The Cheese

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I first heard of this famous UK strain on the web. Seems it is all the rage in the UK among indoor growers. The general take among these growers was it was just about the best strain around there parts. Now my first thoughts were it was just another stinky cutting similar to many I have grown. But as I spoke to more and more growers from the UK I began to realize, maybe it was really special and unique after all! In the summer of 2007 I traveled to the Birmingham in the UK. The trip was pretty normal over all but when I landed in Gatwick Airport, the customs line was 12 rows wide and people were moving very slow, it took a full 2 hours to just clear the gate and make my way to baggage pick up. I always look for Bob as hes the taller of my two English buddies and I soon spotted both him and Pistils with huge Cheshire cat grins.

We make our way to the parking area and we head to the Blue zone where they had parked. The first thing I saw that proved people are totally alike everywhere was us not having a clue where the car was in the garage, sound familiar? We do this **** at home about 3 times a month…where the **** did we park?
Pistils, Bob and I spent a week there seeing the sites meeting other growers and being treated basically like a King by these awesome people. They showed me many cool things about their area and it wasn’t long after landed the subject of cheese came up. So after a small walkabout we locate the ride and pile in. Bob hands me a Hemp Bong bag and Pistils a Stash Jar. Inside the bag was a Roor Bong with all the parts and a glass screen, inside the Jar was 4-6 Large JTR nugs cured to perfection grown by a friend of Pistils and just a killer sample. I felt like I was home with a brand new bong! Now riding with Bob is like going to the fair and riding a fast ride. He’s a trained ambulance driver and he ******* hauls ***! We were hitting 120 easy in places as I sat in the back seat smoking bingers out of the Roor, it wasn’t till later that I found out the zooming is just as big a fine as here and they don’t do bingers in cars, I have never been good at the following the rules thing….Thanks for making me feel like the King of Ganja guys. When you travel you always learn great new words. Now no one I met was nothing but nice but just like stateside the people around you can be annoying. The guy in front or your car going slow that wont get outa the way, The cook that drops his hair on ya food it truly was just like home but as we would call someone in our way an ****** ,Pistils shouts Move ya Cheeky ******s, a more severe term is Knobhead and just cracked me up.

Lovely jubbley is a phase thats means Kick ***!

Mashed is stoned

No bongs Spliffs are the toke of the day

On the way around town we stopped by a mates apartment to check out a hidden grow.

 

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I absolutely smoked Cheese as everyone I met seemed to have a stash of this bud. I loved the fruity flavor and great head rush it is apparently really ******* good cause I smoked the stuff for 4 days and never took a picture of a bud. I forgot my cam battery BTW and we spent 3 hours driving to every store in Birmingham looking for a d-80 battery but we only incurred Knobheads and ******s yet again.


I felt that we probably have similar strains already here in the US. Cheese isn't cheese like its just funky its similar to Tiny Bomb or a Funky fruity C99 but it also has a exotic spice undertone and a warm buttery toke. The exhale is spicy and smooth I smoked the same cut grown by many people and many ways and the flavor and strong smell was always there.
Lovely Jubbley!

This summer a friend, Obsoul33te from Northern California came to visit us. We spent a day swapping stories sharing bud and bubble and traded a few cuttings. He had some really nice gear in his stash but of all the stuff he offered the one I was interested in the most was Cheese. OB has some really good connections and if anyone has a real cutting of something it is him. The cutting was accompanied by some really large and dense buds that were grown outdoors and I must say my first impression was it was the same weird smell I remember from my trip, but these buds were huge compared to the buds I saw in England. Sunshine is much different than indoor lighting and some strains blow up under God’s light.

I planted the Cheese cutting in a 6” container and placed her in my vegging room under a 1000 watt Hortilux Blue Metal halide Bulb. These very expensive bulbs are designed to have enhanced Blue spectrum and I notice they produce shorter plants with thick stalks. I topped the Cheese cutting early to form multiple heads and continued to grow her under 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness until she formed a large dense bush.
She grew very similar to our Apollo-13 mother plant, mainly growing sideways and having very thin vine like stems. I supported her well with bamboo stakes and wire twist ties to keep the main buds from sagging below the canopy. She was a very squat plant and needed additional height to compete with some of my taller plants so she was placed on top of some bricks to even things out. Even still in veg you could smell her if you moved her or brushed up against the plant. A slightly rotting smell not quite Cheese but I understand why it got the name. At this early stage she reminded me or Port Wine Cheese spread.

