I am that perennial THC aficionado for whom hemp flowers can often fly under the radar. Despite expertise that informs me otherwise, packing a bowl with hemp nugs can feel counterintuitive. I often feel like my familiarity with cannabis is inextricable from my experience with THC, and that smoking cannabis should consistently result in some manner of intoxication.
If mine is a relatable position, Cookies' CBD hemp flower might be what changes both our minds about hemp.
Historically, hemp has always been an industrial crop, taxonomically indistinguishable from cannabis, but with effects more likely to cause a crunchy headache than a psychotropic excursion. But today's hemp flowers are a world away from its industrial counterpart, and far more in line with dispensary cannabis in terms of looks, aromas, and terpene profiles. For example, the CBD flowers available for online order through Cookies are an ideal example of that chemical versatility in hemp. Visually indistinguishable from top shelf flower, Cookies' curated hemp nugs are just as sugary, dense, and powerfully fragrant as regular THC flowers.
I auditioned Cookies' Monk Fruit strain, a hybrid, CBD-forward phenotype, and despite my own perceived competence as a cannabis professional, I was justly reminded of how much more there is to smoking cannabis than getting high.
First impressions
An eighth of Cookies' CBD flower costs $40, compared to an eighth of its THC offerings, which run between $50 - $60.
The simple and effective bright blue packaging bears the brand's name in white cartoonish script. It's catchy branding that would be distinguishable from across a room or on a cluttered shelf. Cookies currently stocks three varieties of hemp flower — each grown by Secret Nature — in these bold blue packages. A silver sticker is all that differentiates each sack; the bags are opaque, with only the necessary, generalized manufacturing info stamped onto its backsides and not even a peek-a-boo window to entice potential consumers.
This calculated and distinct look is part of Cookies' appeal. The joyful script for its logo, the particular shade of blue that engulfs everything from its weed sacks to the brick and mortar shop, even rapper Berner's affiliation with the brand all tell a story.
Cookies' Monk Fruit CBD hemp flower
When I opened my eighth, I could see that the nugs had maintained their constitution, with only a fractional smattering of crumbs dusting the bottom of the bag. But the density of these nugs was not the first thing about this cultivar that captivated me, what hit me first was the smell.
Aroma
Cookies' Monk Fruit cultivar has a gassy, potent perfume so loud it practically screamed at me as soon as the bag's seal was broken. There are top notes of sweet citrus, peppery wood, and resinous pine braided into a skunky sun-baked diesel that, to the untrained nose, could be substantially offensive. To the consummate pothead, however, this is not only a familiar fragrance, it's a complex aroma that portends a robust entourage effect.
Appearance
The buds of Cookies' Monk Fruit strain are tightly structured and deep green. It breaks apart easily but crumble; it has an almost doughy give that makes it peel apart like moon-rocks rather than cured cannabis flowers. These nugs would assuredly gum-up a grinder with its oily trichomes, so I broke a bud open with my fingers and first packed a one hitter rather than attempting to roll my own spliff.
Effects
Despite the aggressive perfume, these buds have a sheer, flowery exhale. A suggestion of pine and lemon linger on the palette, but only for a breath or two post-hit. Overall, I found the smoke to be mild and silky.
A second round had me loading it into a flower vaporizer. Again, the inhale was sheer, though the phenotype's skunk was far more toothsome at low temperatures. When combusted, the mouthfeel was decidedly delicate. When vaporized, this became a mouthful of funk that might delight a true cannaisseur, but a newbie may have a harder time tolerating.
When smoked during the day, I found the effects to be both deeply valuable and barely discernible — a slight easing of superficial soreness, a slight sharpening of focus during work hours, a mood lift that turned the corners of my eyes up and made patience more accessible than it had been otherwise. When smoked before bed, however, this cultivar is a sleeping potion panacea. A few puffs as part of my bedtime routine has ensured restful, restorative sleep, which, for a troubled sleeper like myself, is an absolute life hack.
Bottom line
For consumers still in the exploratory stages of their cannabis journey, Cookies can help build a familiarity with alternative cannabinoids. For more established stoner-types, these nugs have a legitimate therapeutic efficacy that make them a primo stash box supplement.
And though Cookies' CBD flowers won't be replacing the THC nugs in my stash box anytime soon, for nights when sleep feels particularly evasive, or days that require medication without intoxication, I'll be thrilled to have it in my cannabis inventory.
Featured image courtesy of Weedmaps/Cookies
