Hey everyone! Hope you’re all doing well. Today is August 24, 2020, and we here in the northwest Florida panhandle are currently enjoying a steady trickle of rain from Tropical Storm Marco as it approaches the Louisiana coast to our southeast. I digress, lest we go completely off-course into a weather blog – GrowHealthy has released another new strain lineage with multiple phenotypes, and as always, I was more than eager to pick up an eighth of one whenever it became available at my local dispensary. If you need a refresher on what phenotypes are, be sure to click that link above – it’s a great source to familiarize yourself with this useful cannabis knowledge, because it does have impacts on our strain selection when we’re looking for specific medicinal effects.

Mandelo appears to be the “main” strain of this line, which crosses Herijuana with Orange Skunk to produce several citrus-forward phenotypes. My local shop only received Mandelo, but I’ll definitely get to the other phenotypes if they come around in the future, because I’ve found that I really enjoy these genetics.

My “Phenotype Campaign” for Florida MMTCs

I am a firm believer in the concept of every MMTC labeling and selling their various strains’ phenotypes as completely different strains with unique names, because the variance between phenotypes can be just as much or greater than the variance between entirely different strains/genetics. It’s a “win-win” for the MMTC and the patient: more product variety from a single variant for the MMTC, and more ease with nailing down the best strain/phenotype for the patient and their unique physiology.

If you agree with this position, be sure to let your favorite MMTC know! They do listen to the community, and this has been proven multiple times in the past. The more patients that ask for something, the more likely it is to become reality!

Quick Facts:

Mandelo (Indica)

Price at time of review: $50/eighth 

Lineage: Herijuana x Orange Skunk

Batch Number: F-073120-MNSN3-1

Cannabinoids

THC: 14.634%

CBD: 0.00%

CBG: 1.281%

Total Cannabinoids: 14.634%

Terpenes

For some reason, my label does not have a scannable QR code – the area where the code would be is blank. If anyone has the terpenes for this batch, please drop them in a comment or shoot me an email! (My email address is listed on the contact page for this site.)

Appearance/Cure

I try not to sound like a total GrowHealthy fanboy, but more often than not, their flower really impresses me. I’ve seen many different batches of flower at this point, so it’s a little harder for a particular eighth to “wow” me – but man, this eighth of Mandelo did exactly that.

I’m not sure what GrowHealthy does differently with their flower compared to other Northwest Florida MMTCs, but it is definitely consistently on an entirely different level from anything else that I’ve tried. It appears that GrowHealthy may cure their flower for a full 3 weeks, indicated by a harvest date of July 13 and a package date of August 6 on the label for this Mandelo flower. Whatever it is, it is consistently working – this eighth is incredible.

The most impressive physical aspect, in my opinion, is a tie between the near-perfect cure and the thick caking of trichomes all over the buds. The large nug in the images above weighs 2 grams on the nose, and it’s hard to see its green color on account of all the dusty golden trichomes that cover it.

This is extremely sticky flower as well, and though the grinder does pretty well with it, it is physically a bit difficult to break down. Phenomenal job, GrowHealthy.

Appearance/Cure Rating: 8.60/10.00

Smell/Taste

The Mandelo fruit is also known as a “cocktail grapefruit” – it is similar to the grapefruit, but slightly smaller and sweeter, often used in mixed drinks – hence the nickname.

With that being said, Mandelo flower was very appropriately named, as it has a very prominent orange citrus aroma – likely inherited from its Orange Skunk parent. I find the citrus smell to be on the sweeter side, with a hint of more musky/sour tangerine terpenes lying underneath. There may be the slightest hints of diesel, and possibly pine, when the flower is broken down or ground up. Compared to other strains I’ve tried, the smell reminds me of a cross somewhere between MÜV’s Clementine and Trulieve’s Mandarin Dreams; if any of you reading this have tried either of those strains, you may recognize some of the same terpenes in Mandelo. This strain also slightly reminds me of GrowHealthy’s Jilly Bean (Phenotype 3).

(Please note that the linked review in the above paragraph is for Jilly Bean Phenotype 5, which I found to have a much different smell than Mandelo or Jilly Bean 3. This is another great example for why naming different phenotypes is so important!)

The taste when smoked does not really reflect the orange citrus terpenes; instead, the inhale is mostly spicy and earthy, and the exhale is spicy with a slight hint of diesel.

Smell/Taste Rating: 6.30/10.00

Effects/Medical Use

Mandelo has been a very relaxing strain for me, surprisingly heavy for being a seemingly limonene-dominant strain, which tend to be more uplifting and sometimes energetic.

The effects of this strain come on gently, invoking the body and mind with warm and dreamy relaxation. Soon after the first draws, I find myself in a cozy haze that seems to envelope the entire body like a warm blanket. In some ways, Mandelo reminds of my first experiences with cannabis many years ago – when time seems to slow down, and all worries melt away. I love strains that are able to replicate this feeling, and it seems like GrowHealthy’s indica strains often find a way to do that for me. Mandelo is a great addition to that lineup, and I hope these genetics are here to stay.

Though I am functioning well this morning after smoking a bowl to write this review, I generally recommend Mandelo for afternoon and evening usage. This isn’t a knockout sedative strain for me, but it is heavily relaxing and borderline sedative in higher doses.

Another note: While the effects of sub-15% THC strains often seem to wear off quicker than higher percentage strains for me, that didn’t seem to be as noticeable with Mandelo.

All in all: Great medicinal strain.

Possibly good for treating:

• Depression
• Anxiety 
• Moderate aches and pains
• Moderate nausea/gastrointestinal issues
• General Relaxation 
• Insomnia (possibly in higher doses)
• May be a good strain for being social/talkative

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: 7.20/10.00

Overall Rating: 7.36/10.00

Overall, I would best describe Mandelo as a “good” indica strain from GrowHealthy.

Again, I’m really glad to see GrowHealthy leading the charge on labeling different phenotypes. It’s something that the entire industry needs to adopt as a standard practice, and I look forward to seeing others follow suit soon.

Mandelo proves to be another great example of strong genetics and superior growing skills from GrowHealthy. I look forward to trying the other phenotypes of this strain soon!

Be well, and stay healthy. I appreciate each one of you and all your support, and please know that all that positivity will come back to you.

Be sure to join our email subscriber list and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date with all the latest in the Florida medical cannabis industry! You can find a quick-subscribe button in the righthand column on this site. Thank you for taking the time to read; we genuinely hope you find this site beneficial to helping you as a patient.