Sometimes manifestation makes itself really hard to deny. Only a couple of weeks after publishing “Why Cannabis is Long Overdue For a Golden Age Renaissance” none other than Skunk #1 walks straight into my life via the fine folks at Oregon Coast Cannabis.
Yes, I said Skunk. Looked the budtender directly in the eyes and asked “THE Skunk?” to which he replied “Yes, #1”.
In this review we explore:
If you’re around Manzanita or just up or down the coast I highly recommend checking out Oregon Coast Cannabis for your organic bud as they’ve got one of the chillest dispensary experiences I’ve ever had, befitting for their relaxed beachside location.
OCC in Manzanita is an entire experience. The driftwood wood, the plants, the logically organized menus, the eagerness to hook customers up with the right “experience” by the staff, the dispensary kicks ass on all accounts.
Among modern vices of mine like Jokerz and Pancakes I was delightfully surprised to see some legendary strains in their Columbian Red and Skunk offerings. This particular Skunk is from the award-winning organic indoor gurus at Cannessentials and tested at a whopping 34.7% THC and .11% CBD.
The absurd potency paired with relatively high CBD content for a “non-CBD”-focused strain are doubly intriguing given just how “old” these genetics are.
Like wool clothing, leather boots, and 1911 automatic pistols there is something to be said about the lasting power of great engineering and that’s what we have here in this F1 Skunk.
I’ve got a lot of trust in Cannessentials, the farm that cultivated this particularly stinky batch of Skunk as they’ve been winning cultivation awards on the regular including:
- 2nd place for the Greenhouse category with their classic Bubblegum strain in 2017
- 1st place in the Cultivation Classic in 2019 and 2020
- 1st place in the 2022 Oregon Leaf Bowl, 1st place in the 2022 Oregon Growers Cup
- 1st place in the Oregon Growers Cup greenhouse category with their Spritzer strain.
Naturally, finding legendary classic strains at dispensaries necessitates some healthy skepticism. There’s no need to go nuclear, but a bit of critical thinking here is healthy.
However, after taking into account the reputation of Oregon Coast Cannabis, my previous shopping experiences, the award-winning pedigree of Cannessentials, and ultimately, the unique smell coming from this flower I determined it a safe enough bet and left with an eighth.
History of the Legendary “Skunk” Strain
Skunk is a progenitor of many of the modern strains we have today. The history of Skunk is long and convoluted and chalk-full of stoner drama and lore.
What we do know is that at its core the original Skunk (Skunk #1) was a cross between Mexican and Colombian sativas (Golds) and a particularly funky Afghani indica.
The uniquely powerful funk and intense effects helped Skunk spread far and wide from its humble origins in 70s California Skunk quickly spread to Europe becoming an overnight hit in Amsterdam and helped propel Neville Shoenmaker’s seed bank to international stardom, ultimately becoming Sensi Seeds when Ben Dronkers took over in 1991.
Just like with modern Runtz or Original Z (formerly known as “Zkittles”), with fame comes imitation and eventually all kinds of weed was being sold as “Skunk” regardless of if they actually contained any authentic Skunk genetics.
In fact, the original Skunk was so powerful that it became a synonym for “dank”, with consumers calling any particularly pungent cannabis “skunk” in the 80s and 90s, especially in the U.K where to today the squares in the mainstream media unironically treat it as some type of hazardous “super weed”.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the story of the original Skunk and you can easily spend hours chasing rabbit holes on forums and social media with different people all claiming different versions of events.
What I do know is this ‘79 Skunk, which would be referring to the original Skunk because that’s when it was really hitting its zenith, is some of the skunkiest most foul smelling (in a good way) herb I’ve ever had the privilege of consuming.
Appearance: ‘79 Levels of Bushy Fluffy Hairs
Apologies for the crudeness but this is Biker Beth full-on ‘79 unkempt bush levels of fuzziness with these buds, and that’s even AFTER being jostled about in my backpack for half a day of travel!
Some strains and some cultivators produce very hard, dense buds, which are always fun because they feel like little gold nuggets. Others varieties produce more “fluffier”, more porous bud structures that are more squishy and also easier to break off in little pieces. I smoke a lot of both and don’t have a particular preference, both soft and hard boogers are equally fun to flick!
At first glance trichome density doesn’t APPEAR particularly THICK but they do have GREAT coverage with all the additional surface area these more “spread out” type of buds structures lend themselves well to.
It’s a bit perplexing to me, with how high this bud gets me (in addition to its insane testing numbers) and how “normally healthy” the plant matter appears to be. It looks prototypical but is not absolutely gemmed-out in white trichome crust that one might assume would be necessary to hit this hard and test this high as this strain does.
Color-wise you’ve got shades that culminate in a speckled shady forest green, with slightly lighter hues appearing to be letting in more light while other darker green hues resemble more the shadows of a deep dark pine forest.
No spell-inducing magical purps here, just an appreciable depth of green and some very very long orange pistils just reaching out like octopus arms trying to make contact with your consciousness.
Welp, my brain is always open for making contact but first, let’s touch a bit on the aroma of this particular cultivar, as it’s perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the strain.
