Why Colorado Tokers Love Purple Punch

A couple of friends and I recently lugged about fifty beers three miles up a mountain for a camping trip, then argued over who was carrying all those cans back down. My buddy’s girlfriend, meanwhile, brought two liters of pinot noir in a bag and didn’t have to worry about shit. Not only did it make me realize how dumb my drinking habits are, but it also reminded me how much I miss that purple stuff. Not purple drank (R.I.P., Pimp C), but purple weed — and I wasn’t particular about what kind during a dispensary run on a hot July afternoon.

My visit turned up several popular choices in Blackberry Kush, Northern Lights and Purple OG Kush, but I decided to try something new in Purple Punch. Or new to me, at least. Purple Punch began making a name for itself in dispensaries in 2017, with fat, supple buds that win in the looks department and trichome production. A mix of Grand Daddy Purple and Larry OG, Purple Punch’s potential to create amazing hash has made the sedative strain a hit among regular users and medical patients, while its dense, violet buds draw in excited newbs like flies to a bug zapper — and then fries them just the same.

Like most strains with syrupy grape aromas and purple buds, Purple Punch is best enjoyed at night. Treat it like a spiked beverage bowl of sweet disaster at a high school dance, or you’ll be face first on the ground. My initial foray reminded me a lot of being seventeen, waking up with a dry mouth and a sock missing, wondering when my mind went from chatty to crisply burnt the night before. Even if the initial feelings are giggly and social, keep your sips of this one small or you’ll be passing out early.

We’ve spotted Purple Punch at Ajoya, DANK, the Green Solution, the Herbal Cure, Herbs4You, Kind Love, the Joint, Kaya Cannabis, Lightshade, Northern Lights Cannabis Co., Peak, Rocky Road, Roll Up Dispensary, Seed & Smith, Wellness Center of the Rockies and Wolf Pac Cannabis. And if we’ve seen it at all those stores, you can bet on it being available elsewhere. My favorite cuts — both of which might as well be dripping with grape soda — come from the Herbal Cure and Kind Love.

Looks: An indica by nearly every stretch of the imagination, Purple Punch comes in dense, circular and scone-shaped buds and can foxtail at times. The calyxes, dark purple and rich, have a sugary layer of trichomes, like a bag of concord grapes.

Smell: Purple Punch is much like Kool-Aid or Fun Dip powder, with notes that are sharp, sweet and full of grape and berries. Those fruity, candy-like whiffs are covered in a light layer of grassy, earthy notes of soil and Kush.

Flavor: A little doughier and skunkier than the smell, but still full of sugary artificial grape flavor and hints of berries, which dominate that aftertaste.

Effects: Purple Punch provides a nice, easy descent into heavy relaxation and sleepy bliss, but don’t let the early effects trick you into going out long. It almost always brings users down in the end, causing loose limbs and excessive yawning. The strain has been used for minor pain, eating and sleeping disorders, stress and headaches.

Home grower’s take: “It can get these really cool leaves once the buds start maturing, and they can be kind of pink or really dark purple. Either way, it just looks really good next to those ripe, big nugs. It’s like plucking fruit off a tree. It’s pretty tough against mildew, but those buds can swell to the point of mold if you’re not careful. You’ll also need to know how to prune, because the branches and leaves will stretch, and that top nug will lord over the others. Nice harvest for a seven-week grow, though.”

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