Gifted Curators has established itself as one of the best I-71 storefronts in Washington DC, a veritable king amongst its many peers. I don’t mean Henry the VIII type of king, the crazy one who killed all his wives — more of a really chill monarch, like Louis XIII. Old Louie didn't do much during his reign; his Wiki is kind of a snooze fest. And that's probably what you want out of your king: keep everything rockin' steady, keep the depravity to a ten percent Nero. Sure, the constant expansion under Alexander the Great was exciting and all, but then you get a horde of unruly barbarians pillaging your newly acquired vassal states and the whole thing gets quite annoying, frankly. Do you want Goths and Vandals? Cuz that's how you get Goths and Vandals.
Shopping at Gifted Curators
Gifted Curators is open every day from 10am-8pm at their retail location in Adams Morgan for walk-in service. You can also reserve products online if you choose. The parking situation in AdMo can be rough, partly because of all the extra outdoor seating at all the restaurants around, but it’s probably got the best storefront location in town close to tons of nightlife, art galleries and great munchies. If you’re not looking to stay in the area for a while, GC's website is clean and easy to use for advance ordering of your art and gifts.
I opted not to use the website and upon my walk-in arrival, was greeted by security. I showed my ID, and was let into the main shop on the second story. Gifted Curators is a safe, clean environment with friendly staff and lots of gorgeous art on the walls, as they’re a street art store first and foremost, celebrating the rise of graffiti from the gutters to the galleries. Originals from some of my favorite artists that I learned about visiting Gifted, like FAILE, go for north of $40k! If you want to help a brother out, here’s a link to my GoFundMe. After marveling at all the strain art canvas prints, I was helped by one of the employees at the counter.
What’s on Gifted’s Menu?
Our favorite Curators offer flower, edibles, and pre-roll gifts with the purchase of digital artwork. Of all the choices on the Gifted menu, I was most stoked to see Wonderbrett. The Wonderbrett catalog contains the most in-house flavors I’ve seen, as well as a collaboration with the legendary Dr. Greenthumb in the form of their OZ Kush (OG Kush (Weed Bros Cut) x Zkittlez). Wonderbrett has been operating in the regulated market since 2014, and hasn’t been seen much in import markets despite being ahead of the flavor curve by months or even years in some cases. Now Wonderbrett has a retail location in California featuring Brett’s incredible lineup of flavors — and seeing three of his flavors at Gifted Curators sparked my hope that this is a start to seeing more of Brett’s flower in our swamp. I exited the store with a bag each of the Wonderbrett Orange Sunset (Orange Banana V1 x OZ Kush) and Lemon OZK (Lemon Skunk x OZ Kush)
Reviewed: Orange Sunset and Lemon OZK
Last June, I had my first experience at a legal recreational dispensary in California. I spent weeks ahead of the trip researching the best rec dispensaries in the O.C., but all my research went out the window when a nearby store announced a two-day sale of 40 percent off everything in the store. I proceeded to get the best value haul of my life, which included Wonderbrett, which is now one of my favorite retail brands.
If you’ve ever procured Wonderbrett, you may know that the colorful mylar bags are normally reserved for smalls, whereas full sized 3.5g packages arrive in a blacked-out glass jar that comes in a box. Rest assured: you’re not getting smalls for your Benjamin. Inside the child-locked bag, the Orange Sunset nugs were what I would consider medium-sized, but this seemed genetics-dependent, as the Lemon OZK arrived in one big honkin’ tightly trimmed top nug.
Both strains also smelled delightful. The Orange Sunset smelled like bitter citrus rinds and funky shoes, and the Lemon OZK reeked of sweet skunk, clipped grass and bitter citrus. Some consumers might be turned off by the sweet skunk scent often found in strains like Green Ribbon, Jack Herer and Cinderella 99, but you can’t deny that the scents on both strains are distinct and on the money with what the genetics are supposed to be.
The samples arrived fresh, and the buds were easy to break down and grind. You get the shag carpet effect from both strains, but more moonsanding on the Lemon OZK than the Orange Sunset. Both strains were easy to mold into joints, and burned immaculately with nearly bone-white ashes, a small resin ring, and an even burn throughout, even on a cold and windy day. Both samples were silky smooth on the inhale, and left no throat irritation.
In terms of flavor, I'd consider both samples to be elite, both bursting with unique flavors. The Orange Sunset almost tasted like a smoked grapefruit with the tinge of bitterness on the back end. The Lemon OZK tasted mostly of sweet skunk, but there’s also a tinge of funk and bitterness. Both strains have fairly complex flavors that might take a couple smokes to capture on your palate. In terms of potency, both of these strains are on the stronger side — for me, the Lemon OZK is more suitable for daytime and the Orange Sunset more suitable for evenings. Both strains have relaxing and euphoric effects, which are helpful for me for helping me stay productive with creative tasks.
The question on everyone’s mind is probably “is this worth $100?” I say yes! Wonderbrett is a premium brand with premium products that I haven’t seen on anyone else’s menu in DC. When you buy Wonderbrett, you’re not paying for a bag of bud as much as you’re paying for more than 25 years of Brett’s experience cultivating the best for the best. These samples are prime expressions of elite and seriously potent OG crosses, and I’m thrilled to see it in my city.
The Takeaway
If you’ve been looking through the I-71 market and find yourself in analysis paralysis from all the colorful graffiti-styled slapped-on label mylar bags, look no further. With Wonderbrett, you’re getting expertly cultivated flower with clean and cohesive branding that illustrates the difference between all the cuts. If you’re in DC this holiday season, a Wonderbrett pack from Gifted Curators might be the perfect way to treat yourself.