Idon’t know about you, but even with newfound rules on smoking weed in public, I still look over my shoulder when smoking a joint around others. It’s just the smell that sets stigmatized folks off, and rightfully so with a forty-eight or so hours out of circulation that I experienced once in New York City. I learned how important it is not to antagonize others with weed smoke. Everyone should know this. The terminology in play here is called common sense. My correlation to this would be smoking a joint in the street in NYC. It still makes me nervous.
Imagine my appreciation when I received a brand spanking new Dr. Greenthumb x Gpen smoking device at my doorstep. This vaguely pickle-sized (and colored) cannabis smoking device was certainly an easy study. It came fully charged (a big plus), and it holds that first and subsequent charges through many sessions. The learning curve for this device was not outlandish. All I did was go to their YouTube and watch any number of videos with instructions that even a person of my age and intellectual capacity could appreciate under the influence of certain substances. This learning by watching methodology is definitely appreciated!
Photo credit: Gpen
But back to the Gpen Dash. I’ve owned several of these over the years, and none have been as intuitive and smooth on my lungs as the new Dr. Greenthumb version. Filling with just about ¼ of a gram of nicely chopped flowers from my Gemini grinder is the start. Then I gently heat my secret blend in the Gpen to the lowest temperature. I’m catapulted into a realm of easy and nice, all at the same time. And that’s what the experience of smoking cannabis should be, at least for me. I want the experience to be simple and forthright. It’s important for this device to work silently and easily, just as it is important to be easy to clean and keep charged, ready for the next sesh.
What I like about this device:
It doesn’t get hot in my hand. That is a plus, so I’m not worried about setting my pocket on fire.
It does not shout the vapor as those “vape” cartridges do. The mist dissipates quickly and without much fanfare. A real plus when walking down the street when you don’t want to shout, look at me, I’m smoking weed. This device is especially easy to clean and keep clean. It doesn’t get mucked up with resin, nor does it change the flavor of your strain. The experience is pure and comfortable from start to finish. I love mine. Fun to use and easy.
The Stone Age Potcast interview with the CEO of Klaus Apothecaire LLC, 6x Author and Master Mixologist Warren Bobrow. We had a great time getting to know Warren and learning about craft cannabis infused mocktails. In fact, you can learn from home by purchasing one of his books off amazon. There are hundreds of recipes he has created that are sure to make to your next party a huge hit. Coming soon to California, Warren created Klaus which is a drink infused with 10mg of live resin. You can expect a unique terpene profile to accompany this craft drink along with a kick of fresh frozen thc extract to put you in that right state of mind. Available soon in Cali. Check out his column in the Cannabis Cactus Magazine online or print, an Arizona based cannabis magazine full of culture, entertaining stories, news, and much more. Make sure you check out their website and follow Warren to learn how to get cross faded the correct way.
Grabbing your attention with their brightly colored plastic vial, cradling a nice, fat cannabis joint, the first thing I noticed was the message they are trying to convey. Color driven and fun, High90’s is not a brand to sit idly on the shelf, you see it and want to buy one. I love the informative testing information label and the label of ingredients. That’s sorely missing in our industry. What is in there? They make it very easy to understand.
This carefully finished, pre-rolled joint is part of a new wave of cannabis pre-rolls, ones with concentrates added. Weighing in at 1.2 grams, the nearly quarter gram over the typical one gram joint is good marketing. I’d much rather purchase a pre-roll that is weighed over rather than under. Anyone stoner who has bought a pre-roll only to find it underweight would appreciate this overage. It’s just good business-sense to offer a little bit extra. Lagniappe is what we called a little bit extra in New Orleans. That coating on the back of a spoon. Yum.
The cannabis that goes into High90’s is much better than it has to be. The internal design of the joint includes something else, a cannabis concentrate known as wax. The physical act of lighting up your pre-roll decarbs the wax along with the flower and offers a deeper, more potent experience. I like it.
High90’s adds this thoughtful amount of wax to the mix in their pre-rolls. This wax based concentrate is made from cannabis and it is added to the pre-roll. There is just enough to take you to the next Bardo, including that knowing smile on your face. Traditionally I’m not attracted to sweet fruit flavors but the makers of High90’s add just a touch of candor to the mix. It’s not overpowering nor bonbon like, just a subtle touch of wonderment. Not juicy-fruit, but more like fruit leather, make sense?
