Live rosin allows you to experience the purest flavors from some of the finest cannabis the market has to offer. As a result, true connoisseurs are picking up live rosin wherever they can find it. There’s some misinformation out there about what live rosin is and we’re here to help clear things up.

What Is Live Rosin?

If you keep up with trends in the cannabis concentrate space, you’ve probably come across the words “live” and “rosin.” However, we only started to see the two used together in recent years. Before that, the term was exclusively used to describe a type of cannabis concentrates called “live resin.” Live resin usually refers to butane hash oil (BHO) comprised of frozen flower or trim. Now, any products made with materials that were frozen immediately after harvest fall under the “live” category. The reason given for this has been to preserve the aromas of the live plant or the terpenes.

Rosin is something completely different. Rosin is a concentrate made with heat and pressure from a hair straightener, T-shirt press or something similar. One might assume that live rosin simply refers to freshly frozen plants that producers rosin press into concentrates. However, you don’t just pull a frozen plant out of the freezer and stick it in the press. There will still be moisture You’d be boiling water right alongside your cannabinoids and terpenes and destroying the quality of your final product.

So what’s the missing step? You need to make ice wax with quality freshly frozen material then allow that concentrate to dry before pressing it. Ice wax refers to a cannabis concentrate extracted without solvents. This is how producers made extracts without solvents before rosin presses or even BHO existed. Instead, producers use water and ice to agitate the trichomes off of the plant. Then, they collect it all with something flat like a credit card and allow it to cure. You can chop it up and spread it out so that the moisture can escape sooner. If you put your concentrate in a sealed jar immediately after extraction, the remaining water could form mold.

From Full Melt To Live Rosin

You won’t be able to use just any ice wax, though. The ice wax needs to have the qualities of a full melt extract if you’re going to use it to make live rosin. Full melt extracts are the highest quality of hash you can find. The name comes from the fact that it completely melts like a dab of BHO would even if it is in the form of a powder or solid. Experts rate hashes from one to six stars based on their quality. A full melt extract falls between the five and six-star hash rating.

Experts consider anything lower in quality a half melt or worse. A half melt will partially melt while the remaining plant matter and residuals will burn, making the smoke harsher and less flavorful. If you’re paying a hundred dollars or more per gram for non-solvent extracts and they’re not fully melting, you should take your money elsewhere.

Using freshly frozen material is better than dried when making full melt extracts because the fresh material won’t be dry and brittle. According to the legendary cultivator Kyle Kushman, “the main reason fresh trim is more likely than dried trim to yield full-melt is because it doesn’t disintegrate when agitated. You can get super clean full melt from dry trim. But you must be careful not to agitate it too hard.”

Once you’ve got your full melt ice wax, you can put it in a filter bag. Then, apply pressure at a low temperature to squeeze out some of the strongest, purest and most flavorful concentrates you’ve ever seen. The Bubbleman brand says their live rosin tests at about a 75 to 85 percent cannabinoid content with a 4 to 15 percent terpene content. They test both their flower and extracts for pesticides, potency and terpenes.

If you’re paying top dollar for live rosin you should get it from a reliable source. The most reliable sources provide lab testing from flower to sift to rosin to prove their product is safe, potent and as flavorful as possible.

Final Hit: Live Rosin

In short, live rosin is solventless hash oil made with full melt bubble hash that was made with freshly frozen materials. For the longest, full melt extracts have been some of the most sought-out,  highest quality non-solvent concentrates on the market. Live rosin takes things a step further by guaranteeing the use of freshly frozen materials. Pressing live rosin is fun to watch because producers make it with bubble hash and it squirts way more oil when pressed. Not to mention its much lighter in color than your average rosin. Most of the live rosin we’ve come across is bright yellow to off-white in color. Whenever we think concentrates can’t get any better artisan hash makers find a way to prove us wrong.

The post What Is Live Rosin? appeared first on High Times.

Additional research has suggested they work with cannabinoids to alter effects. Since then, isolated terpenes became a popular product that could be sold to concentrate consumers to mix with their own dabs or vape makers to add flavor and act as a cutting agent in cartridges. They are also used to reintroduced terpenes in products that may have lost them during the growing, curing, drying, or extraction process. We’ll go over everything you need to know about the various forms of extracted terpenes.

Terpene Profiling

Many connoisseurs can use their nose to interpret terpenes. There are strains that smell earthy, citrusy, creamy, floral, gassy, and more. The various terpenes in the strain are what gives it a unique smell and flavor. There are more than two hundred different known terpenes in cannabis. Most of the terpenes found in cannabis are also found in other plants; as a result, not all terpenes on the market are derived from cannabis.

Some strains have unique shapes and colors but most have a unique terpene profile. Products with slim to no flavor like distillates or THCa crystalline can be enhanced with the addition of various terpene products.

Food Grade Terpenes

According to thousands of years of cannabis smoking, the terpenes that naturally occur in cannabis seemed safe enough to inhale. On the other hand, humans haven’t been known to consume food grade terpenes via inhalation. Food grade terpenes are derived from plants other than cannabis. It’s worth noting that just because something is safe to consume in food doesn’t mean it is safe to vaporize. Food grade terpenes may contain more than pure terpenes as long as it is safe to use in food. There is no research on the safety considerations of vaporizing food grade terpenes.

Moreover, the level of terpenes in the natural cannabis plant almost never exceeds four percent. As a result, we don’t know the effects of higher concentrations of terpenes on humans. Cannabis consumers using food grade terpenes to enhance the terpene profile of their extracts may be tipping the natural balance of terpenes found in cannabis.

Extraction vs. Distillation

There are multiple ways to get terpenes from cannabis. High terpene extracts differ from isolated terpenes because they consist of more than just terpenes. There is also a cannabinoid content.

Furthermore, it is extracted using hydrocarbon solvents rather than distilled with steam or water. And there is usually a small cannabinoid content on top of the terpenes in high terpene extracts.

Distillation

Isolated cannabis-derived terpenes have no cannabinoid content and are mostly produced by a steam distillation or hydrodistillation.

One way to steam distill involves a basket of plant matter hanging over boiling water. Hydrodistillation places the plant material directly into the boiling water.

The main downside to these techniques is the high levels of heat required. The heat destroys or alters components found in the natural essential oil of the plant. What you’re left with is a hydrosol, not anything that would resemble the actual essential oils found in the plant prior to distillation.

There are companies with isolated terpenes that claim they are not steam or hydrodistilled, but their techniques remain proprietary.

Hydrocarbon Extraction

On the other hand, solvent extracts can produce the natural balance of terpenes and cannabinoids found in the plant that was extracted.

Furthermore, not all terpenes are soluble in steam. You’ll be getting mostly monoterpenes. However, the full spectrum of cannabis terpenes consists of sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, diterpenes and other classes of terpenes, not just monoterpenes. You can’t expect the full spectrum experience with only monoterpenes present.

Mechanical Separation

These days, there are ways to extract terpenes without the use of hydrocarbon solvents or steam. This is thanks to the evolution of solventless extracts like rosin. The same mechanical presses used to make rosin can be used to separate the high-terpene liquid portion of the product from the solid THCA crystals that lack the aroma of the strain. Mechanically separated terpenes are not completely isolated so there should still be a cannabinoid content to them.

Supercritical CO2 Extraction

Another method for extracting terpenes is with a supercritical CO2 extraction machine. CO2 extraction machines use fractionation to separate terpenes from other components in the essential oils of cannabis.

People are using isolated terpenes to reintroduce terpenes that may have been lost during the curing and extraction process. However, cannabis strains consist of many different combinations and concentrations of terpenes. As a result, it’s hard to mimic the terpene ratios found in the natural plant. A cannabis product with unnaturally high terpene levels will be uncomfortable to inhale.

As of now, there is no research on the inhalation of high concentrations of terpenes or hydrosols in humans. Furthermore, there is no research on the impact of byproducts that can come from distillation methods used to extract terpenes.

The post Not All Terpenes Are Made Equal: Knowing the Difference appeared first on High Times.

There are also varying qualities of hash rosin. But thanks to the taste of concentrate connoisseurs, products like live rosin have become the most expensive and limited cannabis products being sold today. To better understand the many forms of modern hash rosin, I sat down with four premiere solventless extractors from Michigan with varying perspectives during the last High Times event in Detroit.

Solventless Extractors

Today’s hashmakers press their hash into rosin and don the titles of solventless extractors. The extractors I spoke to have several years of experience working with rosin.

After originally outsourcing their plant material to other hashmakers for years, the founder of Superior Flowers, Kerry, started Superior Solventless to create some of the highest-grade single source hash rosin in the state. Seeing jars with his labels in the stashes of most other competing local hashmakers I’ve met speaks volumes to how much his work is respected in the community.

Tyler of Wojo Wax recently took home a second-place medal for Best Non-Solvent Concentrate with their single source Cream D’Mint at the Michigan Cannabis Cup in 2019. Tyler said he has been making hash for about 2 and a half years but feels he really found his groove after taking a hashmaking consult in Las Vegas about a year ago.

Anthony AKA the Organic Mechanic, has been growing and making traditional hash for over 15 years with a focus on pressing rosin over the last two to three years. He’s a hash veteran that I’ve seen doing live demos and pressing hash and flowers that guests bring to his booth at the Cannabis Cup over the last few years.

Mark from Covert Extracts is one of the first to introduce mechanically separated hash rosin to Michigan cannabis consumers. Using the technique, he took first place for Non-Solvent Concentrate with the mechanically separated Mother’s Milk THCA and terpenes grown by Ghostbudsters Farm at the Michigan Cannabis Cup in 2019.

Not All Hash is Made Equal

When it comes to hash rosin, terms like 90u and 120u are different parts of the trichome separated by size. The “u” or μ to be accurate is a measurement that refers to the different micron sizes of the holes in the multiple bags used to filter and separate trichomes from the rest of the plant during the “washing” process.

“Washing” is slang for making ice water hash. More specifically, it is when plant material is put into a bucket of ice water and stirred before it is strained, leaving only hash behind. However, it’s worth noting that dry sift hash can be made without water and ice but most of the live rosin on shelves today is made by turning ice water hash made with freshly frozen materials into rosin.

In fact, all four of the hashmakers I interviewed use ice water hash over dry sift material when making their rosin.

Beyond that, different hashmakers include or exclude certain trichome sizes from their final product. As a result, certain jars of hash and rosin being sold on the market are labeled as 90u, 120u, full spectrum or some range in between.

