As a marijuana writer by trade, it is not always easy for me to find a strain of cannabis that fits well with my lifestyle. Unlike many medical users, I’m not looking for something that dulls pain or reduces stiffness. In fact, I often get samples from patients who rave about a particular strain, only to find that it has locked me into the couch, ready for a Netflix binge and a bag of Doritos. Not good when you need to crank out 1,600 words on a deadline!
I was excited to try out the signature strain being offered by my friends at Brightside in Portland. It’s called Silvertip and I’m told it’s lineage is Granddaddy Purp crossed with Super Silver Haze. I was a little concerned – how would the mix of the indica Purp balance with the sativa Haze? I’ve been enjoying the Purp ever since I met Kenny Estes down in Cali, but getting an indica when I’m on my feet at those events all day is different than trying to be creative in the office. I’ve got some Oregon grower friends who’ve made Super Silver Haze one of my favorites for knocking out hours of writing and research. Now they have a hybrid of two of my favorites? This is going to be interesting.
Brightside gets their flowers tested by a local Oregon lab and the Silvertip is coming in at over 26% THC. That’s important for me, as I am using cannabis all day every day to maintain the focus and creativity I need for multiple writing assignments and radio productions. But I also need to perform a live two-hour radio show, so I can’t be smoking so much I’m hacking on air. On those concerns, this flower does not disappoint. From my first puff, I felt the buzzy, heady high I enjoy from the strong sativas, and it didn’t take much of it to get the effect I need. The Haze effects seem to dominate this strain for me – I felt very uplifted, energetic, creative, and happy – but I was pleasantly surprised that some of the Purp sensations of relaxation and calmness tinged my usual frenetic creative buzz.
The buds of Silvertip I got from Brightside are very aromatic and present a tight, sticky green bud with reddish highlights. The terpenes in the flower evoke scents of minty lime and pine sap, probably owing to the Super Silver Haze and its ultra-high levels of alpha-pinene, the terpene we also find in pine trees, rosemary bushes, and eucalyptus plants. Another strong presence of lavender can be detected, coming off of the Granddaddy Purp’s linalool terpene, which is probably adding that relaxed, calm feeling to Silvertip.
I am primarily a joint and pipe smoker and I found that the Silvertip burned evenly and had a sweet taste on the inhale with a slight hint of honey. I did have to temper my inhale, though, as I found too deep of a toke left me with a bit of a cough. That’s not a mark on the curing of this sample – it burns down to white ash – but rather an indication of how strong this strain is. Evidence of that point was discovered when I shared some Silvertip with my patient friend who usually favors indicas – he cursed me out for the one puff he took keeping him awake until three in the morning!
Like I said, I’m a big fan of sativas and sativa-dominants and for my money, this Silvertip strain is definitely a winner if you’re seeking creativity, focus, and energy without a manic buzzy feeling. It’s a perfect wake-and-bake strain and for people working in intellectual fields. As someone who fights depression and anxiety I’d recommend it for someone seeking relief from those ailments, but of course, I’m no doctor, so please discuss any medical use of cannabis with someone trained to do so. This might not be a good late-evening choice if you’re trying to get to sleep and patients needing pain relief might not benefit much from this strain. Overall, for my personal use, I’d give this strain a 9 out of 10.
