420 All Month: Clementine Kush

Recently I’ve had a spate of customers looking for strains that defy the sativa/indica stereotypes. This is almost always a fun conversation, as I get to lean into the “sativa and indica don’t really matter, technically” spiel. It opens the door for introducing people to terpenes. Yeah, a lot of indica are cultivated to be more relaxing, and yeah, a lot of sativa are cultivated to be more heady or uplifting, but it’s not because they’re indica or sativa, it’s because of the cannabinoids, and even more so – in most cases – the terpenes.

Generally what these customers are looking for is a sativa that won’t give them anxiety, or an indica that won’t make them sleepy. A hurdle we have to overcome at my store is that we are recreational, not medical, so we have to be careful not to “diagnose” or make specific and definitive medical claims about cannabis products. But this has turned into a bit of a boon, because we can use that excuse to break down the mechanics of cannabis a bit more, so that customers don’t just know a strain or two that they like, but why they like it, and how it functions, so that they can be a more informed consumer of cannabis in general.

It is still a bit tricky, as everyone reacts to cannabis at least a bit differently, but over the course of the last two and a half years and thousands of customer interactions I’ve had, I’ve compiled a fairly reliable series of questions meant to narrow down what it is that does and doesn’t work for any individual customer. Sometimes we don’t have enough information to work with, so we have to make some guesses or assumptions, but I’m always careful to make sure that they know where those fuzzy or gray areas are, so that they can approach whatever they end up buying with the necessary care for their own health and enjoyment.

A strain that has come up frequently (when available) in these conversations is Clementine Kush, a sativa not too high in THC, whose dominant terpene is Myrcene, a terpene that while citrusy, is more of an earthy, rich, pungent citrus, as opposed to the more classic lemony Limonene terpene. Myrcene is also the most commonly abundant terpene in cannabis, and largely responsible for the heavier, couch-lock, sleepy effects (at least from the terpene side of the profile of a strain). Beneath that in Clementine Kush are terpenes with herbaceous, floral, and fruity notes that provide a range of potential effects, including a more uplifting and euphoric tone to the head high, enough so to override the potential sleepiness from the Myrcene for most people. For anyone looking for a nice, balanced high, Clementine Kush provides an excellent path forward. It’s got a medium-bodied smoke, with pleasantly contrasting flavors, and a high reminiscent of an old school Kush-style chill, but that keeps the head high uplifted and happy.

It won’t likely be the next entry, but I’ll have an indica that plays with stereotypes sometime this month as well, so keep an eye out. See you all tomorrow.