Spiced Latte (Cannabis flos S-LAB): two pharmaceutical entries and a caryophyllene profile

What is Spiced Latte and where does this strain come from?

It is a hybrid supplied to Polish pharmacies by a single manufacturer, and its lineage is described by only one found publication: Jean Guy crossed with Alien Dawg. There is no second, independent confirmation, so we treat the origin of this strain as a preliminary finding rather than a fact verified by two sources.

The publication from which this lineage comes describes a specific product from S-LAB, not an entry in the breeding register. No one announces the birth certificate of the cultivar, so the origin of the strain is reconstructed from commercial materials and breeder reports. For Spiced Latte, there is one such material, which necessitates a more cautious record than for names confirmed in several independent places. It describes a specific entry from S-LAB, not every plant sold anywhere under that name: strain names are not protected like the trade names of medications, so the same label in another country may be placed on material of completely different origin.

The contradiction begins with the type of plant. One of the databases describing the Polish market classifies this dried flower as a hybrid with a sativa predominance, while another simply classifies it as a hybrid. The difference is not cosmetic: the division into indica and sativa is often treated today as a commercial label rather than a description of the plant's chemistry, and with this strain, it is evident, as the same pharmaceutical entry receives two different labels in two places.

Which manufacturers supply Spiced Latte to Polish pharmacies?

One. The entire turnover under this name is managed by S-LAB, and the strain appears in two pharmaceutical entries differing in the declared strength of the raw material. No other manufacturer has reported dried flower under this name, so comparing two versions of the same strain from different suppliers is not feasible here.

The registered name of both entries is Cannabis flos S-LAB and carries a number indicating the declared content. We do not transcribe this number, as the manufacturer allows a deviation of around ten percent in either direction from the value they declare. The weaker version falls within the range of 16.2-19.8%, the stronger within the range of 19.8-24.2%, and two packages from the same shelf may differ more than their common label suggests.

Availability is a separate issue here. In the database from which the composition description comes, both entries were marked as unavailable at the time of data collection, and this is a snapshot from one day, not a characteristic of the strain. Permits for the acceptance of raw material expire, wholesalers receive goods in batches, and pharmacies dispense what is currently in stock. We maintain the current status in the list of strains available in Polish pharmacies, and we describe the entire assortment of this producer separately in the text about S-LAB.

What does Spiced Latte smell and taste like?

Spicy and citrusy, with an earthy background. This is how the database describing its profile characterizes this dried flower, adding a pine note. However, descriptions of aroma remain the impression of the evaluating person, not a measurement, so read them as a hint about the character of the dried flower, not as a parameter of the raw material.

The composition behind this describes one source, and that is the whole basis: humulene, caryophyllene, limonene, linalool, and myrcene. Caryophyllene leads this set and is responsible for the peppery impression. Humulene is the same compound that gives character to hops, and limonene pulls the scent toward citrus peel.

For each of these names, a number could be assigned, but no one outside knows what to relate it to. The shares that the same base assigns to the five components of the Spiced Latte profile sum up to eighty percent, not one hundred. The missing fifth part is either compounds outside this five or another way of counting, which cannot be resolved from the outside. A number without a known denominator looks in the text about the medication like a measurement, and it is not, so only the composition remains.

To the taste, there is also the name that promises coffee with spices. Strain names are arranged by breeders, not chemists, and nothing guarantees that the descriptor on the label will match what the patient feels. With this strain, the root part of the description is supported by the composition, while the coffee part is not visible in it.

How long does it take for Spiced Latte to take effect and how long does the effect last?

After vaporization, effects are felt within a few minutes, while after ingestion, significantly later. For this strain, no one has measured it separately, so the only honest information that can be provided is that the experience depends on the method of administration, which is common for dried flower regardless of the brand name and declared strength.

The route of administration determines the course more than the variety itself. After vaporization, the substance passes from the lungs to the blood almost immediately, so the first sensations appear after a few minutes, the intensity increases for another ten to thirty minutes, and the whole effect lasts for two to four hours. After ingestion, the raw material first passes through the intestine and liver, so the first sensations are awaited from half an hour to two hours, and the episode can last six, sometimes eight hours. Hence the most common mistake with oral administration: anyone who thinks nothing is happening after thirty minutes and takes another dose will receive both doses at once. The above ranges describe the route of administration, not this variety; pharmacokinetic studies for a single cultivar have not been published.

Both pharmaceutical products from S-LAB share the same name and the same profile description, differing only in the declared THC content. This difference pertains to how much active substance is carried by the same portion of raw material, not when the effects appear and fade.

What is known, and what is not known about the effects of Spiced Latte?

Nothing that pertains exclusively to this brand name. Clinical trials are planned for a drug with a known composition, not for a cultivar, so the evidence we have here was collected for beta-caryophyllene, the leading component in this profile, and it comes from mice and cell cultures.

The older of the two studies on which our evidence base stands was published in 2008 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), signed by Gertsch J, Leonti M, Raduner S, Racz I, Chen JZ, Xie XQ, Altmann KH, Karsak M, Zimmer A (PMID:18574142). (E)-beta-caryophyllene selectively bound to the CB2 receptor (Ki = 155 nM) and inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema in wild-type mice, but not in CB2 receptor knockout mice (Cnr2-/-), indicating a CB2-dependent mechanism; the study did not include any anxiety tests.

A newer study was published in 2014 in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, authored by Klauke AL, Racz I, Pradier B, Markert A, Zimmer AM, Gertsch J, Zimmer A (PMID:24210682). Oral beta-caryophyllene reduced the late inflammatory phase of pain in the formalin test in a CB2 receptor-dependent manner, with no effect on the early phase; in a neuropathic pain model, it alleviated thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia without developing tolerance with chronic administration.

