Moonbeam Gelato by Grassroots (Maryland Recreational)

Strain: Moonbeam Gelato

Dispensary: Grassroots 

Market: Maryland Recreational

Overall Rating: 8.9/10

Lean: Hybrid

Aroma

Another installment of the “Dark Heart Collection” from Grassroots, Moonbeam Gelato showed up and almost out-Gelato’d all of the other Gelato strains I’ve tried recently. The addition of Strawberry Banana to the fruitiness of the Half Moon Bay Gelato amplified everything that you’d want out of a fruit strain. The strength of the aroma of muddled blueberries and raspberries turned into a strawberry toaster strudel, which turned into a lighter whipped cream, which turned into a sweeter gummy bear flavor…and the complexity kept going. After the air mixed in with the jar-jumping terps, things started to cross into a more earthy lane – red wine, iron-rich soil, spray paint and nail polish all adding to the long list of smells that I could identify from this strain.  

Appearance

An amazing trim job by the folks at Grassroots on this run of Moonbeam Gelato for me! No definitive evidence of over-trimming and each of the buds had (my favorite) the blanket of sugar leaves around the outside to protect the integrity of the trichomes on the inside – I’m assuming this helps out with the complex and easily identifiable aromas significantly. Most of the trichomes were still intact throughout and the bud itself had some gorgeous color pops of purple and different hues of green that I kept taking pictures of like a proud parent. The tactile sensation of the flower after it was ground up was also a unique one. Much more of a gritty and sandy texture here compared to some of the other cultivars that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. While not a difficult roll by any means, the distinct difference in feel made me wonder if this would be a viable candidate for some high-yield hash rosin. Being that I’m a man of my word, I’ll give this a shot in the near future as well. Just to be sure, you know? 

Flavor

Pulling on the joint before lighting it (also known as the “dry-hit”) is usually a good first indicator of the flavor profile and intensity. This Moonbeam Gelato was enjoyable from the dry-hit to the final exhale. Each of the flavors became full and lived on the back of my palate until I would take a sip of water. Over-ripe fruits appeared where there was once freshly muddled berries and a combination of vanilla extract, diesel fuel and a fruit smoothie owned all of my flavor detection abilities once I determined that was what I was tasting. A deliciously smooth smoke through and through, I was a huge fan of Moonbeam Gelato’s consistent flavor profile the entire time.

Lineage

Moonbeam Gelato is a cross of Half Moon Bay Gelato and Strawberry Banana.

Experience

Looking at the label, you’ll see that Moonbeam Gelato is labeled as a hybrid. After judging my experience, I can tell you (anecdotally) that this is about as spot on of a description as possible. The onset of the effects was moderate, with everything starting to sink in for me around the 20-minute mark. Physically and mentally, I felt balanced and had nothing pulling me in any direction to become active or sedentary. A perfect strain choice for smoking “any time” and one with enough fruity flavor to make Toucan Sam blush. 

Major credit to Rob and the entire grow team out in Taneytown for their work with the newest genetics to come from the Dark Heart team – couldn’t have been more impressed with the newest releases! 

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