Wabba’s Weed Adventure: The King of Jamaican Ganja
Written By Daniel Crawford & Review By Matthew Jerome
Photos Courtesy of Chris Birdsong
We talk a lot about culture in cannabis. In the United States, OGs are measured in decades. In Jamaica, OGs are measured in generations.
Jamaican Cannabis Culture
As much as we love our Mother Ganja here in North America, she isn’t part of mainstream organized religions. Around most of the world, there are few second-generation, and even fewer third-generation cannabis farmers. Jamaicans have been cultivating ganja since it was brought to the island in the 1840s, well before their Rastafarian “cannabis cult” was established in the 1930s.
In a land where cannabis is gospel, Wabba is the King of this part of the island.
You know when Wabba is in the house. No, he doesn’t drive a flashy car. His presence is announced, “WABBA, RASTAFARI!”
With the year-round tourist attraction, the Blue Hole Mineral Spring and his annual 4/20 event, a trip to Wabba’s mountainside retreat is worth it even if you don’t partake. But since most of us do consume, be sure to add the ganja tour to the mineral spring experience.
Visiting Wabba’s Weed Adventure in Jamaica
Unlike most of the contiguous United States, which is cursed with the dreaded yearly phenomenon known as winter, Jamaica is basked in sweet sunshine 365 days a year. Nestled on a mountainside overlooking Little Bay, Wabba took the Fat Nugs team on a dreamy tour of his 17-acre cannabis farm.
Seven plots were scattered around Wabba’s mountaintop. Blessed with clean Caribbean rain, kissed by the salty sea, fueled by organic soils, and all the sunshine you need, it was a cannabis grower’s dream come true. As stoners traveling abroad, we had arrived at the Mecca of Jamaican cannabis.
Wabba grows great ganja. Despite what your preconceived notions may be of Jamaican cannabis, this was not the yellow, dried-out herb of the past. The flowers in Wabba’s garden were exploding with terpenes and cured in a semi-controlled environment to preserve each strain’s unique bouquet. If there is one thing to remember about Wabba, it is his love and passion for terpenes.
How Wabba Grows His Weed
Wabba didn’t rely solely on his cultural knowledge of cannabis cultivation to steer his beliefs and growing techniques. He took time to learn and understand how to grow from some of the best in the world. In 2015, Wabba hopped on a plane to Humboldt. It was there, in the heart of the Emerald Triangle, where he traveled to further his knowledge and develop skills to help distinguish his products from the rest grown on the island. Wabba was rewarded in 2020 with the number one sativa strain at the Jack Herer Cup for his Lemon Kush.
Wabba grows his ganja in a blend of native soil. Rich in dissolved minerals and rusty brown in color, this type of soil is known as Terra Rossa and is associated with similar karst regions around the world. Wabba supplements the local soil with organic nutrients from the compost collected from local sugar cane farms. No other inputs are used on his farm. 100% all-natural sun-grown Jamaican fire.
Wabba’s genetics are mostly of sativa-dominant crosses, all seed-grown, never cloned. To withstand high humidity, scorching sun, and regular rains, plants are put through the ultimate survival gauntlet. The seeds that emerge from the mountainside greenhouse are battle-tested to perform and produce succulent, terpene-rich, sun-grown, sweet, sweet Jamaican cheeba.
From his classic Purple Wabba (Gelato x Headband), flavor-packed Pink Tangie, to the sweet, citrusy yet creamy Lemon Kush, Wabba had quite a few winners among his genetic library.
A fan favorite with our team, including 3 certified Ganjiers, took center stage. It was called the World Series and Wabba hit this one out of the park. I’ll hand the review over to my friend, Ganjier, and Fat Nugs contributor, Matt Jerome.
Wabba’s World Series – A Walk-Off Grand Slam
Cannabis Reviewed by Matthew Jerome, Ganjier
No island on earth lifts my spirits as high as Jamaica does. With its authentically upbeat and welcoming people, jungle-rich hills, fierce piercing sun, and salty ocean breeze, it's obvious why it's the birthplace of some of the most cannabis-centric art, religion, and culture that the world has ever been graced with.
From my first bag of high school 'sess', to my everlasting love of reggae, my life has been steeped in Jamaican culture. It's a sacred place to me that embodies our beloved cannabis plant so purely and openly, which is undoubtedly why its cannabis brings an unmatched sense of deep and meaningful peace every time I roll it up.
As I hiked with the Fat Nugs team from one magnificent field of cannabis to another on Wabba's beautiful property, I started to hear all the gaslight-filled voices of my youth remarking on my incurable addiction to cannabis. Hot, sweaty, exhausted, and smiling ear to ear, I was struck by how right they were.
I am undeniably in love with this plant, and if that's an addiction, then so be it, because so are Jamaica and her people. It's a way of life here. One's love for cannabis can make you royalty, and as my good friend Daniel has so well put it, around these parts, Wabba is King.
