VIK’S TAKE 8.5 out of 10:

So, I was pretty stoked for this one.  Carmel has been on my “to-do” list since I started noticing so many glowing reviews for their flower on Reddit and Instagram in recent weeks.  Their official launch in Ontario happened in January 2021, with the release of 3 strains that started making noise online almost immediately.  And the momentum keeps growing for this small-batch producer from Oro-Medonte, with an ever-growing social media following and posts that showcase their passion for breeding and growing only the most sought-after flower on the market.  These are exciting times for Carmel for sure.

I got my hands on some indica-leaning Drew’s Dark Helmet, a strain named after their Master Grower (spoiler – his name is “Drew”!).  The un-bagging experience was pretty satisfying.  I liked their orange/yellow vacuum-sealed packaging, and once I tore away the top, the bag featured a handy “Place Thumb Here” slot above their zipper-seal that made it nice and easy to break it open.  On the back, the package featured a “What’s Inside” section discussing the lineage of the strain, its appearance, what aromas to expect and the terpene content of the flower.  Very informative and handy for talking points.  Thanks for taking the extra step, Carmel – cheers to striving to educate your consumers!

After perusing the study notes it was time for the main course.   I finally opened the bag and…whoa…oh man…what a sweet, delicious smell.  Seriously delicious.  Drool-worthy even.  There’s definitely some serious gas here – “jet fuel” is what the back of the bag says – but once that key lime “pie” flavour got my nose I couldn’t un-smell it.  I’m not even sure I can identify what “sugar cookies” smell like (another flavour mentioned on the back of the bag) but I was overwhelmed with a sweet lime sherbet or frozen yogurt kind of “taste” in my nose, if that makes any sense.  It’s like this enticing, citrusy dessert smell.  Even after I closed the bag up it didn’t matter.  The sweet stank just surrounded me.  Carmel is definitely about preserving terps.  Impressive.

The flower is high-quality for sure.  Dense nugs, perfectly hand-trimmed.  Exactly as described with dark green and purple-ish marbling, orange pistils and white, frosty trichome hairs all over the bud.  Heck even the small stems were super hairy in my close-up phone pics.  Everything is covered in hairy, frosty goodness.  No stray leaves to be seen.  Just nugs!

I smoked my Dark Helmet in a doobie after work as a nice come-down.  The bud broke up nicely by the way, not dry at all and I definitely needed a shredder to get it perfect for the joint.  The milled bud was a bit moist to the touch and smelled just amazing.  So it was an easy, fresh-feeling roll where the joint kind of takes the shape you want it to without needing to finesse it too much.  And smoking this Dark Helmet was a real treat.  Kudos to Drew for making such a delicious strain.  I mean it tasted exactly like it smelled, like a lime dessert!  So great.  Smooth smoke, not harsh at all, and just a real treat of an experience.  I’d say this strain is all about the actual experience of smoking it to be honest.  Like a good scotch, it needs to be savored.

My high was pretty chill, intense at first (for maybe 5-10 minutes) where I got a bit of fogginess in the head, but after that initial rush it was pure chillness.  My cheeks actually got a bit rosy at first to be honest – kind of new feeling LOL – which made my buzz feel warm and fuzzy and generally added to my good vibe.  I smoked my joint during the day and I don’t usually have much chill time until right before bed, so I can’t say I had any “couch-lock” because I had no time to “do nothing” after my smoke.  Right back to normal life after my extended smoke break!  But I was feeling great and I’d say Drew’s is actually a decent daytime strain, because I had no worries at all and I didn’t get too dumb to interact with the people around me.  (I think?)

Overall, I’d give Carmel’s “Drew’s Dark Helmet” an 8.5 out of 10.  It’s probably a 9.5 or even 10 if you mainly care about flavour and smoke quality, because it’s unmistakable that these folks care about their flower being an enjoyable smoke.  But it’s an 8 or 8.5 if all you want to do is get “crushed” off it, because I’ve definitely been higher.   It depends on your personal level of experience I think.  Either way, I can’t wait to try the other Carmel strains.    Great work Drew, I hope to shake your hand!

Yours Truly,

Vik J.