Hey everyone, this is Bailey here to breakdown one of the biggest licensed producers in Canada: Aphria.
If you're not familiar with the name, I'm willing to bet you've heard of at least one of these cannabis brands: Broken Coast, Riff, Solei, Good Supply and B!NGO.
They have a large portfolio of recreational cannabis brands and a diverse selection of products among each one designed to consider to different consumer preferences. Considering Aphria recreational products did so well in the Kind Awards 2020
I'm going to give a brief breakdown of each brand and some of their more popular and award-winning cannabis products.
1. Broken Coast
Broken Coast is without a doubt the top-tier cannabis in Aphria's portfolio and has won Craft Cannabis brand of 2020. Grown on the Salish Sea of Vancouver Island, this is a premium brand for cannabis conniseurs.
Each of their strains are unique, small-batch and grown in single-strain rooms vs vast, open-air facilities. This gives Broken Coast Growers full environmental control which means optimal growing conditions for each strain.
Craft Cannabis VS Commercial Cannabis
They slow cure their cannabis to maximize flavour and potency and hand-trim (inspect) each bud to ensure perfection. If you've tried Broken Cost before.... you can tell a lot of hard work goes into growing these strains. Which is why the price point sits around where it does.
Additionally, it's important to consider that craft cannabis has longer growth cycles, which adherently create more costs for a licensed producer to run their facility. These extended and arguably correctly timed growth cycles, are what account for the price difference in craft cannabis vs commercial cannabis. There is more TLC, aka labour hours, that go into maintaining craft cannabis from seed to sale.
Broken Coast Strains
Quadra aka Headstash is an 80% indica that is a Broken Coast legend. These buds are dense, frosty and beautiful tones of blue and purple. One look at Quadra and you can see why Broken Coast is a top-tier brand. The main terpenes are caryophyllene, limonene and terpineol giving these buds a spicy and citrusy aroma with a woody and earthy flavour profile. Reported effects are: uplifted, sleepy and relaxed.
Ruxton aka Sour OG is a 70% sativa. The two strains that created this potent bud are two classics OG Kush and Sour Diesel. In my experience Sour OG is definitely one of Broken Coast's most popular strains. These Buds are sticky and bright green with a sour and pungent smell. The main terpenes are myrcene, carryophyllene, limonene and linalool which results in an intense lime and diesel flavour. Reported effects are: Happy, uplifted and creative.
Galiano aka Northern Lights Haze is a 90% sativa, which I must add, it is very hard to find an almost pure sativa. These buds smell freshy and fruity with a sweet and spicy taste thanks to its terpene profile of limonene, myrcene, caryophyllene and b-pinene. The effects for this bud are a light, clean and energetic buzz.
Saturna aka Muskmelon OG is a 60% indica, meaning this is a pretty balanced bud and also a Broken Coast original with a complicated genetic background. The buds are a deep purple with golden trichomes. The terpenes are myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene which gives a fruity and musky flavour with a gassy aroma. The effects have been reported as happy, calm and euphoric.
Gabriola aka Frost Monster is a Broken Coast original with a unique smell and presentation. It's got nice green buds with thick frosty trichomes. This indica dominant hybrid has a very robust aroma & appearance, and a complicated genetic history unique to Broken Coast. Beautifully coloured fox tailed buds with purples, blues and gold tints have such dense calyxes, so thickly coated with resin, the growers at Broken Coast aptly named this one Frost Monster. Dominant terpenes including Caryophyllene, Limonene and Linalool help create sweet, sour and spicy aromas along with peppery, earthy, and spicy flavours. GABRIOLA, like all Broken Coast strains, is grown indoors in small batches in strain specific rooms, then slow cured and hand trimmed.
Denman (AKA Pie In The Sky) is a mostly sativa hybrid that is bright green with perfectly shaped flowers and a nice dusting of trichomes. This strain has one of the is recognized for having some strong terpene profiles. Dominant terpenes of Caryophylene, Myrcene and Limonene offer enticing aromas of key lime pie and orange zest, translate exactly into the flavour profile. This highly sativa dominant strain is clear and energetic, perfect for daytime enjoyment. Medium THC levels and complex terpene profile, combine to enhance the overall sativa-live journey.
