Apex Extracts makes and distributes some of the best looking, smelling and tasting legal cannabis extracts sold locally here in the east San Fernando Valley. Grams of their potent diamond-studded live resin sugars and sauces are priced to sell at $35 per gram on most dispensary menus. As a dedicated dabber with limited financial means, I value the ability to procure high-quality wax at an affordable price and applaud Apex Extracts for its efforts.
Apex & Its Competitors
Apex isn’t the only worthy cannabis extractor with products on local store shelves so I’ll also be taking a look at products from a few brands I’ve already discussed here, like Lumpy’s Flowers, Raw Garden, Nug and Terp-X. I’ll review those products as well as first impressions of new-to-me wax brands like Viola and Budder Bus in coming “Current Dabz” installments.
Where to Find Apex Products
Green Valley Collective, now called Project Cannabis – NoHo, on Magnolia Blvd., is where I first noticed Apex Extracts products. I’ve since found their live resin sugars and sauces at the shop’s Studio City sister-store, The WEED. The WEED’s budtenders rightly recommend Apex’s wax as a good deal for customers like me, who are on a limited budget.
Why Apex Stands Out
Of its many worthy price point competitors (TerpBoys, TerpX, Brite Labs, Flavor, the much-hyped Raw Garden, and others), Apex stands out by providing the best quality. Its large diamonds, superb strain variety, and general appearance is, on the whole, better than the others. Following are reviews of the 5 Apex live resins I’ve sampled over the past few weeks. I’ve enjoyed all of them, though I probably won’t buy them all again, as you’ll see.*
Apex’s Live Resin Varieties
Over a three week period, from about May 23rd to June 13th, I sampled the 5 different Apex Extracts live resins reviewed below, in addition to 7 waxes from other brands mentioned above. Apex live resins made up almost half of my purchases because they are aromatic, tasty, potent, ideal for low-temperature dabbing, and they are on the low end of the price range while remaining high in quality.
Alien Rock Candy Live Resin Sugar
Potency & Appearance
Alien Rock Candy Live Resin Sugar is my favorite of the 5 Apex waxes reviewed here. The indica-dominant child of Tahoe Alien and Sour Dubble, Alien Rock Candy is a potent strain that cradles your body in an all-encompassing hug, calming nerves and soothing aches, pains and other maladies. The sugar tests at a modest 66% THC, but is supercharged by a full-spectrum “entourage effect” that interacts with the mind and body synergistically for a truly elevating experience.
Most other competitively-priced live resin sugars are made up of tiny THC-A granules submerged in oceans of oleaginous sauce. Apex’s Alien Rock Candy Live Resin Sugar granules are larger than the norm, more like tiny pebbles stacked in a mound, while its light amber-yellow sauce behaves like a Panang curry, coating and sticking to the THC diamonds, giving them a wet, waxy, golden puddle in which to bathe without drowning.
Highlights:
- Appearance: Beautifully large diamonds coated in a light yellow-amber sauce
- Aromas: Sweet, candy, citrus, orange, and mint
- Flavors: Candy, citrus, and mint
- Effects: Uplifted, happy, and relaxed
- Problems Treated: Insomnia, pain, depression, anxiety, and stress
- Testing: 66.8% THC, .1% CBD
- Potency: Really strong
- Overall Rating (1 – 5) (5 is highest): 5
- Try Again: Yes
Grape Bubba x Cookies & Cream Live Resin Sugar
Potency & Appearance
A melding of 2 powerhouse strains in their own right, this live resin sugar provides an intense, but balanced hybrid effect. The Bubba’s potent indica properties play counterpoint to the Cookies’ heady sativa qualities and together, the two conduct a contrapuntal yet synergistically harmonic high that balances and blends sativa uplift and indica relaxation. The combination keeps me cool but alert, allowing me to observe and analyze situations without coming unglued.
Most visually notable, and what struck me first about this product, is the virtual absence of what I’d normally expect to see: sugar granules marinating in their all-encompassing sauce. Instead, this live resin sugar is born sauceless, a near-immaculate clump of large, orange-yellow-amber, caviar-like THC diamonds. These are the largest diamonds I’ve seen so far at any price (though I admittedly do not shop for higher end wax).
When I compare THC diamonds like these to what I’ve found in many of Raw Garden’s similarly priced live resin waxes, there really is no comparison. Apex’s diamonds in size and appearance easily eclipse Raw Garden’s comparable, high-quality sugars. Raw Garden is great, but Apex is just as good, if not better. If you’re a Raw Garden regular, why not give Apex a try next time?.