Differences in Micron Sizes

Kerry of Superior Solventless broke down the differences between the separate micron sizes and what they mean to consumers.

He compared washing flowers to straining pasta. Big holes let the water out and keep all the stuff you want isolated from falling through. However, in the case of making hash, multiple strainers with smaller and smaller holes are needed to separate the different parts of the trichome from the rest of the plant.

“So, when you’re looking at something like 120u [up close], you’re going to see things that are intact. Basically, a stalk and glandular head right up on top. Then, when you see a 90u or a 73u, you’re mainly going to see heads. Heads that have been knocked off the stalks. You can even see them both individually in the 73 and 90u. That generally is what melts really well. Followed down by 45u and 25u.”

The trichome head has proven to be the most prized component of the plant. The fact that they mostly end up in the 90 and 73u bags as Kerry describes is why jars of pure 90 or 73u hash rosin have become more expensive and desired than full spectrum hash by some.

To get a better idea of what goes into the rosin I’ve been smoking, I asked the four hashmakers what sizes they include in their final product and why.

What is Full Spectrum Hash Rosin?

When asked if they leave the 25u or anything else out of their full spectrum rosin, Kerry replied, “We do not. Our motto or our philosophy and principle is to be full spectrum from the beginning to the end of the process.”

According to Kerry, the 90u and 73u are the “meat and potatoes of your dinner plate” and make up the majority of the weight of the yield. In fact, he claimed 90u alone “makes up 70 percent of your wash.”

He warned consumers that if they see a product that’s labeled 90u and you see that same strain from the same company in full spectrum form as well, there’s a chance the 90 or 73u were left out of that full spectrum. That means you’re only getting about 30 percent of the actual hash spectrum despite the full spectrum label.

When asked if he prefers to smoke 90u over full spectrum Kerry said he personally feels 90u lacks certain flavors and the “entourage effect” from missing cannabinoids that would have been in the full spectrum.  

“We have one product. That product is all full spectrum. From there we manipulate the consistency,” he said.

The other three hashmakers I spoke to leave what they perceive as the less desirable ends of the hash spectrum like 25 and the much higher microns out of the final product.

Which Microns Make the Cut?

In response to what goes into their full spectrum, Anthony from the Organic Mechanic responded, “45-159u is what I use for my full spectrum.”

He added that he leaves out the 25 and the 159 because “in my personal opinion, it’s all the broken stalks and little pieces of heads that fall through.”

Anthony also added that you would have to wash an extremely large quantity for the 25u to amount to anything worthwhile.

Tyler of Wojo Wax agreed by saying, “like Anthony said, I catch 40 to 159. I’ve done 25 before and never went above 159u. My reasoning for it is it just makes the color a little bit darker and a lot of people base it [the quality] on color. I didn’t notice much of a difference as far as effect. Yields are obviously a little bit better if you are throwing in those bags, but I’ll sacrifice that yield for the lighter color.”

Covert also found that, in his experience, the 45 to 159u range for his full spectrum rosin was the best for maintaining the flavor of the original plant. The remaining hash that get left out of smokable product is still used in capsules or edibles.

I asked Kerry why he felt less inclined to leave out the 25u and he admitted, “the 70u is going to be white, the 25u or the 159 and above is definitely going to be on the greener, darker, less smelly side.”

But he added that he believes the ends have beneficial properties and those parts make up a much smaller portion of the weight of the wash.

Furthermore, when you make rosin, “you’re taking all the hash and you’re putting it through an entire filtration process again and you can look at that bag and you can see what’s leftover.”

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

Hashmakers are tasked with selecting strains of flower that will provide a sustainable yield and desirable characteristics after being washed and pressed into rosin.

When asked what his favorite strain to wash was, Kerry of Superior Flowers responded, “I would say Purple Pebbles as well as TKP currently. The TKP was very deceptive when I was running through the pheno hunt. The plant to the naked eyes doesn’t look covered in frost like the Cookies strain.”

Despite the lack of visible frost on the plant, he assured us the yields from washing the TKP were surprisingly high.

And vice versa, he added, “if you’re familiar with the MAC, looking at it you would think ‘wow, that thing is covered [in frost], if it gets washed it’s going to do phenomenal,’ but sometimes that’s not the case and you never want to judge a book by its cover.”

Tyler’s current favorite plant to wash is Sundae Driver because it “checks every single box from nose to taste to yield.”

He described it as a delicious dessert dab with fruity flavors that speak to the Grape Pie half of its lineage.

The Organic Mechanic had similar woes with MAC and Tyler from Wojo Wax agreed that he’s washed material that was frosty in appearance but only yielded .3% — and when you’re getting that little in return, it becomes impossible for hashmakers to keep their lights on. To put that .3% into perspective, yields for hash-friendly strains like GMO can be as high as 8%.

Anthony from the Organic Mechanic said his favorite strain to wash is GG#4 because it has been consistent in every category including yield, potency and smell.

“The color on it is beautiful, the taste, the yield, the terp on it is just loud. Everybody that has got a hold of it likes it. Also, Cherry Punch from Greener Thumb’s outdoor grow is another one of my favorites because of the terps.”

Mark, the lead extractor for Covert Extracts says his current favorite is the mountain cut of Tropicanna Cookies bred by Harry Palms and grown by Ghostbudsters Farm because of the prominent terpene profile. He gave GMO an honorable mention as well because “it dumps, it’s stinky and it checks every box for me. It’s my go-to.”

Mason Jar Test Wash

Tyler admits he made the mistake of judging how well a strain would wash based of the quality of its appearance. After putting in tons of work processing an extremely large bulk of flower for a friend that ended up looking far better than it yielded, he learned his lesson the hard way.

Since it is impossible to rely on looks alone to tell how well a strain will wash after the harvest, Tyler recommends paying attention to genetics and performing a small mason jar test before washing an entire grow and being surprised it didn’t yield enough to break even.

Tyler said that when sourcing starting material, solventless extractors “have to truly look for what strains are going to wash well. You gotta look at the parents and then as you’re growing them too, you can tell by the size of the head if you’re scoping it. A new thing that we started doing is doing a test wash. You can put a small amount of flower in a mason jar with water and ice then start swishing it around to see if those heads fall off because it can be the frostiest plant ever like the MAC and not dump at all. It’s got to want to let that head go because we’re not after the stalk.”

With the mason jar test wash method, Tyler says only about a half ounce of flower is needed rather than using a whole plant or more when it might not yield much.

Live Rosin vs. Cured

Most modern hashmakers exclusively work with “live” or freshly frozen starting material. This is best illustrated by the fact that only one of the four hashmakers I interviewed for this article currently processes dry or cured flower.

I asked Anthony from Organic Mechanic if he preferred using fresh frozen starting material over cured and he replied, “I would do either one if the product was taken care of.”

However, he finds flavor can be lost during the curing process.

On the other hand, the other three hashmakers exclusively work with live products for a number of reasons.

Kerry said in his experience at Superior Solventless, he observed differences in the yield, color, potency and consumer demand.

Tyler used both live and cured products before the Wojo Wax team deciding to only use freshly frozen flowers. Tyler says that in his experience, the yield was higher with cured material. Despite this, he exclusively runs live material because of the enhanced flavor and the fact that it melts better in his experience.

Mark prefers live because it “tastes better, the color is obviously better” and that’s been enough to keep him exclusively working with freshly frozen flowers.

Single Source vs. Outsourcing Flower for Hash Rosin

I asked a few of the hashmakers if they noticed any differences when extracting flower they grew themselves versus outsourcing plant material.

“This is probably my favorite question so far because this to me is where you really get your difference [in hash quality]. We do everything single source,” said Tyler of Wojo Wax.

He says the reason for this is, “growing for hash is different than growing for flower.”

Growing for Hash

“For starters, I’m not defoliating as much as I am for hash because I’m trying to get as much surface area as much as I can. On top of that, I crank my room down as cold I can possibly get it for the last three weeks because that preserves the terpenes which is what we’re ultimately after. Another reason is because I’ve taken [other] people’s materials and it doesn’t always yield well. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news to somebody that they’re getting .3% back on a wash.”

When asked if he also noticed a difference when washing the same strain from his own grow compared to somebody else’s, Kerry of Superior Solventless admits the experiences were not the same.

“For example, we washed Wedding Cake that we grew and got 5%. We washed someone else’s and got 3%.”

Mechanical Separation vs. Jar Tech

There are two additional ways for hashmakers to further process hash after it has been turned into rosin. Using these techniques, they can turn the consistency of their rosin into something closer to a live resin sauce.

Rosin Jam

One is called “jar tech” which just about anyone should be able to do at home with a jar of fresh-pressed rosin, a source of heat, time and practice. The consistency it creates has been called jam or “caviar” by Superior Solventless and it contains small crystals with a more liquidy high-terpene layer. The layers combine to create an applesauce-like consistency that is less likely to change at room temperature than fresh-pressed rosin.

Unlike the washing and pressing phases, the hashmakers I spoke to claim little to no weight is lost after a jar of hash rosin undergoes the “jar tech.”

On the other hand, the other technique which involves mechanically separating THCA out of the oil comes with a more significant yield loss.

If you come across a jar of solventless rosin with large THCA crystals and oil in it, they were most likely mechanically separated with a press and filters. Then, the crystals are melted down and manipulated into a shape of choice. Usually, they are made to mimic the appearance of popular live resin extracts made with hydrocarbon solvents.

Mechanical Separation

According to Mark of Covert Extracts to make mechanically separated THCA, “you need wax rosin in order to make mechanically separated THCA.”

From there, he says, “to separate the THCA from terpenes I usually press the rosin wax in a 25u press bag at about 135 degrees to start. With a very low pressure at first before building to almost max pressure. Then, I repeat at different temps until I feel enough terpenes are separated. From there you can take the THCA and melt it down into a glass-like consistency at around 240 to 250 degrees.”

Comparing it to the jam tech or fresh press, Mark said it is a “long process and you have about a 25% loss in yield but potency and appearance of the final product sets it apart.”

The process appears to further isolate THCA in hash rosin with Mark claiming to have “had some testing out at 92% THCA.”

There was a point in time when most hash looked the same. It was a dark brown or green in color, grainy and stretchy. That same hash commonly came in a brick, ball, or bullet that may have traveled inside someone’s ass before getting to you.

