Categories
Reviews Skunk Magazine

Xiaolin Cannagars: Rolled Proper



From the very moment that the outer packaging, deeply reminiscent of luxury Chinese incense with lustrous gold leaf on the outside of the box. This cannagar brings your attention to the strikingly handsome red lettering, and then the box opens to reveal the polished glass inner tube.

From here an almost mystical experience fills the room and your head. The box, upon examination in cannabis, nerd-speak reads several very important statements about the contents and the provenance of the flowers held within. The first and foremost is the name of this ultra-luxury cannagar. That is, quite simply, Made in Xiaolin. Turning the smooth paper packaging, in the shape of an octagon, and twisting it in a circle, reveals more pertinent information. Rolled Proper comes into view. This statement provides the quality framework for what rests within. The lettering states the name again, Made in Xiaolin. Pure luxury. Drilling down deeper, more information reveals itself with every twist of the wrist. Ring Gauge, in this case, the cannagar resting in my hand is a #40. Then, in block letters it reads information on the lit time, and in this case it is at least three hours! The flower is equally as important with the strain listed, making up this cannagar as Electric Lemon G flower and Electric Lemon G, Live Resin in the carefully chosen mix.

Xiaolin doesn’t grow their own flowers, nor do they extract their own concentrates.

Part of the art of a cannagar is the procurement of the finest raw materials depending on the harvest at the time. Crafted together to create a true work of living art. In my case, it’s ten grams of the most exceptionally well- propagated flower and two grams of the concentrate of the ‘chef’s’ choice. This amalgamation of raw materials comprises the cannagar. Glowing from within the inner glass tube, and the inner glow from the gold leaf wrapper. The cannagar is sealed from humidity and uncontrolled aging, with a secure, screw down closure for ease of access. Each ultra-high-end cannagar comes emblazoned with more of the luxury red and gold lettering that signifies elegance.

It reads Rolled Proper in gold and the lettering is carefully set handsomely upon the deeply colored, handsome red background. The packaging alone is representative of success, entrepreneurship and utter quality.

 It is safe to say that the packaging for this cannagar shows quite clearly the care and concern that goes into the assembly of each cannagar, as if it was the only cannagar made during the day. This is the quality quotient. When a product is created, not just to please the artist, but to offer a sense of self and luxury to the person fortunate enough to afford such opulence.  If you are at the top of your game and want the very best cannagar that your hard-earned money can buy, find yourself one of these. It’s worth the effort because you are absolutely going to make it your business to find a Xiaolin Cannagar. As in the search for the Holy Grail, this is your quest. The Xiaolin Cannagar is a thing that exemplifies quality over quantity. It unlocks intellectualism and it makes you believe, deeply inside your CHI, that the enjoyment of this cannagar truly makes you one of the luckiest in the land. And the cost of this luxury?  Anywhere between $ 200 and $ 420 dollars in the USA depending on where you go.

There is a scent that fills the room, and it is of perfectly aged flowers of the finest quality. Woven into a mixture of cannabis concentrate and freshly dried and then cured flowers. Good health comes into focus, because the experience of enjoying a Xiaolin Cannagar is not one to be rushed. Perhaps it’s the quality of the ingredients that bring the focus into view. First of all, the Xiaolin Cannagar is not a budget expenditure. The cannagar that I was fortunate to enjoy (via Carrier Pigeon), was assembled using absolutely the finest parts available in the marketplace. The outer wrapper is spun with SHINE gold leaf wrappers to form perfectly around the completely hand-crafted cannagar that will greatly exceed your expectations.

Website: https://krishoman.com/root_mix/index.html

Read here at https://www.skunkmagazine.com/xiaolin-cannagars-rolled-proper/

Categories
Different Leaf Recipes

Recipe: French Herb-Scented Vichy Water

By Warren Bobrow @warrenbobrow

I’m not a big fan of sugary sweet beverages. It seems like many of them fill the store shelves. Americans tend to traditionally enjoy beverages that are sweet. It’s the same most everywhere that I’ve visited in the world with Russia leading the pack. When I visited Moscow in 2015 to teach a master class in non-interventional rum at the Moscow Bar Show, I learned firsthand what it meant to drink one dimensional liquids. Everything was tooth aching sweet! Their favorite coffee in Moscow wasn’t Starbucks, (although sold there), it was Dunkin Donuts! Light and Sweet was how the Russians like their coffee. 

With this said, I don’t enjoy making sweet drinks. There are so many other flavors to play with. From tangy to sour, to balance to the realm of bitters to playing parlor games with your tongue, there are so many things to taste that are not sweet in regard to flavor. 

