STH September 2024: Siawan, Lavas, PMD, Hulu, Keta, Bent

[notwithy]

I got an order from Smiley Time (STH) about a week ago and have gotten familiar with all the batches I received. There's some exceptional varieties, some above average batches, and a couple that didn't stand out as much but were still decent. Overall I'm impressed and would recommend STH highly. The only downside is there's a huge menu so it's almost option overload. Here's my first impressions of the most recent batches I got:

WG Siawan
This was the first I tried so I'm maybe biased in favor of it (as in it was a bigger breath of fresh air). Very bright colored. It had the pleasant mood boost of a quality green, but it felt subtle and organic, not euphoric. It's well balance between calming and energizing. It has this je nais sais quoi that feels slightly reserved but more suitable for an everyday green as it's a good pick-me-up rather than an inflated sense of wellbeing. All around a quality choice
9/10

Green Lava
Beautiful color. It looked indistinguishable from prepared matcha once it was mixed with water. This one is a touch faster than the Siawan. Good for motivation and putting some pep in my step. It's not so fast it'll interfere with my sleep a few hours later so it's a good choice for an early evening green when I need a boost
7/10

PMD
Has a nice functional energy. I got a slight rush from this one that was quite sustained. If I had taken it in a blind test I would've guessed it to be a white rather than a green. I felt effects from it after a half hour which is about usual for me, but it wasn't most pronounced until 2.5 hours after taking it. A bit of a creeper. I made the mistake of trying this one before I had some work to do on the computer but I should've saved it for when I needed to do something more physical. It's a good "get up and go" green that feels kind of white-ish
8/10

Green Glow
This one's potent. When trying a new batch for the first time, I always take my usual dose since it's my biggest point of reference, but I should've shaved off like 10% in retrospect. Judging by the pleasant body feeling, I think this would be good for pain (I won't know for sure until I'm feeling it but I'm going to reach for it next time I need that kind of relief). This is slower than the other greens, more calming than invigorating. Has the pleasant sense of wellbeing that's similar to very high quality teas. It reminds me of a red. Good legs, the effects are still going after nearly 4 hours. Probably not one for when I need to get work done, but there's a gap in slower greens in my collection so this will have its place.
8/10

White Lava
Somewhat fast onset, I felt it after 18 minutes. Strongest effects were just after 30 minutes. This is one of those rare batches that made me feel well-rested after getting too little sleep the night before. Usually whites will give me energy on par with caffeine but this is more pronounced. Not as strong an effect on mood as the greens but it does have the feel-good quality associated with good whites. Has a good potency and I even broke a tiny sweat. Was a bit of a rush at its strongest. I still prefer greens most of the time but it's batches like this that have me reaching for the occasional white.
9/10

WG Hulu
Seems kind of middle of the road, it didn't give any standout effects. Slightly calming with a slight pick me up. It did have very nice good synergy in a 1:2 mix with a white from Denette
6/10 (8/10 as part of a blend)

OG Keta
Kind of like the Hulu, I wasn't able to discern anything really unique about this one. It's maybe a touch faster than the Hulu and there was a slight pleasant body feeling, but overall it kind of struck me as an average batch (average for a small batch vendor anyway). Like the Hulu, it worked better as part of a blend than on its own
6/10 (7/10 in a blend)

Brick Red Bent
A nicely relaxing red with a satisfying dark color and a rich savory aroma. Had a good pleasant body feeling that seemed localized at my head. A little better for mood boost than most darker reds. I felt a bit less anxious and more sociable even, which isn't a typical effect I get from kratom. Overall a nice choice.
8/10

Some of these are sold out but some are set to be restocked on 10-8-24 I believe. I put in another order not too long ago since there were some others I'm hoping to try so I'll post an update if anything knocks my socks off.

[Erpudjt]

Just want to confirm before ordering, the PMD is listed as premium maeng da or plantation maeng da?

[notwithy]

Just want to confirm before ordering, the PMD is listed as premium maeng da or plantation maeng da?

It was the Premium Maeng Da. Sorry, I should've specified

[GreenAnimal]

That green lava sounds exactly like what I’m looking for. Great breakdown of strains, thanks!

[WickedMadScientist]

I'm enjoying the White Raptor more than the White Lava at the moment. Surprising pain relief for a white, well rounded.