On the docket for today (and the rest of this month actually) is an exemplary quarter ounce of THE Biscotti Pancakes from up and coming Lofty Growers out of Eugene, Oregon.
Lofty first pinged my radar with their trichome-encrusted Super Boof a couple years ago and then showed even greater range more recently with some fabulously funky Humbolt Breath.
But today we’ve got something different in this Biscotti Pancakes.
In this review we explore:
As a longtime lover of all things cakey and doughy I can’t help but give anything “Pancakes” a smell if I see it at a dispensary, and so here we are.
The Pancakes strain itself always seems to suit my mood in the daytime.
It’s not too heavy. It’s not too sweet. Nor is it particularly gassy. Instead, when well-cultivated, it’s just that cookie creamy smoothness I crave with a full oily mouthfeel that makes for cough-free blazing.
Biscotti is another bakery classic with a bit more of that herbaceous gelato depth and a pinch of diesel kick that you don’t necessarily get with the fluffier softer sweet notes found in straight Pancakes.
Every time I smoke Biscotti thinking it’s going to be a dessert queen I’m abruptly reminded of its potent Gelato and OG Kush (a la South Florida OG) lineage, injecting irrepressible hints of dark fruits, wine, and roasted nutty goodness.
Leave it to the Tiki Madman himself to be the one to cross these two complementary strains to create the truest Biscotti Pancakes to exist IMHO.
Yes, you’ll find other “Biscotti Pancakes” out there that cross Biscotti with other non-Pancakes strains and while I’m sure they’ve got their own unique qualities this review is specifically focused on Tiki’s Biscotti x Pancakes cross.
Appearance: Faded Orange & Green Camo
Orange stigma weave their way in and out of a sun-faded green reminiscent of well-worn military fatigues to create an full bud structure that has an almost yellowish-orange tinge to it.
No real purps to be found here and the trichomes themselves aren’t out of control like you see with some jewelry pieces but that’s fine by me because this Biscotti Pancakes is still very obviously dripping in terpenes.
Overall bag appeal is solid, with the size of the nugs and its orange hues making this flower intriguing to look at even if it doesn’t flaunt shouty dark purps or crazy neon greens.
Sure, crusty glitter bombs are exciting too but just like THC% isn’t the “end all, be all” in determining flower quality, neither is total net trichomage.
I’ve smoked plenty a sparkly nug that hit like mids and I’ve smoked plenty of green herbaceous flower that smoked like it was pure trichomes.
Of course, bud structure and trichome maturity at harvest will vary depending on the cultivator so as always, seek the best you can in your respective state.
Here in Oregon Lofty Growers have done this Biscotti Pancakes right, producing medium to medium/large sized buds that emanate rich terpenes and exhibit nice density throughout their structure.
Breaking them up they are quite sticky, as a Pancakes cross ought to be, right?
I hate it when farms over-cure their bud so by the time it hits dispo shelves it’s already brittle. Stick to my fingers, gum up my grinder, give me all the rosin!
Leaving sufficient moisture in there helps extend shelf-life and makes for a more flavorful and fulfilling smoke for the end-consumer.
Great work finding that balance here Lofty, the flavor chasers are thankful!
Smell: Gelato Up Front, Pastry Out Back
BIscotti Pancakes smells more intimidating that it smokes, if you’re the kind of person who smokes more candy/cookie strains than you do gassy/chemy monsters.
There is no denying the Gelato and Kush genetics in Biscotti, with that pronounced deep, dark, cranberry tartness that I find most noticeable in Gelato strains and that more earthy wet wood stave smell I find common among Kushes.
This more “Kushy” side of Biscotti’s lineage rounds the corners a bit, keeping these genetics from getting too gassy or fruity, although there does seem to be a faint whiff of astringent mosquito repellent when I first open my jar, which is pretty rad.
This is a complex blend of smells that sits somewhere in between a freshly opened metal tin of Folgers ground and roasted Brazil nuts. Roasted nutty oiliness with a bit of cedar on top of the Gelato berry.
As for the Pancakes genetics they do a good job binding everything together with its warm, sticky, syrupy embrace, like a hug from mom.
These aren’t just your run-of-the-mill Pancakes though..
These are made from scratch little zest bombs that come off more like lemon poppy seed pancakes with their London Pound Cake and Kush Mints parents getting along well with the Gelato genetics from Biscotti, marrying into a earthy/floral yet sweet/doughy concoction of herbal love.
The best way for me to narrow in on different scents, whether it be whiskey or cannabis, is to smell a given strain back-to-back with other much more different strains.
My current flower rotation is quite breakfast heavy, consisting of this quarter of Biscotti Pancakes, Huckleberry Web (from Deep Creek, review coming soon), and some Secret Lemons from Archive (review also in-progress).
Compared to the ultra-light, Banana-esque tropical smoothie that is Secret Bananas and the berry bomb that is Huckleberry Web, Biscotti Pancakes slots in nicely as a full-bodied and balanced middle ground, as a nicely tempered Gelato Kush hybrid ought to.
