Mike’s GMO
Trichome Tortoise
Form
Cold Cure
Genetics
Mixed Wash - GMO S1 (Girl Scout Cookies x Chemdawg) with Champaya S1 (Papaya x Mimosa V6)
8.5
OVERALL SCORE
Micron Range
73 - 159u
Weight
2 Grams
Appearance
8.7
Aroma
8.8
Taste
8.6
Appearance
The look on this rosin was alright. It opened to a golden color with a pretty dry consistency that needed to be whipped around to get that nice consistency shown in the review image above. The dryness I'm sure is due to the jar being used. After whipping it had a nice wet terpy consistency that was easy to scoop onto my tool but it did dry out again toward the end, likely due to the jar used. It also burned decently clean on the nail with minimal residue and no burnt look.
The jar packaging wasnt my favorite as it came in one of those clear jars with the stainless steel lid, these jars tend to be horrible when storing cold cure making the hash almost dry out every single time. The jar design I will say was pretty cool, it had two stickers, a top and bottom one. The top sticker had the Trichome Tortoise logo in the middle with a colorful puzzle piece border with a black and white checkerboard center which was a cool look and was a nod to autism awareness which was really cool. The bottom sticker was also interesting; it had a holographic look to it with a cartoon style.
Aroma
The nose on this one is really nice. As soon as I cracked the jar, I was hit with an invigorating onion funk layered with a light slight cream sweetness, followed by some raunchy garlic notes that add depth. That initial garlic and onion smell is pretty pronounced upfront, but it quickly mellows into a smoother, more balanced profile with a subtle sweet onion funk vibe while still holding onto those underlying garlic notes. It comes across like a more relaxed take on GMO, still carrying those classic garlic and onion terps but in a more mellow way compared to a loud overpowering one.
Taste
The taste on this one is very interesting and varies depending on the temperature you dab at. For the most part, I get a slight sweet onion cream like funk up front, followed by some subtle garlic notes on the backend. The flavor doesn’t really coat the mouth too heavily, but the garlic can sometimes linger after the dab. At lower temps, you get those slight sweet onion funk terps with those garlic notes coming out on the backend very faint and sometimes barely there, while at higher temps the garlic notes on the backend become more noticeable and tend to linger on the palate more. The jar also dabs rather clean with no harshness or discomfort. I also noticed the garlic terps tend to stain the rig as I can pick up those garlic notes on a dry pull, which is interesting as they weren’t very pronounced during the dab itself.
Overall
This was a nice jar from Trichome Tortoise and I definitely enjoyed it. The reason i decided to get this jar is because i haven't had Trichome Tortoise in a while and wanted some loud, strong, raunchy GMO terps that would pack a serious punch, but instead it leaned more mellow and smooth, which was still nice but just not what i wanted from a GMO but it started to make sense once I asked about its genetics. Since it was called “Mike’s GMO” I assumed it was his take on GMO, and that it was, turns out this batch was a mix wash of his GMO S1 with a splash of his Champaya. It was interesting to see how those sweeter terps influenced the profile, almost softening the garlic terps and making them less overpowering, bringing out more of a smooth slightly sweet onion funk. He did mention that the next round of Mike’s GMO will be a straight onion, raunchy garlic funk with no sweet fruit influence, which I will definitely be looking forward to.
If you don’t know Trichome Tortoise, he is a grower and hash maker based in California who started growing in 2009 and started the brand in 2019. Many people know him for his staple strain Ze Boof, which gained a lot of hype for its crazy purple sand like appearance caused by anthocyanins, it also won three times at Ego Clash in the ice water hash category. He is also the first hash maker to place 1st and 2nd place three years consecutively at Ego Clash and place top three in 26 hash competitions around the world. Some of his standout achievements include his first major placement where he took 2nd at Ego Clash 2022 with Super Boof, 1st place in both ice water hash and hash rosin at Full Moon Sesh LA 2023 with Ze Boof, 1st place in ice water hash at Ego Clash 2023 with Ze Boof, 1st place in ice water hash at Ego Clash 2024 again with Ze Boof, and this Mike’s GMO, which placed 3rd at the Caribbean Cup in 2024.
I would say this jar checked all the boxes. The look, smell, taste, and effects were all solid with nothing to complain about. However, as I mentioned, I do wish he would start using authentic miron jars instead of these clear jars with the stainless steel lids, as they tend to dry out the rosin overtime. The jar also dabbed smooth and clean with no harshness or discomfort which I enjoyed. As for the effects, they were a bit lighter than expected for a GMO, likely due to the Champaya influence. It still had a decent high, just not one that really moves you the way a typical GMO usually does.
Trichome Tortoise always delivers quality jars, no doubt about that. I will say this one wasn’t my favorite from him, as I was looking for a heavy GMO that really packed a punch, but that likely comes down to this being a mixed wash and his take on GMO with a splash of Champaya which im not mad at because i love to see hash makers play around with strains in hope to find something unique and this was but just not for me. Some people may actually prefer that, especially if you’re not into those super overpowering garlic and onion funk terps, so I’m not knocking it at all. Personally, I probably wouldn’t grab this batch of GMO again since it leans more toward the sweeter, mellow side, but I would definitely pick it up next round when it’s a straight, loud garlic and onion funk profile. That being said, shoutout to Trichome Tortoise.