Kika Kush
Malibu Mirage, Sour Diesel, Triangle OG, Veritas Cookies
Kind Meds
Cake Pop, Muffinz Breath #1, Yuk Mouth
Kush Masters
Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, White 99
Livgreen
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel, Cake Pop, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, FUN, Gastro Pop #4, Grape Gasoline S1, Malibu Mirage, Miracle Alien Cookies, Muffinz Breath #1, Sherb Crasher, Strawberries N Cream, Triangle OG, Veritas Cookies, WRZ, White 99, Yuk Mouth
Lucky Monkey Buds
Forza Sans Souci #4, Muffinz Breath #1
Magnolia Road
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel, Cake Pop, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Forza Sans Souci #4, Frozen Dessert, Lava Breath #2, MIL, Malibu Mirage, Muffinz Breath #1, OZ Kush, Peach Crescendo #2, RUN, White 99
Magnolia Road
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel, Cake Pop, Cereal Barz, Cookies N Cream, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, FUN, Forza Sans Souci #4, Gastro Pop #4, MIL, Malibu Mirage, Miracle Alien Cookies, Muffinz Breath #1, OZ Kush, Peach Crescendo #2, Peking Duck #6, RUN, Sherb Crasher, Slurricane, Sour Diesel, Space Gello, Strawberries N Cream, Sueno, Super Sour Lemon, Triangle OG, Unicorn Poop, Veritas Cookies, White 99
Makena
Bananaghani, Cereal Barz, Slurricane, Space Gello, Wedding Crasher
Native Roots
Bananaghani, Cake Pop, Cereal Barz, Cookies N Cream, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, FUN, Forza Sans Souci #4, Frozen Dessert, Gastro Pop #4, Lava Breath #2, Malibu Mirage, Miracle Alien Cookies, Muffinz Breath #1, OZ Kush, Peach Crescendo #2, Peking Duck #6, Pineapple Blast, RUN, Sherb Crasher, Slurricane, Sour Diesel, Sour Rado, Space Gello, Strawberries N Cream, Super Sour Lemon, Triangle OG, Unicorn Poop, Veritas Cookies, WOF, Wedding Crasher, White 99
Peak North
Bananaghani, Cake Pop, Gastro Pop #4, Grape Gasoline S1, Super Sour Lemon, Veritas Cookies
Rino Supply
Cake Pop
Ripple
Cherry Diesel, Durban Kush #8, Muffinz Breath #1, Yuk Mouth
Rocky Mountain Cannabis
Rocky Mountain Cannasol
Strawberries N Cream, White 99
Rocky Road
Cake Pop, Gastro Pop #4, Unicorn Poop, Veritas Cookies, White 99
Roots RX
Gastro Pop #4, Sour Diesel, Unicorn Poop
Roots Rx
Bananaghani, Cake Pop, Cherry Diesel, Durban Kush #8, FUN, Gastro Pop #4, Muffinz Breath #1, Slurricane, Sour Rado, Strawberries N Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, Triangle OG, WOF, White 99, Yuk Mouth
Solace Meds
Cereal Barz, Slurricane, Space Gello
Star Buds
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel
TGS