When I am tasked with developing something that is challenging in the context of just being different, my goals don’t bring me into Blueberry, candy sugar based cheap THC distillate and lemongrass, although interesting ingredients alone- they just don’t belong together. 

A THC infused egg cream does sound intriguing though. Just not more than one per hour. 

Truly, what I am seeking is simplicity.

The seltzer phenomenon is popular all over the world and for good reason. These beverages are relatively low calorie and refreshing, while not being as expensive as soda.  

I propose however, instead of making just one more fruit punch flavored seltzer, why not emulate the classic, (at least to myself) French Herb Scented Vichy Water?  

Have you ever enjoyed real French seltzer water, treated to a pinch of Herbs du Province to refresh your palate? It’s so delicious to enjoy your seltzer water with something other than sugary sweetness. How about a few drops of cucumber bitters added to the mix? That sounds really yummy.  And of course, there is an ungodly amount of THC in there. What great mock-tail doesn’t include this essential ingredient? There’s no booze, so take it slow. 

I created a French herb flavored simple syrup to add to the Vichy water. It’s slightly sweet from the infused simple syrup, deeply intriguing from the touch of Southern French herbs and tangy from the lemon zest infused, hand cut ice cubes. 

Pro Tip: Wash those lemons really well before you zest them!

If you combine sugar and alcohol, the result is, far too often, a knee knocking hangover. So make yourself a French Herb-Scented Vichy Water instead: it’s both booze-free and mercifully low in sugar. First, you’ll make a concentrated, tangy, medicated simple syrup. Then, you’ll add it to a refreshing pour of sparkling water, before dotting the finished drink with cucumber bitters. Use a Medicated Rich Simple Syrup you’ve infused with Blue Dream, which boasts a spicy, herbal fragrance and flavors of sugar coated dark berries and exotic spices.

RECIPE: French Herb-Scented Vichy Water

Ingredients

For the herbed simple syrup:

  • 2 TABLESPOONS (8 G) DRIED HERBES DE PROVENCE
  • 1/2 OUNCE (15 ML) MEDICATED RICH SIMPLE SYRUP (SEE PAGE 43), MADE WITH RAW HONEY
  • 1 TABLESPOON (15 ML) APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

For the cocktail:

  • LEMON ZEST ICE
  • 6 OUNCES (180 ML) VICHY WATER (OR 6 OUNCES PLAIN SELTZER TOPPED WITH A PINCH OF SEA SALT)
  • CUCUMBER BITTERS
  • LEMON ZEST TWIST

Process

  1. First, make the herbed simple syrup. 
  2. Place the herbes de Provence in a hemp tea bag, and seal. 
  3. Combine the Medicated Rich Simple Syrup and the apple cider vinegar in a heat-proof mason jar, and immerse the teabag in the liquid. Do not seal the jar. 
  4. Place the jar in the top of a double boiler. 
  5. Fill the top of the double boiler with enough water to cover the mason jar halfway. 
  6. Simmer lightly at no more than 160ºF (71°C) for 1 hour. (Use a digital thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature.) 
  7. Remove the teabag from the syrup mixture, and let cool. 
  8. Then, add the lemon zest ice to a Collins glass. Top with 1 ounce (30 ml) of the herbed simple syrup. Top with the Vichy water. 
  9. Dot with the cucumber bitters, and garnish with a lemon zest twist. Serve immediately.

Click here: http://resources.magappzine.com/feeds/production/comboapp/3120/media/128341/fc3383c3-0ccf-4d62-b455-f51162d553c8.html?fbclid=IwAR0APSipQ5OFknxH5mPi4ra93Hb6u3RsyiQ5cdyMyQC2c0ztw_e3RdwPIHI

Categories
Reviews Tasting Notes

Cannagar of the Month: North Coast Cannagars from Detroit, Michigan

By Warren Bobrow @warrenbobrow

You’ve visited the West Coast, the East Coast and possibly the Gulf Coast but have you ever been to a place known as the North Coast? It’s possible that you have been to this far-off land. Should you have visited, it’s also possible that you’ve had the opportunity to smoke a handcrafted, North Coast Cannagar. What? You haven’t? 

