After a hefty snowstorm and temperatures falling to the single digits, you can be sure the holiday season is in full swing. That is why for this week’s strain review, I went back to Verts Neighborhood Dispensary to find a concentrate with the potential to connect us to our winter sense of wonderment.

After browsing some options, I settled on the cheerfully named Cookie Monster, a strain-specific buttery wax. To smoke the strain, I used a dab rig with a quartz banger. This is essentially a water pipe — similar to a bong — meant to be heated to a temperature that will melt and activate the wax.

“If you’ve got gift wrapping, holiday shopping or great movie watching to do, however, Cookie Monster might just get you to where you want to be.”

Dabs are a great way to get stoned in the colder seasons because they don’t smell as much if done inside and require less time to consume if you must smoke outside. A dab rig and wax also give cleaner hits than flower. Ether way, wax is incredibly potent, so moderation is key. A clean hit can become very harsh if the wax quantity and temperature are wrong.

Cookie Monster is an indica strain testing at 71.4% with a $15 price tag for a gram. This strain was just one of several at Verts from a brand new to me called At Altitude. In the spirit of transparency, the color and consistency of this strain won me over before anything. The inside of the white container reflected a bright yellowish-orange — maybe even golden — ray off of the wax.

The high from this strain took me by surprise, as it could not have been more different from the effects typically associated with the indica family. I could feel a pleasant head rush soon after smoking that quickly transitioned into a very active head high. At the time of consumption, I was watching TV, but I felt like being active soon after. If my memory serves me well, I cleaned up the room I occupied with a certain enthusiastic anxiousness. After some tidying up, I worked on a drawing for a few hours, which was really fun.

I found the high to be lasting, and even though it was a more energetic high, I would still describe it as smooth. This might not be the best strain right before bed or if relaxation is your main goal. If you’ve got gift wrapping, holiday shopping or great movie watching to do, however, Cookie Monster might just get you to where you want to be.

Reach Miles Buchan at cannabis@collegian.com or on Twitter @buchanmiles.