Rowan Bailey
October 18 2023
Althea T25 Powdered Donuts Strain UK Medical Cannabis Review
Is this the strain you've been waiting for on the UK Medical Market?
*Disclaimer*
Any experiences/ benefits described below are my own, and by no means should be taken as medical benefits. This strain has been prescribed by my doctor for my specific condition and needs. It is important to talk to your Dr about your specific needs and see if they have other patients similar to you who have benefited from this strain or others. This post is purely meant as a useful reference for you to then do further research from. My tolerance, condition and experience will be greatly different to some.
Table of Content
- Introduction
- Main review
- Initial observation upon opening (nug shape/ density/ cure and shake content)
- Any improvement after storage change and curing?
- Althea T25 Powdered Donuts effects
- Splitting the nug
- How does it grind?
- Batch number
- Throat issues like scratching or allergies?
- Side effects or issues?
- Overall impression
Meet the reviewer
Rowan is one of the founders of Infinity CBD and Pembrokeshire CBD Centre. Having worked in the CBD/ Cannabis industry for five years, he has extensive knowledge of the supply chain issues, compliance and other fun things you have to contend with from the corporate side of this. However, having also been a patient for 3+ years he has also had experience first hand of the ups and downs of the patient experience, quality woes and what to generally expect.
These medical cannabis reviews are presented to try and form a balanced and honest opinion relating to his experience and understanding of the limitations the clinics/ pharmacies and producers face with trying to navigate compliance standards that compete with perceived quality of some products.
Everyone is different, and Rowan is prescribed for specific conditions and is provided these prescription legally be a Dr who has been working alongside him to find the best treatments. This means that any perceived benefits expressed in his article are purely anecdotal and related to his experience and may not reflect yours.
“Medical cannabis has given me back control and vast improvement in terms of my quality of life day to day. Although I still struggle with my symptoms, this has enabled me to still be present and functional on the worse days, and given the peace of mind that knowings it's there if I need it on the better ones.”
- Rowan Bailey
Althea T25 Powdered Donuts Strain Review UK
Introduction
Here we are with another medical cannabis review discussing one of the stronger options regularly prescribed via Curaleaf and other pharmacies.
I am a chronic pain patient, and have a day time and night time strain. Powdered Donuts was prescribed to be for night-time use for prolonged pain management whilst I sleep. Prior to this I had never tried this strain before, so came into it with no idea what to expect. At the time of writing this review I have been prescribed this strain on and off over the past year, with at least 7-8 batches being used. As that suggests, I have found it very effective, however that doesn’t mean it isn’t without it’s issues. So join me as I jump in and break down our key points for our UK medical cannabis reviews, trying to offer the best insight for other patients. As always, if anyone has had this strain tested, or has sample COA that you think would be useful to attach here, please feel free to reach out and we’d be happy to showcase it here, along with any relevant reference back to you, and a cheeky gift card for our site as a thanks!
Main Review
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my review, I hope you find it insightful and as always we’re happy to help with any additional formation or support. Just let us know. For reference the Althea T25 Powdered Donuts was sourced legally via prescription to myself with chronic pain being the primary condition this is used for.
I hope you find this useful and always welcome feedback if there are other specific points you would like us to cover in future reviews or whilst updating these ones. We break down our reviews into some key points that we find useful for those looking to explore a new strain for their treatment. Talking purely in terms of the experience and effectiveness around its medicinal purpose/ use.
If you’re looking for strain comparisons/ reviews to relate to BM offerings, or other older medical cannabis supply chains globally then you’re looking in the wrong place. The way this strain is being discussed is with relation to a chronic pain prescription, although this prescription has also been useful for gastro, and nausea symptoms that relate to my condition too.
