san diego — The Canncierge Blog

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?

FoodFlowerFuture & Heavy Petal Creative satisfied the senses and set the stage for canna-connection, behold: The New Way to Dinner Party.

I’ve been to wine-pairings where someone talks about the food, the vino, why they go together, and an interesting tidbits about the region in which it was grown. Now, we’re doing this with herb and it just makes so much sense. Not only does cannabis enhance the senses including smell and taste, but it too has complexities that contribute to its uniqueness. Do you know the word terroir? The term reefers (heh) to the natural environment in which wine (or cannabis) is produced including the soil, climate, and topography; it lends much of what we love to the profile of the flower we consume.

Terps on Terps! I loved the cannabis pairing description for the evening - finishing with a CBD-dominant strain was totally ideal.

Event Co-Producers (L-R), Khara (@FoodFlowerFuture) and Jasmine (@HeavyPetal_SD)

When I’m sizin’ up herb, products, farms, etc., the people behind them, the terroir in which they’re grown, and the social equity impact of the brand MATTER. Just like I don’t shop certain places bc of their lack of such things, I don’t patronize generic herb bc I don’t want to support the unknown or worse - people I don’t respect. Many consumers don’t care where their herb comes from, and I don’t guilt anyone for it, I mean, it wasn’t long ago that many of of would take what we could get, but now that so much information is available about the things we value - it behooves us to pay attention in the weed-realm. I like to know where the plant was grown, who grew it, and what type of farming practices were used, etc. I generally like sun grown herb, I feel the spectrum is more complex, the flavors deeper, and it’s literally connected to the earth, as Mother Nature intended. And good thing, cause the evening was all sun grown pairings!

I dug the High Style cannabis infused nonalcoholic beer. Our chefs, wife and hubby team Mangia Ghangia added blood orange juice and we dosed it with lovely CBD from Zadaka. As a non-drinker this mocktail really worked for me, it was elevatingly refreshing. Highstyle brewery is here in San Diego, I was seated at a table with Charlie, the rep, who is also the daughter of one of the Brewers, which I just absolutely love! Family owned and operated? Hell yeah, here for it.

Always on point, California cannabis powerhouse FlowKana brought the delicious with Lime Juice, which was paired with a chilled watermelon soup and I’m still thinking about it. Terpy and citrusy with a sour note, it was a stellar palette primer for the dish and table conversation.

Alongside a burrata salad with beets, pomegranate, and Three Leaf Edibles blood orange gummies, Aloha Humboldt, a farm nestled in the Emerald Triangle, served us sour diesel joints infused with Nasha Extracts icewater hash. Uh...YUM. Delicious. And such a nicely intense high, just a few puffs and even this super stoner was feeling’ very good. These pack a smooth smoke and a slow burn the whole doob. Aloha Humboldt is also run by a husband and wife team which is fantastic and I *adore* the shade of blue in the branding, too. Meant to snap up a hat!

One of my NorCal faves, Aster Farms paired their Deep Sour Kush with the chimichurri hangar steak course last night and I swear that joint was like the steak of weeds. Dank, savory, delicious - it was spot on as a pairing. The terpene beta caryophyene is prominent in both the strain and pepper that was used in the steak marinade. It’s technically a terpene BUT this compound modulates neuro receptors in a similar way to cannabinoids; it’s due to the presence and interaction of terps and cannabinoids that induce the coveted entourage effect. Also, Stef, you’re a delight.

This evening stuck out to me as a cultural shift. I’m used to going to events with mainly women (which in themselves are a vibrant sub-culture) and I had a bunch of insightful conversations with enlightened dudes last night - it was really wonderful. It’s heartening to hear men describe how they witness women being disadvantaged in this world (and not in a man-splainey way); from men who are married to strong women to men who were raised by strong women, I have a lot of hope for gender equity because men are starting to stand up for women, they’re starting to believe us, and tell other men to be better. This reinforces my belief in cannabis as a tool for social change. We connect through and have important conversations thanks to it!

Also, there were CATS. Like ten of ‘em. Anyone who knows me knows I. Fucking. Love. Cats. The venue host operates Burton’s Pride a FANTASTIC kitteh rescue who made a big impact during the recent fires and are rehabbing kitties beautifully - if you’re in the market for a fully loaded puss at a fair price check them out right meow (sns). My heart is grateful for Khara of @FoodFlowerFuture, my dear friend @heavypetal, my pals Mangia Ghangia, who’s fare is like a hug for the culinary soul, and for all the event sponsors - whatta goodie bag! This is most definitely the next level dinner party - truly it was food, flower and future. My spirit so needed it.

Mangia Ghanja’s perfectly executed cloud-like raspberry soufflé with ganache square - all other desserts are entirely ruined for me after this one.