 

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The plant started to really fill out with buds by day 30 and my bud room took on a smell I had never encountered before. I was also running a new cutting of AK-47 that, combined with the funk of Cheese was overwhelming at times. It had a slightly Cherry smell but also a flat beer or garbage can smell that was gross and attractive at the same time. As the plant matured past day 45 I was worried I would not like the strain at all as it took on the smell of spoiled Vomit and fruit I could not imagine anything good coming from those smells.

By day 50 the rotting smell took a back seat to an astringent cleaning fruit smell if you actually smelled a bud but the odor it gave off in the room was a funky fruit/cheese smell.
I was having a hard time deciding when to harvest the plant as most of the pistils were shriveling up but many were still white in color so I contacted some UK growers and they informed me I was looking at 56 days for maximum flavor and smoothness so that’s the day I harvested her. The plant may not have looked huge but as a whole it had a tremendous number of bud sites and each nugget was hard and filled out completely. I could not help but notice a hanger of Cheese colas weighed as much as the huge hanger of AK buds harvested the same day. There was just twice as many rock hard buds on the Cheese hanger and it made up for the huge size of the AK-47.
I trimmed each bud well to collect as much sugar leaf as possible to make some Cheese bubblehash later. I was able to fill 4 clothes hangers with buds from the one plant and since it roots so easy I already have another Cheese plant 36” tall to place in the bud room.

We allowed the buds to hang and dry completely in 7 days and then I removed them from the stem and placed into a aluminum trey to finish air drying. When the stem was crunchy I placed the buds in an open jar and into my stash cabinet. After a few days I placed a lid on and we waited for these already incredibly pungent buds to cure for several weeks. This will allow us to do a proper judging as Cured Bud is the best tasting and has a better high.

We waited 2 weeks before opening the jar again and the smell is really amazing. It is also very hard to describe. Slightly fruity with a complex astringent or some type of disinfecting cleaner, the cheese smell only occurs when smelling it from a distance or in bulk. When you actually shove a bud under your nose and sniff the smell is much more than just Cheesy! The sample bud is crunchy and crisp with just a slight pliability that tells me the dry is perfect. A clean Bong with Ice of course is standing at the ready as I place a small pile into the glass bowl.

I thought once I actually grew out this cut and sampled it it would be just another over hyped strain but I was completely WRONG! The first thing that gets your attention is bud quality, each nuglet is hard and dense and just emitting a strong antiseptic smell combined with the strong smell of DANK. I find even as a Cannabis Journalist describing the taste and smell f Cheese is quite the challenge. I shove my face into a jar of perfectly cured bud as I type trying to come up with a description and I find it just impossible. Good, strong, dank, thick herbal smell and it just overwhelms the senses and makes you happy. You can keep smelling it all day and its extremely appealing to the pallet. Cheese is very frosty with resin but the trichome heads are fairly small and when I made Bubblehash the yield was medium but again the quality is outstanding and the Full melt hash has that same incredible taste. I am hoping Mamakind can help me with a description of the smell and taste. The buzz comes on strong and fast and my patients report instant pain relief from just a few tokes. I find the buzz happy and comforting but not overwhelming again making it weed you can smoke bowl after bowl of. I have a high tolerance so its probably stronger than I can tell. Overall it has quickly become one of our favorite smokes. She is very easy to grow and clone and only needs some bud support to prevent her ample buds from falling over late in bloom.

Many strains that are sought after never measure up to the hype surrounding them but this is one bud we will be smoking for a long time to come. Great for body pain, Lovely Jubbley.

Subcool

 

[legalize_freedom]

Thanks for the report Sub! I have a friend growing Buddah's Cheese, and he has added it to his rotation. I've yet to grow it, but I may have to do some clone swapping with him, because I love the taste and buzz.

I'm intersted in your way of curing, you said that you put the bud in jars and then don't open it again for 2 weeks, I have not heard of this way of doing things. I to use jars but I leave them open for different intervals throughout drying. Gradually letting the amount of time get shorter, to wher it is just a burp a couple of times a day, until done.

I was wondering if you would mind elaborateing on your curing methods for us? I know I'm interested, so I'm sure there would be others here that would be to. I know your a busy guy....but if you find the time, I'd certainly appriciate it! We have a section devoted to harvesting, maybe that would be the ideal place to post your methods. I like my way, but I'm always open to trying others! Thanks for the read! Very intersting!

