At the Culture Cup in Maine last month, I got a chance to connect with some of the best breeders from the East Coast and around the country. One local who has been winning awards left and right was James Wormser of TeamingWithTerps, who is also head of cultivation at Tower Three in Taunton, Massachusetts. After seeing that Archive Seed Co. was doing a seed drop at his table, I needed to check out what all the buzz was about.
Growing what he describes as “East Coast Weed,” the backbone of his breeding program includes a lot of green, chemmy, robust and mouth-coating fire. Known for strains like Butterwolf (PBB x Swamp Thing), Moonbutter (Butterwolf x Starkush) and KenStarr (Swamp Thing x Starkush), he dropped two new lines at Culture Cup based on Black Maple and Deathcoast crosses. James recently chatted with Northeast Leaf about his journey, philosophy and process in becoming an East Coast staple.
Why did you get into breeding?
Since a very young age, Cannabis genetics have mesmerized me. As a kid in New York City, access to weed in general and New York City delivery services gave me an early education on genetics and flavor. Sour Diesel, NYC Diesel, Uptown Haze … good genetics were highly revered in New York, and growing up there was a daily economy depending on movement/demand. NYC Diesel versus Sour Diesel was one of my first lessons in genetic distinction. Packs were tiered by quality, and genetic and true exotics were sold at a very high premium.
At some point in high school, I saw a pound of weed of such intense quality, frost and flavor, I knew I needed to get closer. After growing some Grapefruit plants through flower, I had a moment where I realized the intense grapefruit aroma I was experiencing meant all the weed I’d seen in books and magazines had the potential to live up to the name and descriptors I had read. It was this early exposure and the influence of my younger brother that led me to the plant-specific approach to growing and eventually to breeding. As a young grower, it was my understanding of the genetics that helped set me apart. While my growing skills were fairly average, my weed smoked with an intense mouth coat just because the genetics carried that expression.
As a kid, I had a fascination with dams and attempting to block small waterways. The thought of blocking a stream with sticks and stones and slightly changing its course was oddly mesmerizing to me, and I think, in a way, making a new strain satiates that same curiosity and desire.
What is your favorite strain you’ve bred?
Butterwolf. The robust flavor, big gland and colorful OG aesthetic on top of the ease of growth, lack of maintenance needed (defol and trim) and its conversion to hash make it special for me. It really checks a lot of boxes, most important being its intense aroma and flavor. I’ve built strong connections through this cut. The Moonbutter (Starkush x Butterwolf) is a close second with even more complexity to the flavor.
What is your favorite strain to smoke currently?
Moonbutter really has been doing it for me. It has some sweetness on top of the strong herbaceous gas; both power and flavor are on point. She is flavorful, satiating and potent. While she doesn’t have the bag appeal of many modern varieties, her depth of flavor and strong skunk/fuel expression drive me to her. It will always be something gas for me. I’d guess there is something scientific and medicinal to the sulfide and thiols that my body seeks.
What’s the difference between average and high-grade Cannabis?
The biggest difference is flavor. The high will follow, but what I’m looking for is an aroma that translates into flavor. After that, genetics, freshness, practices, dry/cure and aesthetic. If the wrong genetic is grown, no matter your practices, environment, etc., it will never be high grade. It is one of those things where the weed is only as good as its weakest link. High grade has to smoke well and taste good, and a lot of things have to be in place to get there. Average weed smokes fine and will get you stoned, but does not express a notable or exciting flavor. For me, there is a very strong preference for soil grown. If the strain is good, it’s fresh and properly dried and leaves a mouth-coat flavor — I would say that is high grade.
teamingwithterps.com | @teamingwithterps | @searchingforsulfur
