Reviewed by Benzil | Originals CBD Community Reviews
Benzil is a long-standing Originals CBD customer with over 27 years of cannabis knowledge. He's not a marketer - he's a genuine head. These products were sent by Originals CBD for review purposes, and as always these are his completely honest words.. [Meet Benzil - The CBD Head Behind Our Strain Review Series]
What's happening people? It's that time again. So get your tray, your grinder, your setup or whatever it is that gets things moving. Sit back in that favourite spot as it's time to relax. But today we've got something completely different, something that completely surprised me. Stick around because it might surprise you too.
I Dislike EU Flower. There. I Said It.
A sweeping statement? Blinkered? Or just the result of too many disappointments? The answer is a bit more complicated than that. There are so many countries cultivating Type 3 CBD within the EU - France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland to name but a few - so to just dismiss them all would most certainly be blinkered. But I can only speak for myself here. The simple truth from my experience as an average consumer is that the sourcing of, the purchasing of, and the possibility of continuously being able to source a preferred strain is, to put it mildly, a bit hit and miss. So much so that I've pretty much swerved EU flower for over two years now.
Now, I was going to write you all an article about the European CBD market and its codes, laws, legislation, intricacies, methods and practices. But there are many articles written on this extensive and controversial subject on the Originals CBD website - written by both Sean and Ste who are both far, far, far more knowledgeable about all of this than I am. I strongly suggest that you check them out. So let me just explain why I've totally avoided EU flower for so long. Not only may some of you find that you've done so for similar reasons - on the contrary, some of you may well disagree with me entirely. But here are my main reasons.
The Problems I've Had With EU Flower
The Washing and Spraying Issue
We've all heard about it, we all theorise over it, we all talk about it - and we should all be extremely concerned about it. That's the subject of flower being washed to remove its THC in order to comply with Total THC limits, then dried and sprayed with artificial or synthetic flavour enhancements, terpene profiles and worse - potentially research chemicals. Spice. All of this in order to meet a law. Now that's a whole debate for another day - but there are comprehensive articles written on the Originals CBD website that explain these subjects far better than I can. Check them out as they will definitely interest you, as they certainly did me.
The Consistency Problem
If that reason alone puts you right off the EU market I could well understand. But my next main issue is that at times I have managed to source some - admittedly few - excellent, genuine EU strains. Abacus, Cannatonic, Harlequin and a strain named Erdbeere, or something along those lines, which incidentally was a beautiful pheno of a very hazy, strawberry CBD strain. If that name rings a bell for anyone out there and you know the actual strain - please let me know as I would love to be able to source it again. The problem however was that very often, if not whenever I returned to get more of said strain - if the vendor did actually happen to have what I wanted in stock it was often completely different from the previous batch or of a very reduced quality. Bland, mute, small buds, shake. Not only frustrating but a complete waste of money.
Why Would I Bother When US Flower Exists?
The last reason I'll condense into one statement. See if it rings a bell for any of you. Why would I take the risk of taking a chance on some EU flower when companies such as Originals CBD are selling top-quality Indoor and Outdoor US-grown flower in every amount I could wish to buy? Although I would not say no to being able to buy a QP of the 25 US Outdoor flower if given the chance! Taking all of the above into consideration you can hopefully see why I've gone out of my way to purposefully avoid EU flower.
So What's Changed?
Well you must have been living under a rock if you hadn't heard about the potential hemp ban out in the US and the possible repercussions of it. I'm not going to get into that here as that's yet another subject for yet another day - but it has certainly kicked me up the proverbial to devote some time and effort into finding some good, decent EU flower that I'm happy and content with. Just in case it all goes south Stateside. True, we've got access to quite possibly the very best CBD hash in the world in Goldbar420 - but what about flower?
Very often in life the solution to one's problem is so very often staring you right in the face. So I went to the place that I know best, had a word in the right ear, and asked if the kind people at Originals CBD would possibly send me some of their Premium EU strains to sample and review.
Enter Originals CBD - Three Eighths, One Mission
As always the guys at Originals CBD not only went out of their way to accommodate me - but they were very keen to hear my thoughts on their current Premium EU Indoor range too. Especially knowing my stance on EU flower. Well, the very next day an Originals CBD package turned up which is always cause for some excitement in my house! Contained within said package were three - yes you heard that right, not one, not two but THREE eighths folks. The complete lineup of their Premium EU Indoor strains from the Harrods of the CBD World: Originals CBD. We had the Amnesia Haze, the Plutonium and the Super Lemon Haze.
Now why you may well ask did I ask for EU Indoor when perhaps I could have asked for my preferred US Indoor? Well partly for the reasons I've outlined above - but mainly so that you guys and girls don't have to. That's why. I do the sampling and the reviewing so that you can make an informed choice without potentially wasting any of your hard-earned cash. So was this all a futile endeavour? What could well have been yet another expensive waste of time for yours truly?
Eurovision or European Cup Winners Cup? Stay Tuned.
A Eurovision type affair? Nil points? Or was this - no, really, could this possibly be - a European Cup Winners Cup moment? Stay tuned because believe me, no one is more shocked by the conclusion than myself.
I've rambled on for a bit too long this week folks and unfortunately we're out of room! My man Ste at Originals CBD knows just how much I love talking about all things CBD and cannabis in general and is used to my Biblical length emails and messages. But you, the reader, may not be quite yet!
Next week I will be reviewing not one but all three of the Premium EU strains - and believe me my findings were unexpected to say the very least. No BS, no lies. My honest, no-holds-barred account of just what I thought of these strains.
See this is one of my main driving forces for these reviews. Right now we're all overworked and underpaid. Times can and are hard for some of us. Buying CBD is - and always should be - both a treat and a pleasure for ourselves. There's nothing worse than reading a glowing description on a website, drooling over the accompanying photographs, ordering it and then receiving something that's neither as described nor fit for consumption. I know this because I've been there.
So myself, with help from Originals CBD, are going to be removing all of that anxious, costly, irritating, stressful and frankly disappointing business for you all. I'll be doing the begging or ordering - depending on how my financial situation is! You all know I'll happily do the sampling, just so long as you're willing to sit, chill and listen to my ramblings.
As always if you have a strain, variety of hash, extract, oil, edible or any other CBD related product you want me to sample - let Originals CBD know. No matter where it's from we will do our utmost to source it and make it happen for you.
There really is loads in the pipeline coming up - but in the meantime, stay tuned for Part 2 of the Premium EU Flower Review coming to you all next week.
Stay blessed, stay lucky. Until next time. Peace.
- Benzil