Review: Haven St. No. 419 Couch Surf by TerrAscend

No. 419 Couch Surf by Haven St. (TerrAscend)

Price: $11.35/g from Delta 9 in Winnipeg THC:CBD -17.1%:0.2%
Genetics: Afghan Kush ( White Label Seed Co.)
Package Date:09/09/2019
Opened On: 10/31/2019
Lot#AUB74080119

Haven St. products have landed in WPG this week and I decided to take a flyer on No. 419 Couch Surf- What a mouthful. After some quick perusal of their website and checking out their impressive portfolio of genetics (16 strains listed )- No. 419 wasn't among them as of this writing.

But it was a super trippy webpage that had me mesmerized and wondering if this wasn't a website that sells DMT for a few seconds.  Going for an aesthetic that might appeal to seasoned smokers rather than the vanilla profiles new users tend to gravitate towards is an oddly bold choice these days.

Having strains named with proprietary numbering systems seems silly to me. They have broken up their CBD - Balanced - High THC Indica / Sativa into blocks of 100, 200,300,400,500 with CBD dominant in the low ends, THC+ in the 400-500 blocks.  

Experienced users, whom I believe these products are catering to, will more than likely want to know some genetic lineage without having to go digging around the internet.   Their website lists a mix of "legacy" strains with classic names that some might recognize and others that have become proprietary from in-house selection and breeding.  That's cool, I get it.  But it won't hurt your brand to have that information available SOMEWHERE.   Afghan Kush lineage- Was that so hard?

Disclaimer- I love Afghani.  Descended from landrace genetics from the Kush Valley near the Afghan / Pakistan borders it first stole my heart in the '90s. Being one of the original hashish strains, it often boasts huge spice market flavours with over the top sedative effects, classically said to send users into a trance-like state. Let's see how Haven St. has presented their No. 419 Couch Surf.

Visual Inspection: 6/10
Weight was 3.2g making this the most underweight product I have opened yet, so that was a bad start.  The packaging was the same size that most companies put their 7gram units in, vastly oversized with very small buds scratching around at the bottom with a good pinch of shake.

Moisture level was ok, some spring when squished, but was starting to deteriorate around the edges.  Formation was rounded with some fox-tailing calyx's, extremely short ruddy orange pistils. Medium-high density with a healthy covering of very fine trichomes in a mostly milky state.  Trim was quite good for such small popcorn, but also showing some random damage to tips of buds- probably from shaking in the huge jar rather than machines I.M.O.

Aromatics: 6/10
Mild in the jar, I immediately thought of a Blueberry Kush that SYNR.G had put out before Canntrust imploded, but with more notes of matcha green tea, hops and wet wood.( Haven St. DOES sell a blueberry kush. hmmm. )  Pleasant, but that green scent is usually a bit of a red flag for me and doesn't make me think of Afghani whatsoever. However...

...After giving the jar a burp overnight, it lost most of that greenhouse profile and I was left thinking blueberry once again. Most of the smallest buds didn't seem to have much smell when busting, but the larger ones were positively candy sweet with floral perfume hiding underneath.

Still not what I was expecting, but it makes me think that this 3.5 sample might not be indicative of what this strain truly has to offer. 

Palate: 7/10
Buttery smooth, medium body with a very middle of the road profile.  No real "high notes" that I was expecting from that hidden floral backdrop, or any of the "low notes" that I commonly associate with earthy, spicy flavors.  Satisfying- but slightly wanting.   Sticks around in the back of my sinus for quite a while, which DOES remind me of Afghani. Is hash-breath a thing?  Cuz this gives you hash-breath.

Experience: 8/10
Couch Surf is actually a pretty good name to describe this one.  I was honestly expecting my eyes to feel much more bloodshot and my body to be a lot more sedated- but I found myself uplifted and creative while fighting off distractions from halloween candy and cartoons.  Not the strongest THC% listed, but I would have probably guessed higher based on end effect- It'll getcha home.

Medical Notes:
Dry Mouth! Appetite stimulant.  Muscle relaxation.  Positive vibes.  Not too sleepy. 

TLDR: 6.75/10
Haven St. No. 419 Couch Surf is a mouthful to say. It was moderately priced with a moderate THC profile with a fun effect that would be broadly appealing. Presentation was a bit lacking due to tiny buds and also 9% light. Olfactory profile was atypical to Afghan Kush descended strains with more sweet than spice. Underwhelming but fine, I suppose.