Rose Gold RNTZ
Lineage: White Runtz x Apples & Bananas
Breeder: Compound Genetics
Grower: Parea Biosciences
Category: Hybrid
KCRA Product Spotlights are designed to showcase different products that are available to patients in the PA MMJ market. Our goal is to give patients a deeper dive into some of the products they see across dispensary shelves in Pennsylvania and provide product information sourced directly from the people that know the products the best, the cultivators. Here, we spotlight Rose Gold RNTZ from Parea, one of the highest terpene testing flowers in the PA program, with lead cultivators Kyle Henderson and Patrick Sprout providing unique insight to what patients can expect from this strain and why Rose Gold RNTZ is special to Parea.
Rose Gold RNTZ is an evenly balanced hybrid cannabis strain bred by Compound Genetics and cultivated in Pennsylvania exclusively by Parea Biosciences. The strain is a cross between two strains also bred by Compound and commonly found as Cookies genetics in White Runtz (Gelato x Zkittlez) and Apples & Bananas (Blue Power x Gelatti).
For the first batch of Rose Gold RNTZ Parea dropped three distinct phenotypes that each represent a unique expression of the genetics of this cultivar. Each pheno was cultivated during the first run in Parea’s Terp Barn which is a small grow space (30 lights) that incorporates several small-space growing techniques that include hand-watering, compost teas, top-dressing, and organic nutrients. The end result is a strain jam packed with terpenes, that is one of the highest terpene testing flowers in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program, with Pheno #1 testing at over 5% in total terps! While the strain might not claim the title as the most visually appealing strain right out of the package, its cornucopia of terpenes is capable of bringing unique flavors, aromas, and effects to Pennsylvania patients. Overall, Rose Gold RNTZ looks to translate the mixture of knowledge, experience, and positivity that Parea devotes to their garden to provide a great medical marijuana experience to PA patients.
The Background
Kyle: This is a strain that is so closely tied to Patrick, in my eyes, because he enabled the entire thing. These are not seeds you can just buy online. He brought these seeds in during the 30-day window without asking for anything in return, just wanting to grow them. So, I think this was such a unique experience that Patrick facilitated by bringing all these awesome seeds to Parea that he’s collected over his journey to Pennsylvania, and the Rose Gold RNTZ is kind of the start of it in my eyes, for Patrick here. But the background on the genetics also alludes to the journey that’s necessary. It’s not just that we struck gold through a good relationship, that’s only the start. It’s like someone is pointing out the tunnel and you need to start digging, and then along the way you are using different tools and a team of people to get the job done. Patrick not only has the ability to work magic in the Terp Barn but also is able to teach and guide people who are passionate about cannabis, but don’t have the same breadth of experience. So, it really is a total team effort.
Rose Gold RNTZ, bred by Compound Genetics, was something of a passion project for Patrick and Parea. Patrick is a seasoned horticulturist with experience cultivating in the Oregon recreational market and joined the Parea team last year at the same time as the December 30-day window for licensed PA grower/processors to bring new genetics into Pennsylvania. During this window he brought in a diverse range of genetics to Parea’s garden that he had collected over the years of his cannabis journey, including the Rose Gold RNTZ.
The strain is a cross between White Runtz and Apples & Bananas. Both evenly balanced hybrids that are also bred by Compound Genetics. White Runtz is known for its sweet, candy flavor profile, and long-lasting, relaxing effects; while Apples & Bananas is a myrcene dominant strain known for strong, euphoric effects and its fruit forward taste. Rose Gold RNTZ carries overpowering aromas of candy, soap, and fresh laundry while also inheriting its sweet, fruity, creamy flavor profile directly from its parents. The strain brings a unique blend of its lineage into the terpene profile, expressing the myrcene dominance of both parents along with the presence of a diverse range of other terpenes depending on the pheno. These terpenes can include limonene, linalool, beta-caryophyllene, ocimene, pinene, and humulene. The Rose Gold RNTZ buds are spade-shaped in appearance with emerald green and purple coloring mixing with a spectrum of orange and red hairs across the buds. Each bud is coated with a layer of trichomes that give them a frosty look along with a solid, dense bud structure that breaks down incredibly well.
