Halloween is the ultimate stoner holiday. Sure, 4/20 is all about the flower (or edibles or vapes or dabs), but that still doesn’t compare to Oct. 31.

Think about it, this is a holiday where practically every store is giving you candy to satisfy your munchies, you get to go out with your kids to get even more candy (it’s for them, of course), but it’s not just about the candy. It’s a day, or weekend, or month of silliness and spookiness.

To me, cannabis and getting elevated is about a break from the hardest parts of life. For brief moments, you get transformed back to your youth, with fewer cares, with fewer worries. That’s Halloween — a holiday where everyone gets to feel like a kid and have fun. Of course, the kids come first. Don’t get too excited when you go out and go trick-or-treating.

And entirely coincidentally, Halloween is the end of October, and October is harvest season for those growing outdoor cannabis. Whether you like outdoor or indoor cannabis more, you can definitely celebrate fresh herb, and that’s what you get this time of year.

LeadFarmer, Mac 1 (Pre-Roll), October Batch

This is a special review for me, the first time I’m going back to a specific strain. I first reviewed this sativa back in May. Now LeadFarmer, who is hands down one of my favorite farmers in New York, dropped a new batch of his Mac 1 Cap’s Cut and I had to revisit it for the column.

This is some of the freshest bud in New York, literally was rolled and packaged this October. The flavor on it is incredible, super sharp, super delicious. This tastes like a fresh bouquet of flowers, it energizes you. When sativa is this fresh, it’s practically a cup of coffee. I am so obsessed with this strain, it’s exactly what I’m looking for when I get a sativa, and once again LeadFarmer has delivered some of the best flower in all of the Empire State.

Hellbeing, Platinum Kush (Indica)

Hellbeing is a new brand that comes in partnership with Cornucopia growers. They say they “offer premium plants cultivated with care and sustainability for the consumer who would rather go to hell than deal with the bullshit,” which is both funny and true.

This pre-roll has a classic platinum smell, well-rolled, very fresh, with hints of fruit in it. This edition is for the connoisseurs, hits real hard. I’d say smoking it almost has this coconut taste, super fresh, super potent, and brings you back to the old days, makes you feel like a kid on Halloween.

I used to get a ton of Platinum Kush back in 1998 and 1999. That was one of the most asked for strains from back when I was selling, and this really does taste and remind me of that classic stuff from the 90s.

Cannabis strains are kind of like racehorses; the most prized ones keep getting bred, are in demand, and if you know a strain’s lineage, you know how far it can take you. I’d bet on this Platinum Kush any day.

So Dope Flower, Gorilla Glue (Indica Dominant Hybrid)

This is a wonderful strain that’s a partnership between So Dope Flower and Canna Cure Farms.

It has an amazing fresh smell, reminiscent of classic Gorilla Glue, with a nice, funky cheese hint. It’s sticky to the touch, and there are so many crystals on this flower you’d think it was a chandelier. This clearly was grown with care, looks absolutely beautiful. It’s this vibrant green color, a super healthy flower, and you can smell the fresh terpenes when you roll it up.

It’s got a heavy gorilla taste on first smoke, it hits quickly, and you can feel it go to work. Your body immediately relaxes, like a massage, it can really take that edge off, the exact way you need it.

This is a nice sharp taste, it’s exactly what weed should taste like.

This is definitely not for the first thing in the morning; you can feel the relaxing Indica effect when you rip it. This is for Netflix and chill when you actually want to chill and don’t mind falling asleep before the movie is over.