I was trying to take the pulse of the recreational market and see what the people of Missouri were enjoying. Through social media posts and Reddit, a name that kept coming up was Robust Cannabis. The company's website boasts a bountiful collection of cultivars with blue-chip genetic pedigree such as Archive Seed Bank, Compound Genetics and Seed Junky Genetics. I had seen California Raisins discussed as a great strain, so I made sure that was on the review shortlist.
It took several attempts at online orders to find a dispensary with the California Raisins, so I took my talents up to St. Ann to Heya Wellness. In addition to being a dispensary, Heya also has a grow operation in the back of the facility.
Tucked away in a sleepy strip mall by a Big Lots and within sight of St. Ann City Hall and Police Department, Heya brings the sheer unexpectedness and eclectic mix of a college-town bar. From past experiences, I know the staff is always energetic, and there's a wide cross-section of folks coming in.
As you approach the front doors, you may question if it's even open. There's quite a dark tint over the front doors and windows. But then you see someone leaving with a shit-eating grin and a smelling of "the loud," and you know it's open.
Overall, the space has really filled out since my last visit during the medical-marijuana-only era, which had a leaner customer flow. The lobby has a full view of the showroom floor, which was bustling with curious customers while three registers rang folks out as quickly as possible. I stopped staring at the showroom and got up to the door to present my IDs. As I stepped back to wait, multiple customers showed up at once. The large lobby absorbed the influx as I was called to the dance floor to get some flower.
At the register, I mentioned grabbing Robust's California Raisins #2, as well as CMO. The budtender mistook a bag of CMO for GMO (I totally would have, too.) before confirming that it was indeed the C as in Charlie-MO for Mr. Toker.
The budtender also mentioned having the California Raisins on an after-work purchase list, an endorsement that assured me I'd made the right choice. The red mylar bags of Robust have a clear bottom, and the budtender showcased the nuggets of weed that I was about to take home.
"You got some nice looking buds in here," the budtender mentioned as we got googly eyes looking at the flower.
Although I presented my medical marijuana card at the front when I checked in, and at the register when I made my purchase, I was rung out as a recreational customer, and I incurred an additional 6 percent tax. My total for the two eighths was $86.92.
I began with the CMO, which is a cross of Royal Cherry Kush and GMO MAC. This batch had 26.48 percent total cannabinoids and 3.71 percent total terpenes. The buds are a deep hunter green with a sharp, gassy nose.
I broke down a medium and smaller nug from the bag in my grinder for a joint. As I inhaled, the initial high barged in on the cerebral side before snaking down to the body. As the high continued, I moved from the couch to the floor to hang out with my dog before calling it a night. This wasn't a heavy-handed indica high, since it wasn't aggressively trying to make me sleep. But don't be fooled, it'll put you down, too. I noticed the body high settling in my upper chest and quads during another session of the CMO. It made the walk I was on a little more difficult as I neared the end, but I couldn't let the weed win.
The other purchase, California Raisins #2, is the second phenotype of California Raisins that Robust offers. The genetics feature Cookies' Biscotti crossed with Compound Genetics' Grape Gasoline. Also containing a high terpene percentage at 3.48 percent, the 35.35 percent total cannabinoids rating is definitely one of the more eye-popping numbers you'll see at a dispensary.
The bag was full of equally sized, medium nuggets. While CMO had diesel and earthy pine terpene notes, California Raisins #2 was earthy with some of that barnyard funk. It has some gas on the nose, but that got buried behind the musk.
The green color was pale in comparison to the CMO, but that was also due to the trichrome coverage and orange hairs baked in. When I broke it up to roll a joint, there was more of a rubber tire note too, which carried over on the smoke. This would be a good fit for someone who likes GMO. Calling California Raisins #2 an uplifting smoke might be a misnomer, but it didn't have as heavy of a drowsy effect as the CMO.
California Raisins #2 is a strain that despite the high-test numbers would be an all-day smoke for a seasoned pro and would be great to have in the head-stash rotation. There was a clearer head high in comparison to CMO, with similar body effect and no drowsy drop. Gamers, creatives and outdoor enthusiasts take note and give it a whirl. Thanks Internet, you were looking out for me.
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