Fortunately, today’s hash is far more refined and versatile. Made in the under the right condition, it looks lighter in color and can take on the form of dry sift, ice wax, rosin, live rosin, jam, or mechanically separated hash rosin. Not to mention the various consistencies that rosin can be shape-shifted into, like cake batter, sugar, or applesauce.

The post Hash Rosin 101: Lessons from Experienced Solventless Extractors appeared first on High Times.

Before you get rolling you’ll want to pick a pack of the best rolling papers for you. That can mean unbleached or made of hemp to keep things purely cannabis. Thin papers make it easier to taste your weed but they’re a little harder to roll.

Step 1: Break It Down

The first step to learning how to roll a joint is breaking it down. Get your weed into a consistency that can be easily smoked. Sure, you can just poke a hole in a sticky nug and smoke it whole without a pipe or papers. However, you’ll be stressing your lungs just to get enough smoke to get high.

Pipes, papers and grinders were made for a reason. They make smoking weed easier and more effective. Just break it down into an even consistency before you try to roll it up.

A grinder provides a consistent structure and smoke. You can break down by hand when you’re in a pinch. When you break down by hand the joint tends to come out lumpier with a higher chance of canoeing.

Step 2: Prepare The Filter (optional)

Rip a piece of filter paper and fold one end into a W for weed. Then, roll the remaining filter paper tightly around the W. You can get creative and make it whatever shape you want, as long as there are no wide gaps in it.

The filter acts as a guard preventing any loose weed from flying into your mouth. It also makes it easier to smoke the joint to the end without having resin close the mouthpiece or burning your fingers.

However, filters also add a stronger paper taste which becomes more prevalent as the lit end gets closer to the filter. You can decide whether or not you want a filter in your joint depending on your preferences.

Step 3: Put It On Paper

The best way to make something official is by putting it on paper. This is especially true when it comes to joints. Without the paper, there is no joint. Before you add the weed you can pick a side for your filter if you plan on adding one.

There are two styles of joint that you commonly see rolled: the pinner and the bat. You must pick one before putting your weed in.

Pinners are straight cigarette-looking joints. Bats are in the shape of a cone with one end much larger than the other. The benefit of a pinner is everyone gets a pretty even sized hit during the puff, puff pass rotation. It’s also a bit stealthier than a bat.

Bats are great for solo smokes. The first few puffs are all weed and hardly any paper so you can really taste the flower you’re using. The end also has less weed in it so you won’t feel as guilty if you toss the roach.

Once you decide what style you want to go with,  sprinkle the weed into your joint like you’re salt bae. If you’re going with a pinner try to drop an even amount throughout.

With a bat, you’ll want less at the filter end while gradually increasing the amount as you move away from the filter. Once you have enough in the joint to serve you or whoever you plan on sharing with, you can start to shape your joint.

Shaping your joint is as simple as using your thumbs and forefingers to roll the non-sticky side up and down until your weed takes the shape of a cylinder. Once you’ve got the weed shaped, it’ll be easier to roll a tight joint with no gaps in it.

Step 4: Tuck

This step is usually what throws people off. Before you become a dependable joint roller you’ll need to master the art of the tuck. For a man with no tucks has no place rolling up.

The trick is to start at the end with the filter in it and tuck the paper around that then move your thumb to the other side while tucking the rest.

Step 5: Roll & Lick

Once you’re confident in your tuck, roll it until you’re close to the glue-end. Add a little bit of moisture and pat it down on one side. Slowly work your way across the rest of the joint until it is all sealed up.

You’ve made it through the hard part, you could smoke it as is if you want but there are a couple of additional steps to learning how to roll a joint. First, make sure it’s tightly rolled. You can use something small to push the weed in from the end you’re lighting.

Using a pen end, shoelace tip, hoodie string tip or anything small and blunt enough to push the weed closer together to fill in any gaps in the roll.

Don’t pack down too much or there won’t be much airflow. Then, you’ll have to watch your joint burn instead of actually smoking it.

Even taking huge pulls from a joint with no airflow will barely give you any smoke.

Step 6: Twist & Get Lit

The final step depends on when you’re smoking the joint. If you’re taking it to go or saving it for later, you’ll definitely want to twist the end shut.

If you packed it down, the end opposite of the filter should be all paper and no weed. You can add a tiny bit of moisture to it and twist the paper end shut.

If you can spark up right where you rolled it then go ahead. There’s no need to twist, you can go ahead and get lit.

Final Hit: How To Roll A Joint

If you followed all of these steps you should know how to roll a joint. Smoke your creation from start to finish to see how well you did. If it canoes, you may need to roll tighter with fewer gaps.

Keep practicing and you can get creative by rolling unique shaped joints.

Your new talent will ensure you can still smoke your weed when there’s no pipe around. If you tried to learn how to roll a joint and it didn’t work out, you can always buy a pack of pre-rolled cones or watch our how-to video below.

The post How To Roll A Joint: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on High Times.

Wrong.

In fact, it’s never been easy to find anything relating to cannabis on the floors of the Javits Center during Comic Con. You might assume the reason is to maintain a more family-friendly environment, but I’ve seen porn stars at booths signing far from fully-clothed posters of themselves on the main floor of the event. Not to mention the nudity, violence, cursing, and other substance use that goes uncensored in many of the adult graphic novels and comic books displayed at the convention. 

Despite the obvious lack of censorship at New York Comic Con, talking to certain illustrators and writers about cannabis still felt like a taboo. Even though we live during a time when more than half of the fifty states have legalized marijuana in some form and New Yorkers can now carry several ounces of weed without catching a criminal charge, cannabis content was still about as hard to find as the first issue of any classic comic at Comic Con. 

Cannabis and Comics

Every once in a while, a pot-loving celebrity comes out with an overtly weed-themed comic book like Kevin Smith’s Bluntman & Chronic which was specifically made to coincide with the Jay and Silent Strike Back! movie or Ziggy Marley’s Marijuanaman. While they’re entertaining to a heavy consumer, their overt nature isn’t exactly normalizing the use of cannabis. To be honest, I can’t see anyone that doesn’t consider their cannabis use a personality trait purchasing an issue. And unfortunately, that doesn’t do enough to break the stigma surrounding weed.

Weed-themed comics are fun and I hope they continue to exist for people with a passion for the plant but I also yearn for more characters smoking a joint or rolling up in a comic panel without it being a huge deal. In my experience at Comic Con over the years, the only time cannabis is ever featured or mentioned in a comic is when it is the main subject of the story. Additionally, the cover is almost always decorated with pot leaves or some other in-your-face weed symbol. In fact, cannabis almost never has a subtle presence like it would be if a character was smoking a cigarette or having a drink at a bar. 

For decades, authors have used comics to address social justice issues like inequality—and over time, people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community are finding themselves represented more in the world of comics. However, one social justice issue that has been completely left out of the discussion for a long time is the prohibition of cannabis. 

At Comic Con this year, I got the chance to speak with a few writers and illustrators to see why weed is nearly nonexistent in these fantasy worlds that often reflect ours to hopefully inspire a change.

Cannabis at New York Comic Con

The closest thing I found to covert cannabis use was in the early panels of a comic I found displayed at Joseph Schmalke’s booth. In it, a father that was just woken up by his son on Christmas morning can be seen taking a toke out of his bowl before hopping out of bed to enjoy the holiday with his son.

We caught up with Schamelke, the writer and artist behind comics like The Infernal Pact, which in his own words, features “more hardcore drug use’ than pot smoking to gauge his thoughts on the absence of cannabis in comics.

HT: What examples of drug use are there in your work?

JM: This book [The Infernal Pact] is about methheads. Three methheads get hunted down by devil worshipping bikers. And in this one [Cherry Black Bird], she snorts coke and drinks ridiculous amounts of alcohol. It’s a Rockstar story. 

In The Electric Black, we have characters that come and go who dabble in drugs like amphetamines.

HT: Have you ever seen cannabis in the comics you read?

JM: Yeah. Just an indy group in Massachusetts that puts out something called The Toking Dead.

HT: Why is cannabis so hard to find in comics, is it the publishers?

JM: I don’t believe so.

HT: So, why do authors not feature cannabis in more comics?

JM: For me, it comes down to this… Now that it’s legal, maybe I’ll draw something like that. 

Judging by a response like this from a comic creator that feels they can showcases meth, cocaine and amphetamine use in their work without considering the laws prohibiting them, I assume the stigma surrounding cannabis is still playing a role in its absence in the world of comics.

Weed Magic

One author who was far from shy on the pot topic was Brian Phillipson, the co-founder and president of Bliss on Tap publishing. I wasn’t surprised as his booth was one of the only places where I could find cannabis in comics at this and last year’s New York Comic Con. They publish Weed Magic, a comic book series which had its first issue released during the week of 4/20/17. 

There have been two follow up issues since, both released on the weeks of 4/20 in the following years with every copy costing $4.20. And odes to the stoner holiday don’t end there. If you took a hit every time you saw those numbers in the first issue, you might find yourself in a kush coma before reaching the last panel. 

Laced with humor from the first page to the last panel, Weed Magic features the tale of two friends that fail to get weed on 4/20 before the dispensaries in LA sold out. So, they decide to cop buds from a man in an alley while desperate to score some smoke for the holiday. He claimed it was magic but they didn’t take it seriously. It wasn’t until they smoked half of their supply and gained superpowers that they realized they were the caretakers of the last of this magical weed. 

HT: Do you read many comics and graphic novels?

BP: Yes.

HT: Have you seen any other comics featuring pot?

BP: Not so much in comics that I’ve read. The stories aren’t matching how many people smoke weed.

HT: Did you have any concerns before releasing Weed Magic?

BP: Yes. Weed Magic was one of my earlier ideas. First off, it was mid-2000’s so I thought, “can you get away with it? Will a distributor put it in stores? Can I sell it for $4.20?”

And there were the nagging thoughts of “someone is going to do this, someone is going to do this,” and every year no one did it. But so many comic writers are stoners and so many stoners read comics. That’s when I thought, someone has got to do it and it’s going to be me. 

So, I finally ask the distributor “are we allowed to put this out?” and they started cracking up which was the first good sign. So I followed up with “well you’re not going to let me sell them for $4.20, right? And they responded “THAT’S GENIUS!”

So I’m like, “how come no one is doing this?!”

HT: I guess you found the right distributor.

BP: Not even, it was Diamond, the same distributor of Marvel and DC comics. 