 

[subcool]

Jilly wrote a nice article on that I will get her to post it.
Keep in mind I allow the buds to dry throughly before I go into a jar at all and if after closing the lid the next day it feels spongy I will dump it back into a pan untill its really dry then it goes into the jars for an extended time before opening.
So with my method we are really drying the bud faster than most people do say 4-6 days, I know people that slow this process to weeks but I feel by bud tasted better than theres and that person ask me for more of my bud so to me that indicates I have something right

Sub

 

[2Dog]

very cool info I have cheese and blue cheese in my grow..havent harvested them yet tho...

 

[Dahova]

I have cheesexchunk cross a friend brought me i have not flowered her completly yet but i do like the smell.
thanks for sharing sub great photos

 

[chemdawg]

I have grown the U.K. Cheese from fem'd seeds and they were a beautiful, beautiful thing. Exactly like the clone. Top Drawer.

 

[kaneboy]

:hubba: :woohoo: excellent review of the cheese sub,gotta love all that comes from those green thumbs

 

[Dahova]

hey sub did mzjill ever get a chance to post that thread yet

 

[subcool]

She had a busy week but here is the article without pics

 

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Properly processing the cannabis at harvest is a craft that must be mastered in order to enhance and preserve the psychoactive properties, the taste and the appearance of the finished product. Many talented growers fail to implement some of the following techniques and the result is not up to maximum potential. Inadequate or poor handling after harvest is the biggest cause of, less than top quality cannabis. This problem is compounded by the fact that most growers feel his or her pot is better than everyone else’s. Try to tell a grower whom is your friend that he or she could do a better job on trimming and curing; this will usually result in the end of a friendship. A good trim and cure can make the difference between green tasting, hard to burn nugs and pleasurable, smooth, clean burning dank nugs.

There are two basic methods used by growers, when harvesting their cannabis. Some growers prefer to cut the buds from the branches individually, while others growers may prefer to harvest the entire plant, by cutting it off at the main stalk near the bottom.

Many for a few reasons, prefer individual cola harvesting. With some cannabis plants the buds will finish at different times. For example; the top colas may be already ripe and can be removed to allow the lower branches to be exposed to light, therefore allowing the lower buds to further ripen giving a larger yield.

Individual harvesting and drying is faster than drying a whole harvested cannabis plant. When a cannabis plant is harvested the stomata on the surface of the leaves and calyxes will start closing off, allowing only a small amount of water vapors to escape through the stomata. Thus forcing the excess moisture stored within the stems/stalks to exit through the cuts you have made on the stalks/stems when harvesting. The less cuts for the water vapors to exit through, the longer the drying time will be.

For the best end results we have found that upon harvest, it is best to trim all foliage from the colas/buds while the foliage is still rigid and fully hydrated. It is very important to remove as many leaves protruding from the bud, as possible. These leaves still contain chlorophyll, which will adversely affect the taste of your finished product. Some growers prefer to leave these leaves to curl around the bud for finished appearance. We feel that it will definitely take away from the taste and smoothness of the finished product.

Trimming is a tedious job that requires a lot of patience, self-discipline, and the proper supplies. It is important to have a good pair of scissors for trimming. A good ten-dollar pair of hair cutting shears will do the job very well. It is nice to have a bowl for the shade leaves and a bowl for the sugar leaves. We like to separate the shade leaves from the sugar leaves, as we utilize the sugar leaves for hash and butter making. A table, along with a comfortable chair, and good lighting are also musts for trimming. Try to sit up straight and keep your back straight, set goals and take breaks; trimming a full crop can mean several days worth of work, even for the experienced trimmer.



Drying your buds is simply a process that precedes the end curing process, drying is merely an act of removing the excess water from the cannabis. We like to leave the buds on the stems and hang on a string or hanger of some sort. It is best to dry the buds in a place that allows for indirect lighting and also adequate air circulation. A fan is good to have in the room, but not to be directly pointed at the hanging buds. Allow the buds to dry until they are crisp on the outside and the stems will still be pliable, since the stems contain so much residual moisture it is best at this time to remove the buds from the stems and place in a large bowl, on a screen or a tray. In our climate the hanging time is about five days, but the drying time will vary due to humidity. We like the buds to dry slowly as this makes for a smoother cure, rather than drying the buds too quickly. When buds are allowed to dry slowly the humidity is closer to that of the inside of the stomata. If cannabis is dried to rapidly, the ‘green’ taste will remain present in the finished product. According to the time of year, the temperature and the type of heat in your home humidity, airflow, and the density of your buds; drying time can vary from five days to ten days.

