Some strains find greatness over time, by making their way into our hearts, and some strains have greatness thrust upon them. Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues legend, Top 5 in goals scored, and 2-time Stanley cup winner; is a name with momentous weight to it, not to be thrown around lightly. That’s why any strain bearing the name “Brett Hull” is intriguing to review. Recently released by sundro, Brett Hull #16 has been carefully selected through rigorous pheno hunting over several years, setting the stage for a powerhouse genetic and adding to the hype. The excitement of the staff at Hippos in Columbia, Mo. was noted as I left the dispensary with my next review sample.
But, will the strain live up to the name?
I opened a clean, well-presented box to find my eighth jar. I hadn’t seen the product yet and was very curious if it would pass my initial examination with flying colors.
Looking through the jar started to get my heart racing. This was the super frosty representation that I love to see, glistening in the sunlight with small specks of purple sprinkled in. I opened the jar and immediately the putrid smell of gas and skunk poured out, prompting me to plant my nose directly into the jar, for further examination. There she was, and nostalgia brought me back to 2010 San Francisco where I first walked into a dispensary. The old-school funk of this genetic was a pleasant surprise coming from such a new strain. The breeder has clearly found a gem. So far the hype was real and I was excited to get started rolling my joint.
As always, I roll the joint with the same paper for every review and apply the same grading system. I picked the flower up and it was crispy on the outside and moist within, in fact, a little too moist for my liking as I prefer a certain moisture content to ensure the joint smokes through well. I decided to give the sample a day or two of burping before I would continue with the process.
When I returned to the sample I was floored at how pungent it was. The couple of days not only helped the bud sweat out the remaining moisture but it had even improved an already incredible smell. I began to break the sample up with delight as it was now in perfect condition for a joint. This sort of pungent, gassy, almost-hashy genetic tends to be a little harsh in the throat if not grown to perfection, and tends to waver on flavor as the joint progresses. I was curious if these stereotypes would apply to a genetic that bears such an iconic name.
- Visual Appearance Score 10 – The bud looked incredible and it glistened in the light, bright white with touches of purple. This is the type of product I tend to see in competitions.
- Smell/Aroma Score 10 – This product smells like something died in the jar…but in a good way. Its foul Skunk smell is remarkable and reminds me of some of the most iconic strains of all time.
- Proper Moisture Content Score 8 – The product was a little too moist to smoke in a joint when I first got it, but after a couple of days it was cured to perfection. Because of this, I am removing 2 points that I would have otherwise awarded.
Brett Hull #16 | sundro
I light the joint using a traditional lighter and spinning the joint above the flame to establish an even burning cherry. As soon as the lighter hits the joint the smell of skunk fills the air and I start to get excited. I take my first puff and exhale that old-school funk attributed to the Skunk and Hindu Skunk plants of old, but with a twist, there was an undeniable touch of pine/lemon. I was intrigued and impressed as I noticed the ashes burning a beautiful white color. There was no harshness, this is very uncharacteristic of a genetic with this terpene profile in my experience. This genetic was the real deal, but I will smoke it to the end to see if it will be awarded with an A.
- Initial Flavor Score 8 – The flavor of this cultivar was rich and satisfying, with notes of pine/lemon following the fuel-driven, hashy flavor. I teetered on giving this an 8.5 but ssettled at 8 due to a lack of complexity I would normally award a 9 or 10.
- Flush Score 10 – The flush was perfectly done. The flower had no sign that it contained any residual nutrients and the ashes burned white.
- Harshness (lack thereof) Score 10 – This product had no harshness, very impressive considering the hashy varieties tend to come with a bit of unavoidable harshness.
As I kept smoking the joint the flavor held and it was delightful to the end. About halfway through, I began to stare blankly at the nature in my backyard. This was a very potent, very sedating cultivar. Excellent as a sleep aid and anti-anxiety medication, and definitely for nighttime use. Although I don’t believe I could smoke two joints in a row of this strain, it was the heavy hitting genetic that deserved to bear the name.
- Late Stage Flavor Score 8 – This genetic held its flavor throughout the joint to great success.
- Potency Score 10 – This is one of the stronger strains I’ve smoked in recent memory. I was very impressed with the medicinal value of the strain
- Effect Score 10 – The sedated effect I felt is a highly sought after medicinal quality that many patients seek in a cultivar.
- Repeat Excitement Score 10 – Because of the strength of this genetic, and the nostalgic terpene profile I will be paying attention to the drops of Brett Hull #16 coming in the future.
Brett Hull #16
Total Score 94/100
Grade A
After it was all said and done, I was impressed with Brett Hull #16. It, as very few strains do, lived up to the hype. I expect to see great things with this strain and I expect that it will be one of the more popular strains in stores today. Good work at sundro, I’m excited to try more of their products. This strain slapped like a shot from Golden Brett himself!
Patrick Waibel is a 3 time US Cannabis Cup Winning cultivator and consultant. Waibel’s experience in craft cultivation and the cannabis market makes him one of the most reputable reviewers in the industry. The 10-point grading system used to score and evaluate cannabis products aims to remove bias and determine the best qualities of marijuana products.
What do you think?