HT: So there’s no conspiracy? Then why aren’t more people including cannabis in their comics? Are they just not passionate about it?

BP: I feel like people are self-censoring themselves… Or they’re scared. Or they don’t want to be outed as a consumer or advocate. 

HT: But they’re not afraid to portray nudity, violence, cursing and other R rated content in their comics.

BP: That’s funny, I’ve actually been asked if I was worried about kids coming across it [Weed Magic] and I responded that they probably shouldn’t be reading it but they can also find a hot girl in a G string at the next booth that nobody is worried about. 

HT: Is there something that sets Weed Magic apart from other attempts at a comic series that may have featured cannabis in some way?

BP: Well, to start, it’s meant to be read in a certain state of mind. We are also raising the bar higher, no pun intended. Alex Cormack brings higher quality illustrations to our pages than you’d expect from a stoner comic. And my co-writer Jordan Lichtman is a General Counsel who has always been up front about his cannabis use and never afraid to advocate for the cause. So far, it’s been well-received and now we’re even sponsored by our local dispensary in Los Angeles.

Bob Burden’s Jackpot

On my quest for cannabis at Comic Con, I was introduced to Bob Burden, the inventor of a satirical comic book hero from the 1980s with an eerie resemblance to a lit joint called The Flaming Carrot which also featured the first LGBTQ character in mainstream comics. I was excited to be introduced to his latest cannabis-themed hero and creation: “JackPot.” 

The character was invented days before it was introduced at Dragon Con and Bob shared the synopsis with me: 

A group of teens stumble upon an alien crash site on a weed farm. They try to run off with a bunch of the pot but an alien ship appears and takes everything except for one vial. It was left in the possession of a struggling single teenage mother working as a cam girl in the hood. She brings it back to the condemned building that she, her 1-year old daughter, 12 year old sister and crazy grandmother live in before discovering that interacting with the sentient plant turned her into a human-plant hybrid with superpowers.

After having a costume sent to her by one of her cam customers, she decided to go the route of super villain but doesn’t get far before government agents catch on and confront her in her home. Instead of arresting her, they give her the opportunity to use her powers for good. They tell her the government is interested in monetizing the industry and they need a positive role model. 

However, she finds out other people that have interacted with this alien species of cannabis have lost their lives.

As  much as I’d love to pick up issue number one, as of now, JackPot is only a character created by Bob Burden.

Nugglife

For nearly a decade, Nugglife has been the one booth at New York Comic Con that has always showcased and embraced cannabis culture. They started with collectible weed-themed figurines before expanding into apparel as well. 

The founders, Zack Hirsch and Ian Ziobrowski, attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City at the same time. They met between classes when one of them had weed but no wrap and the other had a wrap but no weed. That’s when their friendship, and the blunt they rolled, was sparked.

The idea of a company came to be after Ian who was doing fine arts and struggling to break into the art world entered a competition to handcraft a birdhouse. Artists were given complete creative freedom so long as the theme was maintained. So, he decided to make a miniature grow room and called Zack to tell him about the project. Amazed by how dope the concept sounded, Zack told him to put it aside for him because he was buying it no matter what the cost. After putting eyes on it, he bought it and still has it in a custom acrylic case that he built for it at his house.

That moment of support was where the seed for Nugglife was originally planted.

Much like their first encounter in college, the two came together to create something special. And to this day at Nugglife, Ian hand constructs and paints custom collectible, cannabis-themed figurines while Zack has used his experience as a creative director to build out the brand and their apparel line. 

HT: How long have you guys had a booth at Comic Con?

NL: About 8 or 9 years.

HT: Have you experienced the stigma against cannabis during that time?

NL: When we first started doing this, kids would come up to the booth to look at the toys and then their parents would come over, see it and scowl at us before dragging their kid away. We faced that for a few years. 

Now, the number one people that walk up to the booth are older parents and they’re showing it to their children!

HT: Most of your figurines feature weed and its leaves, how come there aren’t any leafs or overt cannabis symbols on any of your clothes?

NL: We wanted to do something more creative. I told Ian, “we’re going to build this without ever showing a single pot leaf. It’s too expected.”

HT: You expanded from figurines to clothes successfully. What can we expect from Nugglife in the future?

NL: We’re working with Riot Seeds to create a Nugglife strain.

TDOG the Artist

Todd Pearl is a renowned Detroit and LA artist who started the TDOG brand to design art for breeders, growers, influencers and anybody in the cannabis industry in need of dope designs. His artwork can be found on rolling trays, papers, grinders, dab mats, lighters and all kinds of merchandise. TDOG’s designs are one of the only places I see comic-like illustrations and cannabis collide.

I got the chance to ask him his thoughts on the presence of cannabis in comics. 

HT: How long have you been including cannabis in your illustrations?

TDOG: Since I first experienced effects of Mother Earth’s finest herb. Around 15-16 years old, I started drawing the ‘leaf’ and incorporating cannabis into my cartoon drawings of the day. So… the answer is, a very long time… since the mid 70s. I can send you a still of an early image. 

HT: Are you into comics and have seen cannabis culture and comics collide?

TDOG: Does the Pope wear a funny hat? Aw hell yes, I appreciate the comic world. As a yout, I read them a lot more, as a busy mad artist and entrepreneur… it’s difficult to find the time… nonetheless, since the Fabulous Freak Brothers in my teenage years, to Tank Girl in my younger adult years, cannabis has been in the mix, but still on the fringe. With normalization and legalization, I see tremendous opportunity to include cannabis and its culture in the mix of the storyline of comics. And besides… the sublime chill nation has its place in our culture to flourish and expand.

HT: A lot of your illustrations are weed-centric. Has the stigma of laws surrounding cannabis impacted your work as an artist?

TDOG: Adding to comment already given, I’m concerned with censorship of art with the emerging legal medicine/product. Many regulations are being enacted to prohibit “comic” art on cannabis products. I can understand that regulation for candy and dessert-like edibles, so that children aren’t enticed to ingest. However, to have that censorship cross over into the area of ‘adult’ products that are smoked for consumption, shouldn’t have that regulation. Look at all the Craft beer and wine companies with their irreverent and 

Fun art. My mission is to make people smile with my art. And what better place to do it, but in the chill nation of conscious functional cannabis consumers. Aw hell yea.

Craig Johnson

One other writer and illustrator that didn’t get shy when I brought up the topic of cannabis was Craig Johnson, who is working on the follow up to the well-received start of his The Legend of Pinky series, which takes place in the 1920’s world of Harlem Jazz. When I asked where the cannabis was at the event, he told me I could find it in the new comic he was there to promote.  In the upcoming self-published volume two of The Legend of Pinky, Johnson says one of his main characters experiences a “reefer dream.” 

When asked he or his peers consumed cannabis he replied, “yeah, a lot of us do.” 

But he also acknowledged that aside from the obvious examples like Bluntman & Chronic, the Ex-Machina series was one of the only places he saw cannabis use portrayed in the comic world.

The Absence of Cannabis in Comics

After speaking to a number of authors, the absence of cannabis in comics appears to be more of a self-imposed censorship. A few writers claimed their reason for not including cannabis was because it was not a large part of their life. Other authors were trying to tailor their content to younger audiences.

I was surprised that there wasn’t any cannabis-themed merch or really any hint of cannabis at the Southpark booth. Despite Tegridy Farms and cannabis playing a large role in the latest season, the only cannabis-related thing I saw at their Comic Con booth was a red-eyed Towlie T-shirt that you probably could have found anywhere selling Southpark merch even a decade ago. 

Based on my experience at Comic Con, we’ve still got a ways to go before cannabis use in comics starts to reflect the number of people actually using it but things are definitely making a turn for the better. In fact, during one of the live panels at NYCC, the popular DC comic illustrator behind Batman, Greg Capullo, was overheard saying “… we advocate for marijuana, in case anyone was wondering.”

It seems like the cannabis conversation is just getting started in mainstream comic series.

Marijuana Legalization is Happening in the Marvel Universe

In fact, the latest issue of Daredevil (2019) comics that came out this month introduces the legalization of marijuana and the issues surrounding it to the Marvel universe for the first time. There’s even a second “The Amazing Mary Jane Variant” cover that you can find for issue #12 of Daredevil (2019). 

I ran into Marco Chechetto, the artist behind both covers at NYCC, but unfortunately, English was not his native language. So, I couldn’t gauge his thoughts on this historic comic book issue, but I did make sure to get him to sign a copy for me.

Without spoiling too much, issue #12 features Wilson Fisk AKA Kingpin, who has become the mayor of New York City. He’s pushing for the legalization of marijuana but not because he thinks we should be free to consume cannabis without government interference but because he plans to control the licensing department’s rules for selling approval so that they fall in his favor. Much like legal cannabis in the real world, mom and pop businesses are facing similar threats of monopolization from large corporations with more resources, influence and power.

With Marvel’s embrace of the reality of marijuana legalization, I expect to see cannabis appear in more mainstream comics at the next New York Comic Con.

The post Seeking Cannabis Content at New York Comic Con appeared first on High Times.

Do-Si-Dos

Do-Si-Dos is another child of the original Cookies strain. It’s a cross of Girl Scout Cookies and Face Off OG. The strain has picked up in popularity since the Archive Seed Bank bred it in 2016. Do-Si-Dos is an indica-dominant hybrid that tastes like its parent Cookies strain with hints of pine and citrus from the Face Off OG lineage.

Cherry Punch

Bred by Symbiotic Genetics before making the rounds into other popular cultivars, Cherry Punch is a cross of Cherry AK-47 and Purple Punch F2. It’s great for an uplifting and fruit-flavored smoke.

Garlic Cookies a.k.a. GMO

Despite having “Cookies” in its name, Garlic Cookies, or GMO, is one of the only strains on this list without a sweet aroma. This strain reeks of garlic and gas. Its presence here is proof that the once-popular loud, gassy strains have not been entirely left in the past. SkunkMasterFlex of Skunkhouse Genetics created the strain with a seed, labeled “Chem D x GSC,” bred by Mamiko Seeds. According to SkunkMasterFlex, the name “GMO” came after the revelation that GMOs were used in the cookies from the Girl Scouts of America. It also hints at how the strain grows as if it were genetically modified.

