MK Ultra by Aurora
Aurora offers one of THSeeds legendary cultivars, MK Ultra. This flower has mid-range visual quality with a respectable flavour profile and crispy outer consistency that demonstrates near premium tactile quality.
We’ve seen some pretty good product out of Aurora as of late. Perhaps their Blue Dream wasn’t the greatest, but their Sour Tangie was outstanding and represents a milestone in quality of flavour for your reviewer. I feel a bit different about the MK Ultra. The profile doesn’t thrill me personally, but there is much character to go over here, both in MK Ultra’s olfaction and the MK Ultra as a cultivar. Let’s get into it.
MK Ultra was created by THSeeds, from two well known varieties and good examples of why traditional ‘strain name’ nomenclature is misleading– OG Kush and G-13. The former, OG Kush, is perhaps more accurately used to describe a collection of cultivars that vary slightly in taste but generally maintain similar flavour profile. THSeeds does not note the specific OG Kush used but does claim it as “LA’s finest”.
The latter, G-13, is an unknown variety propped up by urban legend and further popularization by the 1999 film American Beauty. We see this again later on with ‘Pineapple Express’, a name created by the writers of the movie Pineapple Express, which led to a thicket of synonymous cultivars from various breeders.
THSeeds blends the two ambiguous names under a their trademark name, MK Ultra, and reinforces its high potency status with clever marketing. They even warn users not to underestimate the ‘addictive qualities’ of MK Ultra. Whether true shine or just show, the cultivar won a few notable cups in the early 2000’s and seems to have developed a respectable following. I’d say does not demonstrate wide spread prominence in the market but it is well known, perhaps more so in European markets.
The nose on this MK Ultra is pungent pine. Adding a bit of heat, the flavour brings out vanilla smoked earths and the familiar OG pines, slightly reduced by the prominent earths and baritone woods. The profile starts in the midranges and decrescendos to a very low octave, like a woodsy bassoon in a dark smokey jazz club.
Bud structure is small and conical. Some leaf and lower stem is present. Visual appeal is lacking a bit, but that could be the fault of MK Ultra itself. What it lacks in looks, it makes up for with a good internal malleability and outer crispness. Small, unassuming but feels well taken care of. Grinds well to a usable consistency, the moisture content is observable here, does not grind to dust.
Perhaps the marketing got me, I’ve grown this cultivar a few times, I think MK Ultra is worth a try, just to add to your experience. Might as well have it once, and Aurora’s rendition hits the flavour profile on the nose. It’s $9.99 per gram, which is in the lower range in price at the Alberta Cannabis store. We’ve definitely reviewed offerings with 50% more price and 50% less quality.
Up next, we’ll do the second review of CannTrust’s Warlock. They sell their Warlock under two different brands with two different prices. We’ve reviewed the cheap one already, so I’m interested what you get when you step up in price.
