Marijuana Strain Review: Bubba Kush at Denver Dispensary

Ever have a day when you want to shut out the world? That was me a few weeks ago, after an avalanche of bad news. First, I got a parking ticket on a street that never has meter maids, then a date bailed on me (I hadn’t been excited, but my ego still can’t handle that), and to top it off, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson tore his ACL and went out for the season. I’m a cheesehead. Sue me.

By the time I got home, all I wanted in my hand was a nug of a heavy indica. Fortunately, I had prepared myself for such a turd of a day. In my bottom desk drawer — out of sight and out of mind — I had been saving a gram of a classic strain known to put me out faster than golf on TV: Bubba Kush. With similar genetics to the Purple Pre-’98 Bubba Kush strain I recently found at Euflora, this Bubba came from the creatively named Denver Dispensary, which is known for its potent versions of pillar strains like Sour Diesel, Grape Ape and Durban Poison. What I was about to smoke had an impressive pedigree, and at $18.72 after tax, I was expecting a haymaker.

The gram I’d been sold was definitely bottom-of-the-barrel. Six or seven dry, feeble nugs and a small pile of frosty leaves fell out when I overturned the bottle. That’s not to say it smelled like grass: Sweet, pungent aromas of mud and vanilla and spicy hints of nutmeg popped out each time I broke up a nug. And although they were the size of a small fingernail, each tiny bud was a deep forest green, covered in amber trichomes and shaded with brilliant hints of purple. I needed to get in my pajamas before sparking this; I knew I was about to go comatose.

There were a decent number of leaves, so instead of smoking them, I put them aside for my vaporizer and decided to pack a few bowls in my freshly cleaned pipe to get a grip on the taste. I was immediately impressed. Berry-chocolate flavors were rounded out with a strong earthiness on the back of my throat, and they remained with each hit until the bowl was cashed. My neck tension from a bad night’s sleep quickly drifted away, along with any thoughts of parking tickets and flaky dates. (My heart still hurt for my Packers.)

After thoroughly enjoying a gram of unimpressive buds, I can only imagine what some burly nugs of Denver Dispensary’s powerhouse indica would do to me. I try not to give pot shops a hard time for bud quality when only buying a gram, but at $15 before tax, all aspects of quality should be consistent. Still, the sesh was satisfying and provided me with the early sleep I was looking for. I’ll be back at Denver Dispensary soon, but I might buy an eighth next time in hopes of securing a more eye-pleasing stash.

Strain Gang is our weekly critique of a cannabis strain at a recreational store. Have a suggestion for a strain review? Send it to [email protected].