Patrick: The Rose Gold RNTZ really resonated with me. I was really excited to grow it and did not get the opportunity in Oregon. When I sent the seeds to Kyle we both recognized that we had something really special and it was really cool that we got to pheno-hunt it in our Terp Barn, which was the first time we had grown in there. I really set out to hit 4% terpenes on the first run and then hitting 5% I was over the moon. I was so excited to have done that and as far as I know nobody else has hit 5% terpenes in Pennsylvania yet.
The Phenos
Cannabis phenotypes are the physical expression of a cannabis plant’s genetics as influenced by its environment. Phenotypes are often colloquially referred to as phenos and it is important to understand that a different pheno does not mean the product is a completely different cultivar or strain, just that different phenos are different genetic expressions of the same strain. When growing from seeds, like Parea did with the Rose Gold Runtz, each seed will be a unique expression of the genetic traits inherited from its lineage. So, growers will often conduct a pheno hunt, in which they will grow out different genetic variations of the strain and decide which one they think is best to bring to market. The end result of a pheno-hunt is a plant that has the more desirable expression of the cultivar’s genetics as influenced by both the genetics and the environment it is grown in. This is a time-consuming process for growers but can really make or break the end product on the shelf.
Patrick: This being the first run we did in our Terp Barn, I spent almost all my day in there for the entire life of these plants. I was really excited for the whole run, but it was funny because Pheno #1 was the one that came out with the 5% terps and that was the one I was least excited about. It had the ugliest plants in there, the leaves yellowed early, they didn’t structure well, and I was thinking that this one definitely wasn’t going to be a keeper pheno. I actually thought Pheno #3 was going to be the best, they were beautiful buds and I think it is a really good pheno but that was also the lowest testing for terpenes of the three, even though it had the best structure of all.
I was also really excited about the Pheno #2. When you go around the garden and pick up buds off the plants some can be sticky, some are a little bit sandier, but overall, they have different textures. The #2 Pheno was really oily. It wasn’t even sticky at all when you touched it, so it was a really unique plant, one of the oiliest plants I’ve ever seen, and that’s from the really heavy terpenes that have more molecular mass. But overall, #1 and #2 are not the prettiest plants, and that’s really just the way they grow. This run was also the first time we were top dressing with organic amendments and using different compost teas, so it really was a very experimental run that I think we learned a lot from that we have since incorporated into our grow.
Parea offers three different phenotypes of Rose Gold RNTZ to Pennsylvania patients. Each phenotype represents a distinct genetic variation of the strain, displayed not only through the test results on the cannabinoids and terpenes, but also through the appearance and end experience of each pheno. Patients can experience subtle variations in taste, aromas, appearance, and end effects for each of the three. The difference in each phenotype showcases the pheno-hunting process for Parea and not only the time and energy that goes into choosing the right pheno for patients, but also the intention of providing patients with the ability to find the best possible option for them, even when choosing between the same strain.
Kyle: We actually saw some pretty different representations among the three phenotypes, which is why we didn’t want to take the whole room and just package it as Rose Gold RNTZ. When we see different expressions in the physical aspects of the plants in the garden, then I think it would be blind of us to just say the effects and everyone’s experience should be the same. If a patient got the Rose Gold RNTZ #3 and fell in love with it and the next time they go to the dispensary they just bought Rose Gold RNTZ again but got a different pheno they might end up with a totally different experience.
Overall, it takes a lot more work and money to separate different phenos. Every time we separate the strains, we have to test them all as individual batches. So, there is a lot of intent behind it, because we want people to be able to share what they like and we knew in the garden that all three were different, so we label them that way to help ensure the patient feels more empowered to make their decision on what works best for them.
The Terpenes
Patrick: One of the things about the 5% batch was the standalone myrcene was enormously high. It’s at 2.2%, and for one terpene to be 2.2% of your total weight is really high no matter where you’re at. What that can do is really give a patient the ability to see how myrcene affects them.
