More than two years after my last visit (March 2011) to West Coast Wellness, quite a few things have changed. One of the very best changes is the almost complete $10 cap on flower prices; when I visited before, 18 top-shelf strains were priced at $15 a gram and 12 more strains were $12. I say “almost” complete because West Coast Wellness did have one $12 strain on the day I visited: some beautiful Kona Gold.
I was glad one thing hadn’t changed—I had absolutely no wait either time to go into the bud room. There weren’t 40 strains available this time; instead, around two dozen. But the fact that all but one was only $10 a gram kept me from wondering what might be missing; I was too happily busy selecting from the flower menu.
After eyeballing a few choices, I decided there was no way I was leaving without some $12 Kona Gold. After all, I wanted the best weed in the place! Kona Gold is a 1970s vintage sativa-dominant hybrid hailing from the southern slopes of Hawaii’s Big Island. It reputedly still possesses the same genetics as the original Kona Gold, and produces a strong mental high; its physical effects can include aphrodisiac properties with the proper company. These subtly skunky, very crystalline, resinous flowers appear quite light-green with abundant red hairs, and are rather dense for a sativa-dominant strain. The high comes on like a classic sativa, kicking in to a higher level about 15 minutes in with happily euphoric effects stretching for almost two hours.
I must have been in a sativa mood that day, because my other selection was another sativa-dominant hybrid, Grapefruit Haze (from the indica strain Grapefruit and the sativa Super Silver Haze). The glorious results are very strong flowers with a very subtle hint of grapefruit, overpowered by the sweeter Haze genetics.
Grapefruit Haze produces an energetic high, making it a good choice for the morning or midday when tasks must be accomplished. The strain is not overpowering in a couchlock sort of way, so if you’re looking for the cross-eyed sort of pain relief which makes you a puddle, you’ll want to opt for an indica instead.
West Coast Wellness has an impressive bargain table full of just about every kind of cannabis medible you can imagine, all just $5 apiece or five for $20—meaning you can have great fun picking out a bunch of ’em without necessarily emptying your bank account. Leaving the confines of the $5 table, whether your taste for medibles runs to ice cream, cheesecake, brownies, cotton candy, chocolate bars, bonbons, Jolly Ranchers, infused coffee, noodle soup, fruit leather, jam, gummies, soda pop, or suckers, you can tickle those taste buds with THC. E
tokesignals@seattleweekly.com
Steve Elliott edits Toke Signals, tokesignals.com, an irreverent, independent blog of cannabis news, views, and information.
West Coast Wellness 14314 Greenwood Ave. N., 420-3296. 8 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.