The wax component is quite noteworthy when added to the flower element. Alone, smoking wax can be overpowering for some, like myself in the process called dabbing. I like to tone down the effect of the wax a bit with just enough of their fine flower. Refreshing to enjoy something that is not overwhelming with sweet flavors, even though the names of the strains connote sweet and candy-like. Overall these pre-rolls are well balanced with a touch of sweetness. The high is quick to hit, in a good way. I promise you; you’ll get stoned…
Pro tip: Keep the plastic case for the transportation of your own pre-rolls instead of just throwing the empty vessel into the trash.
Tasting Notes:
Double Cup
Nose: droplets of dry fruit leather and baby skunk give way to citrus zest with a dusting of milk sugar over the top, just need a straw…
Palate: Richly textured from the wax, each hit offers creamy notes of lemon curd and toasted brown bread slathered with melted brown butter
Stone: This stuff gets me stoned, as in right away. Great job!
Read More Here : https://www.skunkmagazine.com/high90s-a-touch-of-the-seventies-modern-day-cannabis-tech/
Join David Paleschuck, author of “Branding Bud: The Commercialization Of Cannabis” as he discusses cannabis and other related topics with Warren Bobrow, Co-Founder and CEO of Klaus, a new cannabis-infused beverage. Known as “The Cocktail Whisperer”, Warren has lived the life that many only dream of – former Forbes writer, world traveler, speaker, connoisseur, provocateur, subject matter expert and six-time author of on cocktails and mixology. His latest book, titled “Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics” will be high on our list of topics. Join us tonight, Monday, April 12th at 8p PST on Clubhouse.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a joint with friends. Here in New Jersey, smoking cannabis in public is generally frowned upon. Dozens of people are arrested and incarcerated for the simple act of smoking a joint. With COVID deeply engrained into my sense of wellness and safety, it’s been many months since I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a sesh with others. We just don’t share fat doobs anymore and that’s probably for the best.
Which leads me to the next part of the equation. I cannot smoke an entire spliff of high end cannabis by myself. I’ll just get too wasted. I’m in this thing for the long haul, as in all day. I use cannabis like others snack during the day. That is, all the time. And with the average weight of pre-rolls coming in at least one gram in weight, smoking an entire joint is just too much for me. I don’t need to get that stoned, not if I have writing to do, or I’ll have a Towlie moment and fall down the long internet rabbit hole. I’ll forget to return that phone call or who I was just talking to…
Because I just wandered off. Just like Towlie.
What I’m seeking is something different. A nice, well-rolled joint, but not a gram full. I’m far from a light-weight, having enjoyed the profound intellectualism of cannabis for about forty-eight years and counting.
I wouldn’t say I’ve just discovered mini-joints; they’ve been around for a while, it’s all we rolled back in the 1970’s. (Because I always had really good weed, just not very much of it!)
The quality level is really good in the world of mini-pre-rolls, if not better than smoking a full sized joint. Especially if you cannot smoke an entire joint in one sitting.
Warren Bobrow, @WarrenBobrow1, the Cocktail Whisperer, graciously shares to us this rum-based cannabis cocktail recipe called The Future is Uncertain and the End is Always Near. This cannabis recipe is found in his book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics.
I use Rhum Agricole in all of my rum-based cocktails.
It’s made from freshly crushed sugarcane—unlike most of the mainstream stuff, which is derived from industrially-produced molasses.
And the only thing better than Rhum Agricole is VSOP Rhum Agricole. “VSOP” stands for “Very Special Old Pale,” and it designates a rhum that’s been aged in barrels made of French white oak.
One of my favorite things to accompany an infused beverage after the hour of noon strikes is a cannagar. I’ve tasted dozens of them and find that the art and science of cannagars far exceed the basic pre-rolls that clutter the marketplace. That’s not to say that all pre-rolls are the same, some are far better than others. But first, what is a cannagar?
A cannagar is similar to a blunt. The cannagar comes rolled up in either a hemp wrapper or a tobacco shell (or wrap) to resemble the finest cigar. Instead of tobacco in the filling, the cannagars that I enjoy come stuffed full of the best things on earth, specifically cannabis. I love cannagars and they provide many hours of bemusement. This is because they burn extremely slowly. Did I tell you never to ash your cannagar? Take this as important advice. Do not ash your cannagar.
When I was out in California in December, I discovered a new line of cannagars that completely blew me away. The Puro Co in Los Angeles is producing hand-rolled cigarillos – i.e. mini cigar wrapper cannagars that I can enjoy by myself without the stress of putting the “gar” out, midway of finishing it.
