Animal Mint Cookies

Featured Flower:
Animal Mint Cookies (Indica)

Appearance: 5/5

There’s an old chef’s saying: “People eat with their eyes first.”

We think the same goes for smoking, too. We like our bud to stand out in one way or another, and this strain definitely sparkled when we first saw it.

While this wasn’t the most dusted flower, we liked the balance of crystals-to-green on this one. Oh, and the purple. We loved the random shades of purple found on the ends of some of the leaves. Amazing.

Aroma: 5/5

This bud has a powerful aroma. So much so, it filled the entire room with it’s sweet, earthy scent instantly. Our first hit was nice and mellow - and every hit after seemed to follow suit. Well done, Animal Mint Cookies. Well done.

Flavor: 3/5

You can really taste the earthiness - but not much else, to be quite honest. We missed out on some of the sweetness, but ultimately, we were glad to find the crystals didn’t grow cumbersome after a few hits. To be honest, all in all, it was a bit disappointing.

Effect: 5/5

As soon as we took our first hit, the effects were immediate. Yep, we were feeling it. This is definitely one of those “in-da-couch” Indicas, because the smoke was strong, you won’t be able to avoid it.

First-timers (and lightweights) should stay away from this one. Unless you’re looking for a terrific cure for insomnia.

Besides being a strong, full-on smoke, this Indica also made us feel a bit like a stereotypical smoker.

We were definitely getting lost in the smallest details around us, that’s for sure. For that reason, we recommend this one be enjoyed at home, amongst friends, and not out in the world on an adventure. Or else your high may cause distraction and embarrassment.

But, if you have a show that you’ve been eager to binge-watch, or a pile of laundry that needs folding, this is just the motivation you’ve been seeking.

In summation, this cookie turned out to be a pretty sweet purchase. It had a great look and provided a righteous buzz. If you want a hard-hitting Indica, you could do a lot worse than this guy - trust us.

We had a lot of mixed feelings about this shop.

Clearly, MOTA wants to be a lot of things. It wants to be a hip cannabis boutique, an all-purpose dispensary, an inviting gateway for first-time users, and some sort of all-encompassing marijauna brand.

However, what they don’t want, is to carry/sell a large variety of bud. Which, for most, is a tremendous bummer.

But, if you’re visiting LA, and you want to visit a hip, West Coast dispensary, then MOTA might be the place for you. But, if you’re a local smoker, looking for a well-stocked shop, and aren’t impressed by pointless bells and whistles, then there’s better places to drop into - that’s for sure.

Animal Mint Cookies (Indica) -- $13/g, $65/5g

Address: 4001 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Hours: 10am - 9pm, 7 days a week 

When you’re looking to buy some weed around Sunset Boulevard’s Silverlake Junction, all you need to do is look for the building that is (literally) covered in grass. That was how we first noticed the Medicine of the Angels’ (MOTA) storefront, and we knew we had to stop in for a visit.

The exterior of this place is super cool, and the waiting room is just as dope. This dispensary is located inside what used to be the legendary queer bookstore, Circus of Books.

That neighborhood institution had its place on the corner for decades, and we were impressed to see an entire wall dedicated to displaying some of their old books and cool magazines. Nicely done, MOTA.

But when the hidden door opened up in the book wall, and we realized that’s how you enter the showroom -- we were blown away. Very nicely done, MOTA.

After a brief stint in a packed waiting room, we were stunned by the design of their showroom. The walls are all wood, and there’s a giant “MOTA” sign carved on the back wall. Clearly, a lot of time (and talent) was put into making this shop “an experience” and not just a typical cannabis club. But, as our visit continued, we wondered if MOTA was only interested in selling us an experience.

The first clue that something was wrong, was their lack of plants. Where were the plants, man?

The display case was custom built, polished white with interesting angles. They had lots of stuff to offer; vape oils, packaged edibles, factory-made chocolate bars, CBD lotions, a few pipes, papers...honestly, it was a little overwhelming.

When we noticed the branded t-shirts for sale, we realized MOTA wanted to be more than just a dispensary. It was desperate to be a brand. Which is fine. Except, where are the flowers, people?

When we finally found them, we were shocked.

Perhaps, our expectations had been raised by looking at their menu online, but we actually asked our budtender, “Is that all of them?”

Considering all the care that went into the presentation, the actual marijuana, itself, felt like something that had been kicked to the bottom of the agenda. We saw, maybe, half as many flowers than we saw online, and there were limited varieties among the strain types.

All said and done, there were only three Hybrid offerings. We don’t consider that a good sign, to be completely honest. We enjoy going to dispensaries because we like to shop around, and we’re always hoping to get a look at as many plants as we can before we make our decision.

Sadly, that just wasn’t possible here.

The samples of flower they do have on hand are kept in rounded jars, equipped with magnifying windows and pull-away smell tabs. You’re allowed to get close and take a look, but there’s less than an eighth of bud to examine.

Call us crazy, but that’s not how we like to examine our bud. We want them in large groups, with lots of space to run around, so to speak. You know, like animals in the wild. Our budtender seemed like a chill guy, but he wasn’t the most helpful. He was able to recommend a few things, but didn’t really “sell” us on any of them.

Honestly, we’d prefer a more personal touch while shopping. Especially, at a location that we’ve never been to before. With a long line filling up more and more behind us, this one-of-a-kind experience was starting to turn into a sincerely hectic nightmare.

Despite the mounting pressure, we were able to find a few things that caught our eye. We decided to purchase one of their Indica strains: Animal Mint Cookies.