, Big Bubba Diesel, Cookies N Cream, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Garlic Breath, Gastro Pop #4, Gelato 41, Lava Breath #2, Malibu Mirage, Miracle Alien Cookies, Peking Duck #6, Pineapple Blast, Sherb Crasher, Slurricane, Sour Diesel, Sour Rado, Strawberries N Cream, Sueno, Super Sour Lemon, Unicorn Poop, White 99
The 404 Dispensary
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel, El Chivo #4, Lava Breath #2, Malibu Mirage, Slurricane, Veritas Cookies
The 64 Store
Forza Sans Souci #4, Gastro Pop #4, Super Sour Lemon, Triangle OG, Unicorn Poop
The Dispo
Cereal Barz, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Gastro Pop #4, Miracle Alien Cookies, RUN, Slurricane, Sour Diesel, Sour Rado, Strawberries N Cream, Super Sour Lemon, Triangle OG, WOF, White 99
The Happy Camper
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel, Cake Pop, Forza Sans Souci #4, MIL, Muffinz Breath #1, Sour Rado, Super Sour Lemon, Veritas Cookies
Tumbleweed
, Durban Kush #8, Miracle Alien Cookies, Peach Crescendo #2, Strawberries N Cream, Unicorn Poop, White 99
Twin Peaks
Gastro Pop #4
A Cut Above
Big Bubba Diesel, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Gelato 41, Sour Diesel, White 99
ANNA
El Chivo #4, Malibu Mirage, RUN, Veritas Cookies
BUDS LTD
Durban Kush #8, Strawberries N Cream, White 99
Berkeley Dispensary
Miracle Alien Cookies
Best High
, Bananaghani, Gastro Pop #4, Sherb Crasher, Unicorn Poop
Blue Heron
Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, White 99
Buku Loud
Bananaghani, Durban Kush #8, Peach Crescendo #2, Sherb Crasher
COS Confidential
El Chivo #4, Forza Sans Souci #4, Muffinz Breath #1, RUN, Slurricane, Space Gello, WOF
Canna Cabinet
Big Bubba Diesel, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Gastro Pop #4, Lava Breath #2, Malibu Mirage, Miracle Alien Cookies, OZ Kush, Pineapple Blast, RUN, Sour Diesel, Strawberries N Cream, Triangle OG, Unicorn Poop, White 99
Cannabicare
Frozen Dessert, Gastro Pop #4, RUN, Sour Diesel, Sueno
Cherry Peak
Bananaghani, Big Bubba Diesel, Cake Pop, Cereal Barz, Cherry Diesel, Cherry Punch, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, FUN, Forza Sans Souci #4, Gastro Pop #4, Gelato 41, Grape Gasoline S1, MIL, Malibu Mirage, Miracle Alien Cookies, Peach Crescendo #2, RUN, Slurricane, Sour Diesel, Sour Rado, Strawberries N Cream, Sueno, Sunset Drive, Super Sour Lemon, Triangle OG, Unicorn Poop, Veritas Cookies, White 99
Colorado Harvest Company
Bananaghani, Cereal Barz, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Gastro Pop #4, Gelato 41, Malibu Mirage, Strawberries N Cream, Veritas Cookies, White 99
Euflora
, Dosilato #8, Durban Kush #8, Super Sour Lemon, Veritas Cookies
Herbal Healing
Big Bubba Diesel, Gelato 41, Lava Breath #2, Malibu Mirage, Veritas Cookies
Higher Grade
FUN, Forza Sans Souci #4, OZ Kush, Sherb Crasher, Slurricane

