"While Geode (another of Curio's Garlic Cookies Blissful Wizard strains) favors more of its Garlic Cookies parent, supplying a potent Indica body high, Raven tends to favor the Blissful Wizard side of things..."
STRAIN: Raven (not to be confused with Black Raven)
PRODUCER: Curio
MEDIUM: Flower
POTENCY: MED-high
THCa: % 27.8
CBGA 1.13%
CBG .29% /
CLASS: Hybrid
LINEAGE: Blissful Wizard X Garlic Cookies
^^NOTE: Raven is a variation of the same genetic pairing as Curio’s Geode
PURCHASED: Ethos Catonsville Medical Dispensary/ formerly Mission Catonsville
NOTABLE TERPENES:
1. Limonene 0.48%
2. Caryophyllene 0.41%
3. Linalool 0.18%
4. Humalene 0.14%
5. Beta-Myrcene 0.12%
6. Beta-Eudesmol 0.10%
EFFECTS (MIND + BODY):
MIND;
- +Medium to high level of cerebral stimulation
- +feelings of euphoria
- +Improved ability to focus on details for extended periods of time.
- +stimulates creativity in creative individuals*
- +/-nice even prolonged cerebral “buzz” feeling++
BODY;
- + light to medium ocular pressure
- +some waves of physical euphoria *GMO
highlighted by airy, floating sensations*BW - +/- increase in appetite++
- +/- sedative++
- -dry mouth
- -potential for dizziness++
KEY:
*BW- I believe this is attributable to Blissful Wizard’s genetics)
*GMO -I believe attributable to GMO cookies’genetics)
++at higher doses
APPLICATIONS (MEDICINAL + RECREATIONAL):
MEDICINAL;
Could be helpful in mitigating or alleviating symptoms associated with:
- ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder
- IED (intermittent Explosive Disorder)
- Depression or depressive thoughts
- Anxiety-panic disorders
- Potentially very effective in treating symptoms of anxiety, and depression with uplifting, euphoric, cerebral effects with minimal potential to cause or exacerbate anxiety.
RECREATIONAL; Raven’s wide spectrum of effects can intensify almost any experience
- Creative endeavors
- Watching movies
- Conversation/socializing
- Repetitive tasks can actually be enjoyable with some Wizard Gum
APPEARANCE, AROMA, + TASTE:
APPEARANCE;
Raven’s complex set of effects are matched by its complex optics. The Blissful Wizard genetics dominate the landscape here and give Raven its overall look. This includes a wide range of leaf coloration from bright minty green to dark purple, at times seemingly black.
If this wasn’t enough, the pistil/ stigma/ “hairs” are a brilliant rusty orange and bursting out of almost every fold and crevice of the buds.
This striking contrast of orange, green, purple, and black is further intensified by the trichome material which is milky white, almost the color of condensed milk, and blanketing the entire surface true to its White Widow genetics.
In many ways this particular combination of Blissful Wizard and Garlic Cookies resembles Curio’s frankenstein genetic masterpiece, DSCT. Take a look at a comparison between the two:
DSCT by Curio:
Raven by Curio:
Good For Bowls and Rolls;
Raven was easy enough to break down manually but some of the more dense buds benefited from the use of a grinder. As Maryland flower goes, this batch of Raven was on the dry side. But, as Curio flower goes, it was much more fresh than recent Curio purchases and definitely more fresh than I’ve come to expect Curio flower to be.
Pleasantly surprised you could say…?
Curio is one of the few companies that has yet to update their packaging in the past year of so…at least since I received my MMCC card. Compared to the consistent freshness of Grow West, for instance, Curio’s containers aren’t very good at keeping this fresh. I think the problem starts a bit before the packaging. My guess is that it was this dry when it was packaged. So, I don’t think the inclusion of a Boveda Pack would even make a difference. That being said, this batch of Raven was much more fresh than the most recent Curio eighth that I purchased, MK-Ultra.
AROMA;
- Citrus-lemon
- Herbal- lemon grass/ lemon verbana Culinary- almost a meat-type aroma -especially half- burned or vaped – attributed to Caryophyllene/reminds me of GMO cookies
- Chem- generic /burnt plastic aroma
- Pine-detected some fragrances resembling pine
- Sour- non-descript sour note
- Earth- some grassy undertone -sometimes indicating non-ideal curing – didn’t bother me –
TASTE;
- Evergreen- pine upon exhaling
- Artificial – faint intermittent generic burnt-plastic/ Chem aftertaste
- Musk- minor undercurrent of Afghan hash aroma at tail end of exhale
A CLOSER LOOK INSIDE…
The Limonene in this batch of Raven was a very hefty .48% worth of cerebral euphoria and elevation of mood in general.
Add to that almost .2% of Linolool and you have a nice ball of feel good energy coming into the picture. Linalool is terpene often found in flowers, perfumes, etc. and one that is known to elevate mood.