The rest of what circulates around this name has a different status. Descriptions of effects on commercial websites and patient reports from forums are observational material without a control group, without a blind trial, and without measuring the content in a specific package. This does not mean they are untrue. It only means that they cannot serve as a basis for conclusions about efficacy or be transferred to another patient.

The boundary of this evidence is as important as its content. In neither of the two studies was beta-caryophyllene tested on humans or in inhaled form from dried flower; both studies concern oral or systemic administration in mice in pain and inflammation models, not sleep or mood.

What side effects have been reported after Spiced Latte?

None, if the question pertains to this specific name. Reports are collected here divided by medicinal product and batch, and the name of the cultivar is not a label in this system that can be searched. Therefore, below is what is known about dried flower in general.

Reports of adverse effects are collected for medicinal products with a batch number, not for the strain name, so the following pertains to hemp dried flower as a group of raw materials. The most frequently reported symptoms are dry mouth, red eyes, and increased heart rate. Dizziness upon rapid standing, daytime drowsiness, and temporary worsening of short-term memory are less frequently described, as well as anxiety that increases with dosage. A separate issue is medications taken concurrently, especially sedatives and those affecting coagulation: their assessment requires knowledge of the entire list of preparations, not just the description of the plant. We do not provide the frequency of these symptoms numerically, as public compilations for hemp dried flower in Poland do not separate them by individual products.

With this strain, there is one more circumstance. Both pharmaceutical products bear the same name, and they differ in declared content, so even if reports were collected by strain name, they would mix two raw materials of different strengths in one bag.

At what temperature is this strain vaporized?

There is no single temperature for the strain; there are boiling points for individual components of its profile, and these vary by dozens of degrees. Among the values measured at atmospheric pressure, myrcene boils the lowest here, while beta-caryophyllene, the leading component in this profile, boils the highest, with a difference of over ninety degrees.

The comparison also shows why the temperature tables circulating online can contradict each other. Some values were measured under atmospheric pressure, some under reduced pressure, and the latter lowers the boiling point: caryophyllene has both numbers in databases and divides them by more than one hundred twenty degrees. Humulene shows this most sharply, as the database has no atmospheric value for it at all, only a measurement from reduced pressure. If inserted unqualified into one column with myrcene, it would appear to be the most volatile compound of the whole five. A table that does not indicate this compares incomparable values. We break this down in a separate text about the evaporation of terpenes from dried flower.

Moreover, the setting on the vaporizer is not the temperature of the dried flower in the chamber, because the sensor is located near the heating element, not in the plant. For both reasons, the above numbers describe the properties of individual compounds measured in the laboratory, not a recipe for operating the device. What has been demonstrated for caryophyllene itself is gathered in text about this terpene.

Which strains are related to Spiced Latte?

None, and what is stated in the data leads to a generation higher. Jean Guy, one of the two parents, is found in Polish pharmacies and has its own entry in this cluster. Alien Dawg does not have such an entry, and the origin of Jean Guy itself remains undetermined.

Siblings would arise if another cultivar from this comparison had the same parents. There is none: in the pedigree graph covering eighty-five strains from Polish pharmacies, Spiced Latte is the only entry with Jean Guy or Alien Dawg on the parent side. Twenty-five of those eighty-five strains do not have established origins, so any potential connections often have nowhere to be recorded. Jean Guy itself is one of those entries, and we describe go osobno.

The similarity of names does not change anything here. The term 'dawg' is used in Polish pharmacies for strains derived from Chemdawg, while the term 'alien' appears in pedigrees from Alien Cookies F2 and Alien Tech. This is a coincidence of words, not kinship, as none of these names refers to Alien Dawg.

One caveat remains open. The source from which we take the pedigree of the strain Tilray Sirius, notes in passing that Tilray sells Alien Dawg under its own trade name. If this identification were confirmed, the second parent of Spiced Latte would be found in Polish pharmacies under a different label. Our graph does not accept this as an edge, as it is based on a single mention, so we do not derive any kinship from it.

Frequently asked questions about the Spiced Latte strain.

Who supplies Spiced Latte to Polish pharmacies?

One manufacturer, S-LAB, in two pharmacy entries with different declared strengths of the raw material. No other company has reported dried flower under this name.

What is the THC content in this strain?

Taking into account the manufacturer's ten percent tolerance, the weaker entry falls within the range of 16.2-19.8%, while the stronger one falls within the range of 19.8-24.2%.

Is Spiced Latte a sativa or a hybrid?

It depends on the source. One database describing the Polish market lists it as a hybrid with a sativa dominance, while another simply lists it as a hybrid, and this discrepancy cannot be resolved today.

Which terpene leads in the profile of this strain?

Caryophyllene. The profile is described by one database and lists five components without specifying the denominator to which their shares refer.

Does Spiced Latte have siblings among strains from Polish pharmacies?

No. No other strain from this set has Jean Guy or Alien Dawg on the parent side, and Jean Guy itself is present in pharmacies as a separate entry.

Can this dried flower be purchased without a prescription?

No. It is a pharmaceutical raw material issued only by a doctor's prescription, in the Rpw category. Dried hemp available without a prescription is a different product and is subject to different regulations.

Dried flower is a pharmaceutical raw material issued by a doctor's prescription in the Rpw category, and advertising of medicinal products issued by prescription directed to the public is prohibited. The material is for informational purposes and does not replace medical consultation.

Editorial text: redakcja ubucha.pl.