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Initial observation upon opening (nug shape/ density/ cure and shake content):
Without fail this strain smells musty upon opening. It has been incredibly consistent in this regard, which is a shame. However, it does brighten up slightly with some airing. Interestingly the ‘musty’ tone initially observed is somewhat savoury in tone, like a baked good which kind of fits the donut angle. However what was surprising was when using it at around 175-180 in the Volcano Hybrid, it suddenly out of nowhere at a subtle fruity/ sweet tone which married to that savoury flavour making the strain name make perfect sense. I’m not going to lie and say it’s bursting with these flavours, you really have to search for them, but they are in there somewhere left behind after the irradiation!
The first few batches I had of this were all small ‘popcorn nugs’ that were very disappointing first time around, however thankfully at no point did this impact effectiveness for me in terms of pain. As time went on I had batches with larger more average size nugs inside, which helped with the sweeter side of the terpene profile mentioned above. Thankfully this has been more consistent as time has gone on. Cure as with a lot of medical cannabis is a little on the dry side. However compared to other high strength strains such as LA Kush Cake, it grinds much better and seems to retain more moisture. Where as Cura T11 turns to a find dust from being too dry. So although the cure could be improved, there are worse examples out there.
Any improvement after storage change and curing?
My go to is to transfer my flower from the plastic tubs to UV protected glass storage (Whilst keeping original tubs and labels!) as it vastly improves the over all tone of the terpene profile and seems to help balance the cure a little. Particularly improved with a Boveda Pack in there to help reintroduce some of the moisture in the cure.
You’re never going to be able to undo what has been lost through it’s processing completely, but it does make a noticeable difference particularly to the way the flower vapes in my experience, making it less scratchy at high temps, and certainly allows the remaining terpene profile to shine a little more. Powdered Donuts strain is certainly one that benefits from a Boveda pack, especially if you'e chasing those sweeter terps hidden in there. The initial savoury/ musty tone upon opening is certainly disappointing for something with such a lovely name.
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Read More!Althea T25 Powdered Donuts effects
Context: I’m prescribed for chronic pain, that is accompanied by nausea/ gastro issues. I work full time and have a young family. As such, I have to find the balance between managing pain/ symptoms, and being functional in my various responsibilities. In turn, the split between a day time and night time strain gives me that ability to address deeper pains in the evenings where it may be more sedating, whilst using a more uplifting/ cerebral strain for day time to help get me through without any unwanted side effects.
Althea T25 Powdered Donuts has been fantastic for me with regards to my pain management and sleep at night. Being prescribed as an Indica dominant hybrid it certainly rings true in terms of effects. Unlike other ‘night time strains’ that I sometimes can use during the day on bigger flare ups, this isn’t on that I would use this way. Higher doses certainly can lead to more of a couch lock effect meaning it isn’t great for productivity in the day for me personally.
If you suffer with nausea or use these to help with eating, then this certainly will do the trick. I really struggle not to always be on the hunt for something to nibble if i’m not careful with this one. In the grand scheme of things this isn’t the end of the world as it helps so much in other ways.
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Garlic, Mushroooms and Onions aren't what you first think of when you think about the smell of cannabis, however upon receiving this I was pleasantly surprised. Certainly a pungent savoury aroma and flavour to this one, but not unpleasant at all. The high 30% THC content has done wonders for me personally but without a harsh vaping experience. The cure has gone a long way to making this a smooth yet potent vape that I would happily continue to use as my night time strain.
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5 Quick Bits
Splitting the nug:
Often once irradiated and transported/ stored, the trichomes on the outside can become a little lack lustre. By pinching open a nug you can release a fresher terpene profile and observe the trichrome formation a bit better. So with these reviews I will try and take a photo of a freshly opened nug to display this and provide as much detail about a strain as possible for you guys.
We are considering a microscope to capture photos at this stage, so keep an eye out for future updates. As always, if you think of another metric/ approach that you would like us to take in these reviews, feel free to reach out and let us know!
