Critical Mass - Biocare

With its well-built structure and fairly thick covering of trichomes, this sample was very attractive to the naked eye — it also had rather bright colors for an Indica-dominant sample, showcasing a variety of greens and oranges at intensities normally reserved for Sativas.  The overall structure was a bit leafy, as tiny guard leaves seemed to be everywhere, snaking around all of the calyxes.  This is probably more a genetic trait than anything done by the grow team, but it would’ve been nice to see more calyx — we had a hard time getting a macro shot of anything but leaves because of the pistil coverage and lack of outwardly visible calyxes.  We suggest a slightly tighter trim to showcase more of this bud’s internal workings, as it was impressive when we actually saw it, with densely-packed, large-headed, mostly clear-colored trichomes which were mostly well-preserved.

We didn’t really expect much smell-wise from these genetics, and it ‘delivered’ on that lack of anticipation, with a pretty standard slightly earthy, musky, and lightly citrusy smell which just was never that pungent.  Even after we ground it up, there just wasn’t a ton there, and what was there didn’t impress us compared to today’s modern strains and some of the enduring clone-only varieties such as Chem ’91 that are known for being extremely pungent.

Like the aroma, the flavor just wasn’t that special, producing a base piney, earthy type of profile that was somewhat pungent, but didn’t really taste like anything specific of noteworthy.  It wasn’t just the taste of smoke itself, but was not too far from that point — the Afghani seems to have taken charge in the flavor department for sure, as there was no Dutch Skunk sweetness in it at all.  The smoke was moderately thick and tickled the throat a bit, causing some coughing at times, but nothing major.  It burned away to a smooth light gray ash and showed a good flush.

(We are NOT doctors – personal opinion ONLY)  Mood elevation, anti-anxiety, strong appetite stimulation, body relaxation, mental relaxation, and sleep aid (especially at larger doses).

Though we could nitpick on the trim, harvest timing, and perhaps the cure (seemed like a little longer might’ve brought out more smell and flavor), we believe that this strain is mostly limited by its genetic potential — even a perfect grow of this strain will likely not blow anyone’s socks off.  That said, we always have a place for moderately potent Indica strains in our lives, and this strain fit that bill perfectly, signaling its Afghani roots in smell, flavor, and effect.  Though not overtly potent except right at the beginning, this strain had good “torque” and kept up at a fairly high level, declining smoothly over the 2nd half of the duration and leaving behind a relaxed and capable mind.  It didn’t help with severe pain, but it did really make our bodies feel good, and we like this strain mostly as an evening relaxer for days when a little mental uplift and a few hours on the couch leading into sleep is the perfect recipe.