When I arrived at my boyfriend’s apartment and whipped out the slim, modern little black box of herbal goodness, both of our eyes glittered with anticipation. I flipped back the James Bond-esque magnetic cover to reveal a discreet black tube fit for a sexy spy. I carefully removed the tube, unscrewed the top, and was happy to see a fat joint fit for a group of stoners like ourselves.

“If I had any worries, they were a distant memory as No.88 began to enter its way into my bloodstream. ”

I lifted the thickly packed pre-roll to my nose and smelled it as if it was a fine Cuban cigar. The aroma was alluringly complex, with sweet notes of honeysuckle, woodsy undertones, and a slight peppery finish. Feeling my mouth start to water, I sparked up the joint and took the first drag.

The flavor was equally complex with layers of lavender, a rich earthiness, and a splash of fresh cracked black pepper to round things out. As I enjoyed another pull, my mouth filled with a silky-smooth smoke that made me feel like I should have been on a yacht in Miami. Maybe it was the seductive packaging, maybe it was the cigar-like feel of the joint, or maybe I was high, but I was starting to feel like a boss.

We passed the joint back and forth for several minutes as my boyfriend queued up some music videos to get the party vibes going. As the music started pumping from the speaker on the wall, it wasn’t long before I started to feel my mind unfurl and reach a celebratory state of being.

If I had any worries, they were a distant memory as No.88 began to enter its way into my bloodstream. I felt an excitement building up inside, and I couldn’t resist the urge to get up and dance around the apartment as my boyfriend played banger after banger on the TV.

Even though I had enough energy to shake my money maker around the room, there was still a relaxed feeling in my core that allowed me to be utterly free. I wasn’t worried if I looked dumb, I didn’t care if anyone was watching, I wasn’t thinking about my to-do list, I was just completely myself, unburdened by any anxiety or lingering worries from the day.

When I finally collapsed on the couch and guzzled down a glass of cold water, the calm really began to take over. While I was still filled with joy, my mind seemed to slow and embrace the stillness. I sat on the couch, watching a Jay-Z music video as he popped champagne bottles on a yacht, and somewhere in my high mind, I felt like I was right there with him.

“This joint hits all the right marks for a special occasion.”

While that may not have been the case, I did have the time of my life smoking this joint. Everything from the modern, all-black packaging to the layers of flavor and aroma, this joint hits all the right marks for a special occasion.

It’s no surprise that No.88 is Monogram’s flagship strain: It tastes, smells, and feels like a lot of love went into making this magic happen. It provided the right amount of euphoria with a carefree, level-headed high that’s well suited for celebrating, going to a concert, a memorable date-night, or maybe just to bring a level of class to your everyday life.

Even the name, No.88, sounds like some kind of super villain, or maybe 007’s trusty new sidekick. No matter what their inspiration was at Monogram to create this one-of-a-kind joint, I was 100% feeling it.