I’ve been chasing summer flavors for the last few months, so why not end the season’s hunt with a cultivar that promises fruit from the outset? Lobo recently released Fruit Stand in one of the brand’s blunts, so I stopped into Parkway Dispensary to pick one up to review. News Joint Events is set to host Lobo as one of more than 30 craft brands offering samples at the Illinois Craft Showcase 12-7 p.m. Sept. 7 at Molly’s Joint.

Fruit Basket is a hybrid cross of GMO and Trophy Wife. This 2-gram hemp-wrapped blunt tested at 2.422% THC, 23.12% THCa, and 26.287% total cannabinoids.

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The milk chocolate brown blunt was a perfect cylinder with an open top revealing the turf green flower inside and a glass mouthpiece on the other end. A bright-yellow Lobo-branded cigar wrap accented the point where the flower and mouthpiece met. No prework was needed, and the blunt burned evenly and smoothly down to the end.

The scent of the hemp paper monopolized the entire aromatic profile out of the tube with a sweet and rich blend of warm tobacco and cedarwood notes. The flavor was much fruitier and complex with top notes of sweet cherry, lemon peel, and fruit punch on the inhale. The exhale carried a hint of chemical diesel before the hemp paper returned to the profile, creating a finish of warm cedar. The flavor and scent hung on the palate and in the air for a long time even after the blunt was out.

The effects were noticeable before the blunt was done with a combination of heavy eyelids and chest pressure, starting to build halfway through the burn. This pressure spread to the rest of my body, creating a strong indica-style weighted-blanket sensation at the peak. My anxiety melted away, calming my mind and sharpening my focus. Despite the clear headspace, the strong physical pressure made Fruit Basket more indica than hybrid while the flavor profile certainly delivered on the fruity promise.

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Effects & Medical Attributes are based on anecdotal evidence. Individual experiences can be varied.