This is the first in an ongoing series of cannabis product reviews from local dispensaries in Olympia. First up is Durban Poison BHO, produced by The Hempire Company.

I live in Washington, where recreational use of marijuana is legal. I don't want to get too much into the specific legalities and conditions and medical differences – not in this post anyway. The short and simple version is that everyone 21 years or older in the state can go ahead and smoke weed if they want, and plenty of dispensaries can sell it.

My favorite local dispensary is THC Olympia. Before the recreational laws came into place, they operated as a medical dispensary called The Healing Center. Now that they are a rec shop, they still have medical-certified staff. It’s a great shop with a nice selection, good prices, and friendly, knowledgeable staff.

I decided for my first review I would take a look at some BHO. There's a wide selection available at this place, and a lot of it is pretty cheap. They have higher-end extracts, and sometimes I might want to treat myself. Normally though, I'm trying to find something good that doesn't cost a lot.

The BHO review

Right now, a gram of Durban poison BHO is going for $15 – which I think is a deal. This stuff has some pretty high lab numbers, with a total THC level of 75.6%.

The consistency is a nice thick goo. I hate dealing with shatter – tiny pieces seem to fly in every direction half the time when you go to break a piece off. Durban Poison is the opposite – thick goo that sticks together and breaks apart like cookie dough. Even better – it doesn’t stick to your fingers like sap.

But it’s BHO, so of course it is sticky. It just sticks to some things better than others. That leads us to my major (maybe only) issue with this particular product.

A Problem of Packaging

For all the good things I have to say about this Durban Poison BHO, the packaging presented a serious deterrent after my first try. The oil was almost impossible to scrape off its wrapper.

A lot was left behind, and scraping it up stretched out the plastic wrap. I definitely did not want to scrape up any part of that plastic and burn it! Luckily when I spoke up at the dispensary about the issue, I got an easy fix.

Packaging is one of the big distinctions among BHO brands. Each type of packaging has its benefits and fans. There are 2 or 3 common choices:

Parchment paper – cheap, works; paper sometimes tears off and gets in your bowl

– cheap, works; paper sometimes tears off and gets in your bowl Silicone – works better, heat-resistant; expensive

– works better, heat-resistant; expensive Glass – durable vs heat and scraping; fragile vs impact (not very common though)

Hempire chose another option – some kind of plastic wrap that looks like cellophane and sticks to BHO like white on rice.

The Fix

Luckily, there is an easy fix to this packaging problem—just stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.

After maybe 10 minutes in the freezer, the oil will be so stiff that it will come off the wrapper without any fuss. Put it in the container of your choice. You should really have a silicone container of your own to put your oil in. Don’t just take what they give you; have the good stuff on hand for yourself.

Once it warms up a little, the BHO will become more pliable. Just fold it and put the lid on.

Durban Poison - a Sativa Landrace Strain

In a market filled with hybrids and hybrids of hybrids, Durban Poison is one of the few genetically pure landrace strains available. First collected from South Africa by Ed Rosenthal, and then made available to the rest of the world, Durban Poison is a pure sativa strain. These plants love growing outdoors in direct sun.

Like most sativas, Durban Poison offers an energetic high that won’t leave you couch-locked. I had definitely heard this about sativas in general, but I can tell you that when it comes to pure sativas – it’s true!

Sativa-dominant hybrids will still have their indica side that will tend to make you a little sleepier. With pure sativa strains, that part just isn't there. Durban Poison can enable you to have a productive day even when you need to medicate. For more creative endeavors, it can even give you a boost – or at worst, a productive break to recharge those creative juices.

This is a go-to extract for me. Give it a try when you get the chance.