Cannabis will continue to cure after it is harvested, while it is drying and even after it is placed into a jar. Just like a fine wine or a gourmet coffee bean, marijuana needs to be cured to achieve the rich, robust, smooth taste that lingers on your palette and in your brain. During the curing period the cannabinoid acids go through the process of decarboxylation into the psychoactive cannabinoids and the terpenes will isomerize to create new polyterpenes. Just as with any other fruit, when cannabis is harvested, the fruit or bud is not dead, it continues to metabolize. If you pick a tomato from your garden and it is still partially green, you would set it in the windowsill to further ripen or metabolize. Another example is a fresh banana, it may still show green on the peel and the fruit inside is hard and the taste is milder, as the banana ages the peel will turn darker yellow and the fruit inside will become softer and have a more rich flavor. The more robust flavors and tantalizing fragrances begin to appear as the chlorophyll and other pigments begin to break down.

When the small stems, which remain under the buds, are completely dry enough to snap and the buds are dry enough to smoke, it is time to start the end curing process. We use glass-canning jars, such as Mason, Ball or Kerr, to cure and store our finished product. Freezer bags can also be used for storage of cannabis. Do not store your cannabis in sandwich bags or anything made of a similar plastic, because the cannabis will become to dry and it will lose potency. It is important to open the jars to allow in oxygen that is needed for the curing process, and to allow gases built up from the curing process to escape. During the first three days we open the jars once a day. After the first three days, for two weeks open your jars twice a week, then one time after the first month; at which time the cure will be complete. Make sure your cannabis is completely dry before leaving it in sealed jars or containers. Leaving wet cannabis in any sealed jar or container will result in mold, and it will become unsafe to smoke.

Store your jarred, cured cannabis in a cool dark place, to help slow the break down of the cannabinoids. Although cannabis needs oxygen through the metabolizing/curing stage, oxygen plays an adverse roll on already cured cannabis causing the breakdown of THC into CBN. We store our marijuana in canning jars with lids on tight, inside of a cool dark closet.

Implementation of the simple steps listed above will make your dank a legend amongst your friends.

Glossary

Calyxes… The sepals of a flower considered as a group.
Cannabinoid… Any of various organic substances, such as THC, found in cannabis.
Canna-Butter… Butter reprocessed with cannabinoids.
CBN… (Cannabinol) Occurs during the breakdown of THC in the curing process.
Chlorophyll… Any of a group of green pigments that are found in the chloroplasts of plants.
Curing… To prepare, preserve, or finish (a substance) by a chemical or physical process.
Decarboxylation… Removal of a carboxyl group from a chemical compound, usually with hydrogen replacing it.
Harvest… The process of gathering a crop at the end of its season.
Hash… Purified resinous extract of the hemp plant; used as a hallucinogen. Bubble Hash
Humidity… Wetness in the atmosphere.
Isomeric… Any of two or more substances that are composed of the same elements in the same proportions but differ in properties because of differences in the arrangement of atoms.
Isomerize… To cause to change into an isomeric form.
Metabolism… The chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized.
Metabolize… To subject (a substance) to metabolism.
Mold… (Fungi) A superficial often, woolly growth produced especially on damp or decaying organic matter or on living organisms.
Oxygen… A nonmetallic element constituting 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume that occurs as a diatomic gas, O2, and in many compounds such as water and iron ore. It combines with most elements, is essential for plant and animal respiration, and is required for nearly all combustion.
Poly… More than one; many; much
Psychoactive… Affecting the mind, mood, or other mental processes. THC is the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana
Stomata… One of the minute pores in the epidermis of a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor pass.
Terpenes… Any of various unsaturated hydrocarbons, C10H16, found in essential oils and oleoresins of plants and used in organic syntheses.
THC… (tetrahydrocannabinol) A compound, C21H30O2, obtained from cannabis or made synthetically, that is the primary intoxicant in marijuana and hashish.

 

[legalize_freedom]

Man....I'm glad your hanging out here Subcool!!! Thanks for the info...you to Mz Jill if your reading! Thanks for the contribution!!