One (land)Racy Strain Review: Red Congolese

What’s a landrace cannabis plant? Think of it as you would heirloom fruits and veggies. These are plants of “pure” genetics that haven’t crossed paths with others, and not only have the genetics on lock but the #terroir (eg the characteristics conferred by native soil & climate) of where they were grown. So, most anything found in today that’s called landrace is carrying the GENETICS of the ancestor plant but likely lacks the OG terroir. Does that make sense?  

Anyway, winner of the ‘13 Cannabis Cup and longtime love of old school stoners, Red Congo is a straight-up #sativa; I won’t even say ‘leaning’, bc this baby shows all the signs of being the closest thing to a pure sativa I’ve smoked in a very, very long time. 

The lineage of Red Congolese is a tad debated. There is some belief it’s an African landrace strain and others believe it to be a combination of Mexican and Afghan genetics. From what I’ve read in multiple, diverse sources (including this one from Chronicle Books), it seems like all three regions are in there somewhere. THC levels of Red Congolese cannabis flower average around 18-20%; these “live resin diamonds” are clocking in at 82.7%! This extract is a collaboration between Bay-area based GoldSeal (purveyors of excellent flower) and well known extractor/cultivator, Nug. 

The high gives me a energy, mental clarity and, awesomely, a boost in creativity; I knocked out web content for a client after a bonghit or two and felt weightlessly euphoric while doing so. Red Congo gave me an enjoyable full-body tingle, too. Oh, how I love a good tingle. 

Though evidently not a true landrace, this strain is derived from an indigenous cultivar from the Congo region of Central Africa. Based on my research, the seeds from these tall wispy, narrow-leafed plants were brought west centuries ago and crossed with landrace Mexican and Afghani cannabis plants. Please, if you know more about it share in the comments! 

Personally, it’s a great strain to smoke then tackle either physical or creative mental tasks. I found the high from one fat low-temp dab to be long-lasting, extending into the 4-5 hour range. Seriously! I didn’t even think about another dab...for hours. That’s pretty unique for me. The prime terpene present here is #caryophyllene, which helps imbue euphoria plus it enhances pain relief due to its anti-inflammatory properties; perfect example of #entourageeffect. Red Congo smells of tart, overripe fruit, very terpy, and has a sweet, spicy, cheesy flavor - it’s like a cheeseboard of weed! 😂 

For me, this is an ideal day-smoke. Not an extract to use shortly before bedtime bc it revs me up, but maybe a mid-afternoon puff to carry me nicely into evening. I’m parsing this out frugally because I love it so much! 

Fun fact: Bob Marley’s favorite strain was reportedly “Lamb’s Bread”, also a landrace, endemic to Jamaica. 🇯🇲

Have you experienced Red Congo? Have anything to add? 

Women's Weed Night

We had so much fun at the last Women’s Weed Night!

Lifted ladies ranging from our 30s to 70s gathered in a private residence to learn more about the sacred cannabis flower, discover vetted effective products, and workshop new techniques to embolden and improve the cannabis practice. Here’s a little bit about the evening.

Opening with champagne and introductions, we dined on uber-tasty vegetarian, gluten-free lasagne by the very talented multi-talented Christine Dionese.  After we had a bite, we kicked off the evening with some background on the difference between hemp and cannabis plants, drilled down into the active compounds of THC and CBD, then briefed peeps on the ECS. Everyone in attendance had at least a mid-level understanding, so the content was tailored.

We like to do something we call “level up” with #cannsumption, starting with the non-psychoactives and moving into THC. I highly recommend this practice, especially for women, (since THC impacts us more quickly), for those on other medications, or who are very sensitive to THC (fyi: you are one of these people if you get really paranoid, nauseated, sweaty, etc. when you smoke a sativa-leaning weed). Even for veteran stoners, you really don’t know how different compounds and combos of said compounds will take to your system - I don’t care if you’re Snoop - but especially when mixing edibles, flower & concentrates - TAKE YOUR TIME. And, very good thing to know: CBD counteracts the negative things like paranoia, nausea, and shakiness that some strains can cause in certain individuals - I keep it on hand for those moments of too much cannsumption (they happen, trust).

