The modern dispensary is sensory overload, a cornucopia of various edibles, concentrates, vapes, glass and of course flower. For the novice or even veteran toker, the dispensary experience can be a little too much, and choosing a strain from the budtender’s sometimes abstract recommendations isn’t always the best way. Whether you’re at an Apple Store-esque chain or the grungiest of locales, the buying experience can be a confusing and overwhelming experience. To help, the Driscoll Green is aiming to publish intermittent no-nonsense strain reviews, where we seek to explore and explain the multitudes of options available to the consumer.

It doesn’t help that cannabis nowadays is a mystery of names and types. While even the most novice cannabis user usually can choose (or hopefully knows the difference) between a sativa and indica strain, from there onwards the cannabis market waters get murkier and murkier. Due to the once underground world of cannabis cultivation and sales, strain names are not only confusing and non-descriptive, but are not always shared between growers, meaning that the type and potency of one grower’s strain can differ widely from that of another’s, even if they share the same name.

However, with the legal market expanding and becoming more regulated and standardized, we are living in the golden age of strains. More than ever, especially with the help of sites such as Leafly, one can find out exactly what they want, and where to get it.

This week, it’s Blue Dream. Blue Dream, a potent sativa-dominant hybrid, is a legacy west coast strain, and one of the most common and highly enjoyed strains in Colorado. Stemming from California, Blue Dream is a cross of classic strains Blueberry indica and Haze sativa. The strains both contribute their respective attributes to form a one-of-a-kind invigorating cerebral experience, with a deep—almost sedative—full-body relaxation. The sweet berry smelling strain has gained a well-earned reputation for its ability to bring the clear headedness and cerebral focus of a sativa with the relaxation of a deep, high-THC indica. This allows one to consume the bud at all hours, without becoming locked in relaxation mode. As well, the gentle invigoration of the flower eases the user into euphoria and uppedness, greatly contributing to a well-documented lack of anxiety and paranoia, especially for a sativa-dominant strain.

For medical users, Blue Dream is popular for its easing effect on stress, depression, pain fatigue and lack of appetite. Major benefits include uplifted mood, euphoria, happiness and increased creativity. The largest negative for most users is a mass increase in dry mouth and eyes, and for some, the strain can still be anxiety inducing, but the gentle yet energizing high is one of the best choices for those prone to anxious toking.

You won’t have to look hard to find Blue Dream at your local Denver shop, just give them a call before you head over so you know it’s in stock.