This strain on initial inspection is quite dark with an almost dark yellow hue. On close inspection you can see that it is coated in a way familiar to other high THC strains. Unlike LA Kush Cake, it doesn’t seem to be processed too much leaving some trichrome heads intact, however opening it up really shows off the depth of this strain. Lighter sweet notes open a little balancing the savoury tone you’re initially met with.
How Does It Grind?
For medical it grinds quite well, it isn’t overly dry so it doesn’t turn to dust even when using multiple turns on a classic Storz and Bickel orange grinder. After a couple of days in a glass jar and a Boveda, it grinds very well with slight bounce/ movement to it when opening the grinder.
Other than that there isn’t a lot to say on the grind side of things, it performs well and doesn’t require changing out screens on your Dry herb vape as often. So that’s a top score for me.
Batch No
For reference we include a batch number. As mentioned above, some strains have been found to vary over time, (Thankfully mostly for the better!) so we include the batch as a reference for anyone looking. We haven’t noticed any issues with this batch that need addressing beyond our typical want for a stronger terpene profile over all, but having said that, now properly cured this strain has improved and is effective for my needs.
At the time of writing this i've actualy misplaced my last batch number, however was last prescribed this in September of 2023 after using it for almost a year on and off.
Throat issues/ catching/ allergies?:
In the past I have had hay fever like symptoms with a scratchy throat/ runny eyes and sneezing around loading my device or vaping certain strains. So I take note whether this is an issue on my reviews incase anyone else has the same problem!
For me Althea T25 Powdered Donuts had none of these issues. That doesn’t mean you won’t as everyone reacts to different profiles, but on the whole this has been a low impact strain in terms of throat catching with vaping or any allergies as above. In the past I have had hay fever like symptoms with a scratchy throat/ runny eyes and sneezing around loading my device or vaping certain strains.
So I take note whether this is an issue on my reviews incase anyone else has the same problem! For me Althea T25 Powdered Donuts had none of these issues. That doesn’t mean you won’t as everyone reacts to different profiles, but on the whole this has been a low impact strain in terms of throat catching with vaping or any allergies as above.
Side effects/ issues?
I can end up eating too much if I’m not careful, and not a strain for productive daytime use as it can slow things down somewhat. Other than that I haven’t found any anxiety or issues around it’s high strength. It tends to vape for a while compared to other strains as well, so just be cautious when vaping that you take breaks to find your correct dosage at first.
Strain Profile: Althea Powdered Donuts
Info from www.MedBud.wiki:
"A proprietary strain from Althea. Little is known about this strain other than it being bred in-house by the cultivator. We cannot currently confirm the origins of this strain, including its genetic lineage. This strain is greenhouse grown in Canada"
Terpene profile:
Terpinolene
Limonène
Linalool
Humulene
Consistency
Although a few batches arrived with mainly small popcorn buds, I wouldn't say I experienced a different in effects between these and the larger batches i've had. This has been one of the most consistent strains i've had over a long period of time.
Overall impression
Despite a lack lustre smell upon first opening, I have a sweet spot for this strain as it has provided me with a way to manage my symptoms in the evenings much more effectively than previous strains. When that sweet fruity profile pops through it’s delightful and I can only imagine what this was like just prior to harvest with an incredible bouquet.
I have recently changed from this to LA Kush Cake, which is certainly a step up in terms of overall quality, however it isn’t as much of a heavy hitter indica for me as Powdered Donuts. This has pros and cons as I can be more productive in the day on bad pain days now, however I am missing that little extra bit in the evening that helped prolong my sleep.
So Althea T25 Powdered Donuts is certainly a winner in my books. Just as with all current medical cannabis flower in the UK, I look forward to a better supply chain and control practices to start showing us the true terpene profiles of these strains. Although this is not on my rota anymore, I’m sure one of my alternate strains will be out of stock one day and this will rear it’s head again, and I look forward to it. If you would be interested in offering your own reviews/ insights on strains or the medical cannabis industry in the UK in general, we are open to collaborating. Feel free to drop us an email!
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