Trulieve has been dropping new flower strains left and right the past couple of months: first with the release of Sunshine Cannabis flower in April, Blue Dream last week, and the release of this Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Papaya Cake today (05.29.2020).

There is some information on a strain with the same name available at most major online strain libraries like Leafly, but the genetics listed indicate that it is bred by Humboldt (rather than Surfr) and is therefore a different strain than what Trulieve has.

My location unfortunately never received Papaya Cake, but I was lucky enough to get an eighth of this strain. Here is Trulieve’s description:

Pineapple upside down cake is a cross of Golden Pineapple and Trophy Wife (Wedding Cake F2) from Surfr Seeds. This strain is a fruity tropical treat delivering a clear mentally stimulating high that is perfect for day time and active users. High levels of THC and terpenes including terpinolene, beta-myrcene, limonene and trans-caryophyllene deliver a tropical, floral creamy smoke that has a long lasting effect unique to most Trulieve offerings. This variety should work well for people with PTSD, anxiety, appetite stimulation and mild pain relief.

Trulieve’s Product Page

Quick Facts:

Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Sativa)

Price at time of review: $53/eighth 

Lineage: Golden Pineapple x Trophy Wife

Batch/Harvest Number: DUFL-BLD-S-18-PK-2

Cannabinoids

THC: 30.809% – This is the first flower I’ve had that breaks the 30% THC threshold.

CBD: 0.000%

THCV: 0.175%

CBG: 1.219%

Total Cannabinoids: 32.203%

Terpenes

“*” denotes the two dominant terpenes in this strain

*Beta-Myrcene: 1.505%

*Trans-Carophyllene: 1.012%

R-Limonene: 0.510%

Linalool: 0.164%

Alpha Humulene: 0.207%

Total Terpenes: 3.398%

Appearance/Cure

I’m reminded of my first time buying Paradise Waits from Trulieve when I first opened this strain. That batch of Paradise raised the bar of flower quality for Trulieve at the time, and the overall average of their flower became better after that.

The same thing happened when Trulieve released Sunshine Cannabis flower last month; once again, the bar was raised for them.

This has happened for a third time with the batch of Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I’ve been saying for the past few weeks that GrowHealthy was leading my choices in flower quality, but this eighth meets or exceeds that level of quality, and again has Trulieve in my personal “bracket” vying for the #1 flower quality position.

The trim is close to immaculate. The cure is the same, with extremely dense, extremely sticky buds that grind or break down to a very soft, fluffy texture that is easy to work with.

Trichomes are visible to the naked eye and appear to have been allowed to mature, as they are gold to amber in color.

The entire eighth weighed 3.8 grams and is comprised of 3 nugs, of which the largest weighed 1.8 grams.

Well done, Trulieve. You seem to keep finding a way to excel your previous bests. That is the mark of a good and improving grow operation. Give that team some credit!

Appearance/Cure Rating: 9.00/10.00

Smell/Taste

Pineapple Upside Down Cake has a mild smell, and honestly, it doesn’t smell like its namesake to me. It reminds me of Paradise Waits in a way, but the smell is not as pungent and full as that strain.

I find this strain to be sweet and hashy, with hints of pine and citrus.

The taste when smoking the flower is very similar to the smell; however, the taste does have a sweet cake-like quality on the exhale. It’s really nice, actually.

This isn’t a top strain in this category, but fans of the Cake lineage should enjoy this mildly sweet member of the family.

Smell/Taste Rating: 6.60/10.00

Effects/Medical Use

I’m one that preaches “THC % isn’t everything” – and it isn’t. Terpenes and other cannabinoids matter, and this Pineapple Upside Down Cake is not guaranteed to be potent just because of the listed THC percentage.

However, when a flower has both high THC and high terpenes, and (perhaps most importantly) it was allowed to both fully mature and cure, then it has the potential to be extremely potent. That’s exactly what happened with this batch.

The first time I tried it, all it took was one small hit. I was done. That’s all I needed.

This is a racy, speedy, energetic sativa strain for me, with little in the way of body effects. It reminds me a lot of 99 Problems from GrowHealthy, and is among the most racy sativa strains I have tried. If you are prone to any sort of anxiety from sativa and/or potent cannabis strains, tread very lightly with this strain and others like it, especially when they have ridiculous THC levels like this. A little goes a long way if you happen to have this batch.

I find this strain to be both a great mood booster and a good motivator, as well as a fairly good creativity stimulator. I did not enjoy doing leisurely tasks while medicating with it earlier; I wanted to be doing something meaningful or productive, so I came to write this review.

In my book, this is another “espresso” cannabis strain. It may have a slightly more prevalent body relaxation component than strains like 99 Problems or Sour Diesel, but not much at all – nothing noticeable to most consumers/patients.

I enjoy strains like this, but I recommend having CBD on hand if you aren’t experienced with them. They can be intense!

Possibly good for treating:

• Depression
• ADD/ADHD or focus-related issues
• Lack of motivation
• Improves concentration and memory recall
• Increases energy/alertness, in a way almost similar to caffeine 
• Good for “stepping out of the box” with current mindset; good for changing mental perspective.

I’m definitely no medical doctor, so please take the preceding conditions only as my own personal observations from using this strain and having experience with a multitude of different cannabis strains. Everybody is different, and every body reacts differently to various medications. 

Effects Rating: 9.00/10.00

Overall Rating: 8.20/10.00

Overall, I would best describe Pineapple Upside Down Cake as an “excellent, high-energy” sativa strain from Trulieve.

It seems like Trulieve is only getting better at growing flower through time. I hope that their grow team sees this review and knows that their efforts are noticed – the quality is seriously on another level than it was this time last year.

This experience has me ready to try other new strains from Trulieve. I might have to go check out that Blue Dream to compare it to Fluent’s version…

For patients who enjoy racy sativas, this strain is an excellent choice. I’m really impressed with it, and can’t wait to see what else Trulieve and other MMTCs have in store for the second half of 2020.

You can be assured I’ll continue to be here to try and review all the newest strains, so be sure to hit that subscribe button on the sidebar or bottom of the screen, depending on your platform. I love connecting with all of you!

Be well, and stay healthy. Thanks for reading!

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake is hard to type.