Considered by many to be the flagship strain of the Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance, we were stoked to get our hands on some SCVA Kosher Kush for a proper review.
Known as one of the most pungent and flavorful kush strains out there today, SCVA Kosher Kush is a flawless example of DNA Genetics’ Reserva Privada rendition and takes all aspects of it to the next level.
Rooted in the California cannabis culture, Kosher Kush was the perfect strain for SCVA to dial in, as their self-funded, vertically-integrated operation stretches from their HQ in Watsonville clear down to Orange County in SoCal.
We’ve read and watched hundreds of strain reviews and there is one basic concept about cannabis that almost all of them neglect to weigh into their take which is the fact that it does the audience no good to drool over a review if the weed is exclusive to you.
Not only are we going to tell you all about what we thought of SCVA Kosher Kush, we are going to tell you where you can get it too!
We know as well as anyone that the pheno hunt is where the cultivator’s intuition really shines so if this review appeals to you do your best to seek out the SCVA cut of Kosher Kush and see if your opinion lines up with ours.
SAFETY MEETING
STRENGTH – 10/10 – TERP LOVERS, REJOICE
Properly grown Kosher Kush always delivers a powerful mix of cannabinoids and terpenes and SCVA’s version boosts all categories. Our batch tested at 24.7% THC with a negligible amount of CBD, but it is not uncommon for their crew to see results reaching and even exceeding 30% THC with this Indica-dominant strain.
Our time and terp-tested tolerance levels were no match for this well-rationed cut of kush. Though nearly devoid of most cannabinoids aside from THC, a divinely blended mix of terpenes balances the scales and provides a tasty and potent experience.
Cannabis helps me to sleep at night and it also helps with arthritis and nerve damage in my hands that can feel like broken glass grinding inside on the worst days. This strain eliminated that near constant throb in my hands and gave me a full night’s sleep every time I enjoyed it before bed.
APPEAL – 9.5/10 – “GROWN WITH HONOR” AND IT SHOWS
Kosher Kush began as a clone-only strain in Los Angeles and rumor has it that an early batch of the cut was blessed by a rabbi, leading to the alliterative name it now goes by. The OG’s over at DNA offer a different account, telling a story about a highly sought after strain back in the day by the name of ‘Jews Gold’. As the story goes, DNA managed to get their hands on it for commercial seed production and renamed it to take the potentially anti-Semitic edge off of it.
Whatever the case may be, LORD HAVE MERCY when you open this jar!
Holy shit the aroma is everything a cannabis connoisseur wants to experience when taking a whiff of weed.
Heavy in Limonene, Linalool, and Pinene terps, the rich lemon-pine-and-earthy lavender fragrance that greets you can pull you deep into a pungent coastal forest, or back 10 years in time to when weed was weed and the game was a bit more. . . kosher.
Jar appeal is very high with this bud. Slightly stretched but still dense nugs are stacked with bulging calyxes, everything blanketed with creamy, clear trichomes. Rusty orange pistils appear here and there, but are overwhelmed by the sticky, shiny mint green landscape surrounding them.
Bill said he picked up a bit of a “locker room” funk on the nose, and there certainly seems to be some skunky smelling Diesel influence to this strain, though its exact genetics are a mystery. An abundance of Myrcene terps can be picked up on the tail end of the aroma which when combined with the Limonene ammonia-like funk leads to that old school earthy and fruity kush aroma.
Once run through a grinder for bowls, blunts, or joints, kief production is off the charts and everything above is elevated to nose-numbing levels.
If there is any knock it would only be the stem to bud ratio. I mean, it’s a plant, there’s not much you can do. Every bud was precisely trimmed. Knowing how the BCC is making labs test flowers these days, there’s a good chance that SCVA Kosher Kush (and all other strains) would produce noticeably higher THC counts if the stems were removed prior to the test. But we don’t get baked by sniffing it or staring at it – it’s time to blaze!
FLAVOR – 10/10 – MOUTHWATERING
The market is saturated in mids right now. Some are going so far as to say that California is suffering from a “mids-life crisis”. To the new cannabis consumers who may not know any better, weed is weed and they are just happy it is legal. But those of us who have been around the block tend to hold what we smoke to a higher standard.
