North Star CBD By AltaVie

from MedReleaf under Aurora
4.1 out of 5 stars4.1
AltaVie North Star CBD bud AltaVie North Star CBD bud macro

Overview

Musky, slightly sweet-citrus scent. Not too dry. Tasted subtle sour notes at low temps in the vape. Pretty smooth, but very little flavour to it.

Star CBD unboxed, showing one well trimmed large bud, a very small bud, and a bit of shake.
November 2019 – 1g order of North Star CBD

Upbeat, jovial, stimulating effects nicely contrasted by serene sensations. Can add a dash of excitement/exhilaration to whatever you are doing. Particularly if you get the blood flowing with some physical activity.

Felt my appetite may have been increased.

Fairly dense cloudy white trichomes
North Star CBD Trichome Macro

CBD Dosage Experiment

After smoking full joints of Solei Free, I continued experimenting with how to consume CBD dominant strains. I had heard from various sources that it can take some time to experience the full benefits of CBD. In theory the levels of CBD can build up in your body over time and provide more benefit over time. The half-life of CBD in your body is “estimated to be about 2-5 days“, with little CBD found after a week.

So I tested out daily use of this strain. Initially, I did I five day run with doses at around .03g-0.05g. On another occasion I did 5 days at 0.09g. By the end of each 5 day period, I no longer felt much of the floating on a cloud sensation. I also experienced less of the mood enhancing effects. It’s possible that by consuming daily, it became more a matter of routine, and change in experience had to do with consumption being less of a special event. What I suspect is more likely, is that my body was developing a tolerance to the aspects of the effects related to the mild THC content.

Some evidence suggests that while we develop a tolerance to THC, we do not develop a tolerance to CBD. I feel the alertness/focus promoting effects, as well as the sensation of relaxed face muscles were still noticeable at the end of my experiments. Particularly during the higher dosage period. I can’t, however, say for certain if these effects had increased or decreased after my short trial.

Irregularities With My First Order

This review has been in the works for a long time. I found small amounts of molds in my initial order last March. To my knowledge, nobody else has reported a problem with mold in there North Star CBD. So, I waited until I could test out a new batch before publishing my review.

Close up view of the mold found in my initial order. The growth of mold is distinctly webby compared to trichomes, and appears more furry or fuzzy to the naked eye.

The Majority of my second order came as one large bud. Ignoring the mold, it was still a dramatic improvement over my first order (pictured below). Is the most recent batch more representative of what we can expect going forward?

March 2019 – 1g order of North Star CBD

Smiley’s Log

Dose: 0.09g vaped

Not as dry as some. light smell?

4:12pm
Fairly innocuous taste. Slight hint of harshness at first higher temperature hit but pretty good over all. Like I’m peacefully drifting on a cloud.

4:49pm
Made some email inquiries to a company about a purchase I’d like to make. Filled up the dehumidifier. Not particularly hungry, but a juicy ambrosia apple was delicious. Feels my mental alertness is activated with a noticeable intensity.

5:44pm
Have been able to diligently focus on work. Effect is really fading. Light sense of excitement. Overall mood has returned to baseline.

6:49pm
Started making a batch of playdough for the little one. Once I was up and moving to get everything organized I felt like the impact was a little more pronounced again and my mood improved. I was short on salt so finishing project playdough will have to wait until tonight. I proceeded to put away dishes and wash our drying rack.

I am still feeling a touch relaxed, a lingering cerebral lightness, and a smidge of an elevated sense of contentment.

11:00pm
Continued to notice some level of positive effect until at least 8:30pm. Had a nice time running around the house while playing with the little one.

Share Your Experience

The following fields are optional. Your email address will not be published. If shared, it will simply help you to receive replies.

 

12 thoughts on “North Star CBD

  1. I am loving your reviews on the CBD strains that we can get from OCS. I have just recently started to vape dry flower and I am trying some different ones but I really was looking for some reviews. Glad I stumbled upon your site! How do you figure out your dosage?

    1. Thanks Jane,

      Is there a flower you like best of the ones you’ve tried?

      For dosage, at least for comparison sake when doing the reviews, I’m attempting to deliver a similar amount of CBD. So if a strain has a high percentage of CBD I’ll probably use less than if it’s a strain with a lower CBD percentage.

      I’ve been working on a calculator that figures out how much cannabis to use if you wanted a certain amount of cbd entering your body even when using different strains with different CBD percentages. Hopefully I’ll get it online sometime in the future.

      Keep in mind what actually works for you could vary depending on a lot of factors. Some vapes, or vape temperatures might be more efficient than others. Some people might inhale more or less efficiently than others.

      1. I don’t get a notice when you reply. Just happened to be back on your site and noticed that you had replied. I have tried Cannatonic, Pure Sun CBD, Penelope, Durga Mata 2, North Star and just bought Solie Free. I found Penelope to be too strong for me. I made Pure Sun CBD into an oil. Durga Mata 2 is also a bit stronger than I prefer so I mix it with some high CBD Hemp and that seems to help mellow it out a bit. The other high CBD strains seem good in different ways. North Star seems to help with pain and relaxing. Cannatonic gave me a bit of a head buzz but I felt happy. Haven’t tried the Solie Free yet. I do have anxiety so I have to be careful and try a little bit at a time. I try the flower first and then if I like it, I make it into oil. I would prefer to not vape.

        1. Thanks for the heads up on not receiving a reply. I’ve tried to fix it, so hopefully you will get this message. I think Penelope is one of the stronger balanced strains. That’s awesome that you’re making your own oils. I think I’d like to try that sometime. Do you find the same characteristics from the flower in the oil?

          1. Hi,

            Your reply went into my quarantine but I did get it finally. I find that the oils seem to be the same effects. Although, it is a bit different trying to figure out a dosage. Using a dosage calculator, I can determine approximately how much THC/CBD is in a ml of oil. So from that I can generally determine how much to take. Usually kicks in at about 20 minutes or so. I am still trying to find a good sleep strain to make oil with.

  2. Can l carbonize 14% CBd flower and make a coconut oil for topical usage for inflammation.
    Could also ingest it?

  3. Thanks again for the great in-depth review Smiley!
    So sorry to see that you got a moldy batch. It’s really unacceptable with the technology that these multi-million dollar facilities have.
    I’ve bought many North Star CBD 3.5g containers between 2018-2019 & luckily never received mold – that I know of 😉
    I personally loved it & after trying a few other high CBD low THC dried cannabis brands, at the time, this was by far my favorite for smoking & vaping. With the batches/lots I received the buds were medium to small sized & dry so I stored my stash in a sealed mason jar with a Boost two-way moisture pack for a week before smoking. Smoke was smooth & tasty with strong floral notes & in a bong left behind a white ash. I was relaxed yet focused & upbeat. Also found it was great for mitigating chronic anxiety but then again pretty much all high CBD low THC dried cannabis or oils are great for reducing anxiety according to many reviewers besides myself.

    1. I’m sure my mold experience was more of an anomaly than the norm. It was a pretty good strain. I’m a little disheartened that it’s no longer available.

      1. Just noticed North Star is no longer available, any ideas on why Altavie isn’t selling it anymore, and if there’s going to be a similar product any time soon?

        1. Unfortunately most CBD dominant flower products have been removed from OCS. There are only two options currently available. Pure Sun CBD and Solei Free.

          I think the reason come down to demand. Oils seem to be more popular with CBD users. It’s a shame as I like flower best.