As medical cannabis patients, we love our medicine: not just for the sense of wellness and relief it brings us, but

also the myriad !avors and e"ects the plant contains. Cannabis is a complex biochemical cocktail. The resin-rich !owers of each di"erent variety contain a unique blend of the 85-plus potential cannabinoids and roughly 200 di"erent terpenes (the phytochemicals that give cannabis !avor and aroma) that all combine and subtly modify what the user experiences. Nearly every variety of cannabis is unique in its smell and e"ect, and are as distinctly di"erent from one another as a sweet, mild Red Delicious apple is from a tart Pink Lady. Plus, Harborside Health Center often has unusual strains not featured elsewhere to dazzle the senses of even the most experienced cannabis consumer.

Just as the incredible array of medicine available daily at HHC can be overwhelming, the spectrum of sensation in cannabis is staggering. Tastes range from sweet to acrid, and e"ects can be quite lucid and stimulating or sedating and extremely relaxing. It should be no surprise that all of this diversity gives rise to connoisseurship, much as with wine, tea or co"ee. Unlike tasters in these other realms, however, cannabis connoisseurs also pay much attention to the multitude of e"ects that di"erent varieties can bring. Truly, there are many facets for the aspiring connoisseur to consider and if you’d like to become a worldly, knowledgeable cannabis expert it’ll take some work. But don’t worry: it will be enjoyable work! Here are some helpful tips to either start you along the path, or help you re#ne your tasting techniques.

Cannabis Tasting Tips1. Make a ritual: It’s helpful when tasting to devote as much of your senses and mental energy to the process as possible. Give yourself time to consider and meditate as you medicate to ponder the e"ects and the

tastes as they matriculate through your senses. Don’t taste if you’re in a rush! A calm, clear state of mind is best if you want to fully articulate what you feel and sense. If you’ve already consumed previously, you may be able to grasp the !avors but not the subtleties of e"ect. Start with a clean utensil--no wine taster worth their grapes would sample their favorite libation out of a dirty glass. Use the same method every time--if you’re a pipe smoker, use only a pipe. Time and consistency are the connoisseur’s greatest allies.

2. Choose wisely: Use the right medicine at the right time. For instance, don’t try a sleepy indica #rst thing in the morning, or if motivation will be required later. Try something di"erent: we all have our favorites, but a good connoisseur pushes the bounds of their tastes and senses occasionally. On the other side of the coin, go back to the classics from time to time for a fresh opinion. Like many tasters, you may #nd your palate has changed or evolved with age.

3. Develop a vocabulary: The other well-established tasting disciplines of wine, tea and co"ee have much to teach the aspiring connoisseur. Most importantly, they all have a versatile language to describe the many tastes and sensations they impart to the consumer. Cannabis has its own language, too, but it’s sorely in need of expansion. Building a tasting vocabulary is best done by simply articulating what comes to mind in association to the !avor on your tongue. Descriptions can range anywhere from !owers and fruits to the more oblique and surreal, like leather, hay, old books or even rotten meat. Avoid the simple descriptors and try hard to say exactly what you’re sensing. “Lemon” says one thing, but “yuzu” or “verbena” or “Meyer lemon” all give very distinct, unique impressions. Describing the e"ect that cannabis gives can be a little more limiting, but try to be as articulate as you can—avoid vague, simplistic

terms like “stony” and strive for a more complex de#nition like “cerebral e"ect with full-body sedation.”

4. Take notes: Use that newfound descriptive language to keep a journal of your tastings. The more you sample, the harder it can be to remember the nuances of the many varieties that’ve passed over your palate. Keeping a record of types, tastes and e"ects can remind you down the line what was great and what was not. Include the lineage or genealogy of the variety you’re tasting in your notes, if possible. If you #nd you appreciate Super Silver Haze, you may want to explore its many relatives, too. It may also be helpful to create a rating system for yourself (to help navigate the diverse menu of Harborside, for instance): it’ll be easier to remember what to look for again, as well as what to avoid. Discuss your !ndings with patient consultants at HHC Oakland or San Jose.

5. Take a break: The more you use your palate, the less sensitive it can be. Avoid doing multiple tastings in a row, as perspective gets lost very rapidly. If you’d like to do another tasting in a day, give your head some time, preferably an hour or two at the least, to clear: avoid consuming more cannabis until the next session, take a walk, eat a meal, brush your teeth, etc. If possible, go without smoking for a few days to greatly increase both your sensitivity and perspective (if you do need to medicate, keep tinctures or edibles around for emergencies). One #nal tip: Other substances can change how we taste, and should be avoided during or immediately surrounding a tasting. Co"ee is especially notorious for coating the tongue with its oils, and can completely change the !avors of cannabis to an unpleasant degree. Carbonated or mineral water works well to cleanse the palate, as does water with a touch of lemon juice.

1840 Embarcadero, Oakland (888) 99–Harborside2106 Ringwood Ave, San Jose harborsidehealthcenter.com

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The Harborside Illuminator

The Harborside Illuminator: Publisher: Harborside Health Center. Editor: Samantha Campos. www.harborsidehealthcenter.com (888) 99-Harborside (888) 994-2726

VOLUME 23

Cannabis Historian, vol. 7All that you taste, all you feel By Timothy Anderson, Purchasing Assistant

Summertime...