Sonora (AKA Stargazer) is a cross between Starkiller and an unknown indica. Stargazer yields beautiful solid buds with large calyxes, heavily covered in resin. A very frosty purple strain with a dominant terpene profile of Limonene, caryophylene, Myrcene that creates a unique fruity-gas aroma with a similar dank flavour profile. This indica strain produces thick, heavy smoke and tests medium to high on THC levels with a 70% indica / 30% sativa split.
Savary (AKA Pink Kush) is a very popular and well-known indica-dominant hybrid grown the Broken Coast way. The solid, trichome covered buds are bright green with deep purple and orange colours throughout. Dominant terpene profile of Caryophyllene, Myrcene, Limonene help produce earthy aromas of pepper, wood and spice with a strong earthy, musky flavour profile.
2. RIFF
RIFF has branded themselves as a creative and innovative brand which is pretty apparent when you see strain names like Subway Scientist, Sunday Special and Hawaii Heartbreak.
They claim to strive to elevate the standard for Canadian cannabis with carefully curated, crafted and expertly made products. They have their greenhouses situated in Leamington Ontario where they produce a variety of strains and cannabis products with consistency and quality in mind.
RIFF mainly offers a good variety of flower, THC spray and a couple vaping options for those that like concentrates with pretty fair price points.
RIFF Strains
Subway Scientist aka Granddaddy Purple is one of the most popular RIFF flowers from my experience. This is a high THC (usually around 23%) indica dominant bud with dark green and purple tones. The main terpenes are caryophyllene, myrcene and humulene which gives it a slight grapey and berry flavour. These buds come in 3.5g, 7g and 1g pre-rolls (which won indica pre-roll of the year, just saying).
DT81 aka Super Lemon Haze tends to be a safe bet for sativa lovers. These buds are frosty and green with orange hairs and has a flavour profile of citrus, tartness and sweetness. The main terpenes in this flower are terpinolene, caryophyllene, humulene and beta-pinene. This strain is usually available in 3.5g jars.
Raider Kush aka Kosher Kush x OG Kush is an indica dominant take on two classics and normally is very high THC. These buds are dense and deep green with orange hairs with a sweet and earthy flavour. The main terpenes are limonene, caryophyllene and myrcene. It comes available in 3.5g and 7g jars.
Hawaiian Heartbreak aka Headstash could be compared as Quadra's little brother. This indica dominant is light green with golden hairs and has a terpene profile of limonene, nerolidol and caryophyllene. These give this flower a floral and diesel aroma with an earthy and herbal flavour profile. It is available in 3.5g and 7g jars.
3.Good Supply
Good Supply is Aphria's value based brand and in my experience tends to be the most popular out of the cannabis value brands available. They've coined the phrase 'No Bullshit, Just Weed' for themselves and claim to deliver high-quality at the best price. This would be a great example of commercial weed. They shorten parts of their grow cycle, specifically the drying part. Commercial cannabis strains can be dried in 10 hours to 24 hours. Craft Cannabis brands aim for 14 day hang-dry.
With Good Supply brands, you'll get what you're after, if you are just looking for something to the point.
With their 3.5gs for around $30, 15g for around $100 and 28g for around $170 it's hard to argue that claim. Their aim is to celebrate everyday cannabis without a high price point. Like RIFF, their greenhouses are situated in Leamington Ontario.
Good Supply has a wide variety and diverse amount of cannabis products as they sell flower in : 3.5g, 15g and 28g. Their pre-rolls come in: 1g, 3x.33g and 7x.5g and they sell a number of different vape carts available in half grams and more recently full grams.