First Course: CW Everyday Hemp Extract for everyone! I literally want to yell that daily. We started the night off with my health supplement obsession, non-psychoactive #hempextract from Charlotte’s Web. Adults generally will use 1-2 droppers twice daily for optimal results, so we all had that dose to kick off the evening, in addition, we sipped CBD-dosed cocktails I posted to Insta about earlier. I’m pretty into healthy living (though I cannot pass-up a coldass coca-cola) and CBD has been in my orbit for a while now, but, moreover, this product has become a staple for my family, not just for me: I use it to quell inflammation, improve skin & brain elasticity and it has helped joint pain from old soccer injuries diminish; my husband is using it to heal after a cycling injury and for sleep; My child also, is benefiting from CBD in topical form and uses CW’s Topical Pen, for an outbreak of eczema associated with, we think, the stress of starting school.

Second course: Marley Natural's Red Label CBD joints of ACDC, a famously relaxing strain with 17% CBD and 1.1% THC. These Js are relatively petite but pack a solid smoke, I’ve found that my “levels” are just right when I use about a 3:1 THC:CBD sort of ratio, so a few tokes of this was a really nice primer for the THC to follow, and, it was ideal for the CBD-only users of the group who are more of a reversed form of me, so more CBD to THC. Your shoulders will drop a little bit, you’ll feel your muscles relax, and some of the ladies used the following adjectives post-smokage: “fuzzy..but only physically”, “relaxed”, “cozy”, “anxiety - gone”, “content”.

Third Course: CRAFT 1861 Premium Cannabis Oil, we tested the whole line designed to help you uplift, create, relax, and sleep; they’re also releasing a CBD:THC oil soon, which will be amazing. Craft 1861 is a brand I’m pleased to be working with in my consulting practice, they're thoughtful and effective from the start: the fresh-frozen flower is cold-pressed extracted (NO BHO, Co2, MCT, PEG, or PEG 400! No bad stuff!) resulting in very pure cannabis oil. But, then, what's done next is what sets Craft 1861 apart: in addition to extracting THC and CBD, Craft 1861 extracts those essential oils we've all been learning so much about, terpenes, like linalool, myrcene, and limonene. The terpenes are then combined in custom profiles aligned with supporting an array of common mood destinations (with which everyone can connect), then the terpene cocktails are re-combined with the pure cannabis oil to a delightful taste and remarkable affect. 

As far as accessibility, Craft 1861 is next level - eschewing sometimes complicated-for-the-novice-to-understand strain names and plant compound references, Craft 1861 designed a product using common language everyone uses in life, it's recognizable; Obviously, in pen form, micro-dosing and discretion is just total necessity. I've affectionately named the line my “Weed Wardrobe” because I keep the set on deck to support daily across-the-board needs: Uplift, for a bright, "day" medication; Create for an energetic euphoria ideal for making, thinking, and doing; Relax for when you need to chill and allay some pain; and Sleep, for exactly that. And, what’s heartening is that I’ve received positive feedback from one client using Craft 1861 Sleep to wean off of ambien: she reports better, more sustained sleep and no more fear of addiction...or nude sleepwalking!

In their collective, Craft 1861 works with farmers from Calaveras County, CA, and pays their farmer-partners a fair wage for sustainably sungrown, organic marijuana for their exclusive use. I really, REALLY trust this brand philosophically and scientifically - and I do not say that lightly. Check them out at www.craft1861.com, ask for them by name at your shop, or find them on Weedmaps. Obviously, nothing for sale here folks!

Fourth Course: Homegrown Cheesecake Joint packed to the gills. My grow partners and I just took this strain from a nice slow cure and it’s dank, cheesy, and elicits an extremely stoney, sort of silly euphoria, leading to...

Fifth Course: Donuts & an episode of #Disjointed. Naturally.

We closed our workshop with hugs, new friends exchanging info, and a collective feeling of happiness from watching one’s community grow before her eyes. Cannabis heals, unites, and makes us better people - it’s a beautiful thing to witness, especially among a group of women spanning multiple generations. For more information on my work, classes, and retreats visit thecanncierge.com or on Instagram @thecanncierge.