The classic jazz tune, “Summertime,” contains the line, “Summertime, and the

livin’ is easy.” The song’s author obviously never worked as a medical cannabis grower. I’ve just returned from a two-day trip to visit one of our contract growers and let me tell you, growing medical-grade, sun-grown cannabis is a tremendous amount of work. Our patients are quite particular about their !owers and so our growers need to work extra hard to produce cannabis that will satisfy their needs. Once I arrived at a ranch and was shown the hoop houses that had been placed on terraces cut into a hillside, I had renewed appreciation of how much work outdoor growing is. I was also struck by how ridiculous it is for cultivators to have to work so hard to avoid detection.

The height of summer is a busy time for outdoor growers. A grower’s day starts early, checking the plants for damage from the night before. Watering, de-lea#ng (to allow more light in) and other plant maintenance take hours every day. The work continues until the early evening when the blackout covers are removed. Many cannabis farmers these days do at least one, if not two, light-deprived (aka, “dep”) crops in addition to the regular long season. This allows them to grow more in a season, as well as get !owers to market earlier, like by July or August.

The amount of dep cannabis seen these days has increased exponentially in the last #ve years. The technique is simple. A greenhouse of some sort is used, with most

opting for simple hoop-style constructions. Plastic PVC tubing is slid over re-bar or a similar type of anchor. The hoops are spaced a couple feet apart. The structure can be as

long as desired but most growers #nd that over 40 feet gets di$cult

to access all plants equally. The hoops are then covered with a breathable cloth,

which can also then be draped by shade cloth. This is necessary to prevent the !owers from getting burned by intense mid-summer heat. I passed dozens of examples employed by traditional agriculture as I drove through wine country on my way to the farms. I also observed many people hard at work under the hot California sun, a reminder of just how lucky those of us in this industry really are.

‘Hoop’ houses have become the standard for California cannabis agriculture today. The simple designs can be set up and taken down every season if desired. The principal that dep cultivation works by is basic. Cannabis responds to darkness not light. Flowering is arti#cially induced as early as May by drawing black plastic or cloth over the framework after 12 hours of light. This causes !owering to begin. Eight to ten weeks later, the ripe glistening ‘colas,’ or the topmost buds of the plant, are ready. Having the same dark cycle every day is crucial to a successful dep harvest. Inconsistencies in the dark cycle can result in stress that keeps the buds from reaching their full potential. In extreme cases hermaphroditism can occur, e"ectively ruining the crop. In my opinion dep can surpass long-season sun-grown both in potency and, especially, cosmetically. I believe the reason for this is that the sun is directly above the greenhouse in the summertime. Traditional long-season buds aren’t ripening until the sun is far over in the October sky. Some of the dep !owers we see at Harborside could even be mistaken for indoor. It’s often a challenge every year for

a buyer to determine if a particular sample that’s being touted as indoor was actually grown in a greenhouse.

Harborside has made a serious commitment to sun-grown cannabis. We #rmly believe it is one of the best actions we can take to help save the planet. The environmental cost of lamp-grown is astronomical and increasingly unconsciounable. Over 200 pounds of coal are needed to produce a single pound of lamp-grown! Our collaboration with member-cultivators, especially our contract growers, has yielded an abundance of top-quality sun-grown. This year we will have more than ever. In fact, the #rst of this year’s dep has already hit the shelves. A lemony Sour Diesel and a Pine-Sol-esque Headband that tested over 17% were the #rst to arrive in late July. August will bring a wide array of delicious organic strains to our patients at Harborside. Look for OG Kush, Jack Herer, Blue Dream, and Trainwreck among others, all coming in August and September.

From the patients’ perspective, light-dep cannabis has many bene#ts. We’re able to start smoking primo sun-grown months before the traditional fall harvest. These buds also routinely test high in THC. The combination of fresh and potent !owers is not to be missed.

As our readers know, I LOVE sun-grown cannabis. From the citrus highs to the skunky-funky bottom-end, there’s something for everyone in the wide realm of sun-grown !avors. Light deprivation technology has allowed the season to start earlier and multiply crops, which means more !owers are available. If you’ve never tried sun-grown or if you’re an old fan, ask your HHC patient consultant to show you this year’s bounty.

For questions or comments about Harborside Health Center, please email info@harborsidehealthcenter.com or call (888) 99-Harborside (888) 994-2726

Ganja Goodies are relatively new to Harborside, having come through our San Jose location. They were a big hit there and so we decided to try them in Oakland, where they’re also becoming quite popular. The product line has a wide variety of choices

ranging from traditional cookies, like snickerdoodle and oatmeal, to their interpretations of classic candy bars with names like Nutterfinger and Snackers (pictured). What sets apart these products from others is their quality and dosage. The cookies are delicious, with barely a hint of cannabis flavor. Unlike many edibles, which are single-dose, most Ganja Goodies are 20 doses! That’s a better bargain for patients, as the per-dose price is less. For those with a high tolerance, Ganja Goodies are effective with somewhat less sugar and calories.

In spite of all the different choices available today, many patients still prefer the old classics. Cookies and candy bars still comprise a large amount of the edibles Harborside carries, and I don’t see that trend ending anytime soon. Even amongst a crowded field the quality of Ganja Goodies stands out. Try one or more on your next visit.

Rick’s Product Pick

Cannasseur Corner By Rick Pfrommer, Director of Education, Harborside Health Center

Ganja Goodies

I LOVE sun-grown

cannabis, with its something-for-everyone

flavors. And it’s one of the best actions we can take

to help save the planet.