This is a special review because I would consider Grape Gasby to be my personal all-time favorite flower that I have found in my entire life, that the universe is able to provide to us right now. Yes, I have waxed lyrical on other Cannabiotix strains, and borderline come close to bestowing this prestigious title on one or two of its others – Casino Kush, for example – but there is something I find inescapably seductive about the mysterious power of this particular flower.
Bear in mind, it is only available to buy at certain times of the year, due to what I would guess is connected to growing cycles and certain seeds cultivating flowers better in winter months than others. That means if and when you see it you should grab it very quickly.
How to describe it though? It’s a tricky one to put my finger on.
When CBX first released it perhaps two years ago, it seemed to languish on Weedmaps menus, never really moving or selling out like their other strains tended to, I just didn’t think there was any point to it existing. Plus, we were all too preoccupied with its incredible “Milk” cross breeds they had dropped that season, crossing their Kush Mountains strains with the Cereal Milk, including Kush Milk, Mount Kushmore and Kush Farms, not to mention the deviously powerful Modified Milk, which would be my favorite if I could get hold of any.
I would usually have rushed to try Grape Gasby because grape flavors tend to be some of my favorites in things like candy, soda and of course, cannabis. But they confused the buyer by dropping an almost identical strain of flower called Blew-Tooth at the same time, definitely one of their worst flowers, to be avoided at all costs. It seemed puzzling for the company to launch another blueberry-focused spin-off like this one so soon after what I considered to be the horrible failure of the Blew-Tooth.
However, Grape Gasby arrived on my doorstep one day, and what a learning experience it has been. I feel humbled. With lineage only one twist of a molecule away from its younger, more boring cousin Blew-Tooth, Cannabiotix has managed to come up with some kind of mutant monster, a behemoth, one which can be considered the showcase for why their brand has become so synonymous with the most premium flower you can find on the market today.
For some unknown reason, as tends to be the case with weed, the combination of these two particular parent strains – the infamous Kush Mountains and Blueberry #431 – result in absolutely lush, and incredibly deep flavors and sensations the likes of which I have not really come across before.
Look, a lot of you reading these reviews might think that I just dabble in cannabis and flower, perhaps that I am a casual type of smoker testing one flower to the next. But, know and rest assured that I take this incredibly seriously. More than most. I have not just smoked one eighth of this or that strain, but many, possibly in multiples of tens or even hundreds.
To quote the late Terrence Mckenna – instead of trying every drug under the sun, I find it best to lean really hard on one or two. You cannot understand the full extent and potency of fine flower until you have smoked it in vast quantities, at both high and low doses during each session, and at different times of day or night, during different moods, and life events that all dictate, shift and alter the experience like an infinite kaleidoscope from one moment to the next.
This is what keeps me coming back to cannabis flower, and Cannabitoix, whenever I can.
Going back to Grape Gasby, the strain’s name of course evokes an air of mystery, similar to the infamous literary figure it takes its name after, leaving those who come into contact with it bemused at how it came to be so rich and powerful, among many other facets behind its appeal. Something I feel makes this flower somehow even more delectable and inviting.
Cracking open the jar, you experience the most pleasing aroma of berry-infused musk, but also many other notes, ones that took me far longer than usual to be able to identify and articulate for a review.
I am at once reminded of the fragrance of the blackcurrants which used to grow in our back garden at home, which I would pick and eat in my early days. Its flavor is a lot more currant-like than grape to my palate, which is actually to its benefit. The other memory it conjures for me is touring dusty old cellars of wine vineyards in the South of France in hot summers with my parents, where we would dine at Michelin-starred restaurants. This weed looks, feels and tastes as if it was grown right on the vine with those same grapes in the wineries. What I find most enticing about this flower is how well it pairs with a good red wine. I don’t think that cannabis and alcohol often mix together very well, at least for me. On this occasion however, I have found that every time I tried the two together, the experience became more enjoyable, as they complemented each other perfectly.
This brings me nicely to the actual smoking experience itself – Grape Gasby is so tantalizing, so stonkingly powerful and brutal, that you want to tear it up and smoke it as quickly as possible. It reminds me of eating panettone at Christmas which I wait all year around for, because it is so complex and comforting in its spectrum of different flavors, and goes so beautifully with my morning caffeine fix. Its effects are described on its packaging as soothing, sedating and euphoric on the packaging, which goes some way to letting you know what to expect, but there is so much more to explore beyond those basic principles. For the less experienced smoker however these are good guides to look at when buying if you need a steer on what you’re looking for. Please also note that you will find the lineage (the two breeds the flower was grown from), along with the type of flower – Indica, Hybrid or Sativa – clearly at the bottom right corner on the front of all CBX jars.
Dr. StrainLove is a long time lover of fine weed and is always hunting for the latest and greatest strains. His search has taken him from the Coffeeshops of Amsterdam to the boutique dispensaries of California, and lots of other places in between. He loves making music, playing video games, and using marijuana to ponder the mysteries of the universe. When he’s not doing those things, he enjoys spending time with his cat.