Let this be your excuse to visit Detroit. To experience what is enchanting to smoke, containing perfectly cured cannabis flowers, set alone in a hemp wrapper. They even come combined with either hash, rosin or other cannabis based adjuncts to make a deeply memorable smoke. Alone or with friends, the North Coast Cannagars are some of the best box-pressed cannagars I’ve ever enjoyed. 

www.northcoast.co

info@northcoast.co

@NorthCoastCannagars

http://resources.magappzine.com/feeds/production/comboapp/3120/media/128346/4bbf5ad2-ebb0-42fe-ac1d-3b74783fdb05.html

Categories
Reviews Skunk Magazine

El Blunto Cannagars: Mohave Reserve Diamond Infused

I’ve smoked some really fine cannagars recently. They are far more intriguing than your typical pre-rolled joint and not just because they are bigger. Plus, your cannagar is more than just a cannabis leaf or hemp leaf shell stuffed with cannabis, anyone can do that. There is great finesse in the art of a cannagar and most of the cannagars that I’ve been savoring as of late have been veritable works of smokable art.

First, what goes into a cannagar?  Some cannagars are, as I mentioned above, a shell stuffed with high-end flower and nothing else. These cannagars do not contain rosin or kief or hash, or anything but high end flower. As much as I enjoy smoking these versions, they don’t offer the added excitement that I’m seeking. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, and I could name more than a few that are made with the finest flowers and nothing more. The secret to these kinds of cannagars is usually proprietary in nature, but I will tell you that aging the cannagars has much to do with it. There are many ways to produce a cannagar, adding high potency adjuncts makes a thrill ride into something that far exceeds your expectations!

One of the most intriguing versions of the cannagar is the variety that includes concentrates. After all, when I’m spending several dozens of dollars on a cannagar, I want to be wowed in flavor and especially in effect.  I want to get stoned. The Mohave Reserve from El Blunto is that hand-held work of art that you seek. It’s got diamonds inside. Diamonds are a concentrate of cannabis, not the kind that are mined, but the kind that are extracted into shapes that resemble diamonds. They are ultra-potent, and they really get the job done even after only a couple puffs. The El Blunto is your go/to if you like the experience to be memorable…

The Albert Einstone/El Blunto Mohave Reserve Cannagar is a thing of rare beauty that get’s me really blasted. And that’s what I want when I smoke a multi-hour experience, a cannagar.

I want one that blows me away with aromatics and gets me crazy stoned at the same time.

The Mohave version really takes me there quickly and with verve.

Description:

Deeply colored hemp wrapper that resembles a tobacco wrapper in color, but the smoke is much less acerbic on the throat. Dark in color, just not dark in roughness against your throat.

The concentrates are carefully added to the top shelf flower, in this case Kush Cake, a lovely Indica dominant strain that relaxes the body while adding clarity and dexterity to my mind.

The addition of the diamonds turns wow into WOW.

Established before it was legal.

I think the cigar band says it all.

Finished with a carefully covered glass tip, each puff is smooth and elegant.

The look of this cannagar is pure luxury, resembling a carefully hand rolled cigar, but much more polished than that.

Tasting Notes:
Palate:

Dark Chocolate on the palate gives way to tangles of crushed minerals and stone fruits. Whisps of gas, specifically kerosene offers depth and balance across the tongue. Pine needles and pine sap enter the space, evaporating swiftly down your throat into your lungs.

Nose:

Richly textured with notes of Pacific Rim spices, cardamom, clove and delicate notes of eucalyptus enrobed in toasted brioche bread slathered in brown butter. The rough hemp wrapper offers further notes that resemble a roughly textured, not polished tobacco leaf, without the pesky nicotine…

Stone/Finish:

This stuff really does the trick of relaxing my brain, but the best part is the deep enlightenment after each puff.  Brilliant stuff that tastes great!

Website: https://www.elblunto.com/

Read here: https://www.skunkmagazine.com/el-blunto-cannagars-mohave-reserve-diamond-infused/

Categories
Recipes

No One Makes Me Close My Eyes

By Warren Bobrow @warrenbobrow

Coffee and cream may sound like a mundane way to start your day, but to many it is the essential way. Taking this daily beverage quite a bit further by adding a generous portion of THC infused Rhum Agricole Vieux which is Aged rhum Agricole from the island of Martinique, now we’re getting lit up! 

Down Island is the way sailors discuss the lower chain of islands in the Caribbean that include the French protectorates, Guadeloupe and Martinique. French is spoken as the primary language on these islands and Martinique possesses an AOC – appellation d’origine contrôlée for their very specific Rhum. This Rhum is not distilled from molasses. It is distilled from intensely perfumed, freshly crushed sugar cane juice. Anyone who has been to a Vietnamese restaurant and ordered a sugar cane drink is aware of this delicately sweet, food-friendly drink. In Martinique, they distill their Rhum Agricole (Agricultural Rhum) with this enchanting juice. 

