Purple Punch

 A couple of friends and I recently lugged about fifty beers three miles up a mountain for a camping trip, then argued over who was carrying all those cans back down. My buddy’s girlfriend, meanwhile, brought two liters of pinot noir in a bag and didn’t have to worry about shit. Not only did it make me realize how dumb my drinking habits are, but it also reminded me how much I miss that purple stuff. Not purple drank (R.I.P., Pimp C), but purple weed — and I wasn’t particular about what kind during a dispensary run on a hot July afternoon. 

Like most strains with syrupy grape aromas and purple buds, the Purple Punch strain is best enjoyed at night. Treat it like a spiked beverage bowl of sweet disaster at a high school dance, or you’ll be face first on the ground. My initial foray reminded me a lot of being seventeen, waking up with a dry mouth and a sock missing, wondering when my mind went from chatty to crisply burnt the night before. Even if the initial feelings are giggly and social, keep your sips of this one small or you’ll be passing out early. 

 My visit turned up several popular choices in Blackberry Kush, Northern Lights and Purple OG Kush, but I decided to try something new in Purple Punch. Or new to me, at least. Purple Punch began making a name for itself in dispensaries in 2017, with fat, supple buds that win in the looks department and trichome production. A mix of Grand Daddy Purple and Larry OG, Purple Punch’s potential to create amazing hash has made the sedative strain a hit among regular users and medical patients, while its dense, violet buds draw in excited newbs like flies to a bug zapper — and then fries them just the same.