Aloha Apothecary x Mission Hill Melts: Strawberry Smackdown Rosin Review

Mission Hill Melts was born out of a small apartment in Boston back in 2015. After founder Adam became obsessed with buying bubble and squishing it on a hair straightener during a culinary internship in LA, he returned home to Massachusetts, where there was no supply. So, he started MHM as a way to continue having quality smoke in a place where there wasn’t any. This grew into providing enough of that quality smoke for his circle of friends and kept growing until Hana eventually joined the team in 2020. Now (after recently getting married!), this delightful dabbing duo provides solventless products for patients in the Rhode Island and Maine medical markets.

Over the years Mission Hill Melts has built a strong brand name by collaborating with a hand-selected group of small-batch cultivators — one being Aloha Apothecary, another husband and wife team growing in Maine but “rooted in Aloha” with family ties in Oahu. Aloha Apothecary is known for its extensive genetic library featuring favorites like Blue Powerade, Durian, and Sour Diesel Bx4 which were all popped and selected on-site in their garden.

Speaking of genetics, anyone who knows me knows I can’t help but gravitate towards a strawberry strain. Fresh strawberries are one of my favorite foods so if there’s a jar in front of me with a berry terp, nine times out of ten I’m going for a glob of that first. So, when I saw both these strains on the menu, I figured it’d be perfect for a little head-to-head review: Satsuma Strawberry vs. Strawberry Diesel.

The material for both of these runs was grown organically by Aloha Apothecary in living soil Hügelkultur beds and fed only water and compost teas, then washed in a Hashtek A-Series by Mission Hill Melts. Satsuma or Diesel…which strawberry terp will take the cake?

Satsuma Strawberry

This Satsuma Strawberry is a mixed wash of Satsuma Sherb (Mimosa x Gelato 41 Sherb Bx) bred by Purely Melty Seed Co and Strawberry Cannoli (Strawberries n’ Cream x Orange Cannoli) bred by Dre of Garden State Genetics. She had an initial hint of sugary sweetness that mellowed out into more of an earthy and floral note on the exhale. Definitely strawberry-forward at first but was eventually overpowered by the double orange from Mimosa and Orange Cannoli parent genetics for a citrus peel aftertaste.

Overall, the aroma and flavor profile reminded me of sipping on a fresh-squeezed pulpy mimosa with a twist of strawberry fruit juice. As far as effects, this one made me feel super couch-locked and was enjoyed during a lazy night in with movies, my dog, and of course a pint of strawberry Häagen-Dazs.

Strawberry Diesel

Strawberry Diesel is a mixed wash of Sour D Bx4 (Sour Diesel x Sour Diesel Bx3) bred by Karma Genetics and Strawberry Cannoli (Strawberries n’ Cream x Orange Cannoli) bred by Dre of Garden State Genetics. While the Satsuma was sweet on the inhale but finished more herbal, this one was smacking all the way through with a creamy sweetness thanks to the Strawberries n’ Cream and jet-fuel gas from all that Sour D. That frothy funk continued with a smooth, velvety smoke that left some woodsy allspice in the back of my throat for a few minutes.

More rich dessert than the artificial hard candy terp you often see when it comes to strawberry genetics, she was like a slice of strawberry shortcake — buttery vanilla with a little tang from the whipped cream. She gave me much more of a euphoric high, so I took a few globs off my rig before heading out for a nature day in the mountains. Then a few more (okay, so maybe I finished the entire jar) during my hike thanks to my trusty and totally portable CARTA 2.

Strawberry Smackdown: Final Thoughts

Both these strains were a unique take on a terp that can often end up being milder. Certainly, a smackdown of flavor. Personally, if I had to pick a winner I’d go with the Strawberry Diesel — it reminded me of strawberry shortcake (my all-time favorite dessert) and had the more uplifting effects I usually look for when I’m smoking throughout the day.

That being said, I still really loved the Satsuma before bed and can’t wait to try more from these two crushing it out on the East Coast. They’ve already dropped over 25 different flavors together this year…so until the next collab, you stay hashy and don’t forget that life is too short to smoke mids.

Follow on social media:

Writer: @katadellic
Cultivator: @alohapothecary
Processor: @mission.hill.melts

All photos credit: Aloha Apothecary