Alyssa Garcia
The sesh is a whole gang activity in my house. Friday nights, if other plans were not already formed, are for the boys and the bong. It gives my roommates and me a chance to unpack the week through laughs, coughs and more laughs. “We ready, gents?” I call. “Sir, yes sir,” they jokingly reply. We step out into the cold night air with our equipment stacked on the alien-themed rolling tray. We pull up our chairs and spark up a conversation about anything under the sun. Then we spark up our green.
Let’s introduce our characters. Zdub, pre-med, lightweight, the clown of the house. Sween, our resident kush connoisseur, ripped the biggest bowl of the night – he was fried. Fish still hasn’t figured out how to properly hit a bong, but he’s getting there. Burgs couldn’t stop coughing. And me, I’m Jamo – I was just along for the ride.
We usually go for a strain that lands more on the mellow side of things because we have some lightweights. “Smoke Stax” from Hazy Valley Horticulture was perfect for us. At 21.8% THC, it’s a little mellower than some of the other strands from this grower. It still had us stumbling over our words and laughing even harder, though. It smells sweet but tastes kushier than some other strains I’ve had. It burns so well in the bowl and isn’t harsh going down. Strains like Skywalker OG, Animal Mintz, and Strawberry Cough are harder on the lungs, resulting in a stronger high; Smoke Stax is much more chill.
My guy at my favorite dispensary in town, Eugene OG, said it was a lighter hybrid with a sativa lead and an indica finish. I didn’t really know what that meant until I tried it. It delivered as advertised. We were chatting and laughing, having a grand old time. None of us went non-verbal, which was a bonus. But I’m sure that if we had smoked an entire joint of “The Stax,” as I’ve come to call it, it would’ve had us sinking into the couch. A couple of hits from our petite piece was all I needed. It was a delightful high.
After his first rip, Zdub dropped some knowledge about the lungs and how inhaling is the fastest way to get high. “Eight Mississippis” is how long it should take for the full effect. So naturally, we had to put it to the test. The results were inconclusive, probably because we were already very high.
“The Stax” had us locked in for the eventual start of our movie of choice, “How to Train Your Dragon.” Burgs bashed on it just a little. But he didn’t mention it again once we got to Hiccup’s first flight with Toothless. He’s a notorious movie sleeper. He almost didn’t want to smoke with us because he’s usually out cold 25 minutes in, but he made it through alright.
If you’re looking for a laid-back smoke with your people, look no further than Smoke Stax. My time with it reminded me what I love about my relationship with weed. There have been some low points in that relationship, but when it’s all said and done, there’s nothing better than sitting around a table with some of the people I love the most, swapping stories, cracking jokes and taking rips. It’s a communal activity – the most rewarding when done together. It unlocks aspects of my relationships with people that might be harder to come by in everyday life.
Some of my fondest memories with roommates and my closest friends were made after a joint or two. What better way to spend a Friday night?
Light up the Smoke Stack, take a puff, and remember why you love who you love. Happy 4/20 ya’ll.