Traditionally, cannagars weigh in somewhere north of three and a half grams making them very difficult for me to finish alone. Truth has it that I’m not sharing joints any longer. With COVID, I’m not seshing with others. The enjoyment of a three or more gram size cannagar is certainly better with a crowd, instead of alone. Sure, I can cut the business end off with a cigar cutter, but once smoke has passed through my “gar” it will taste of the tobacco leaf all the way through. I much prefer my “gars” to be freshly burned.
By producing a 1.5 gram “Purito,” I can enjoy the experience of the much more expensive cannagars without any waste.
These cannagars and the three gram cannabis cigar are my great big discovery that I wished I had written about months ago, but I didn’t have the chance to enjoy The Puro Co at that time.
It’s never too late!
With a cannabis infused libation in my left hand and a Puro Cannagar in my right hand, I’d say my afternoon will be rather buzz filled. To say the very least.
I like to infuse condensed milk. It’s so versatile. Adding that little lagniappe (a little bit extra) to your mixer. It’s now a cannabis infused condensed milk, all ready for your morning Vietnamese coffee or whatever you add it to from cannabis mocktails to tres leches cake. It doesn’t upset the family members who don’t care for the smell of burning herb filling the air! I love the way condensed milk slides down my throat with alacrity. Ingredients Decarbed Cannabis Condensed Milk Levo 2 Home Infusion System Process
To your Levo2, fill the internal basket with decarbed cannabis. 2. Add a cup of Condensed Milk to the internal container. 3. Set the timer to 3 hours at 160 degrees. 4. Relax and wait for the machine to do the magic. After three hours, the machine will turn off and you will have steaming hot, infused condensed milk. You can pour the amount of this creamy liquid into a mocktail, a cocktail or into a tres leches cake where you’ll get stoned with each savory bit.
Leo Stone; Aficionado Humboldt Photo from LinkedIn
1. Please tell me about yourself, where are you from? Where are you living now? What was your path to the plant?
I originally grew up in Yokohama, Japan till I was 20 and moved to the Emerald Triangle several years later after completing my service in the Intelligence Community while enlisted in the Army. For me, cannabis was used as a means-to-an-end to wean myself off of anti-depressants and the heavy alcohol use that often plagues most combat veterans who suffer from PTSD. I discovered cannabis at a time where if I never found it at that exact moment, I would’ve continued down an already reckless path of severe alcohol & drug abuse. Shortly after my tour in Iraq, I was stationed in Germany and found that I often didn’t get along with other service members so I mostly hung out with German locals, and became close with two biology graduate students from the Guttenburg University of Mainz who happened to grow weed and sell hash on the side. It was shortly after connecting with these guys where my travels and partying escapades eventually led to my first intimate experiences within the illicit hash trade and the underground cannabis grow culture in Europe.
The ultimate blessing during this period was learning that cannabis was able to alter my consciousness and lower my anxiety far better than alcohol or antidepressants could ever dream of. I noticed that the more I smoked, the less I drank. The less I drank, the less anger I had. The less anger I had the more control I wielded over my PTSD. This first, deep, much needed connection with cannabis allowed me, for the first time, to look deep within and address my issues at their root rather than settling for the sedated haze that awaits most vets swimming in pool prescription drugs. This sold me. I was a true believer and there was no stopping it. This plant taught me I didn’t have to end up with the same fate as other vets addicted to or dependent on pharmaceuticals. As my passion grew so did my hunger for knowledge and my forays into the cannabis world deepened quickly. My cannabis use ultimately led to the end of my Army Intelligence career, so after receiving my honorable discharge I headed to California to go all in. It was sink or swim. I dedicated my life to cannabis the minute it changed mine for the better. There was no looking back and no regrets.
I now reside in Humboldt County, California. Humboldt County is my Mecca. My true north. My Jerusalem of Cannabis. This is where the true believers go. This is where the best of the best make their pilgrimage to grow the best cannabis in the world. There’s a deep romance and connection I have with Humboldt. It’s name is ubiquitous within the cannabis industry for having arguably and consistently THE BEST cannabis in the world. There’s an acceptance and tolerance of pot-grower culture found here that is nonexistent elsewhere in the world. There’s a certain mystique surrounding this county and many will argue that the emerald triangle is home is the world’s largest homogenous community of career outlaws. It’s this outlaw culture of freedom and free expression that is the beating heart and magic of Humboldt. To me, Humboldt means FREEDOM. It’s this free-wheeling outlaw spirit that lies at the core of decades of hard earned cannabis grow-knowledge that makes Humboldt a phenomena in the world of ultra-fine cannabis.