The end result is aged in used American Bourbon or French Oak. Sometimes with the lighter verities, they rest for a couple days in stainless, are filtered and then bottled at fifty percent alcohol or more! 

For this breakfast cocktail I recommend using a land-race strain or some type of low THC strain so as to allow you to function after imbibing this hard to forget sultry sipper. 

The sum of the parts for this little cocktail is quite simple. First, I infuse a 750ml bottle of Rhum Vieux Agricole like St. James or Clement from Martinique with at least an ounce of the finest cannabis that money can procure. This may seem like a lot of weed in a bottle of liquor and you’d be absolutely correct. Each cocktail will have anywhere between fifty and a hundred mgs of decarbed THC, so they are certainly not for beginners. Don’t drink too many at one sitting least you get destroyed, they’re quite potent. Ask me. I know.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 oz. non-medicated heavy cream or whipping cream, lightly folded until thick but not whipped
  • 1.5 oz. Cannabis infused Rhum Vieux Agricole
  • 4 oz. Strong Black Coffee or Espresso or Turkish Cardamom Coffee
  • Scraping of fresh nutmeg
  • Angostura Bitters
  • Demerara Sugar to taste 

Prep:

  1. Preheat a sturdy mug with boiling water
  2. Pour out the boiling water
  3. Add the steaming hot coffee
  4. Bartender style, pour the THC infused Rhum Vieux Agricole over the coffee, keep pouring…
  5. Fold the heavy cream over the top
  6. Dot with Angostura – for your gut health
  7. Scrape some fresh nutmeg over the top
  8. Sweeten to taste
  9. Serve and prepare another for later… It’s wonderful iced. And yes, it will get you really stoned. 
Categories
Articles Reviews Skunk Magazine Tasting Notes

High90’s. A Touch of the Seventies, Modern Day Cannabis Tech

High90s

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/

https://high90s.com/
Categories
Articles Reviews Skunk Magazine Tasting Notes

El Blunto/Albert Einstone Cannagars-Papa’s Select Editions

I love smoking ultra-luxury cannagars, they offer much more than your typical joint to the high-end cannabis aficionado. A cannagar is a rare treat, a thing of beauty to behold in your hand and soon into your lungs. They are comprised of many parts, top shelf flower along with all kinds of concentrates. The higher the quality, the deeper the experience.

The El Blunto collaboration is the cannagar I’ve been waiting for. First of all, I’m a massive fan of Papa’s Select cannabis adjuncts. The contain deeply potent concentrates derived from outdoor grown, Humboldt County cannabis.

I was especially charmed by the cannagar that contained Papa’s Select from Sunrise Mountain Farms. Their cheerful Dozizoz #3 flower and Dozizoz live Ice Water #5 hash comes hand woven into further tangle of Sunrise Mountain Farms flower. This is truly gorgeous stuff that speaks to a higher place in the universe. I’m very impressed. El Blunto/Albert Einstone/Papa’s Select have created something that speaks very clearly towards quality and character. And you will get really stoned with out any trouble at all.

Tasting Notes for the Dozizoz #5 cannagar:

Nose: Bright and refreshing with dollops of lemon oil and baby skunk

Palate: Richly textured smoke with hints of toasted hazelnut and pine sap

Finish: Each puff brings mesmerizing aromatics of crushed bitter/sweet cocoa nibs across the tongue

The Stone: This is not a cannagar for beginners, you will get quite high. Very high at that! The smoking experience will last a good long time.

The second cannagar is comprised of Gelato OG and infused with Fatso live ice water hash. The hash is bred by Really Cannarado and grown by Sabertooth Farms and the flower is grown by Local Cannabis Co. I really enjoyed this gourmet treat and deeply potent stone.

Click link below to read more…

Read More Here At Skunk Magazine!

Categories
Articles Reviews Tasting Notes

A Golden State Mini-Prerolls: Strikingly potent Gourmet Cannabis

Have you ever started smoking your typical one gram joint only to get so high that you cannot finish it? Or you’ve put that joint out, but the cannabis smoke that has drawn through the joint, making it sour tasting. Just smoked cannabis has a distinctive bouquet. It is not always a pleasurable scent reminiscent of used bong water. Not pleasant at all to me.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could encapsulate your favorite high-test cannabis strains in a miniature, hand-held easy to maneuver package that is not at all overpowering? What if your “sesh” was just the right size to enjoy but not be wasteful?

There are a multitude of mini-prerolls on the market these days. If you haven’t noticed them yet there is a reason. The larger sized prerolls just dominate the dispensary market, but not for long in my opinion. The convenience to the consumer is profound with each mini-preroll weighing in at about .52 of a gram. For the purpose of this article, each mini of the brand, offers a very personal experience. They are just the perfect size for your own sesh, which I must say is not overwhelming. You will get really high. It’s just enough and not too much.