January 4, 2022

High Country: The top 10 cannabis strains of 2021

Smokey Town, the Roaring Fork Valley’s resource for expert reviews, shares their picks.

Marijuana MARIJUANA | December 31, 2021 Katie Shapiro
High Country

Shift by Dalwhinnie Farms
Courtesy Dalwhinnie Farms

The annual onslaught of “best of” lists that hit our newsfeeds every December has arrived, but most of them still don’t feel quite right as the pandemic lingers over a second ski season. After another challenging year for most of us, one top 10 list that can help? The best cannabis.

In 2018, High Country met Smokey Town (smokey.town), a Basalt-based startup that provides an in-depth database of reviews for cannabis varietals found on-shelf at dispensaries from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. Since its launch, it remains the most thorough resource for finding the cream of the local crop.

Smokey Town’s co-founders, who’ve requested anonymity from the beginning, reflected, “2021 was a year for wellness and terpenes. Some of the ways growers are working with plant genetics to bring out specific scents and flavors are simply out of this world. We saw (area cannabis companies) taking more control of their inventory and how it’s displayed, portrayed and stored.”


Working with a roster of more than 20 partners and expert judges year-round, Smokey Town scours eve-ry dispensary to compile detailed effect information after every session. There are currently close to 300 strain reviews available and subscribers of the Smokey Town e-newsletter receive an update in their in-box as soon as a new strain is added to the database.

“Packaging has also gotten more elevated with beautiful glass containers, which helps the flower cure better — if you ever get headaches after smoking, (that means) it has a bad, less-than-fresh cure,” added the Smokey Town team. “Labels are increasingly important, too, and carefully educate the consumers on the potential benefits of each strain. We’ve seen transactions move faster (in-store) with pre-packaged products. And Colorado budtenders brought in another year of record sales.”



According to the Colorado Department of Revenue’s (CDOR) latest marijuana sales, tax and fee revenue report released earlier this month, $1.9 billion of cannabis was sold from January to October of 2021 with $11.88 billion in total sales since adult-use was legalized in 2014. CDOR accounted for $392.9 million received in taxes and fees during the same period in 2021, which is allocated to health care, health edu-cation, substance abuse prevention, treatment programs and law enforcement.

Tax revenue comes collectively from the state sales tax (2.9%), the state retail marijuana sales tax (15%) on retail marijuana sold in stores and the state retail marijuana excise tax (15%) on wholesale or transfers of retail marijuana; fee revenue comes from marijuana license and application fees.

As we wind down 2021, we turned to Smokey Town again for High Country’s fourth annual top 10 rank-ings of the best strains they smoked this year — and where to shop for them in the Roaring Fork Valley.

1. SKYWALKER OG (SHIFT)

Type: Indica Hybrid

Benefits: Relaxing, pain, migraine and anxiety relief

Shop: Dalwhinnie Farms, 108 S. Mill St., Aspen, 970-429-8830, dalwhinnie.com

2. JET FUEL

Type: Sativa

Benefits: Productivity, inspiration, creativity and engaged focus

Shop: The Green Joint, 720 E. Durant Ave., Aspen, 970-925- 6468, thegreenjoint.com

3. MAC & CHEESE

Type: Sativa

Benefits: Uplifting, engaged focus, smile- and euphoria-inducing

Shop: Roots Rx, 400 E. Hyman Ave., Aspen, 970-900-9333, rootsrxstores.com

4. DAY GLO OG

Type: Hybrid

Benefits: Energizing and social

Shop: Silverpeak, 520 E. Cooper Ave., Aspen, 970-925-4372, silverpeakcannabis.com

5. MAI TAI #4

Type: Indica

Benefits: Carefree mindset, stress and tension relief

Shop: Best Day Ever, 520 E. Cooper Ave., Aspen, 970-429-8637, bestdayevercannabis.com

6. CHERRY HILLS (VERITAS)

Type: Hybrid

Benefits: Relaxation and pain relief

Shop: Tumbleweed, 304 CO-133, Carbondale, 970-510-3065, tumbleweed420.com

7. SWEET SWEET

Type: Sativa Hybrid

Benefits: Energizing, happy mindset, stress and headache relief

Shop: Rocky Mountain High, 615 Buggy Circle, Carbondale, 970-963- 4669, rockymountainhigh.co

8. LUCKY CHARMS

Type: Sativa Hybrid

Benefits: Joyous mindset, social and celebratory

Shop: The Green Joint, 720 E. Durant Ave., Aspen, 970-925-6468, thegreenjoint.com

9. GOLDEN GOAT

Type: Sativa Hybrid

Benefits: Energizing and motivating

Shop: Native Roots, 308 S. Hunter St., Aspen, 970-429-4443, nativerootscannabis.com

10. STARDAWG (SHIFT)

Type: Hybrid

Benefits: Carefree mindset and lightweight for the occasional or new smoker

Shop: Dalwhinnie Farms, 108 S. Mill St., Aspen, 970-429-8830, dalwhinnie.com

Katie Shapiro can be reached at katie@katieshapiromedia.com and followed on Twitter @bykatieshapiro.

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