Dream is bringing in a torch from the bonfire outside and re-lighting the stove for retail shelves. Have you ever seen those bunches of expensive Japanese grapes that taste like roses and sell for a hundred dollars a bunch? Well, that’s what it’s like to dab this UO-VA.
Pronounced like Ooh-Vah, the name might sound like a fancy new robot assistant, but the cut is actually Grape Gas – a Jet Fuel Gelato x Grape Pie from Compound Genetics that was grown by Dream’s producer ESG (Eastern Sierra Group) and sourced from CLTVTD (a tissue culture nursery in Sacramento). This cultivar caused such a loud rumble in the 2023 competition scene that The Meltdown in Santa Rosa was said to have had more than 10 versions amongst the competitors.
The initial aroma is mildly fruity and rich, but with more of a dominant floral quality ending with something that’s either a little sour or gassy, depending on who you ask. As you let it warm up even more, those fruity notes go deep underground and keep things sweet, but overwhelmingly more flowery.
UO-VA’s sweet flavor shows up in more of a natural sugar kind of way, matching something like a Muscat grape. As it blossoms, those floral notes take over while still leaving that semi-sweet base. It’s an exhale blast of something more akin to rose water than grape and even though most of that fruitiness is gone, you can still pick up those sour/gassy notes in the back. If I had to compare it to something directly, I would say rose-flavored Turkish delight – though I know that’s oddly specific.
Perhaps that’s why they chose to rename this to Uva or UO-VA (I’ve seen it described as both), because this has more than just the standard definition of the word ‘grape’ that our brains are familiar with. Speaking with KimJong, the man responsible for Dream’s recent high-quality hash program, it’s one of those catchy twist-of-fate stories that often accompanies a popular release. Their owner actually chose Uva – but in a moment of happenstance it got entered as Uova – which became UO-VA. And thus was born a jar that sounds like a kick-ass side character in a Final Fantasy game.
Many dabbers will recognize KimJong from his incredible work and voice in the hash scene. He started consulting with Dream last year and then took over their rosin program in October. As a result, this is some beautiful stuff – bringing a consistency that’s moist enough to stay wet even out of the fridge, but still solid enough that you can get a nice scoop onto your dab tool. Bringing his experience into the room was a wise move for Dream and ESG, whose concentrate line might be fresh out the box – but is already winning awards like their first place trophy for rosin at the California’s Finest competition this year.
Even though they’ve shown off full-melt and fresh-press versions at contests and events, KimJong says they’ve decided to bring only cold-cure to market in order to ensure product quality. UO-VA from Dream is a great way to treat consumers to the kind of quality that the varsity dab scene demands, but from inside an accessible retail setting. We encourage you to check out all three available flavors.
@dreambyesg | @dreamcanna | @kimjongrosin
This article was originally published in the February 2024 issue of California Leaf.
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