Welcome to the Club
Joining us in the club today is MTL Cannabis with Strawberry N Mintz.
Strawberry N Mintz is described as a cross between Strawberry Guava and Kush Mints.
MTL lists it via its website with a range of 25-30% THC (this will be important later).
.I didn’t buy this product based on THC but had tried it before and it wasn’t really up to par.
This was a chance to try the product again and re-evaluate some later batches.
The first Strawberry N Mintz batch from MTL Cannabis I tried was one of their earlier batches, so I felt time might improve that.
Pre-Rolls are something I normally don’t cover, and honestly – don’t really have a set system to review them.
However, I did want to cover this particular batch, given the big elephant in the room here.
I said early on in my new format I wouldn’t cover THC, and the reason is there are far better ways to evaluate the quality of the flower.
What did catch me by surprise with this product is the claim of a whopping 36.5% THC on the label. Once we start hitting numbers
over 30% THC, this starts entering suspicious territory in my mind. If you are paying attention to the current trends,
there is a serious uptick in “High” THC products, that are posting results well over 30%, some going as far high as 40%.
These claims are all for non-infused products, and just straight-up flowers. When infused products sit on the shelf
with very similar amounts of THC listed this should raise some eyebrows. If you want to get a good primer
on the current controversy, and a very informative look at THC testing methods, and how they can be played with.
Check out this article from Stratcann by Cass Whichelo it is easy to follow, and has some great expert input.
Another great read from Stratcann on this subject with Data by High North Labs
showing most cannabis tests between 18-24% THC.
Now that you are up to speed on The Great THC Race of 2023 – How does this product stack up?
On the surface, the product looks good for a pre-roll – mostly evenly filled, with no weird bends, etc.
What I’m saying, is it looks smokable and didn’t immediately scream “Tear me open”.
The packaging they use for these pre-rolls is absolutely awful, childproofing is one thing.
If you are someone with any mobility or joint issues, you might as well forget it.
Very cheap feeling tube, with a lid you may have to take a set of vice-grips to.
I finally did get the tube open, there were some hints of Earthy/Spicy tones – with a slightly muted sweet note.
So how does the product smoke? How was the high? Let’s dive into it…
Well – with a bold claim of 36.5% you’d expect to be knocked on your ass right?
The smoke was kind of harsh, with very little taste left once you actually light it up as well.
Additionally, I should have broken open one, but didn’t – my guess is this shit was bone dry.
2 of the 3 joints burned okay, but the 3rd was not so great.
I’ve talked to multiple people, including the budtender that had burning issues with Strawberry N Mintz.
No matter how many times you light it, the flower just wants to go out. Seems to be a very common complaint for this cultivar.
On one hand, 2 of 3 burning without going out may be an improvement. On the other, it’s likely
just because the weed was bone dry
The high itself was shallow and short-lived and disappointing with a fairly harsh smoke to boot.
The 36.5 number may more accurately express the length of the high vs THC percentage.
I cannot suggest you buy this product from MTL Cannabis – final rating 2.5/10
I reached out to MTL Cannabis via Social Media and their contact email to try and get a little info about this product.
Regarding the overall poor experience to see if we can work out a solution, as the product just wasn’t worth the price.
I also asked for a copy of the CoA for this particular batch to get a better idea of how these THC numbers were reached.
Given the current issues with THC inflation on labels, I don’t think asking for a CoA is a big ask.
If the CoA says what is on the label, for the LP – this at least shows some transparency. From a
PR perspective also shifts some of the heat off them and onto the lab and their testing methods.
I reached out to them on Monday, March 20th via Twitter DM’s, and Via their support email on Wednesday, March 22nd.
As of the time of this review publishing, I have not received a response from either MTL Cannabis channel.