When I first met Sean and Carly in March 2011 through reviewing their medical-marijuana delivery business, The Renton Herbalist, for this column, I was impressed with Sean’s medicine and his punctuality and reliability. Almost three years later, The Renton Herbalist is still delivering top-shelf cannabis, on time, to patients in the South Sound area.

The Herbalist offers an ever-rotating menu of strains, with a new development since I last saw him in 2012: The menu now has two price points. Mid-grade flowers are $10 a gram, $30 an eighth, $60 a quarter, $100 a half, and $175 an ounce. Top-shelf flowers are $12 a gram, $40 an eighth, $70 a quarter, $120 a half, and $225 an ounce. Butane hash oil (BHO) is also available at $30 a gram.

I tried two of the mid-grade strains, Blue Dream and Super Skunk x East Coast Sour Diesel, and two of the top-shelf strains, Cali WildFire and Tahoe OG Kush.

Blue Dream is a solid but not spectacular representation of that popular strain’s uplifting sativa genetics. It’s quite worth $10 a gram—a good choice, I discovered, for nausea control in the morning without sacrificing much functionality.

The Super Skunk x ECSD had some fat, gorgeous, subtly purple-tinged flowers; this would be considered a top-shelf strain in many shops. The hybrid has neither the skunky bouquet of SS nor the fuelish aroma of ECSD, but rather a slightly dank and (surprisingly) slightly sweet smell. It felt like a stronger strain than the Blue Dream during my testing, and also tilted slightly more to the skunky-indica side of things, while still retaining the sativa zing of Sour Diesel. These flowers are a great buy for $10 a gram.

Cali Wildfire has spectacularly pretty flowers: light green calyxes whitened with thick, sticky trichomes punctuated by a tiny forest of red hairs. It has a fruity, tangy taste, and hits with lightning speed around midway through the second toke. The effects stick around for a while, too; you’ll be well-medicated for at least two hours after lighting this Wildfire.

Then there’s the delectable Tahoe OG Kush. Like the high-altitude mountain lake, Tahoe is deep, clear, and pure. These dark, skunky flowers are so thickly encrusted with trichomes, it’s like they’re coated in sugar.

Tahoe is a sativa/indica hybrid, and accordingly has both the uplifting, euphoric mental effects of a high-THC sativa and the soothing body stone and pain relief of a heavy indica. Due to its sativa genetic heritage, Tahoe can be used all day long; due to the indica, it can be used at night. If you have deep or chronic pain and a high tolerance, Tahoe makes a good choice. Sean thinks it’s some of the best weed he’s ever grown, and I tend to agree.

tokesignals@seattleweekly.com

Steve Elliott edits Toke Signals, tokesignals.com, an irreverent, independent blog of cannabis news, views, and information.

THE RENTON HERBALIST South Sound delivery only. 240-6378. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.