Apple Fritter

Apple Fritter is a cross between Sour Apple (Sour Diesel x Cinderella 99) and Animal Cookies (GSC x Fire OG) bred by Lumpy Seeds. While it made our list of the Strongest Strains of 2016 and scored high in flavor and aroma with our judges at the 2016 Northern California Cannabis Cup, searches for this strain only began to peak late last year. THC percentages on Apple Fritter reach well over 20 percent, and the strain features a prominent and enjoyable flavor profile.

Biscotti

Biscotti is a cross of Gelato #25 and South Florida OG (a.k.a. Triangle Kush). This strain is one of the many original varieties brought to us by Cookie Family Genetics. Like most strains from the Cookie Fam, Biscotti is an indica-dominant strain. This tasty variety is named after the Italian almond biscuits with the same appellation.

Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit is a mix of two classic fruit-flavored strains: Tangie, by DNA Genetics, and Cherry Pie, by the Cookie Fam. The smell of musky oranges dominates the aroma of Forbidden Fruit with hints of sweet cherry in the mix. Forbidden Fruit can also be quite visually pleasing. Many batches display more purple coloring than green and contain plenty of frost.

Miracle Alien Cookies (MAC)

Miracle Alien Cookies is the result of several years of breeding from the popular breeder Capulator. He crossed Alien Cookies F2 #7 and Miracle 15. Alien Cookies F2 was bred by JAWS Genetics, and Miracle 15 is a cross between Colombian seeds and the Starfighter strain bred by Alien Genetics. Despite being around for years, searches for the strain are still trending, and people are waiting in line for hours at cannabis events to purchase the latest MAC crosses directly from Capulator.

Ice Cream Cake

Ice Cream Cake is one of the latest dessert-themed strains to gain hype status. There are multiple strains going by this name, but the one generating the most buzz is the Wedding Cake x Gelato #33 cross bred by Seed Junky Genetics. The strain grows a frosty coat of trichomes and has a creamy vanilla aroma and flavor when smoked.

London Pound Cake

London Pound Cake is one of the latest hits from Cookie Family Genetics’ roster of original pastry-themed strains. It is said to be a cross between Nip OG and Cookie Fam’s Sunset Sherbet. The early success of London Pound Cake has already led breeders to cross it with other popular Cookies strains. In fact, a new cross between London Pound Cake and Gelato named Candy Rain is already trending in its own right.

Slurricane

Slurricane is a cross between Do-Si-Dos and Purple Punch bred by In House Genetics. A berry aroma dominates from the Purple Punch lineage with notes of something earthier from the Do-Si-Dos parent. The strain is popular thanks to its high THC levels and fruity flavor.

Mimosa

Mimosa is a sativa-dominant hybrid with one of the tangiest orange flavors you can find in a cannabis plant. The citrus strain would complement brunch better than any alcoholic beverage. Since last year, the child of Clementine and Purple Punch bred by Symbiotic Genetics has been exploding in popularity with famed cultivators like the Jungle Boys bringing it into full production.

Purple Punch

Purple Punch is a delicious cross of Grand-daddy Purple and Larry OG bred by Supernova Gardens. It’s considered by some to be the new Blue Dream. This is in reference to the hype Blue Dream has generated since it rose to prominence nearly half a decade ago. Since 2014, Blue Dream has been one of the best-selling strains in most states with legal marijuana, according to BDS Analytics.

Runtz

Runtz is at the top of all recent strain searches. It’s a cross between Zkittlez and Gelato—two strains that have been trending over the last year or so. Runtz was made popular by rapper and co-owner of the Runtz cannabis brand Yung LB. The strain got its name from the colorful buds and sweet candy-like flavor users have reported. There is a White Runtz phenotype that has also been highly searched for.

Melonade

Melonade has been skyrocketing in popularity since Alien Labs used it to take home the trophy for first place sativa at the last Central Valley Cannabis Cup. The strain was originally bred by Midwest Best before Alien Labs germinated dozens of the Watermelon Zkittlez x Lemon Tree #11 seeds to find a watermelon-dominant phenotype.

Sundae Driver

Sundae Driver is a hit strain bred by Cannarado Genetics, produced by crossing Fruity Pebbles and Grape Pie. The Jungle Boys were one of the first to bring the strain into full production. They settled on Sundae Driver #12 after popping and testing 500 different phenotypes of the strain.

Watermelon Zkittlez

Watermelon Zkittlez is one of several new crosses of the popular Zkittlez strain. The Watermelon variety is a refreshing twist on the already fruit-flavored Zkittlez. The Watermelon cross was bred by Dying Breed Seeds.

Gushers

Gushers was bred by Kush4Breakfast using the Gelato #41 strain, from Cookie Family Genetics, and Triangle Kush, which was bred in Florida. This fruity, flavorful strain packs a surprising punch.

Wedding Cake

Wedding Cake (or Birthday Cake) is a cross of two popular Cookies strains: the original Cookies and Cherry Pie. The Cherry Pie adds sweet and creamy undertones to the earthy floral aroma from the original Cookies parent. The indica-dominant cross, bred by Seed Junky Genetics, won first place indica flower at the last High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. Now the strain is being crossed to make new flavors that are just as popular.

Smarties

Smarties is another candy-themed original bred by Kush4Breakfast. It was made by crossing Blue City Diesel into the original Cookies strain. Smarties is covered in a blanket of trichomes and, like the candy, it’s multicolored.

Zookies

Zookies was originally bred by Alien Labs and pheno-hunted by Cannaman 707/Golden State Cultivators. This is one of the rare strains with a Z in the name that contains zero Zkittlez in the lineage. The key to understanding the moniker lies in the “Zoo”—its parents are Gorilla Glue #4 and Animal Cookies.

The trending strains of today could be forgotten tomorrow. Fortunately, many classics return in the form of new crosses. In fact, one strain that had a strong influence on this list is the original Cookies (GSC). It plays a part in the lineage of about half of the top 20 trending strains of today. Years ago, gassy strains like OG Kush and Sour Diesel were the most sought after. Today’s cannabis consumers appear to prefer sweeter strains or crosses that blend gas and fruit.

This feature was published in the May, 2019 issue of High Times magazine. Subscribe right here.

The post 20 Trending Strains appeared first on High Times.

The city isn’t holding its breath until legalization gets passed to get the ball rolling. Unfortunately, there are still no places to purchase recreational marijuana. But more and more events groups aiming to change that fact are throwing events to celebrate cannabis use in New York City.

In fact, they happen more often than most people would assume because they aren’t open to the general public. Most happen in pop-up locations and invites only go out to trusted members in the cannabis community.

After attending a number of these cannabis-friendly events in New York City, I’ve compiled a list of my favorites.

Twenty Past Four

“Welcome to the fucking Bronx,” is a statement I’ve grown fond of hearing at the beginning of every Twenty Past Four dinner.

Their infused dinners, brunches, and barbecues have been helping New Yorkers elevate their minds and palates. These speakeasy dinners are different than most infused dinners I’ve attended for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, they do not decarboxylate their flowers prior to cooking. Chef Chris, the founder of Twenty Past Four, said the reason is to use the cannabis flowers for flavor like any other herb.

Another thing that sets Twenty Past Four apart from the rest is their all-star line up for chefs including Jose DeJesus AKA Trill Cooker who appeared on Season 18 of Hell’s Kitchen. Every other infused dinner I’ve attended featured dishes from a single star chef.

However, at a few of the Twenty Past Four’s “Smoke. Eat. Elevate” events I attended, every course was the creation of a different talented chef from the Bronx.

Instead of waiting to feel the effects of their cannabinoids, guests at Twenty Past Four’s “Smoke. Eat. Elevate” events are invited to dose themselves with a provided brand new bowl, lighter, hemp wick, and four unique strains of connoisseur quality cannabis to pair with each course. At the dinners I’ve attended, the flowers were courtesy of The Kolektor.

And each dish is prepared using the same strain you smoked before that course. As the dishes hit the table, the chef who prepared it speaks on the inspiration behind their plate. Then, The Kolektor gave guests a detailed description of the strain used, including its lineage, breeder, properties, and aromas.

At the first event I attended, we were given a few different strains including The Kolektor’s Rocky Road #1, Rocky Road #2, and some classic Piff. I loved having a smoke break with a food and cannabis description before each course.

Experiencing gourmet dining while being about as high as I could be is something I’ll always cherish about these dinners. The first time I recall my tastebuds going on a pleasant journey through various flavors and textures in a single dish was at a Twenty Past Four event.

To wrap up each dinner, Chef DeJesus brings out fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies he makes using a recipe his daughter came up with; he always give her credit.

Spleef

Spleef NYC‘s speakeasy events feel like “pinky-up” affairs with an emphasis on supporting creatives and the normalization of cannabis use. They’re sophisticated enough to prohibit guests from pulling up in pajamas but welcoming enough that you won’t need a suit or blazer to fit in. Their popup events seem to take place at various upscale Air BnB’s throughout New York City.

There’s always live entertainment—whether it’s stand-up comedy, music, or painting. The first one I attended was a “High Tea” party with live art, video games, music, and giveaways with plenty of networking opportunities in between. Every event they put on has a laid-back and fun environment for meeting like-minded people and potential collaborators.

Even though their events aren’t infused dinner parties, I always see infused goodies on fancy plates waiting to be consumed. The tasty infused appetizers like the truffles made by the Happy Chef NYC were a highlight of the night at the Tea Party; I could tell because when I went for seconds, they were almost all already gone. They also had labeled non-infused options for anyone looking to satisfy their munchies without adding to them.

One way Spleef stands out from other NYC events is their focus on the infused beverages. The various infused tea and mocktails I’ve had there should all be bottled and served around the city.

The most recent event I attended was essentially a high art exhibition. After checking my coat, I followed the sound of funky dance music in the distance. Before I made it all the way to the DJ, a wall of framed cannabis shots from various photographers stole my attention.

Once I finished marveling, the next stop was the bar for a “Jamaican Me Crazy” sangria. As I took my first sip, I pulled the glass away from me to give it another look and make sure it was real. That’s when one of Spleef’s founders welcomed me and let me know where the hotbox room for smoking and dabbing was.

After a couple of dabs, I listened in on The Kolektor educating guests on cannabis genetics and cultivation before reaching for one of the jars he brought for guests to smell. As I reached for the lid, I asked which strain it was and he replied “Candycane.” The sweet aroma started leaking out as soon as I twisted the lid off. A deep whiff into the jar made one of my teeth quiver in the same way it would if I just consumed something too sweet. It honestly smelled like a blue raspberry pixie stick.

