To call Critical Mass a hybrid may seem like a technical misnomer--after all, it is the refined combination of two recognized staples, Afghani and Skunk #1. Yet her stone careens from both extremes, from head to body, and is worth picking up if even just to grab some of the biggest nuggets on the shelf.

  Our selection from Mr. Nice Guys was as “Big Bud” as the strain’s old moniker suggested. She was dark and burly, with a firecracker appearance, sparkling in crystal and hiding purple undertones. A beautiful, floral aroma followed her from the container, sugary and brisk, like fresh rosewood. The grind revealed even another layer, the fruity musk of apple and mango.

  True to the breed, the nug was a peppery cougher, pulverizing the face before the puff was even over. An elevating buzz flowed immediately from neck back over the cerebrum and into the eyebrows. It penetrated deeply and thoroughly, all the way to the legs, in a blinking, soft-rolling creeper of a crawl that would herald the first of five distinctive levels of highness.

  The next few minutes were eternal, but in the jovial and forgiving sense. It was not debilitating, however, we were soothed. But we did not readily surrender to sleep. Thirty minutes in and we were still creative and multi-tasking fiends, able to hide the stresses of life even momentarily, as the nerves settled and queasy stomachs calmed.

  An indican slumber overcame two critics after an hour, but the rest of us were simply socially removed, yet engaged intelligently when necessary, in the sporadic interactions that followed. Some even reported the potency reached psychedelic realms as senses were enhanced to the point of hearing whispers and musical notes in the silence.

   One daytime hit was sufficient to yield 2.5 to 4 hours of a solid and workable high, yet delayed “getting on the road,” if taken less than an hour after waking. Critical Mass is a great experience but not a “go-do” strain. Though it will bring on lethargy after a long afternoon, it still provides the clear-minded functionality for some post-bake fun.

Photo by Ry Prichard