Rose Gold RNTZ #1
The #1 pheno of the Rose Gold RNTZ tested at 21.38% total cannabinoids and hit just over 5% terpenes in the test results, making it one of the highest testing terpene flower strains in the PA Medical Marijuana Program. This pheno is dominant in myrcene, testing at 2.251% beta-myrcene, which is higher than the total terpene content of a lot of flower strains in the Pennsylvania program. Its robust terpene profile is rounded out with 0.72% in total pinene; 0.649% ocimene; 0.404% limonene; 0.523% beta-caryophyllene; and smaller percentages of humulene and linalool. See the full test results for this pheno below.
Rose Gold RNTZ #2
The Rose Gold RNTZ #2 Phenotype displays similar test results to the #1 pheno with 22.49% in total cannabinoids that includes 0.832% CBG. It's terpene profile tests at just under 5% to total 4.76% terpenes. This terpene profile closely resembles the #1 pheno, with slightly less myrcene content at 1.826% and a strong mix of beta-caryophyllene, pinene, and limonene to go along with lower percentages of humulene and linalool.
Rose Gold RNTZ #3
The #3 Pheno for the Rose Gold RNTZ is the highest tester for potency at 26.43%, including the CBG content found in the first two phenotypes. This pheno tests lower in terpenes than the first two but still maintains a relatively high terpene profile of 2.63%. While no individual terpene tests over 1%, the #3 pheno displays a higher limonene content than the other two of 0.742% with a lower myrcene content at 0.409%, while maintaining the beta-caryophyllene (0.470%) and testing higher in linalool (0.433%) than the other phenos.
The Experience
Patrick: For me, I’m really drawn to strains that bring unique flavors and tastes to the patient, so I really want to focus on bringing that experience to PA patients. I know that when I get flower that smells like something I’ve never had before I get excited about it, and I think the Rose Gold RNTZ really did bring something unique to the Pennsylvania program and a totally different flavor profile for patients to experience.
With Rose Gold RNTZ, Parea looked to provide PA patients with a unique strain that brought different flavors, aromas, and effects to the Pennsylvania program. The result is a strain made available in three distinct phenotypes that is jam packed with terpenes, with the #1 phenotype being one of the highest testing terpene flowers in the PA program, testing in at over 5% total terpenes, with over 2% myrcene. Crazy to think that 5% of the total weight of this strain is directly attributed to the terpene profile alone! This provides patients that know they enjoy or might think they enjoy myrcene, an option that allows them to experience what a potent myrcene strain could offer them.
KCRA's personal experience using Parea's Rose Gold RNTZ was one chalk full of fresh, lavendar, floral dryer sheet aromas, enjoyably mixed with a fruit-forward candy flavor profile. As you will see, these buds are darker emerald green, specked with brighter green and deep purple patches, studded with orange hair that is all covered in trichomes. These are the type of buds that break down dense and fluffy, bringing the aromas to the forefront. The flavors of fresh, floral, fruit and laundry are extremely prevalent in the taste of this strain during use, making for one uniquely tasty strain!
The difference in phenos provides patients with the option to explore which pheno provides the best experience for them. Each pheno can offer subtle variations in taste, aromas, appearance, and end effects. Overall, for Rose Gold RNTZ, patients can expect the well-balanced, euphoric effects commonly found in RNTZ genetics that can provide a happy, calming mood-boost and be great for stimulating conversation on social occasions.
Kyle: The way cannabis affects people is a very personal thing. You can hear great things about growers, great things about strains, but it’s really a journey that you have to go on yourself and educate yourself along the way. You might really like the flavor of something, but what brought the flavor out? That’s why it’s important for patients to get as much education as possible about what type of cannabis is working for them. The entourage effect is continually spoken about, but I think it involves more compounds than just cannabinoids and terpenes.
Overall, I really don’t believe that cannabis needs a report card. What I hope people experience from the Rose Gold RNTZ was a translation through the bud of the positivity that we fed into it, and it leads patients to have a positive experience that benefits them. Whether it’s for their mental health, physical health, or just a good time with their friends. I always hope our positivity is translated through their experience with the Rose Gold RNTZ and Parea flower in general.
We want to know what your experience was with Rose Gold RNTZ from Parea? Let us know which pheno and your feedback. We would love to hear from you!