Once I felt medicated enough to observe art with an open mind, I made my way to the various art exhibits set up throughout the Air BnB. Each room featured various types of artwork from a number of different artists. Whether you prefer sculptures, paintings, or live installations, there were examples of every art form for you to interpret, feel and connect with.

WeedFeed

WeedFeed is best known for creating high-quality video content including infused recipes and tutorials. When they’re not busy cooking and shooting episodes for High Times TV, they’re hosting cannabis-friendly events in New York City.

At their last “Jazz Cabbage Suppler Club” event, WeedFeed’s head chef and cooking-host, Jorden, took over the popular Taiwanese restaurant Win Son in Brooklyn and infused a few dishes on their menu.

My favorite course had to be the bao or Taiwanese-style sandwich course. Infused or not, I’d probably do a nose dab out of a sriracha-filled dab rig for another bite.

Guests could request non-infused or extra-infused dishes. I received the standard infusion and definitely felt it creep up on me before we got to the last dish.

After dessert, I asked how everyone was feeling. It was safe to say that we all left with our stomachs and cannabinoid receptors feeling fully satisfied.

NYC Cannabis Film Festival

The NYC Cannabis Film Festival by High NY showcases the creativity of a wide variety of artists working to use screens to bring awareness to the plant. This year, it was hosted at the House of Yes in Brooklyn. There were short films, documentaries, comedy skits and more.

Every item showcased was unique with one thing connecting them all: the presence of cannabis.

While the plant was a large focus in most of the films shown, a few used it more casually and sparingly. Either way, it was refreshing to see filmmakers shamelessly plugging my favorite plant.

I took advantage of the outdoor patio to smoke during intermission. I walked back in to free ice cream by My Mochi and all-you-can-eat popcorn before my munchies even had a chance to hit.

It could have been because I just smoked before the second round of films, but the skits by Syd and Mike, a comedy duo from New York, had me in stitches. Apparently, the audience agreed; they were awarded for being the crowd favorite. It’s hard to explain their hilarity without spoiling the skits, but you can find their webisodes on their High Times TV channel.

NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally

The NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally AKA “May Day” started as an annual “Smoke-In” before evolving into a march and then eventually a four-hour rally event with guest speakers and live music.

As a New York native, I am ashamed that I had never attended. That is, until it was brought to my attention this year. I made sure to stop by and I’ll be sure to do so every other year that I’m here because the fight for our right to cultivate and consume cannabis in the state is far from over.

However, on this momentous day, you could feel the change in the air. Joints were lit as far as the eye could see and there were plainclothes NYPD officers all around us. And to my surprise, nobody was being arrested. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

At the rally, speakers took the stage to put an emphasis on social justice and the need to right the wrong that has been done to many nonviolent cannabis consumers, especially black and brown consumers in New York. Noted advocate and veteran Leo Bridgewater encouraged the audience to engage in more activism than just smoking up at the event.

Another activist added that they had better see all of us on the bus to the state’s capital to use our voices and bodies to bring about the change we all want to see.

Sanna CBD Yoga

As someone that is always on the move and on the hunt for the terpiest extracts, I rarely find the opportunity to do yoga or use CBD products. After a busy month, I felt the need to stop by one of Sanna CBD Yoga events to see if I could help myself regain mental and physical homeostasis. They take place in various indoor venues and rooftops around New York City and New Jersey.

Being inexperienced, I was concerned with being able to keep up. Fortunately, Sanna’s instructors and founders Stephanie and Salam were there to walk me, a newbie, through all of the poses and breathing exercises within my first session. I may not have been as fluid or held a pose as firmly as the more experienced attendees, but I can say with confidence that I was able to complete every exercise thanks to the clear directions and assistance.

Steph led the class as her partner and fellow founder, Salam, walked around adjusting poses and offering drops from a bottle of CBD tincture to anyone that needed help entering a more relaxed state. Since I came straight from work, I accepted.

By the end of the class, I could already feel less shaky. The contrast from the anxiety I was holding onto when I arrived was apparent and my restless leg syndrome was curbed. It only took one class for me to realize how much my life would benefit from more CBD and yoga.

NSFW

The NSFW and Opulent Chef Dab Dinner party caught me by surprise. I was invited by Will, the owner of Topstone, who was providing the vaporizers to consume the extracts for the night.

After attending a number of cannabis-centric dinner parties and having an amazing experience every time, I may have stopped looking into the details before accepting an invite. To be honest, if I’m free, I’m there. So, after reading less than half of the e-vite and seeing the words dab plus dinner in the same sentence, I instantly accepted.

After getting the location sent to me on the day of, I spent the hours prior nearby with my significant other, who was my plus one for the dinner.

When we arrived, we rang a bell and waited at the door where we just saw a couple dressed in all black enter. The door was quickly opened and we were greeted before being brought down to the basement of the building. The hallways and rooms were dark, with a few dim colored lights that gave off a certain vibe.

On our way to the dining area, we passed a number of oddly decorated rooms. There was one that looked like a chapel and another that looked like a gynecologist’s office. Down the hallway, there was a giant dome covered in fur that was on a platform with wheels to be moved or spun. And next to it, there was a wall of wooden paddles.

As I poked my head into the rooms we were passing, I saw lube, condoms, and tissues on the coffee tables. By this point, I had seen enough to make my Christian mother faint.

That’s when I realized I brought my girlfriend to what appeared to be a sex dungeon with absolutely no warning. I turn to her and she’s looking back at me making the same realization. We stepped aside to discuss whether we should stay before laughing it off before deciding to embrace the unique experience.

After mingling with other attendees, we found out we were the only guests at the dinner that weren’t members of NSFW’s private “social club for the adventurous,” and it was evident in our attire. Had I read the entire e-vite, we wouldn’t have been surprised.

Everybody else was dressed in all black from head to toe. I happened to be wearing a black graphic T-shirt but my girlfriend was the only person wearing white. If you panned out from her at the dinner table surrounded by men and women uniformly dressed in black, you’d think she was the sacrificial virgin at a cult’s sex ritual.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case and the dinner wasn’t overtly sexy. I half expected to see sushi served off of naked bodies but nothing like that occurred. The dinner was just dinner.

Apparently, the raunchier stuff was reserved for the event’s afterparty that I didn’t attend. When asked what would go on there, they didn’t give too much detail. The response was usually “anything.”

One NSFW member told us she didn’t have sex at any of their events. Instead, she attended rope bondage seminars where she discovered that the feeling of being tied up brought her comfort.

Opulent Chef

Being at an underground kink dungeon and interacting with the members of a private and exclusive sex club wasn’t the only memorable part of the evening. Thinking back on Michael Magallanes AKA the Opulent Chef ‘s menu still forces me to involuntarily salivate. Part of his expertise comes from his training as a chef at two Michelin star restaurants.

Furthermore, he is a veteran in both the cannabis and culinary world, earning himself a spot in GreenState’s list of Top 10 Cannabis Chefs in America and a recent feature on 2 Chainz’s Most Expensivest show. Back in his home state of California, his time is spent infusing dishes for his clients based on their tolerance and diets.

Everybody at the Dab Dinner Party got high, but it wasn’t from the food. In fact, I don’t believe anything we ate was infused (if it was it must have been really infused because I completely forgot). However, Focus Concentrates was there with a variety of extracts with flavors from sweet and citrusy to straight-up gas to pair with each course.

The dinner felt like an art gallery where you could get as high as you wanted while appreciating the creative work of an artist. Fortunately for us dabbed-out and munchie-crazed guests, this artwork was edible.

One of the most memorable dishes from Chef Magallanes was a tender Japanese octopus tentacle sitting atop a warm, creamy potato puree with crispy kale chips and pickled daikon cubes. My tongue embarked on an adventure through various textures and flavors with every dish.

The courses were enhanced by Topstone Vaporizers that were pre-packed for us and passed around. Enough of them were handed out for each guest to use their own. In fact, a couple requested extras to drop double dabs between dishes. After each dab, the vaporizers were recollected, repacked with fresh coils for maximum flavor, and redistributed with the next plates.

The device was elegant and easy to use. There’s a touch-activated button that lights up blue as soon as it feels your finger and turns off immediately after you let go. It also magnetically snaps into a portable charging dock. The clear glass surrounding the heating chamber made it easy to see clouds forming and clearing as I sipped them out and chucked them away.

All in all, I had a great time enjoying two of my favorite things to do: eating and dabbing, while gaining perspective on a culture I’d never rubbed shoulders with.

Blackflag

Blackflag’s Weed Olympics event was the place to be in NYC on 4/20 this year. Hosted by the hilarious Ken Starz, there were eight teams of four tasked with completing multiple challenges. Teams selected their own names including: “High Rollers,” “Weed Da Best,” “RAW Dogs” and the all-female crew named the “Purple Pussy Punani Puffs.”

The various rounds forced competitors to roll their fanciest joint in a heated contest, guess the weight in a gumball vending machine full of weed, match unmarked jars of bud to their respective strain name, perform a smoke trick with a vape pen, play weed pong, and when the team members were about as high as they could get, they were given two pictures and asked to spot all of the differences.

During the event, there was a surprise performance by THMPSN, the man with a million Instagram followers best known for covering popular hip hop songs with a violin, typically accompanied by a twerking female(s).

The professional joint roller and king of smokeable art, Tony Greenhand, also rolled up an Olympic torch joint that was lit to commemorate the start of the Weed Olympics.

Twin Buds

Twin Buds is what The Bailey Twins go by when they aren’t modeling, acting and making appearances music videos for artists like A$AP Rocky and Lil Uzi Vert.

In their free time, they’re both active members in New York City’s cannabis community. They have been curating regular events with varying themes that always welcome a 420 crowd since the beginning of the year.

From the classed-up Great Gatsby themed event they hosted that included an infused dinner by The CannaTable, to the straight-up smoke-filled ragers they throw around the city—live entertainment, smoke, and munchies are almost always a part of the equation.

Their more recent events feature multi-level experiences at The BK Lodge with something unique taking place at each floor. You can find a DJ getting people moving on the dance floor, local MC’s riling up the crowd on another level, and people getting tattoos, mingling or lighting up on the other floors.

Private Dinners

A few chefs are offering up smaller private dinners in New York as well.

One such dinner I attended was the High and Healthy culinary experience with Chef Shawn Hamilton which consisted of five farm-to-table courses with an emphasis on healing with cannabis. His next event is an infused fish fry.