The Beta-Myrcene at .12% isn’t even near over the top but to make up for it the amount of Caryophyllene onboard is bound to bring about some increase in appetite and also a decent amount of physical relaxation.
Altogether not a shabby terpene profile.
NOTABLE TERPENES:
1. Limonene 0.48%
2. Caryophyllene 0.41%
3. Linalool 0.18%
4. Humalene 0.14%
5. Beta-Myrcene 0.12%
6. Beta-Eudesmol 0.10%
CONCLUSION:
Raven by Curio is another variation on the pairing of Garlic Cookies X Blissful Wizard, and with intense versions of both of these hybrid powerhouse you can expect a complex blend of effects riding the spectrum between A deeply relaxing physical sedation and a euphorically charged cerebral stimulation making Raven a particularly easy strain with which to modulate your experience: a micro dose ignites the energized and euphoric focus amplified cerebral side of its Blissful parent. While increasing your dosage can unlock a deeply relaxing blissful physical Indica high that Raven’s Garlic Cookies parent is so famous for delivering.
THE LONG ROAD HOME (my toke…)
Raven proved itself to be perfect for micro-dosing and modulating in general: smaller doses provide and unmistakably euphoric, motivated, and uplifted state of mind. But, heavier doses of Raven, especially after an eventful day, present more of the sedative qualities of its garlic cookies parent.
Whereas Geode (another of Curio’s Garlic Cookies Blissful Wizard strains) favors more of its Garlic Cookies parent, supplying a potent Indica body high, Raven tends to favor the Blissful Wizard side of things, energizing the mind with a an uplifting euphoric “buzz”.
So in small doses during the day it can be quite inspiring and motivating making it a perfect companion for a busy day.
Another difference between raven and geode is aromatic.
Although Geode carries more of an outward aroma of Garlic Cookies involvement, Raven is more aromatically subtle.
Medium sized Olive green buds with splotches of dark green almost black leaves offset in color by tangled clumps of bright orange gangly stigma/pistils/“hairs” and a thin but complete layer of tiny crystalline white trichomes create a gorgeous contrast in hues not unlike that of Geode, which shares is genetic background in different proportions.
A sweet, citrus, lemon-based flavor profile accompany an additional aroma of pine. Raven’s exhale and its flavor and aroma, at least this batch, left a little to be desired as I could barely detect what subtle profiles it did report back to my senses.
It may be the attributable to the curing issue that is also producing the grassy aroma.
And as subtle as it was, Once again I encountered the same Curio “grass” scent. This is a result of some issue during the curing process this batch and some other recent batches of different strains.
In addition to this, there was sufficient evidence of hermaphroditism in the plant or plants that my eighth was harvested from.
Suffice to say there was a significant amount of non-flower or non-leaf material that can be quite unpleasant to inhale and burns like the worlds worst smelling incense…. I’m talking about seeds…and quite a few of them in fact.
Now, I’m from an older school when it was a given that you would need a sifting method to separate all the seeds that would invariably be in your bag ( unless you were fortunate enough to not only locate some higher end sinsemilla female bud, but afford it)
Double albums were always a great method for separating the wheat from the chaff…but a little cumbersome—and how do you do that in the woods? Or in a car? Or in a car in the woods? Or in a car on the roof of an abandon Glass factory ….or inside of a hollow water tank taken from building, converted to a sauna, and floating on a barge on the East River?? Nevermind.
More than this though is nagging truth that Curio is marketing and selling sub-standard flower at top tier prices.
The grassy aroma has been in 3 of the last 4 eighth I’ve purchased…all different strains mind you. This is now a trend in my estimation and not likely to stop unless acknowledged and addressed aggressively onsite.
And, as much as I do enjoy Curio’s strains, especially DSCT, MK-Ultra, Blissful Wizard, Element, and now Raven, I do feel it is my responsibility to relate this so that other MMCC patients are aware of these experiences.
I think this is maybe the only pathway toward expecting and receiving quality product…especially if you’re being charged for quality product.
It’s not like Cannabis Cultivation hasn’t evolved enough as a science to be performed at an expert level. It’s more that it is much like every other process in this universe, it suffers from neglect or lack of sustained effort. And every step of the process matters, even after the harvest, after the dry trim.
Still, all in all, I really enjoyed this strain. I was able to modulate it perfectly to suit my needs and what I had to accomplish. I would purchase Raven again but I would hope it to be a bit more fresh the next time. Even so, 4/5. Very nice strain and my most favorite combination of Garlic Cookies and Blissful Wizard.
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Finally!! Thank you for such a fantastic review and all of the info you shared! For new patients if is so hard to find information on so many strains and so happy I found this site! Sharing with everyone and thank you again for this amazing information!
Umm imposter syndrome be gone with this strain! I was drawn to it because it made me think of Raven from the teen titans (lol) but I feel just as cerebrally powerful as her when I smoke this strain. Definitely a day time/productive go to. Quiets the anxiety and only allows me to achieve. Thanks so much!!