I’ll get into more Silk testing feedback later, but can confirm the line BO worked was quite herm prone and took, iirc, years to work out. I think it still does herm, but to a far lesser extent. Another possible contributing factor in JJ giving up the line, and working toward the mango Nigerians and African hazes, etc.
In terms of effect—keeping in mind that biochemistry is a huge differentiator—I’d say the potency/feel is very legit-haze-like and powerful, but quite different from other hazes in its category (puday, NYC haze, etc.). It’s got a creeper high that doesn’t seem like much at first, and then bam, you’re on another plane, and it keeps sending waves of sensation that wash over you. Very much an awakening experience, but not the mild functional upper high of a half-decent sativa—more electric. In concentrate form… well, it stands up to mushies and parallels reports I hear of powerhouse Thai and Zamal phenos.
The power reminds me of Viet Black, but I get a dark, sinister vibe from VB, or the VB164 at least, and find Silk more neutral/positive on some phenos, or more malleable to one’s current mood and less controlling. Some phenos have a mild to moderate stone, which I don’t care for at all. Phylos says there’s a smidge of “skunk” in the line, which, if it is a haze, could explain the stone and align it with the 5hz work. Phylos, as much as it’s reliable (or not), groups it with pure landrace Colombians, a pure Panamanian, and Ace’s Green Haze #19 (from Oldtimer’s line, iirc). Not sure about the “Nigerian” component. Phylos is fallible, but other Nigerians I’ve had don’t align. Runtime varies, but BO likes the 100-day ones.
I find the Silk to be fab medicine and wish it wasn’t so unobtanium, but I also really admire what SG is doing to use it as a basis (kinda like JJ did) to resurrect the powerhouse piney, incensey hazes from the '90s. I smoked that stuff almost exclusively back then, and most of the current “piff” lines aren’t even close in potency. I can see why Silk did so well at Piffcon—enlivening potency—but I can also see why folks preferred the African haze (which has Silk in it): the Silk doesn’t generally have incense. Different phenos have sandalwood, cedar, some soapiness, but very restrained incense, if any, to my palate. That said, in my recent haze explorations I’ve preferred soapy hazes to incense hazes.
Someone told me soapiness comes from Thai influence, and I have no clue if that’s true, but that would point toward one ancestor (along with haze properties, and hearsay of potential Thai influence in Colombia). But that’s all a lot of conjecture. Whatever it is, it’s great medicine for my severe physical ailments, and I can hardly wait to see what other fabulous medicines its children conjure.
Okay, enough rambling… hope this is helpful to someone.
(Oh, I forgot to talk about the camphene! But let’s save something for later.)