Chef Daniella Davis also brings her private infused dining experiences from LA to the NYC cannabis community. Her next event will have a number of fusion dishes meshing together flavors from the Carribbean, Asia, and South America.

Attending New York Cannabis Events

With the recent decriminalization of marijuana in New York, cannabis-friendly events are only going to get more popular. However, aside from a couple of events like the parade, most of these events are still not open public. You will probably need to know someone that has been to one to get an invite. However, when you’re there, you can feel that you’re taking part in an important part of American history.

The post The Best Cannabis Events in New York City appeared first on High Times.

Hay muchas maneras de consumir cannabis, pero algunas son más fáciles de usar que otras. Ya sea que sea un nuevo usuario de marihuana medicinal o un nuevo usuario recreativo, las tinturas son un excelente lugar para comenzar su viaje de cannabis. ¿Qué es una tintura sin el cannabis? Son cualquier medicamento hecho al disolver una droga en alcohol. Repasaremos todo lo que necesita saber sobre una tintura de cannabis, incluida la forma en que se fabrican, usan y almacenan.

¿Qué es una tintura?

Las tinturas están hechas con un alto porcentaje de alcohol y vienen en botellas de vidrio con goteros. Como resultado, la tintura de cannabis es uno de los mejores métodos de consumo para una dosificación precisa.

El alcohol se usa para extraer terpenos y cannabinoides como el THC del resto del material vegetal. El cannabis utilizado debe descarboxilarse para garantizar que todos los ingredientes estén activos. De lo contrario, los efectos de la medicina no serán tan fuertes como podrían ser.

Similar a los comestibles, las tinturas se consumen por vía oral. De hecho, las tinturas se pueden usar por vía sublingual, oral o para infundir casi cualquier plato que desee. Lo mejor de todo, las tinturas son de acción más rápida que su típico comestible. Por lo tanto, no tendrá que esperar dos o tres horas solo para descubrir que su medicamento no funcionó. Debe poder saber, poco después de una dosis de tintura, si necesitará más o no.

A pesar de su conveniencia, rara vez se habla de tinturas de cannabis. Antes de la prohibición, era la forma más común de cannabis medicinal en los Estados Unidos.

Hoy, la mayor atención se dirige a otros métodos de consumo de cannabis, como fumar y al mercado de concentrado de cannabis que está en constante crecimiento. Sin embargo, el interés en formas alternativas de consumo ha estado creciendo en los últimos años. Como resultado, puede encontrar tinturas de cannabis en casi cualquier dispensario de marihuana medicinal en el país.

Cómo hacer una tintura de cannabis

Para hacer una tintura de cannabis, querrás tener el mayor porcentaje de alcohol posible. No todas las tinturas son iguales. La potencia del producto final dependerá de la calidad y cantidad del cannabis que use.

Ingredientes y equipamiento:

Como mínimo, querrás los siguientes ingredientes y equipos para hacer una tintura de cannabis:

• Media onza de flores de cannabis.
• Alto contenido de alcohol por volumen de licor.
• Amoladora
• Estopilla
• tarro de albañil
• Botellas cuentagotas de vidrio
• Sartén a prueba de horno
• Papel de aluminio
• Vaso medidor de vidrio
• Guantes

Descarboxilación

Antes de comenzar, necesitará hierba o concentrados descarboxilados. Según una investigación de científicos en Holanda, la temperatura óptima para la descarboxilación es de 230 grados Fahrenheit durante 110 minutos.

Así que muele tu cannabis o rómpelo en trozos más pequeños y llena la sartén apta para horno con ellos. Cubra la sartén con papel de aluminio para que la hierba no se caliente lo suficiente como para quemar o vaporizar. Hornee en un horno que haya sido precalentado a 230 grados Fahrenheit durante 110 minutos.

Direcciones

Una vez que haya reunido los materiales necesarios, hacer una tintura de cannabis es fácil.

Paso 1: coloque su cannabis descarboxilado en el tarro de albañil y llénelo con el mayor porcentaje de alcohol como Everclear hasta que el cannabis esté completamente sumergido.

Paso 2: varias fuentes recomiendan congelar el frasco lleno de alcohol y cannabis durante varios días o dos semanas mientras lo sacas para agitarlo una vez al día. El frío ayuda a separar los componentes menos deseados de la planta de cannabis como la clorofila del producto final.

Paso 3: El siguiente paso es colar los materiales a través de una gasa en una taza medidora de vidrio. Una vez que el líquido ya no pase a través de la gasa, use guantes para exprimir el líquido restante a través de la gasa y dentro de la taza de medir. Puede usar otra gasa para limpiar el material aún más antes de llenar las botellas de vidrio con cuentagotas.

Paso 4: El último paso es almacenar adecuadamente su tintura. Transfiera todo a un frasco cuentagotas de vidrio para una fácil dosificación. Para el almacenamiento a largo plazo, puede dejarlo en un tarro de albañil. De cualquier manera, querrás que el ambiente sea fresco y oscuro. El aire, la luz y el calor disminuyen la calidad y la potencia de las tinturas.

Cómo usar tinturas de cannabis

Una vez que hayas hecho o comprado una tintura de cannabis, hay tres formas de usarla. Agréguelo a cualquier plato, colóquelo en su boca o ingiéralo por vía sublingual.

El método de consumo sublingual es uno de los mejores si desea sentir los efectos más fuertes y rápidos. Deje caer la dosis adecuada debajo de su lengua. Espere medio minuto y trague. Esto permite que el medicamento ingrese al torrente sanguíneo para un inicio más rápido.

La forma más fácil de usar una tintura de cannabis es simplemente colocando la dosis deseada en la boca y tragando. Los efectos no aparecerán tan rápido como con la técnica sublingual. Tardará casi tanto como lo haría con los comestibles para sentir los efectos.

El método final de consumo es relativamente simple. Coloque la dosis que desee en cualquier alimento o bebida que elija. La aparición de los efectos debería tomar tanto tiempo como los comestibles. Al consumir una comida con el medicamento, puede comenzar a combatir a los bocadillos incluso antes de que comiencen.

Razones para probar tinturas

Como hemos ilustrado, hay muchas ventajas al usar tinturas sobre otros métodos de consumo de cannabis. Aquí hay una lista de los beneficios de usar tinturas sobre otros métodos de consumo:

• Menos calorías: puede obtener la experiencia comestible de las comidas que ya estaba planeando comer en lugar de dulces como gomitas y brownies.
• Discreción: las tinturas no huelen a cannabis y en una botella de vidrio con un gotero, se verán como cualquier otra medicina.
• Inicio más rápido: Sublingualmente, los efectos duran más.
• Dosificación precisa: con comestibles, flores y concentrados, es más fácil tomar accidentalmente una dosis mayor de la necesaria. Las tinturas te permiten tomar unas gotas a la vez hasta que sientas los efectos deseados.
• Más simple que fumar: las personas a las que no les gusta o les cuesta fumar o vapear cannabis se encuentran mejor usando tinturas.

Golpe final: tintura de cannabis

Las tinturas de cannabis ofrecen una manera simple y discreta de recibir los beneficios médicos de la planta sin tener que ser fumador. Solo se necesitan unos pocos ingredientes para hacer tinturas de cannabis, pero debes tener cuidado al prepararlos en casa porque un alto porcentaje de alcohol es inflamable. También hay dispositivos que facilitan completar todo el proceso en un solo lugar.

The post Tinturas de cannabis: todo lo que necesitas saber appeared first on High Times.

The art of consuming concentrates has undergone several evolutions over the years. Each advancement in dabbing has improved the efficiency of the experience, leading to more flavorful dabs as well as a more convenient cleanup. This evolution is probably best illustrated by the massive shift that occurred when connoisseurs first stepped away from hot dabs off of metal nails and moved on to new techniques in the quest for flavor.

When the first amber-colored extracts surfaced, concentrate fans were happy just to have a way to consume them—even if it meant using a harsh red-hot knife. The hot-knife concept was the basis for the first bongs made for concentrate consumption. These were made with skillets, which were like hot plates directly under a tube that filtered vapors through water for cooler, larger hits.

The next innovation in concentrate consumption represented a step forward and two steps back. It was a nail that fit into male joints with a borosilicate globe or dome around it to partially keep the vapor from escaping. This required glass water pipes to be made with male joints for the first time.

Additionally, the dome would have to be removed before each dab, and it would sometimes get stuck once oil built up in the joint. Thanks to the mess and extra steps it required, it didn’t take long for domes and nails to be replaced by the simplified, all-in-one domeless nail.

This is when the transition to lower-temperature dabs for flavor and comfort began. People started to let their domeless nails cool for some time after heating them up, which made hits less harsh. The carb cap was then introduced to allow vaporization to occur at a lower temperature for smoother, tastier dabs. Caps helped reduce the size of puddles left behind on the nail without compromising on flavor.

Another step in the quest for better-tasting dabs was the introduction of quartz in place of titanium and ceramic nails. On top of improving flavor, quartz nails provided an easier-to-clean surface.

Another major shift occurred when the glass artist Quave took the nail design a step further by introducing the quartz club banger (see photo)—the shape made it easy to insert a Q-tip inside for smoother cleanups, and it retained heat for longer-lasting low-temperature dabs. The quartz club banger’s top (the bucket) was cut at a 45-degree angle, inspiring tons of copycats for some time before the next step in the evolution of low-temperature dabbing—the thermal banger.

Pukinbeagle Glass introduced us to the thermal banger with a jacketed design. It was the first such device that used a bucket within a bucket. Thermal bangers also introduced us to the concept of flat tops and bubble caps.

While popular, this design had a flaw: Oil could leak between the two layers of quartz (the bucket within a bucket). Fortunately, quartz makers took the advantages of the thermal banger and tweaked the design. As a result, most bangers today feature flat tops without the jacketed design, and most dabbers use bubble caps.

Now most low-temperature dabs are dropped after heating all around the bucket of a quartz banger for close to a minute and after another minute or longer for things to cool down. The temperature starts high and rapidly decreases after the extract is dropped and vaporizes.

The ideal temperature for a full-flavored dab can range from 350 to 500°F. Unfortunately, most bangers don’t have the heat retention to stay in that range for long enough to completely vaporize a dab. As a result, puddles containing leftover terps and THC can be left behind, especially after big globs. Reheating the puddle to completion usually results in a harsh, flavorless hit. Even with a carb cap, you’ll usually end up sacrificing some of your concentrate with low-temp dabbing.

