Your legs are burning as you crest the top of a steep hill. You can feel sweat pooling between your backpack and your shirt as you slide off your pack and set it on the ground. Stopping for a break, the surrounding setting is something to behold. Tall pine trees surround you and stretch into the grey sky and sway slightly with the breeze. Greenery stretches out on all sides, as far as the eye can see. When you kneel down to pull out a head-stash and pipe for a smoke break, dew from the leaves high above drips down your neck. A squirrel runs across the trail in front you and scrurries up one the great trees. Once the bowl is loaded and fire is put to flower, time seems to slow down. The beautiful scenery becomes more apparent as the smoke leaves your lungs through your nostrils. Western Cultured cannabis was cultivated to elevate these moments, to help you regain part of your primal connection while you’re traipsing through the Pacific Northwest and its many different landforms.
Western Cultured is a cannabis producer that is located far north of Seattle, in Arlington. Arlington is in the northern quadrant of Snohomish County and defined by open farmlands and the Cascade Mountains standing tall in the backdrop. Western Cultured has a small facility tucked in an industrial complex. Matt Gaffin, an owner of Western Cultured welcomed us and explained that through the brand’s quick growth, they’ve remained completely hands-on with their growing process.
From mixing special nutrient concoctions to watering clones and trimming cured flowers before they’re packaged, these flowers get love until they’re shipped to retail. They’re producing 100 pounds of cannabis per month, impressive considering their team is only six members strong: Gaffin, Ben, Kirby, Phillip, Rori, and Randy. Growing cannabis is a passion project and nobody has any problem staying late or coming in extra days to “just get the job done.” Incubating team chemistry is crucial to their success. Gaffin believes they wouldn’t be this successful if the team wasn’t bonded as they are.
“Worry about the people. not the plants, Gaffin said.”
Western Cultured harvests on a weekly basis. Each member on the team is assigned to a specific part of the cycle they’re “not allowed out of the room,” Gaffin said with a wily grin on his face. The operation flows sort of like a restaurant line. The strains in those rooms are based mainly on two things, sales, and the flavor wheel.
Western Cultured cannabis is all centered around their terpene flavor wheel. A color-coordinated wheel that associates commonly found terpenes to four common cannabis flavor profiles: earthy is green, sour is yellow, spicy is red, and sweet is blue. All of their strains coordinate with their primary flavor. For example, Dutch Treat is sour, PermaFrost is spicy, Island Breeze is sweet and Jurassic OG is earthy. Each flavor/color has six commonly associated terpenes. The website lists each strains main terpenes as well.
All of their strains are cared for slightly different to keep them all happy. Cannabis strains have different attributes when it comes to looks, flavor, smell, and effect. Bringing out each strains specific flavors and effects to the fullest requires special attention. This even includes pruning every strain in a specific way. Gaffin believes trimming is a step many people can over-look or under-appreciate. Trimming strains in a specific way push nutrients to other parts of the plant, increasing root size, branch size, density, and other attributes. Trimming correctly also allows light to travel down below the canopy, which dramatically increases the trunk/base of each plant and lets the lower flowers develop like the flowers at the top of the plant.
Western Cultured’s strain lineup has an adventurous feel to it. Seatown Lemon Haze, Jurassic OGK, Cascade Connie, Island Breeze, PermaFrost and Kraken Black Pepper are many of their staple northwest themed strains. Seatown Lemon Haze is their cut of Super Lemon Haze and it has captured a strong audience. Seatown Lemon Haze has energetic effects that stimulate creativity and motivation. This strain is great for beginners because it’s not going to put the user to sleep and they can enjoy and practice navigating reality while under the influence of cannabis.
The team “lives and breaths” to take care of these strains and deliver them to the public. There are several more strain on the way that the team is excited about. Cinex is one of them, it’s a tall and vibrant purple flower that stands out in the garden. Citrus Pez is another exciting creation that was one of the team’s pet projects, it’s Lemon Meringue crossed with Pez and its terpene profile is quite memorable. Another strain that is waiting to accompany you and aid your next Washinton adventure.