Good Supply Strains
Royal Highness is a hybrid strain very well known to the legal market. It has a THC range of 18-24% and is usually on the higher end of that range. The bright green buds are uplifting with a fruity, piney and earthy aroma. The main terpenes are b-pinene, caryophyllene, humulene, limonene and myrcene which translates into a fruity and spicy taste.
Jean Guy is another extremely popular sativa strain by Good Supply. This strain is almost always over 20% THC and numerous amounts of people come back for this weed.The aroma can be described as citrusy and earthy thank's to its beta-caryophyllene, limonene, linalool, myrcene, and terpinolene terpene profile. Jean Guy is available is almost all of the formats Good Supply offers besides a vape cart.
Other strains available by Good Supply are Monkey Glue, Starwalker Kush, Jack Herer and Grower's Choice ( indica, sativa and hybrid). These strains are almost always in stock at Budders Cannabis dispensary so be sure to ask us what's available.
Good Supply Vapes have won the Vape Cartridge of the Year from KIND Magazine across Indica, Hybrid and Sativa categories. Good Supply 510 cartridges have won indica (Purple Monkey) hybird (Pineapple Express) and sativa (Tangie Kush) cart of the year and is a top selling product. They make their oils using pure cannabis which is C02 extracted and then purified into distillate. They have added botanical terpenes, meaning all natural flavours, added to their carts which is what gives these their signature flavours. They sell them in half gram and full gram formats, depending on which cart you get.
Purple Monkey is a hard hitting indica cartridge with a strong grapey flavour. The terpenes in this cart are alpha-pine, beta-caryophyllene, mycrene and nerolidol.
Pineapple Express is a hybrid cartidge with a tropical flavour that can be described as mango and pineapple. The terpene profile of this cart is myrcene, caryophyllene and limonene.
Blue Dream is a hybrid cartridge with a berry flavour and hint of sweetness. The terpenes for this cart are limonene, myrcene and humulene.
Other cartidges available by Good Supply are White Widow (hybrid) and Tangie Kush (sativa).
3.Solei
Solei has marketed themselves a little differently compared to other brands. All of their products are geared towards finding a 'moment' or 'occasion' that the conniseur is searching for.
Each of their products is named under Renew (THC indica), Unplug (THC indica hybrid), Free (CBD), Balance (THC + CBD), Sense (THC sativa hybrid) and Gather (THC sativa).
Based on how the conniseur wants to feel, each product gives an idea of what to expect from that strain. With an angle like this it would be very easy for a beginner smoker to navigate their way into the cannabis world.
They sell these products in flower, pre-rolls, oils and vape cartridges. Their cannabis is sungrown in greenhouses located in Leamington Ontario. The produce their products using eco-friendly and energy efficient techniques which also makes them a sustainable brand.
Their Free line-up of products has made a good name for itself. Specifically the CBD oil. Each ml contains 10mg of CBD and is available in a 30ml bottle. It uses an MCT carrier oil and only comes in at around $25. Free continues to be a big seller in terms of CBD and Solei has actually won CBD brand of the year so this product is definitely worth trying for those looking for CBD.
Solei has a unique twist to their vape carts as well. They still name each product according to the moment, but each cartridge also contains CBD. The Balance cartridge is a favourite amoung those looking for an in between of THC and CBD, it is about 40% in both. Solei says this cart is suitable for day or night use and gives the consumer medium energy.
This cart specifically has a citrusy, lemony and grapefruit flavour and is available in a half gram. Be sure to check us out at Budders Cannabis to see what's in stock from Solei.
4. B!NGO
B!NGO is Aphria's quantity products. They sell unspecified indica and sativa options, which only come in 15g and 28g pouches. They also offer pre-milled indica and sativa in a 15g and all of these products are very reasonably priced. Their aim for these was to be for an enjoyable, everyday smoke.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about the Aphria cannabis brands and strains available at Budders Cannabis Dispensary at 3466 Dundas St W, York, M6S 2P3
For the most up-to-date and complete list of recreational cannabis brands and strains, please visit the Ontario Cannabis Store or a Budders Cannabis Dispensary Near Me.
