Shopping Carts: Platinum Haupia

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Vapor: Fresh Sugarcane Stick, Biscotti, Grassy Caraway. Vol. 8

EFFECT:

Above Average Strength – Deep set eyes, hazy head. Pressure in the temples. Cotton mouth.

OVERALL:

Quick shout out to Bonafide Dispensary in Maywood, CA for collaborating with me and their commitment to work towards an unmatched dispensary experience for their consumer. It’s always a good day when I’m smoking on some flower grown by the Norcal giants, Shopping Carts or Mount Burnin. This particular Haupia pheno, entitled Platinum Haupia, is not the first time I’ve tried it, but is the first time I’ve sat down to properly review it. Will be interesting comparing this batch to previous ones.First impressions of the nose are sweet and vegetal, with a touch of musk. There’s almost a coffee-like darkness to the scent, if that makes any sense. Combined with the ferality it almost turns chocolate, which turns out to be the most interesting terp to pick up on the nose. There’s a bit of bad odor, ripe armpits that haven’t received deodorant. And this all swirls into a sharpie marker and lingering surgical vanilla scent that plays off little notes of sweet potato and ube just as it’s starting to turn.

As I break open the bud, instantly I detect a splendidly sweet cherry that gets swirled into something that reminds me of both swimming in the ocean and passing by the aquarium section in a pet store. You know the smell. I do wish the volume was a little louder, but overall, it is lush and inviting.

Since most Haupia flowers are closely related to an LCG pheno, I’m not surprised that the nugs in my pack are small so no points off there. The bud looks healthy, but just a small sample of the 1/8th contains a couple pieces that just looked hacked up. These parts were void of terps, most likely from having started the ripening process from being bruised months ago.

But to be honest, I don’t smoke these flowers for how they look. Flavor is what really counts and also where Platinum Haupia delivers.

The smoke is buttery smooth, allowing me to intake huge one hitters that nearly touch the brim of my bowl. With cannabis, sometimes more is more as the flavor really starts to roll as the plume is grazing over the palate.Picking apart the individual players in the symphony, I recognize floral notes competing against musky gas, which turns into something else altogether when mashed together. Violet candy, some cardamom and baking spice, and a light orchid-infused bread dough really bring the tropical vibes that Shopping Carts is known for. The finale concludes with a lingering tartness and texture that reminds me of panna cotta without any sweetener.

As a reminder, and for those that are new, clean glass or ceramic and temperature control is the most unadulterated way to enjoy the flavor of cannabis. That means a clean glass or ceramic tip if you like to roll, with papers that allow the least amount of coloration.

If you’re smoking out of a bong or pipe that means cleaning it every other day with Zep overnight, a citrus decreased that can be found at your local home improvement store (ie. Lowe’s) and a hot glass wand to combust your bowl.

Adhering to these heuristics on a consistent basis will train your palate to develop a taste for cannabis without the influence of butane, hemp wick, tobacco leaf, etc. Which in turn, rewards you with the ability to recognize the most subtle of flavors during your smoking experience.

Vapers, you probably already know how important temperature control and Isopropyl alcohol is already so no didactic verbiage for you. Keep it up.

If you haven’t tried any flower from Shopping Carts yet than Platinum Haupia is a great entry into the series, although my personal favorite is still a tie between Waupia and Haupina. I say try them all out to see the differences!