Disclaimer: Under Colorado law, the use of marijuana is restricted to those aged 21 and older or those with a valid medical marijuana license. Colorado State University does not allow the possession or consumption of marijuana, recreational or medical, anywhere on campus. The Collegian does not condone underage consumption of marijuana.

Video edited by Rick Cookson 

When my last review went online, I walked away from the 50/50 hybrid, Mamasan, with a little resentment toward the strain. It was literally a “perfect” hybrid strain, but we just did not click. I don’t know what it was, but there was simply a lack of chemistry between those beautiful buds and me.

I left my office that day with little satisfaction, but intense determination. I needed to find another hybrid strain to put an end to my cravings for a simultaneous sativa-indica high with impeccable equipoise. Much to my surprise, my quest for this strain ended the moment it started when I found pure marijuana prestige — the sativa-dominant hybrid, Golden Goat.

I’ll be honest, it’s not a perfect hybrid. It’s not even a sativa-indica hybrid. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Being a bud child of the sativa strains Hawaiian-Romulan and Island Sweet Skunk, this hybrid is 100 percent sativa. I guess I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I still found a hybrid strain, and that’s what really counts.

With its unique name and color, this strain caught my eyes instantly from behind the counter of Organic Alternatives on 346 E. Mountain Ave. off North College Avenue. When the bud tender approached me and asked what I was looking for, I informed him of my quest for a pristine hybrid strain, and what was the first thing he pulled off the shelf? The jar of Golden Goat. It was like fate wanted me to review this strain.

I hadn’t been into Organic Alternatives before, but I left with a very good first impression — kind employees, all organic products, a nice waiting area and the product area made me feel like I was standing in a Western saloon.

I bought a gram of 22.16 percent THC Golden Goat for a total of $17.61. Instead of going home for this review, Kind Creations, my sponsor, was kind enough to let me do the review inside of the Kind Creations store on South College Avenue. Not only that, but I was able to smoke the Golden Goat out of Kind Creations’ and Illadelph Glass’ collaboration piece, the Killadelph quad-oil drum base with attached glycerine coil condenser top.

From far away, Golden Goat buds are gorgeously enticing. From close up, they are seductively beautiful. With a surfeit of different colors, the Golden Goat flowers hold a splendor only comparable to a Christmas tree. The mixture of various shades of green act as a perfect background for the light orange, light red and pink hairs that overpopulate the surface area of each bud. On top of that, the goldmine of THC crystals works like makeup, emphasizing the bud’s specific features with great precision.

When giving the buds a thorough optical evaluation, it was impossible to ignore, or even escape, the ridiculously potent smell. When I opened the bag of Golden Goat, I was brutally smacked in the face by an incredibly fruity gust of scent. Honestly, had I not known what I was doing, I would’ve thought I was opening a fresh bag of Kellogg’s Fruit Loops. The general smell of marijuana was evident, but it was impressively overpowered by the fruity, citrus smell, which held strong lemon tinges.

While taking notes on the smell and appearance, I couldn’t help but notice how sticky and crunchy the strain was. Simply touching Golden Goat’s flower created a Velcro-like connection between my finger and the bud. And just like the Mamasan hybrid, breaking apart the Golden Goat buds emitted this irresistible crunch and crackle.

The buds were so sticky that grinding them by hand was clearly a waste of time. Instead, I used one of Kind Creations’ grinder cards, which mimics the system behind a cheese grater, but is the size of a credit card and fits snugly inside the wallet. It’s almost as portable as it is useful and efficient.

After using the grinder card, I packed the granulated bud into the bowl of the Killadelph quad-oil drum, and the rest was utter bliss. Although I’d love to start talking about the glorious effects of Golden Goat, the rarity of smoking out of a collaboration piece from Kind Creations and Illadelph Glass warrants a little background.

Based in Philadelphia, Illadelph Glass started in 2002 with the goal to create high-quality and highly functional glass artwork. In my opinion, they’ve accomplished that goal with flare. Last year, Illadelph Glass and Kind Creations came together to create an ultimate collaboration piece, and by November 2014, they finished constructing the Killadelph quad-oil drum base with the glycerine coil condenser top. Four were made — Kind Creations built the quad-oil drum bases and Illadelph Glass constructed the glycerine coil condenser — and none of them was ever made available for sale. But when estimating a general price, Kind Creations employees approximated the value of the piece to be around $3,600.

Two sit on display — one inside of Kind Creations among other Illadelph Glass pieces, the other in the Illadelph Glass Gallery in Los Angeles. Another stands proudly in the personal collection of Illadelph Glass’ owner and the last is privately owned by one of Kind Creations’ employees. To say the absolute least in the most understated way, smoking out of this collaboration piece was phenomenal.

As I stated earlier, Golden Goat is on a level of severe marijuana prestige. In line with the immaculate characteristics that I’ve already described, the taste of Golden Goat comes in at the top spot. There are easily as many different aspects of the flavor as there are in the buds’ color.

The first thing I noticed about the flavor was how full and distinct it was on my palate. Evaluating the taste of smoke or vapor is not the easiest thing, but with Golden Goat, the flavor is so well-defined and clear that I seemed to analyze it without effort.

I then noticed how intricate the flavor profile was — it was sweet, but also slightly sour. It was citrus-like with strong lemon undertones, but also carried a tropical nuance within the aftertaste. The smoky flavor that I’ve noted in a couple of my past reviews was so belittled by the fruitiness that I hardly noticed it.

Instantly as evident as the flavor were the effects. After my first hit, I could feel the high taking its toll almost immediately. My head felt as if the pressure inside was being slowly released while simultaneously becoming lighter.

Just like the Moby Dick sativa I reviewed, my mind was swimming in a pool of euphoria and happiness, but there were also unique aspects to Golden Goat’s sativa high. I felt more creative and inventive — I felt this indescribable drive to create something or to do something of modest repute. It was a feeling relative to the boost from caffeine, but with more direction and less stress.

The effects lasted about three and a half hours with methodical laughing sprees occurring every other minute.

The only negative aspect that I found was the harshness of each hit. I know I was smoking out of one of the nicest pieces I have ever come into contact with, but this stuff was strong. The odd thing was that the feeling of throat irritation didn’t come until awhile after exhaling.

The initial inhale was sublime — the quad-oil drum percolator filters the smoke with amazing precision and probably aided in delivering the full flavor of Golden Goat. The glycerine coil condenser, which was set on ice for two hours before use, made inhaling the smoke feel like breathing in a fresh breath of the crisp, cold air of winter.

Exhaling was consecutively smooth and each hit produced quite the cloud of thick, white smoke. But after taking a couple of deep breathes post-hit, my throat was overwhelmed with discomfort and the coughing binge from hell began.

Overall, I have to give the Golden Goat hybrid strain a solid nine leaves out of 10. It wasn’t the hybrid I was looking for, but it’s a strain that has earned a top spot on my list of favorite strains.

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My next review will feature another concentrate to compete for a better score than I gave the Bruce Banner wax. Look for it online June 29, and in the Collegian’s summer print edition July 2.

This column is sponsored by Kind Creations.

Collegian Senior Reporter Rick Cookson can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com and on Twitter @RickCookson1.