Who was your inspiration for what you do today?
The man responsible for what I do today is known as OG Mendocino Mike. OG Mike took me under his wing right after getting out of the Army. I owe it to my brother who got me into the industry by introducing me to Mike who, at the time, hired me as the head of his security. OG Mike is the embodiment of the Emerald Triangle Dream. A true original grower and outlaw, he hitch hiked out to California in 1974 and gorilla-grew in Mendocino and Humboldt County where he would eventually buy his property and make the first of many fortunes. Hailing from an Ashkenazi Jewish background and standing at 5 foot 7″ tall with a long silver beard and tatted from head to toe, he was deeply spiritual and connected with plants on an entirely different level. He spoke about the vibrations the plants give and talked of the parallels between growing cannabis and teachings of the Kabbalah and giving off the right vibrations while in the garden. The most important lesson was he taught me early on that there’s two types of “growers” in the triangle: 1. Those strictly out for money and 2. Those out to grow the best possible cannabis. He drilled into my head: “If you want to grow big scenes my place isn’t the place or you, quite honestly if that’s your goal you can fuck off. But if you want to grow the BEST POSSIBLE cannabis by giving your BEST POSSIBLE effort then you can stick around” he left it at that and I stuck around ever since. Mike is and always will be my biggest inspiration.
2. What are your six-and twelve month goals? What obstacles do you face? How do you anticipate removing those obstacles?
As cannabis goes global we’ve opened an office in Barcelona, Spain to meet growing demands and engage in the legal EU market. Currently, we’ve been posturing to distribute our genetics to GMP Licensed cannabis farmers in federally legal countries around the globe. The largest obstacle to being a California based genetics company with huge demand is the large barriers to entry on the international market to engage with GMP-Licensed cannabis operators. We anticipate overcoming these obstacles by choosing the best grower and investment partners in the EU area.
3.Tell me about your company? What do you do that’s better than your competition?
Aficionado specializes in breeding and curating elite and heirloom genetics. We’re credited as being the world’s first ultra-premium cannabis brand. Up until legalization our bread and butter was measuring our genetics through competing in many of the cannabis competitions found throughout the country. We’re the first company to demand ultra-premium prices for our genetics and our releases have consistently sold-out since our first release in 2011. I won my first Emerald Cup in 2012 and since then we have stacked up 21 awards in a total of 3 countries, and in 2017 was inducted into the Seed Bank Hall of Fame. We’re known for crafting full-sun outdoor organic cannabis and seeds that demands the highest prices on the market. OG Mikes goal was always to grow indoor-quality cannabis outdoors, and that’s what we embody.
What we mainly do differently is our approach. We approach cannabis a lot like how a top-tier chef approaches fine cuisine. It boils down to the 3 Pillars of Quality. 1. Selection. 2. Technique 3. Timing. What separates a AAA top-shelf flower from low-end mids is akin to comparing the differences between a flat iron steak at Denny’s and a dry-aged cut of Wagyu from Nobu in Malibu. The 3 Pillars of Quality is our roadmap to success. The ‘Selection’ and provenance of your ingredients. The ‘Techniques’ used to express and execute your vision. And finally, the Timing of each function within your process and the timing of your final presentation. These are the basics of what separates greatness from mediocrity. Hard work, passion, and ruthless discipline is all you need to be successful in cannabis.
4. What is your favorite food memory from childhood? Do you cook? Who taught you? Favorite meal now?
Japanese street food. Growing up as a kid in Japan nearly everything food-wise had some sort of novel appeal to it. But my favorite dish BY FAR then and currently has to be Japanese Beef Curry. Unlike a Thai Curry which is a coconut milk and chili base, or an Indian Curry that employs the use of Turmeric and Garam Marsala with usually a tomato and cream base Japanese curry is made by creating first creating a roux of flour and butter and adding your Tumeric and Garam Marsala spices to your roux as it’s being whisked in the pot and you eventually end of with a curry-spiced beef gravy with chunks of ribeye, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms served over white rice. You can stick me on a deserted island and tell me all I have to eat for the rest of my life is Japanese Curry and I’d be perfectly fine with that- hopefully I brought weed and seeds to said deserted island then I’d be set.
5. What is your passion?
Ultimately my passion is breeding cannabis. It is something that I’m not obsessed with, but something I’m possessed by. It’s a lot like love, there’s an invisible and unstoppable force that hurls you through the motions and destroys any fears. This passion has been the greatest gift of my life, and it’s a great passion of mine to share it with the world.