I am a firm believer that no amount of money or technology can replace a true and genuine love for the plant. Cannabis knows her people. No matter who grows it, where, and using what methods – passion will always speak for itself.
Growing cannabis is not hard to do. Growing exceptional cannabis, though… well, that is an art form unto itself, and Wabba is a certified creator. I’m deeply honored to assess his work.
The following Ganjier assessment is of Wabba's World Series - an organically grown (Headband x Sour Diesel) cross that has been generations in the making. Grown with everything quality cannabis needs – experience, sun, rainwater, love, and the occasional organic tea.
I hope you enjoy the review and would like to take this opportunity to send a heartfelt thank you to Steve, Elana, Irie, Wabba, and the entire Coral Cove Wellness staff for an unforgettable week, as well as Dustin and the entire Fat Nugs Mag team for all you do. Love you all!
Flower Appearance
Vibrant, almost dark neon green coloration with red and purple hues throughout. Coated beautifully with rich and full resin heads. Trichomes abscissions indicate harvest was done within the optimal window. Aged, dried, and cured beautifully.
Handled with intense care as trimming has obviously been done by hand, keeping trichomes, stalks, and gorgeous resin very well intact.
Absolutely beautiful flower on any stage, but especially for outdoor-grown flower, this is some world-class cannabis.
Aroma
The kind of weed you can smell across the room. Absolutely reeking of terroir. Its deep, dark, and complex overtones are immediately pleasant and calming to the senses. Overwhelming rich earthy notes + salty, almost caramel-like aroma radiating out of the bag - couldn't get enough. As I dive deeper, I’m hit with a sandy, sweet, damp, musk. Constant notes of the sea underlie all prevalent tones This is what I came to Jamaica for.
As I crack open the buds, I am hit with a vibrant, uplifting floral kick that is steeped in the surrounding jungle. Delayed notes of stone fruit enter the scene as well as a zesty lime citrus kick. Wet, sandy, coniferous notes present, that give way to a buttery/garlic and chive spice. Terroir-driven cannabis at its finest.
Citrus = Lime Soda + Grapefruit
Stone-fruit = Plum + Apricot + Nectarine
Floral = Deep Hibiscus
Flavor
As expected, as I lean into the first part of this joint, many of the flavors hold true to their aroma and have seated me at a beautiful symphony of salt, sea, earth, and fruity sweetness. Exceptionally smooth smoke. Truly an experience. Flavor lingered on the palate for ages with a pleasant oily coating.
With an extremely clean and flawless burn, I am hit by wave after wave of the jungle's rich surrounding vegetation. Flavor continues to follow suit as fruity tones hold true to their aroma. A pine/herbal layer gives way to a slight dairy/creamy dimension that has an unexpected kick of nostalgia as I am grazed with a hint of a multicolored lime-pastel lollipop from my childhood.
High Experience
As I sat around the table with Wabba and the Fat Nugs Team at the magnificent Coral Cove, I stared at the horizon with abnormally relaxed shoulders trying to figure out how this night could get any better.
It was a dream come true.
I’m an objective guy, but it's impossible to separate this experience from its locale, and the people I was with. I don’t have enough good things to say about Wabba’s World Series and the synergetic high it bestowed upon all of us. Lifelong friendships were made around every hazy table that week at Coral Cove, and Wabba’s cannabis was a catalyst for each one.
The funny thing about this magnificent plant is it has a special way of revealing our true selves. Breaking down our guards. Many don’t like this aspect of it, especially those with false natures. So, when you find yourself with a group of people where you can finally take your armor off, don’t take it lightly: it’s the universe speaking to you.
There is nothing more draining to your well-being than being around people where inauthenticity is the price of admission. Cannabis has always reminded me that we must be around those who love what we love, it's vital to the soul.
Jamaican Dank: A Grower’s Reflection on Exploring Wabba’s Farm and Coral Cove Wellness Resort
I couldn’t have described that better if I wanted to. Reviews are powerful tools that often evoke and tickle memories from the past. This took me right back to Coral Cove. Thank you, Matt!
Cannabis growers are passionate about their work, ask any cultivator and watch as they glow, showing off their garden. You could feel the passion in Wabba’s gardens. You could see it in his plants. You could taste the flower infused with positive vibrations. Wabba’s plants feel his love and reciprocate with a full expression of glorious terpenes.
Wabba invited us to partake in a chalice session back at Coral Cove after the tour. This was one of the many highlights of the trip. Our team, full of cannabis connoisseurs, gawked and drooled over every strain. Our olfactory receptors were smacked with some of the best-tasting herb on the island as each round of the chalice brought us something new and took us to new levels of highness. Red-eyed and cotton-mouthed, we went round for round with the King of Jamaican Ganja.
It was a legendary sesh. I don’t want to speak for everyone, but Wabba’s weed and chalice were the icing on one of the most memorable experiences in my life. Before he left, Wabba handed us a stash of seeds from his prized genetics… as if we hadn’t already hit the canna-jackpot. Until next time, Jamaica!
