Fans of the works of Lewis Carroll will recognize the Jabberwock as a ferocious creature with “jaws that bite,” “claws that catch,” and “eyes of flame.” It turns out that the cannabis strain that bears its name, “Jabberwokie,” is also a beast that will take you through the looking glass.
The strain, grown by Pagosa Therapeutics, won the people’s choice award in the Sativa Flower category at the High Times Cannabis Cup Colorado in August. It was the only award given to a grower in Southwest Colorado, and the first Pagosa Therapeutics has won.
Usually an in-person festival and trade show, this year’s regional Cannabis Cups have been converted to online events in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The competitions are usually judged by a panel of cannabis experts, and this year’s voting had up to 28 entries in each category judged by 228 judges.
Pagosa Therapeutics chose to submit Jabberwokie for competition because of its high potency and pleasant effects, said Scott Raymond, director of cultivation. The strain’s frost indicates a high concentration of trichomes — the tiny factories that produce cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids — the things that make cannabis enjoyable. It was the first strain the company submitted for competition.
The strain has a diesel, skunky smell, and also some sweetness, all likely a result of its lineage. Genetically speaking, Jabberwokie is a cross between an especially great resin-producing cut of Lucky Charms and Bio-Diesel — two strains with extensive family trees.
[image:2]Jeremy Bonin, who owns the dispensary with Jason Werby, said Jabberwokie probably isn’t the right flower for an inexperienced smoker.
“It’s extremely complex and delicious and potent,” he said. “Every batch so far has tested over 30% (THC). It’s rare that you get a good strain that tests that high and also has the terps that go along with it — that still give it the taste and smell and the true full-spectrum effects that you get. A lot of times when you have really high testing bud, it seems like the terps aren’t there — so it’s kind of a one-dimensional high, but (Jabberwokie) definitely has the multidimensional effects that we’re looking for.”
People who have smoked it tend to agree.
One of the people who judged the strain for the cup submitted the following anonymous comment: “The smell is to die for. It hits your nostrils and sends a tingle through you as it grabs your attention. The flavor was sharp and sweet with a smooth burn. It creeps in and leaves you in a sweet light haze that sips the tension out of every muscle. Leaves you comfortable and refreshed.”
Raymond said the dispensary’s most recent crop of Jabberwokie would be hitting shelves within October. We forgot to ask him if, like its namesake, the plant has to be harvested by a vorpal blade (as it goes “snicker-snack,” no less).
[image:3]Pagosa Therapeutics has operated in Archuleta County since 2013, and the shop part of the dispensary features windows into the company’s grow rooms so that customers can see the plants and flowers — including Jabberwokie, now or in the very near future — that eventually will be sold in its stores. Bonin said he decided to create a shop in which cannabis connoisseurs could see the growth of the plants in action after visiting the Netherlands to attend the Cannabis Cup in 2000.
In addition to its Pagosa Therapeutics location, the company operates The Green House dispensaries in Pagosa Springs and Durango.
Will Jabberwokie fill you with such joy that you chortle, “O frabjous day! Calloh! Callay!”? There’s only one way to find out.
Nick Gonzales
