky with a hint of berries, Bear Dance also carries some spicy notes — but that fruit-cheese-vanilla melody makes it hard to notice. I’ve also smelled sweet notes of chocolate, pine and lemon in commercial cuts of Bear Dance.
Flavor: Bear Dance is known for sweet, floral and creamy flavors that can carry a sour lemon twist at the end. Those creamy notes and hints of lavender and citrus give Bear Dance a cheesy funk, followed by subtle tastes of mixed berries.
Effects: Don’t let a dispensary’s sativa designation trick you into smoking Bear Dance before a workout. The high is initially uplifting and euphoric, but that energy quickly fades, even if the happiness and giggles don’t. Medical patients have used Bear Dance for mental anguish and insomnia, as well as minor pain.
Home grower’s take: “This shit literally doubled in height over the span of about a week during flower. It also took seventy days to harvest, which is way too long for my taste. That being said, the smell and flavor were almost worth all the topping and maintenance it took — almost. It’s just too much work compared to other strains, even if it does taste good.”
Breeder’s take (via 303 Seeds): “The female for this project was originally thought to be a unique cut of Durban Poison, due to its sativa nature and lemon zest terpene profile, but was later identified as Snowcap by several others holding the same cutting. … The lemon/vanilla/menthol terpene profile of the Snowcap is incredible and can dominate even the skunkiest of rooms with ease. Great production for a sativa strain, with a finish of about nine weeks. A pairing with the Pure Kush/Uzbekistani Hashplant male puts the power of the Bear in your hands. Huge, hairy, snow-covered beast-sized buds with the souls of tropical butterflies. ... Expect a decent stretch on the majority of phenotypes, with a finishing time of nine to ten weeks.”
Is there a strain you’d like to see profiled? Email [email protected].