Even so, cannabis can look amazing and smell amazing, but if it was not grown, flushed, cured, dried, and packaged properly, there’s a good chance its flavor will not live up to its hype.
Though no rabbis were involved in our own come up, we’ve been blessed to work with some fire genetics, including many variations of OG Kush strains. This Kosher Kush from SCVA literally makes my mouth water on every toke before I have even exhaled the smoke.
SCVA Kosher Kush is the rare exception in today’s recreational market where the incredible aroma profile not only transfers accurately over to the flavor department, but somehow finds a way to kick it up a notch into what can only be described as high octane gas on the front end, and then a citrusy fruit finish – that’s where the salivation kicks in.
A lemon pine punch in the mouth that even a blunt wrap cannot mask. After each exhale the flavor stays saturated on your next 10-15 breaths. If I could only have one flavor on every exhale of cannabis for the remainder of my smoking days, this would be it.
No matter how I smoked it, Kosher Kush always burned down to a clean, white ash.
It’s fresh. It’s nostalgic. It’s perfect.
EFFECT – 10/10 – “BE HERE NOW”
As we know, cannabinoids alone do not tell the full story of any cannabis strain and the diverse terpene profile woven into SCVA Kosher Kush certainly plays a role in the rapid onset and the lasting power that even high tolerance consumers will appreciate.
Jar appeal and flavor matter, for sure, but it’s the effects that differentiate one strain from another and what make the cannabis plant so unique medicinally.
While it would certainly be fair to list SCVA Kosher Kush on the “Indica” side of a menu, we found its effects to be more nuanced than what you might find in more mind numbing, or couchlock inducing strains.
This bud is ideal for social situations and so that is just what I did with it.
The first stop was a hike with our good friend Colin and his group Veterans Walk and Talk. Many of the vets along for the hike that day recognized the logo as soon as I pulled out the jar, and they all gave that knowing look of approval once they cracked it open.
Colin Wells, founder of Veterans Walk and Talk, knows a good kush when he smells one
Whether I smoked this strain first thing in the morning, or after a morning of sharing joints and blunts with Colin’s badass crew, it consistently delivered a very clear and heady high immediately upon exhale.
My visual acuity sharpened each time so that the sky seemed more blue, the trees more green, and the path never more clear.
From the trail with Colin I made my way north to Montaña de Oro, just south of Morro Bay, for a heady sesh on the coast with one of my first friends in the cannabis game – a cool cultivator by the name of LDog.
We tried to catch some fish but Mother Nature wasn’t havin’ it, so I sat there watching the waves crash, smoking Kosher Kush, and considering how happy I was to be with my friend. LDog convinced me to start writing about weed many, many years ago. It was him. But I wasn’t thinking about all those years, I was in the moment and, to me, that matters. That’s “medicinal”.
Jeff said it gave him a confidence boost and I felt that too. Of course, everyone is different but perhaps this is why so many military veterans like this strain as well. It encourages kindness and social interaction, two key pillars in the SCVA operation.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
All SCVA flower is grown exclusively indoors, in soil, at least for now. They mix their own nutes and roughly half of their water usage is recycled from HVAC condensation. They hand water under LED lights in veg and switch over to Gavitas for the flower phase.
Their packaging is pretty standard, but options are limited for this industry and we appreciate the amount of useful information on the label and the lack of excessive materials beyond what the state requires.
The price is right on for the retail market.
Right now on their site, a full zip of SCVA Kosher Kush is yours for just $224 if you can get by their storefront dispensary located at 2827 South Rodeo Gulch Road #6 in Soquel, California. I know I have paid double that amount for weed only half as good at different times in my life so that is a great deal.
The best part is that each of their cultivation, distribution, and retail ops are helmed by disabled vets who now have the opportunity to serve once more.
From Area 51, to Black Jack, to Combat Cookies, to their delicious OG crosses, you are sure to find an SCVA strain that works for you. Whether you are blazing new trails or looking to get a good night’s sleep, Kosher Kush from Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance ought to be high on your list of strains to try.
Click here to find SCVA products closest to you
Did you know?
According to iheartjane.com, one of the nation’s premier online cannabis ordering portals, SCVA Kosher Kush is a Top 50 Strain and a Top 15 Indica in the state of California. It also happens to be the top selling Kosher Kush in the entire nation!
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