Highlights:
- Appearance: Large caviar-like, orange-yellow, THC diamonds, no sauce
- Aromas: Candy, grape, bubblegum, and mint
- Flavors: Sweet, mint, and cheese
- Effects: Uplifted, happy, and relaxed
- Problems Treated: Pain and stress
- Testing: 70.89% THC
- Potency: Really strong
- Overall Rating (1 – 5) (5 is highest): 5
- Try Again: Yes
Triangle Kush x Nothing But Kush Live Resin Sugar
Potency & Appearance
Apex Extracts produces a number of hybridized live resin sugar and sauce strains that simply list the crossed strain names rather than creating a new, all-encompassing name. The marriage of Triangle Kush and Nothing But Kush strains follows this rule and tells us that the result is an indica-crossed, kushy hybrid.
There’s little if anything in the sugar’s kush combination to balance its strong indica sedative effects. After a few
Although called a live resin sauce, once again Apex includes very little sauce in what appears to be a pile of tiny orange-brown stones. The plentiful gravelly, resinous mini-diamonds shimmer in a dark-to-light amber glaze and again showcase Apex’s ability to produce quality extracts at reasonable prices.
Highlights:
- Appearance: Like a clump of yellow, orange and brown Nerds candies
- Aromas: Floral, sweet, and candy
- Flavors: Forest, mint, and cheese
- Effects: Relaxed and sleepy
- Problems Treated: Insomnia, pain,
and stress - Negatives: Fatigue and confusion
- Testing: 68.4% THC, .17% CBD
- Potency: Boom
- Overall Rating (1 – 5) (5 is highest): 5
- Try Again: Yes
Starburst OG x Do-Si-Dos Live Resin Sugar
Potency & Appearance
Starburst OG is the sativa dominant hybrid created by crossing Fire OG and Pre-98 Bubba Kush, while Do-Si-Dos is the indica dominant hybrid resulting from the merging of Girl Scout Cookies and Face Off OG. Together, these hybrid strains produce a focused yet relaxed, balanced wax high similar to Grape Bubba x Cookies N Cream (see above).
I was stressed, tired, and feeling a little empty before dabbing this Apex sugar, but afterward was in a much better, calmer, more relaxed and patient mindset. This was another Apex sugar that I felt first and foremost in my face, which experienced the gentle, soothing caress of a sheer cannabis mask. This soporific effect is thoughtfully counterbalanced by Starburst OG’s sativa kick, which allows you to maintain alertness and focus. I like this as an evening-time dab wax that winds me down without knocking me out.
This Apex Live Resin Sugar appears more like Raw Garden and the many other affordable live resins that consist of gritty, grain-sized sugar granules bathed in abundant, viscous sauce. In fact, the grains in this sugar are small enough to be inscrutable as they are totally encased in a thick amber-orange sauce and only apparent once lifted onto a dab tool.
Although the test results show added terpenes, the wax’s aroma is surprisingly light and mild, a disappointing surprise that diminished my dabbing experience a wee bit. Nonetheless, the abundant cannabinoid properties present in this live resin sugar yield an enjoyable if not overly potent high, while the wax, itself is ideal for relaxation without fatigue.
Highlights:
- Appearance: Polished amber-orange glassine surface encasing resinous sauce thickened with sugar grit
- Aromas: Mild floral, and fragrant
- Flavors: Wood, earth, mint
- Effects: Happy and relaxed
- Problems Treated: Depression, anxiety, and stress
- Testing: 69.8% THC, .2% CBD, 5.04% Terpenes
- Potency: Really strong
- Overall Rating (1 – 5) (5 is highest): 5
- Try Again: Yes
Mint Chip Live Resin Sauce
Potency & Appearance
I recently picked up this Apex Extracts strain and have only sampled it a few times. Mint Chip is produced by crossing Sin Mint Cookies (an indica-leaning combination of Girl Scout Cookies and Blue Power) with Green Ribbon BX (a slightly sativa-leaning, balanced hybrid combining Green Crack and either Trainwreck, Afghanica or White Rhino – true status is unknown).
The resulting Mint Chip Cookies (aka Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies) strain is another well-balanced hybrid combining the best of subtle indica and sativa characteristics. Unfortunately, there is little in the wax (like sugar or diamonds) to buttress the otherwise moderate THC percentage and as a result, the effects of this wax are a little mild for my taste.
The strain is said to be a “rare cross of opposing genetics” and a “strange hybrid”, according to Leafly, though I’ve yet to experience the practical significance of such an oddity. Apex’s Mint Chip Live Resin Sauce is a true sauce, with
Highlights:
- Appearance: Gelid amber/orange/brown sauce with shiny glassine surface; brown mustard
- Aromas: Mint, grass
- Flavors: Mint, cheese
- Effects: Energetic and relaxed
- Problems Treated: Pain and fatigue
- Testing: 65.57% THC
- Potency: Strong
- Overall Rating (1 – 5) (5 is highest): 4
- Try Again: Yes (unless better strain & variety options are available)
*I’ve also enjoyed Apex’s fantastic Kosher Kush live resin sugar but did not take notes at the time. I do
