Hey guys. Do we have any beginners or semi-seasoned smokers out there who are hesitant to try one of the strains that are super high in THC? Or, have you ever accidentally smoked too much weed, gotten uber paranoid, and ended up sweating and rocking in the corner as your very patient friends tried to convince you that you weren’t dying? (Same.) This review is for you.
The rest of you can stick around too, though. This week’s strain is Quintessa, and it’s not just good for the beginner crowd. This high CBD, lower THC sativa hybrid has plenty of uses (besides getting you stoned), like helping with anxiety or pain, two ailments most of us can relate to.
As you might imagine, it’s not terribly easy to find a strain of weed that’s low in THC and high in CBD, at least on the recreational side of a dispensary. Strains like Charlotte’s Web, the poster child for high CBD cannabis, aren’t what people generally pick up when they have plans for a hazy weekend.
But, Quintessa is not Charlotte’s Web. This is a cross between Harlequin and Platinum Tesla, and it contains 13.2 percent CBD, but maintains a relatively healthy amount of THC – about 6 percent. You know…the percentage of THC one USED to get with the ditch weed of old, which was almost always below 10 percent THC. That 6 percent will still get you high. You just won’t get so high you can’t function.
I know what you’re thinking. What is the point of smoking cannabis if you don’t get massive amounts of THC? And the answer to that question is, “Because it’s great.”
And, unlike some of the other high CBD strains, Quintessa is available on the rec side of the dispensary, making it a good choice for someone who doesn’t have their medical card, but would like to have the medical benefits of CBD-heavy strains. As an added bonus, CBD can also counteract any paranoia from the THC, which you know is a badass quality you’ve ever smoked more than you can handle.
And some of us have really overdone it. I will never forget the day I thought I was cool enough to split a very large spliff with two people in the parking lot of a bar. We’d had a few large goblets of beer, and were about to head to another bar when someone dug that thing out of their pocket. We puff-puff-passed to our heart’s content, and about five minutes later, I was a frigging disaster. I was sweaty, I was freaking out – death was clearly on my doorstep – and I panicked in a way I had NEVER panicked before. I also felt like I was going to puke. Yeah. Screw that.
And, not only did I feel like a total ass, but I was a little shell-shocked by how legitimately panicked you can become by taking in too much THC. As with anything, too much of a good thing is…no longer good. The fear only lasted until the high came down, but I’m still careful about smoking large amounts of weed. No one needs to talk me off an emotional ledge in a bar.
Still, if you wanted to, you could probably smoke a large amount of this in a bar parking lot. It’s the mellowest of mellow strains. We were on a short print schedule this week – usually a really stressful time – but a bowl of Quintessa didn’t put me out of commission or make it impossible to get my work done. Instead, it acted as a calming force. It helped me chill the eff out, but I didn’t feel like I was in a straight jacket of slumber or apathy. I just felt the kind of relief one feels after having a good complaint session with a friend.
Yes, there are times I want to sit around stoned out of my actual mind and watch the incense smoke create mesmerizing loops in the air, but there are also times when I just want to get to a more mellow place. I could smoke this strain during the day and be ready to do just about anything. Or, I could smoke some at night and allow myself to sink into a human puddle while reading a good book or catching up on trash TV. It’s pretty versatile like that.
In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a fan of this strain. Just try it. Seriously. I think you’ll find Quintessa to be proof that there is so much more to a strain than its THC content. CBD and the other cannabinoids matter, too!
If you’re a newbie, are looking for medical benefits, or you – like me – just generally have no chill, this strain will fix you right up.
DGO Pufnstuf
See also: A review of Black Afghani
Lemon Skunk, a confusing, and confused, reviewHorsetooth will have your head in the clouds
