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.
Warren Bobrow=WB: Where are you from? Why cannabis? Did you go to business school? Who is your mentor?
Danny Davis= DD: I was born in Pomona, CA in 1976, the perfect time to appreciate the musical movement of nearby cities representing the origins of rap and hip-hop in the 80’s as I was coming of age. My childhood was focused on 3 things: wearing the newest Air Jordans, playing basketball and hiding my NWA cassette from my parents (I never realized at the time how much of my early life was influenced by “cannabis culture”). Marijuana was so taboo in my household that I remember my mom continually telling me if she ever caught me smoking it she’d take me to jail herself.
No plans for Valentine’s Day? Try making cannabis cocktails at home with your loved one. The combination of spirits and cannabis can elevate you both while keeping you relaxed and ready for anything. Here are five cannabis cocktails to try this February 14th.
Cannabis journalists spread the word on industry-related happenings across the globe. Whether it’s local or international news, these reporters have shared stories on all channels, sometimes gaining traction through just a single tweet.
We love following cannabis journalists on Twitter because they share their own insights about the industry while paying close attention to report accurately and fairly. They allow us to partake in experiences with them, whether it’s baking ziti, traveling the world, or learning incredibly timely updates in the industry.
This holiday season, we wanted to give thanks to these cannabis journalists who allow us to get a glance at their perspectives. We thought a great way to show our appreciation would be to showcase some of these rockstar reporters. So, we’ve compiled a list of our 11 favorite cannabis journalists to follow on Twitter.
We thought the number 11 would be a perfect fit. Some say it’s unbalanced. Asymmetrical. We think there’s something special about this truly unique number. Even though 11 can’t begin to quantify the number of journalists we love to follow on Twitter, we thought it’d be a great start to shine some light on some of our favorites.
