Strain Integrity

According to Leafly, “Meet Headband, the love-child of cannabis’ power couple, OG Kush and Sour Diesel. The smooth, creamy smoke is accented by flavors of lemons and diesel while the long-lasting effects are great for pain relief, helping you to relax, and to combat elevated stress levels. Many report that the effects create a slight pressure around the crown of their head and feels as though they are wearing a headband. The effects have been known to come on slow, so pace yourself with this potent hybrid. ”

According to Grail, “Inspired by potent effects and a cerebral high, Grail Headband is a cross of two favourites: OG Kush, and Sour Diesel. Flavours are of citrus & diesel.”

A potent sativa

At 21.5% THC, Grail’s Headband is one of the higher THC sativa product in the market.  Our test is based on 0.26 grams inhaled in a joint so we can capture the transitions of the high experience.  Vaping takes 15 minutes and at the end we are fully baked missing the journey.  A joint takes 5 minutes and we sit back and enjoy the journey soaking in the experience.

The buds were in good condition as they are not bone dry and actually a bit resinous.  The smoke is a bit harsh and not as flavorful.

The high starts slow and builds quickly after 10 minutes.  Uplifting is prominent in the first 10 minutes but intense cerebral activity takes over and within 15 minutes your mind is fully engaged being very cerebral.  There is very little edginess typically associated with strong sativa.  It is a relaxing high.

At the one hour mark, the intensity drops noticeably making the high a bit more functional.  For the first hour, cerebral intensity is very high making it tough to get things done as there are distractions everywhere.  The cerebral firestorm quietens and relaxation is more prominent.  The high last well past the two hour mark.

Despite not having strong head banding effect, Grail’s Headband delivers a strong sativa experience.  We really like it.  It maybe a bit too strong to use for productive work but for creative work this may deliver what you need.  Like all sativa, this is great for socializing and all types of physical activities like walking and hiking.  The energy level is there to get things done.  The Sour Diesel powers the energy and cerebral activity as the OG Kush relaxes.  Well done, Grail.

Conclusion

Headband by Grail

We are very impressed with the strength of Grail’s sativa hybrid.   Grail is based on Vancouver Island and is part of High Park’s portfolio of cannabis companies.  High Park itself is associated with the Tilray family.  Now, it is as clear as it can be.

Being a small craft producer, Grail’s products are not always available, which is similar to other small craft producers like RIFF.   At $48.00 for 3.5 grams, Grail is as expensive as Broken Coast.  Broken Coast takes the slight edge over Grail with smell, smoothness in taste and slightly more intense high.  Yea, we are big fans of Broken Coast and they are our baseline metrics.  Grail, however, is competitive and warrants your attention.

THC: 21.5%

Quality: 8.0

Intensity: 8.2

Duration: 8.6

Total: 8.3

Cost: $48.00 for 3.5 grams

For activities pairing, we recommend using for festive occasions, concerts, hiking, dancing or just chilling.  We do not recommend work type activities because the high is too enjoyable … you could in small doses.

From an investment opportunity, we were dishearten when we found that Grail is owned indirectly by Tilray.  The majors are very not interesting.   Maybe cannabis is a product that thrives in small batches and the natural distribution model is local producers for local markets  similar to the craft beer market.  We can hope.