District Cannabis started with a cultivation license in DC’s medical cannabis market and quickly made a name for themselves with strains like Cherry Chem and Lemon Royale. The company has since expanded to the Maryland market. These days they have two flagship dispensaries of their own- one in Hagerstown, the other in DC’s Union Market. District Cannabis is owned by Andras Kirschner, who had experience in California’s Prop 215 market before opening up shop in the Nation’s Capital.
District Cannabis has a full product line of flower, prerolls, vapes, edibles, and concentrates. The grow (overseen by lead Ashley Hubbard) is a marvel of modern technology. District Cannabis’ acre of Dutch greenhouse-inspired grow space in Maryland is completely automated. That’s right, it’s all computer! So how good could the buds be, if they’re being grown by robots? I decided to try out a few different Distict Cannabis eighths from my local dispensary these days, Star Buds in Baltimore, to see for myself.
Review: Hazy Face
District Cannabis states that their Hazy Face is a cross of Big Sur Holy Weed and Face-Off OG hailing from Archive Seedbank. They bill it as a sativa, which you didn’t need to tell me- all you have to do is smell these familiar terpenes and you know what you’re in for. The aroma is brightly citrus and boldly astringent, and I wasn’t at all surprised to note that terpinolene was the dominant terpene on the test results. Bag appeal is decent- there’s no big nugs in the bag, most of the buds are about the same size, with some visible trichomes, low stems, and no seeds found. I understand from their CannaCribs episode that the flowers go through a light auto-trim before they’re hand-finished. That seems about accurate to what I’m seeing with this eighth.
Let’s back up. I thought I knew what I was in for with District Cannabis’ Hazy Face. I was not expecting the 23.35% THC potency to knock me back in my seat for an hour, desperately waiting for the coffee to wake me back up. Sometimes heady sativas make me sleepier than indicas- this was such an experience, and it came as a shock that I wanted to return to bed an hour after waking. I only smoked half of a half-gram joint (which burned beautifully, by the way, and a flavor to match the nose). Now, the second half of that joint, along with a second cup of coffee, put me in a very productive state that was perfectly capable of talking with my fellow meat suit pilots. Huzzah!
District Cannabis is off to a great start with Hazy Face. I’d caution against going full throttle with it in the morning without some caffeinated assistance, but could be really great in the afternoon and early evening. Y’know, when you’re trying to hang out. I’m not mad at it for the $35 an eighth I paid for it locally, but I can’t help but notice that their flagship in Hagerstown has it for $25 on sale (and $30 not on sale).
Review: Gelato Cake
I also picked up an eighth of Gelato Cake from District Cannabis, because I like to keep a sleepy indica on hand so that I have something to wind the night down with. A little Cali exotic sounds like a sure bet, since Gelato Cake is a cross of Wedding Cake and Gelato #33 bred by the infamous Seed Junky Genetics. And wow, District Cannabis got that aroma dialed in perfectly. I’m sure a sommelier could describe it accurately, but this smells exactly what I think of when I think of modern hype strains from California- kinda sweet, kinda rubbery. District Cannabis says it’s got a “palate of grapes, sweet kerosene, and cognac”- sure, that works for me. Limonene is the primary terpene at .75%, but Linalool is close on its heels at .39%.
Bag appeal is a match to the Hazy Face above- small/medium size buds with a good manicure that didn’t knock every trichome loose. But can I take a second and commend the bag itself? District Cannabis is committed to biodegradable packaging and I love that. I also love the new 60s/70s inspired design on the bags! Not only are they fun, they also aren’t going to end up in a landfill. I dig that. I can support that.
Back to the Gelato Cake review. I think District Cannabis did a fantastic job with this strain. It burns evenly and with plenty of flavor. The potency is high (tested at 23.58% THCa), as expected, but doesn’t knock you out right away. I smoked half a joint and then slid into a peaceful cocoon as I cracked into my long-awaited fifth volume of Tynion’s Department of Truth. I don’t mind heavy exposition one bit if it’s cool, and DoT is most definitely cool. I smoked the rest later as the night wore on, and I drifted off to sleep easily in quiet satisfaction.
Review: Berry Payton
If Hazy Face is very heady and Gelato Cake is deeply relaxing, then Berry Payton is where Goldilocks settles in. Bred by Tiki Madman, Berry Payton is a cross of Gary Payton x Tropical Runtz, two modern Cali exotic flavors. It’s got a hint of that sweet rubber that was so prominent in the Gelato Cake, but a much stronger floral aroma sitting on top of it. I’d have expected Linalool to be the dominant terpene, but it’s actually Beta-Caryophyllene and Limonene in the lead at .40% and .31%, respectively.
When I smoke a strain with a floral aroma, I expect a relaxing, calm high that won’t make me sleepy or excited. Very middle of the road, but with the anxiety turned low. That’s mostly how the District Cannabis’ Berry Payton treated me, too, and put me in the mood for music. I threw some London Grammar on to match the chill afternoon vibes and got lost in Hannah Reid’s ethereal vocals. The potency was noticeably lighter than either of the other two strains reviewed, despite testing at 26% THC- I clocked out at 3/4 of a .5 gram joint. The flavor is light, sweet, all around enjoyable.
Is District Cannabis Worth Buying?
I gotta tell ya, District Cannabis’ robots are growing a helluva weed. I know there’s a common wisdom about growing your plants with love, but I challenge any naysayers to listen to the DC team talk about the work they put into dialing in their systems and not hear the love they have for the plant and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. I was satisfied with each of my purchases and will not hesitate to reach for District Cannabis strains in the future. In fact, I also got a preroll of Pave and that might turn out to be my favorite strain from them.
District Cannabis flower is definitely worth your money. I may even make the drive out to Hagerstown sometime.