It’s a nice touch to offer a mini-preroll that is weighed slightly overweight as well. As a person fairly familiar with the cannabis business, it’s nice to get a little bit extra when the quality is already so elevated.

Silver Cloud, Indica:

It’s refreshing to find an Indica strain that doesn’t bury me into the couch after only a couple drags. A Golden State has developed this cultivar to stimulate the mind, while relaxing the body. It’s quite uncanny how they do this. I also had a heightened appetite, something that hardly happens to me under any circumstance. I didn’t eat the entire chicken pot pie, only 9/10ths of it. The Silver Cloud is evocative with notes of citrus oil and cedar on the nose leading into dollops of pine sap and turned soil. It’s crystalline in the head, I was thinking clearly yet my body became very relaxed. Nice work!

Night Sky, Indica:

This strain is the night train to a place not yet discovered. My brain is sedated, and my body is relaxed and comfortable. There isn’t anything out of place and my dream-state is set way off in the background, yet I’m comfortable and peaceful all at the same time. This is cannabis for the late day and late evening. The flavors are of coconut meat, snipped French herbs and candied walnuts. Hints of earth and vanilla bean comes into view then works her magic around my palate up and into my brain. Night Sky is the Milky Way Galaxy…Without any sticky chocolate on your fingers.

Woods, Sativa:

The first thing I tasted was orange zest surrounding gobs of pine sap. The kind of sap that coats your windshield. If you were to lick that sap, it would taste just like the first hit of Woods. I’ve often described California cannabis as having fruit salad notes. This one is the diametric opposite to fruity. It’s a walk in the Redwood forest, surrounded by pine needles and shovelfuls of crushed minerals coated in pristine sea salt. This strain grabs your attention and draws you into a heightened state of intellect. It’s possible that the rabbit hole that you fall down will take you to into the study of Venetian glass. Well not really, this strain is brain food for that perfect refresher to your mindfulness. Smoking a mini-preroll of Woods is a vacation for your mind. If you want more of a buzz, smoke another one. This stuff really works her magic on my brain, or what little remains of my brain at the end of the day.

A Golden State is consistently offering the finest quality herbs in both flower and pre-roll formats. Each strain harvested from their own individually developed cultivars offering candor and intensity for the acutely aware connoisseur.

Make sure to check out: www.agoldenstate.com/

WARREN BOBROW

Warren Bobrow has been a dishwasher, the owner of the first company to make fresh pasta in South Carolina , a television engineer and he even worked at Danceteria in NYC which led to a twenty year career in private banking. A cannabis, wine and travel aficionado, Warren is a former rum judge and craft spirits national brand ambassador. He works full time in the cannabis business as an alchemist/journalist. Cocktailwhisperer.com Drinkklaus.com Instagram: warrenbobrow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Bobrow

Categories
Books

Cannabis Cocktails Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations

Back in Stock at Amazon!!

Categories
Articles Reviews

A Golden State: Three New Strains for Epicure Experiences

Lake Shasta Snowmelt is what powers the textured and redolent cannabis from A Golden State in Northern California. This pure and pristine water source acts to give A Golden State cannabis the unique terroir that adds a certain taste of the place. I wanted to test my theory that A Golden State is unlike any cannabis I’ve enjoyed before by smoking it through two brand new smoking implements to me, namely the Session Bong and the other, a Higher Standards Beaker.

I also used my Stonedware “Purse-Pipe” with splendid results. You don’t need a deep lungful of weed smoke for an abundantly pleasurable smoking experience!

I procured three selections along with some lovely Indica-based, mini-joints that I hope to review in the coming weeks. The flavors are as follows: Lava Flower, Honey Flower and Silver Cloud.  https://www.agoldenstate.com/

Each of these ultra-luxury strains come packaged in eighth-ounce sized glass jars that are painted creamy white with their name, A Golden State penned in gold. There is a round sticker on top of the jar showing the individual strain name. Each sticker is printed in bright Pantone-type color. It’s really impressive to see up close, much care goes into the design of the packaging. This is a brilliant way to be recognized in on the shelf, their labels and micro-stories printed on the boxes really stand out. Each one subtly hinged on art-school worthy color palates that soothe and entice the consumer into a purchase. The consumer, intrigued by all these pigments, will find that A Golden State does more than just look good, the hand-tended cannabis smokes just as exquisitely.

Read More Here At Skunk Magazine!