Smell: Skunkiness Belched From The Depths of Mordor
Yes, there is a skunky peppery kick with this strain but that’s just the interlude IMO. The main event is a sweet sulfurous rankness that makes me think of the Carrion flower with its faint similarities with rotting flesh.
Sulfur. Dead skunk on a windless foggy Wisconsin backroad. A rat glue trap. Actual spring skunk cabbage.
This rankness is all wrapped in a velvety pouch of crushed basil, fresh picked green onion and a light under-ripe pineapple sweetness common in the “Golds”, which makes sense presuming this ‘79 Skunk has got some Acapulco and/or Columbian Gold genetics like the rest.
Finally getting to smell some REAL ‘79 Skunk evokes a moderately confusing mix of emotions. It’s like a play on the nose with three uniquely discernable “acts” that hit you in rapid succession with like a left right jab before landing an almighty uppercut to finish you off once you exhale and embrace the onset.
To get precise with the smell I’d break it down as 30% sweaty armpit, 50% Durian fruit, and 20% Sunny Delight. The shimmering of each of these smells over the olfactory receptors in your nose as you take this flower in for the first time is something special.
Layer on top of that the sheer intensity of these powerful aromas and now you’ve got something to truly be excited about.
This weed was so loud in fact that it immediately started seeping out of its bag, through my waterproof backpack, before doing its best to fill up whatever room I was in.
I travel with weed a lot and this was the first time flower was so goddamn noisy that it actually elicited questions from non-smokers in my vicinity as to what “that smell” was.
Yup, sounds like real deal Skunk to me!
Sensation: Old School Strains Fuckin Slap
This ‘79 Skunk is a no-nonsense strain that comes ready to brawl but will leave you unharmed after its initial triggering of a bit of adrenaline as the onset continues to rise higher than I was initially expecting for such “old” genetics.
Taking a bong rip of this Skunk is like getting an injection of adrenaline straight to the jugular in the way it hits me. It’s beyond slap in the face, it’s a big boxing glove directly to the chin. Boom!
The power of the impact actually makes it a bit challenging to write this here review. There’s so much I want to say about ‘79 Skunk and “Skunk” in general but I can’t make my brain and fingers work well together after smoking this stuff.
As such, I wouldn’t say this is a particularly social smoke nor is it a productivity smoke, at least for me. You’re much better off blazing some Skunk after a long day of work, before watching a sick documentary, or while sitting in a lawn chair taking in the dazzling sights and sounds of the outdoors.
There is an untethered floatiness that accompanies this high that comes along in a friendly yet exciting “whoosh”, like the ascending part of a ride on a particularly large Ferris wheel.
In terms of the “peak” of high this is up there with strains like Soul Train, although Soul Train is definitely a little more on the sedative side compared to this Skunk which hits as hard as Soul Train but at a slightly higher frequency and a bit more cerebrally than physically.
Yes Skunk is a technically a hybrid but it’s an F1 hybrid, meaning it is the first offspring of a cross between 3 landraces in the Columbian, Acapulco, and Afghani parents, which is pretty rad.
I feel the prototypical sativa-y effects more noticeably than the more sedative effects traditionally associated with Afghani kushes.
On the whole I think everyone ought to try some quality Skunk if they’re able to get their hands on it as it’s been one of the more unique smoking experiences I’ve had.
All Hail Skunk, Long Live Skunk
After smoking this eighth I’m convinced this is indeed legitimate ‘79 Skunk. Could it be a Florida Skunk crossed with a Roadkill Skunk? Possibly because their is definitely some carrion plant/decaying flesh notes to it. Do I give a fuck though? Not particularly. Why? Because it’s still skunky as fuck and was an absolute joy to blaze up.
The gatekeeping haters who insist Skunk has entirely disappeared from this planet can sit on their thumbs for all I care.
The observable characteristics and traits, the reputation of the grower and the dispensary, and my own subjective experience all tell me this is something I’ve never seen before and it’s scent profile overlaps perfectly with what Skunk ought to be.
If anything, this experience has made me more of an optimist. Skunk is definitely alive and well. What other legendary classics are also out there that I have yet to discover?!
To conclude, this Cannessentials flower was absolutely lovely in all regards, from its appearance, the uncontainable smell, and the powerful effects. Bravo to Cannessentials and thank you Oregon Coast Cannabis for stocking this.
It’s been an absolute treat rolling this stuff up. It’s the complete package, from appearance to SMELL to sensation.
After getting to smoke on it I’m not at all surprised at all that Skunk won the very first High Times Cannabis Cup in 1987 nor am I surprised in how Skunk became a primary claim to fame for Sensi Seeds after smoking on it for a couple of weeks now.
Admittedly, now that I’ve finished it I find myself a bit bummed about likely not being able to find it again for an indeterminate amount of time, which is in its own way perhaps the highest praise I can give a strain.
If you know of some legit Skunk in the northwest Oregon region, please be a friend and reach out cause boy oh boy, I’ve become a devotee to the ultimate dankness that is Skunk.
