Marijuana Strain Review: Casey Jones at Rocky Road Aurora

Most drivers see a detour as a reason to turn red in the face and cuss out Siri — but thanks to the density of pot shops in metro Denver, I usually see it as an opportunity. A wrong left in Aurora recently had me passing by Rocky Road Remedies at 1712 South Chambers Road, and within seconds, I’d pulled over to see if this extension of the Colorado Springs dispensary chain had anything to separate itself from the rest of Aurora’s white-collar pot scene.

There wasn’t a huge selection of strains to choose from, and because Rocky Road’s flower is pre-weighed, the gram selection was even more sparse. My budtender, who rocked a balding cul-de-sac and Hawaiian T-shirt with more charisma than anyone I’ve ever met, was nice enough to mention that the store had a sale going on: three grams for $28 out the door. I told the budtender to choose his three favorites, figuring the array would be a good barometer of Rocky Road’s quality.

I ended up taking home some Casey Jones, Cotton Candy Kush and Kong Stomper. Not ready to fully unwind at 3 p.m., I decided to test out the most sativa-dominant of the bunch, which happened to be good ol’ Mr. Jones. A child of Oriental Express and East Coast Sour Diesel, Casey Jones was named after the famous train conductor who died trying to stop a collision in the 1900s. Given Oriental Express’s Trainwreck roots, the name seemed appropriate. Rocky Road’s version smelled like a refreshing glass of orange juice, with ripe scents of citrus overpowering my nose the moment I pinched a bud. My eyes brightened just looking at the amber trichomes and vividly green buds of the sweet sativa: This had to be tasted out of the Volcano.


The buds were a little loose, but nothing leafy or bottom-of-the-barrel. While I don’t expect the house’s best when buying grams, I was annoyed by how dry it was: Each nug crumbled after a pinch, and although the first bag on the Volcano was extremely potent, the herb was sucked dry afterward. Even while coughing a lung up from the unexpected force, though, I still noticed tangy flavors of citrus and a clean earthiness that reminded me of tea.

Once I regained my semi-consciousness, I zoned out on the basketball court for a few hours, then devoured a post-game meal of bratwursts and mac-and-cheese. I’m not an advocate of regular wake-and-bakes unless you’re a medical patient, but Rocky Road’s Casey Jones is a great pick-me-up that makes you hungry enough to eat a giraffe. If only those pre-weighed bottles didn’t let in so much air....

Strain Gang is our weekly critique of a cannabis strain at a recreational store. Have a suggestion for a strain review? Send it to [email protected].