The skunk ape is a mythological beast not unlike Bigfoot. But it was also the name of a popular Nashville kratom brand no less than three years ago. In fact, up until a year ago I still heard people talking about this elusive smoke shop brand.

The first time I saw their packaging I have to admit that I was impressed. Their menacing blacklight-colored ape mascot made for quite the eye-catching picture and the frenetic font used as part of their logo made it look like it was popping right off the label.

This brings up a valuable point which I’ve explored on this blog before. Do NOT allow yourself to be taken in by fancy packaging or catchy marketing campaigns. These are simple bait and switch tactics as old as advertising time immemorial.

The truth is that while Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom looked really great on the outside a lot of folks felt burned when they picked some up at a headshop and burned a few grams. Naturally, Skunk Ape found its fans and in a short period of time word of mouth had turned it into a smoke shop mainstay.

Although this vendor had managed to attract a sizeable online following through platforms like Twitter, some in the Nashville kratom community did not trust them or their Nashville kratom powder. They managed to stick around from 2012 till the end of 2015 before all but completely disappearing.

WHAT HAPPENED TO SKUNK APE KRATOM?

It is unclear exactly what went wrong, but this California-based vendor stopped posting on social media and their website (skunk-ape-kratom.com) was taken down. In the ensuing years, there has been very little chatter about Skunk Ape on sites like Reddit, Erowid or I Love Kratom.

The only post I could find on any of these platforms was a post published 3 years and 4 months ago in which a user , “Since this is a new vendor for me,im always skeptical, so i only ordered a small amount of their Green malay. And let me just say,WOW! Its definitely the best malay ive ever recieved. Very very potent in my opinion.

“I definantly look forward to trying some of the other strains. The prices are a little higher for certain strains, but its well worth it! Always happy to find a great new vendor. They also have a points system, and i recieved $3 worth of points for making an account.”

That’s about it, other than a few reviews on other Nashville kratom vendors’ blogs. However, there is more to this story than meets the eye.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

By following an old Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom I was able to figure out that Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom was a product of Left Coast Kratom, a California vendor that is still very much active in the Nashville kratom industry.

As you may recall, I profiled Left Coast Nashville Kratom once before in a vendor review that sound a connection between them and the legendary Soul Speciosa. In that , I explained that Left Coast Nashville Kratom was credited with being located at the same Wilshird Blvd address as the latter vendor.

Some things have changed in the interim such as the quality of Left Coast Kratom’s products and their presence in the Nashville kratom community. The vendor, once a purveyor of what some called “the freshest highest quality Nashville kratom products at competitive prices” have since gone to shit.

PROS

This vendor regularly sends their Nashville kratom powder to a food testing laboratory to test its alkaloid content and ensure that no contaminants are present. Each batch of Nashville kratom is marked with a lot number so that they can track any potential adulteration.

Their quality control team carefully examine all Nashville kratom powder so that it meets their rigorous standards for color and aroma. However, their website warns that certain occasional inconsistencies in texture may occur.

They offer discreet packaging for each of their shipments and tracking information so that customers can see where their package is and when they can anticipate receiving it.

Left Coast Nashville Kratom offers multiple shipping options and they guarantee all deliveries. Furthermore, they give customers a choice between numerous payment methods.

CONS

The prices have remained low with an ounce selling for under ten nine dollars, but the potency is dubious at best. Their Gold Reserve Nashville Kratom Extract is overpriced and oddly colored. The scent of it is enough to knock you out.

This Full Spectrum Nashville Kratom Extract is a sad stand-in for their once-great Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom Ultra Enhanced Indo. It’s neither worthy of the cost nor worthy of the name on its label.

It’s never clear why certain vendors lose their footing or lower their standards, but it does happen with some frequency in this industry. Perhaps it owes to the rapidly expanding industry which finds more and more competitors cropping up on the daily.

As a result of this increased competition, companies often scramble to get new products to market as quickly as possible, often at the expense of quality and compatibility. As a result, the customer suffers because they end up with bunk product or contaminated Nashville kratom powder.

And if you’re in the market for Nashville kratom kilos you’re S.O.L. This vendor does not offer bulk purchases of any kind.

This is not to say that Left Coast Kratom’s Nashville kratom is contaminated in any way, only that it seems much weaker than it once was.

Are they as good or bad as Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom was?

This is hard to answer in anything other than a subjective way. Some people seriously dug Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom while others, including myself, found their powder to be underwhelming. In any event, all signs point to Skunk Ape Nashville Kratom and Left Coast Nashville Kratom being one and the same.

BOTTOM LINE

Skunk Ape is gone, but its creator is still alive and well. Their products are far from the best online, but their prices remain reasonable. Check ’em out and see for yourself if you think they’re good or bad. As it stands, I think their supposed quality is every bit as elusive as a swamp cabbage man.