NORTHERN LIGHTS X BIG BUD - A sample grown organically outdoors in Mendocino County

He tossed the bag on my lap and I could already see something I liked -- giant fucking nugs, or gangster nugs, as we used to call em back home. The buds looked exceedingly pampered for an outdoor crop, most of the outdoor I encounter is a good deal more scraggly.

I cracked a 4 gram nug in half to glean more information. A decently pungent smell subtly tickled my nose, and I was instantly transported back home, to dirt, to forest, to rotting plant material. The smell was earthy, even a little grassy. Not grassy like not-cured-well grassy, grassy like grassy hops in an amazing India Pale Ale. I was reminded of Hot Rod Rye and Stone IPA.

I spotted a white spot inside the bud, and prepared myself for the disappointment of mold. However, upon closer inspection I noticed a small spider web inside the nug; a testament to the true organic nature of outdoor growing. The inside of the nug revealed what the wind and water that pummeled the plant outdoors had hidden, decent amounts of resin. This was commercial weed, but done well. All of the nugs in the bag were between 2-5 grams, and beautifully shaped.

The fairly dense herb took a couple of hard twists of the grinder before it gave in. The smoking experience was much like a 2 or 3 dollar cigar, very earthy, and not much more. With a strain like Northern Lights x Big Bud, the taste and smell take a backseat to the large and fast production of the humongous nugs, so I wasn't expecting to much in terms of complexity.

A couple of bowls later, I realized that I was decently stoned. The high had lots in terms of body, but not as much in terms of head. It was like being immersed in a hot tub. I looked at the rain outside, threw in a Wonder Showzen DVD, and prepared for a long night in...