Not too fruity, not too dessert-y, Biscotti Pancakes is a multi-faceted delight to the olfactory system.
Think sweet blueberry syrup top notes layered over a sharper little punch, a little bit of pinot noir-esque depth, working to harmonize this exceptionally balanced Sunday morning breakfast bud.
Dry pulling is a delight and will net you less gas/berry and more vanilla cookie pastry, which continues through the smoking experience with the sweet dissipating leaving a soft cranberry nuttiness on the palette on exhale.
Re-entering a room where Biscotti Pancakes has been blazed I am reminded of slightly over-baked homemade Ginger Snaps. You know, the spicy crunchy ones that grandma made..
These characteristics make Biscotti Pancakes equally suitable for weekend brunch sessions or post-dinner cheese and dried fruit basement soiree.
Sensation: Steady As She Go Go Goes
Smoking Biscotti Pancakes is like floating down a river with a good flow to it. None of that low water, barely moving along lazy shit but that current from a few good rainfalls that just pulls you along.
That is to say, the sensation I feel with Biscotti Pancakes most is an overwhelming chillness which sweeps over my entire body, telling via my cannabinoid receptors to just kind of move around a bit, but in a slower, more groovy type of way.
Biscotti Pancakes makes you want to get comfy, like a cat needing invisible dough before laying down for an afternoon nap.
The effect makes me feel rubbery. Even my legs muscles, after a solid leg day at the gym, felt unusually loose and malleable, much to my surprise.
Biscotti Pancakes is thus on the “bodier” side of the “head vs body high” question. No doubt I do FEEL high but it isn’t a mentally racy strain by any stretch.
Vibing out to some Glass Beams and Hermanos Gutierrez, writing blog posts, whipping up a quick dinner, all easily accomplished with Biscotti Pancakes. It’s like the relaxation you get with couch-locking Indicas but without the lock part, which is pretty neat hey?
I’ve found Biscotti Pancakes to very much be a functional smoke.
You could bring a sack of this herb to a BBQ or camping (would make an excellent stargazing strain) just as well as you could smoke it before a stroll around town or just your back yard.
It should be noted though that my short-term memory was absolute dog shit when I smoked this. Like forgetting why you walked into a room kind of experience where your train of thought becomes momentarily derailed.
With enough effort you can get back on track but I found it easier to just go with the direction this Biscotti Pancakes current took me, winding my way through the day like a river works its way through the land, in no particular rush yet in unrelenting fashion.
In terms of environments to consume this weed I think the need to kind of groove in place and the creative spark Biscotti Pancakes imparts upon users excludes it from “serious” environments like work places or travel, because this is not a serious kind of high.
Biscotti Pancakes is a casual smoke best suited to moments of self-reflection and relaxation.
And that’s how Biscotti Pancakes winds down for me: gradually and peacefully.
Just smoke a bit of this an hour or two before you want to go to bed and leave the rest up to the Sand Man.
I’d also say I tend to get pretty creative-minded with this bud. The ability to have such a relaxed body frees the mind to aimlessly explore rabbit holes and theoretical futures until you either A) you forget where you are and/or B) your frontopolar cortex needs a break and you fall asleep.
Summary: Deceptively Complex Smoke From Straightforward Genetics
Honestly, I was expecting a prototypical Cookies/Pancakes experience here and underestimated the power of the Biscotti genetics.
Yes, this flower definitely had strong Gelato notes when I smelled it at the dispensary but knowing this was Tiki’s Biscotti x Pancakes, and given my love of straight Pancakes, well, I was expecting pure bakery.
While bakery notes abound, from the underlying sweetness of the flower to the ginger cookie smell that lingers upon lighting up, this smoke turned out to be considerably more nuanced than originally anticipated, with Gelato and Kush adding depth and texture to the experience.
If you’ve had Cookies Fam burnout this might be the one to try if you are open to dipping your toes back into that baby blue water because it offers more than just that convenience store sugar rush so commonly associated with modern hype strains.
Tiki Madman has a solid cross here, one that on paper sounds like another dessert staple but which offers much more than its name eludes.
This subtly complex flower manages to marry together berry fruit, doughy cookie, and soft gas in a damn near perfectly balanced ratio that hits on all cylinders, making it a great option that I think will appeal to a wide variety of smokers.
If you like Gelato or Cookies strains then this might be a subtle variation worth your consideration as both profiles are represented but also presented with a new energy, like a banging remix of an 80s dance hit.
The closest flavor comparisons that come to me are Fried Ice Cream from LIT farms (less berry there more grape) and Cookie Fruity by A.B Seed Co, both managing to also strike that interesting balance between fruit, cookie, and le gas.
But enough of my rantings, have you smoked Tiki’s Biscotti Pancakes? What stood out most to you? We’d be grateful if you shared your insights in the comments below!