To completely finish a dab in one go, you’d have to drop the oil in earlier while the nail is hotter. That sounds reasonable; however, the problem is that THC boils off at 315°F, and most terpenes boil off at a much lower temperature than that. To finish a dab, you would be dropping it in while the nail is well over 500°F.

In addition to the harshness of dabbing at such high temperatures, a lot of your terpenes and cannabinoids will be scorched before they can add to the flavor and potency of your dab. Not to mention that research from Portland State University published in the journal ACS Omega found that dabbing at temperatures above 600°F could result in the release of noxious chemicals.

Fortunately, the latest step in the evolution of dabbing resolves this issue. Cold starts are like reverse dabs. Instead of getting a surface raging hot and waiting to drop the hash in, the extract is added to the surface while it’s still cold. The temperature is then gradually increased. This practice prevents waste while preserving flavor, time and butane with the proper tools. It’s a simple but effective method, and more and more products are being made with this concept in mind.

Taking some inspiration from the inner bucket of the Pukinbeagle thermal design, Eternal Quartz made a removable quartz bucket so it could be cleaned or used on different bangers. Shortly after creating these “quartz inserts,” the company started experimenting with different ways of taking “meltshot” videos. That’s when Eternal first tried out the “insert drop” technique and cold-start dabbing commenced.

The insert-drop method allows the temperature of the concentrate within the quartz insert to slowly increase as heat transfers from the outer layer of the heated banger. This causes vapor production to last longer than it would with traditional low-temperature dabs.

To do a cold-start dab with an insert, you need to put your hash in the insert and set it aside. Heat the bucket of your banger as you normally would and, after waiting a bit, drop in the insert. The wait time depends on the size of your dab and the heat retention of your banger. It can be anywhere from five to 40 seconds. On your final pull, the oil should be much darker and tackier than when it started.

After Eternal Quartz got things started for cold-start dabbing, other companies took the idea and ran with it. Riding the cold-start wave, OG Quartz created a banger design with an eye on convenience. The OG Quartz banger’s walls are three millimeters thick with a wide and curvy bottom that is easier to Q-tip than any other banger on the market. You’ll need a cap from OG as well. The inner wall of the flat top and the carb caps designed for the banger are tapered for proper seals. The stem reaches deep into the banger with a 45-degree cut at the end, which allows airflow to tornado through, constantly spinning the oil around the bottom of the bucket.

The carb cap’s wide diameter, combined with the bucket’s shorter diameter, thick walls, curved sides and dense bottom, allow for heat to transfer slowly enough through the banger to provide flavor without burning.

To do a cold start with an OG Quartz banger, you can either load your hash onto the end of the carb cap or onto the bottom of the bucket. Depending on the type of extract you’re using (less heat for rosin, more for THCA crystals) and the strength of your torch, you’ll need to heat the bottom of the banger for about five to eight seconds before the first hit. The oil should begin to bubble and vaporize when you inhale.

The cap is designed to be cleared like the bongs OG Quartz has been making for 22 years—well before dab rigs were a thing. When vapor stops forming, there might still be a puddle. After the initial hit, you can provide three-to-five-second bursts of heat to finish off the remainder. This method will save the dabbing community tons on butane as it only takes 15 to 20 seconds of heating to finish an entire dab. With the proper amount of torching, you should get all the flavor and potency in the extract without any burning.

The concept of cold starts is improving the world of electronic vaporizers for concentrates as well. In fact, the Peak by Puffco takes advantage of cold starts for flavorful dabs, as the device works best when concentrates are preloaded into the ceramic cup before the atomizer is fired. As heat is transferred into the cup, hash oil goes from cold to hot so you can enjoy all of the terpenes that boil off along the way. If there is anything worth vaping left behind, you can hit the boost setting or reheat the puddle on a lower setting to finish it off without any burning.

Every time we think we’ve found the best method of consumption, a new innovation arrives and changes the game. Cold starts are the latest step, but there will doubtless be a new technique that improves consumption as we continue on our journey to the perfect dab.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you taste burning oil and everything on the banger is too dried up to be easily Q-tipped, you dropped your dab in while the bucket was too hot. However, if you’re not getting much vaporization and a huge puddle is left behind after your dab, you waited too long. Experiment to find the perfect-temperature dab.

While insert drops provide some of the most rewarding dabs in terms of flavor and vapor production in one heat-up, there are additional steps and tools involved with cleanup. It helps to have reverse tweezers, a shot glass full of isopropyl alcohol and paper towels on hand to get the job done quickly.

The post The Quest for the Perfect Dab appeared first on High Times.

We’ve compiled a list of carb caps with a focus on function. If you’re looking for something custom to match your piece, you’re better off directly messaging a glass artist. 

Different Styles of Carb Caps

The two most common carb cap designs are bubble caps and “directional” airflow carb caps that look like flying saucers with nozzles at the bottom.

Quality Control Test

For the flying saucer style, you can test the quality of a seal by putting it on a banger with a perfectly level top. You can tell the top of a banger is completely level by placing the open side of the bucket on marble or another flat surface and blowing through the neck. If the top is completely level, air should be blowing back at you and not through gaps at the top of the bucket.

Once you’re sure you have a nail with a completely level top, place your cap on it, cover any holes on the cap–and blow through the joint of the banger. If no air leaks, you’ve got a carb cap with a perfect seal.

Terp Pearl Trend

We’ve reached a point where most caps do the same thing. However, there are a few designed with newer dabbing methods in mind. Pearls made of quartz, sapphire, ruby and more are becoming popular new dabbing accessories.

At first glance, one might assume they were just for show. However, with the right cap, the pearl(s) should spin fast, spreading the oil out to rapidly increase the surface area and hasten vaporization.

Best Flats for Spinning Pearls

If you’re still rocking a traditional club banger with a slanted top, a saucer-style carb cap is your best bet. In fact, it’s pretty much the only option if you want a complete seal. A bubble cap won’t work and caps that wrap around the top of the banger don’t provide a strong enough seal to really milk that rig without burning any oil.

The following saucer-style caps are all designed with terp-pearls in mind.

Zach Brown Spinner

Price: $120.00

Zach Brown earned himself a top spot on last year’s Best Carb Caps of 2018 list because of his price point and commitment to quality control. “No seal, no deal” he says as he tosses handfuls of seemingly perfect caps into the trash on his Instagram page. 

Compared to every other cap we tried, we found Zack Brown’s spinner provided the best airflow for spinning pearls. It takes no effort to get the beads spinning and it eliminates the need to constantly twist the cap around. Harder inhales caused beads to vibrate audibly, with enough torque to move the rig.

Best of all, it provides a perfect seal on both slanted and flat top bangers with bevels. 

Gordo Scientific OG V2 Riptide

Price: $99.99

The Riptide by Gordo Scientific is a solid cap for both flat tops and original quartz club bangers. It predates the existence of terp pearls. However, when they started to appear, dabbers with riptides began to discover that some of them were able to spin the pearls without the need to turn the cap.

Now, Gordo Scientific tests each cap to ensure optimum function with beads. We’ve been able to use our riptide to spin up to 4 pearls at top speeds in a single flat-top banger.

Their latest cap is the Riptide Crosscurrent which features riptides in two opposite directions with more restriction.

Best Bubbles

Few bubbles are capable of spinning pearls, but they should all make complete seals with flat-top bangers. Some extend to adjust to various size bangers while others offer several airflow options.

Gordo Scientific x Highly Educated GTR

Price: $120.00

Gordo Scientific and Highly Educated are two companies bringing innovation to the way carb caps function. The concept of the GTR started with a blueprint sent from Highly Educated to Gordo Scientific.

Ahead of their time, Gordo’s original caps were made to spin or spread out a dab to increase surface area without the need to twist the cap around. Now, they’re made with the terp pearl trend in mind too.

On top of being one of the only bubbles capable of making pearls circle, their collaboration with Highly Educated comes with 3 options in terms of airflow. There’s a carb hole at the very top and another on the side. Covering one, the other or neither will each provide a different airflow, spinning beads or oil at different speeds and directions.

Eternal Marble Cap

Price: $50.00

Eternal Quartz has made a name for themselves with their wide-selection of quartz products made to enhance just about any dab set up. If you’re in the market for durability, their marble cap is one of the sturdiest around.

Heavy at the center, the marble cap is less likely to fall off of a banger or peak that has been slightly tilted. Even if it fell, the walls of the marble are thick enough to take a hit. There is no resistance when spinning the marble around the top of a quartz banger, granting users controlled airflow.

Finally, they make the same carb cap in a smaller size at the same price for the Peak by Puffco.

Chad Bro Banger Ball

Price: $69.99

One of the most unique designs on the list is the Banger Ball by Chad Bro Glass. It spreads oils out without the need to twist the cap around.

However, it doesn’t milk as much when the nozzle is too far away from the puddle. So, it isn’t the best match for a tall flat-top banger. We found it paired best with Grails from Toro and other buckets with similar heights. Although it spins the oil without the need to be twisted, it will only move pearls around slightly and not in constant circles.

Chad Bro also makes the Banger Ball for the Puffco Peak.

Terpiscope Ball

Price: $50.00

There’s a good chance of your next banger not working as well with your old cap. Fortunately, there are some caps designed to fit as many bangers as possible. ZC Glass is constantly finding solutions to everyday problems for dabbers with peak attachments, cleaning stations, adapters and more.

Last year’s list featured their faceted saucer-style Terpiscope, with a nozzle that could be adjusted to go deeper or further away from the bottom of quartz buckets. This year, ZC Glass debuted the bubble cap version of the Terpiscope to sit comfortably in beveled, flat-top bangers.

OG Quartz Cap

Price: $40.00 

The unique design of OG Quartz bangers required a new style of carb cap to match. It reaches almost all the way down the deep bucket of an OG quartz banger and the airflow tornados oil into two separate puddles that spin opposite of each other.

We also found the airflow was powerful enough to spin pearls with ease. The cold-start method and spinning airflow make quick work of any pre-loaded extract. The only downside is this cap won’t be compatible with any other bangers.

Unless you have an extremely unique quartz banger, there should be something on this list that will match yours perfectly. Having a carb cap that properly seals could be the difference between tasting your terpenes and tasting burnt oil. 

The post 7 Carb Caps That’ll Make Your Head and Hash Oil Spin appeared first on High Times.