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Interviews Reviews Skunk Magazine

Ian Hackett, Napa Valley Fumé CMO Gets Gnarly Into Five Questions

Fumé

I was just out at the Hall of Flowers held yearly at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. While there, I had a chance to taste the fine flowers offered by fumé, and without even being patient and getting some at the show, I bought some from a dispensary. I knew that there would be no shortage of fine flowers available to me, but if I wanted to capture any tasting notes, I was forced by necessity to do them early in my day’s work. Such is the life of a cannabis-tasting notes aficionado. At least it’s not like doing a rum tasting. The hangovers from the sugar were insurmountable sometimes. Cannabis offers no such experience, especially not cannabis, from companies such as fumé. They offer such an elevated show. It’s refreshing to smoke their offerings early in my tasting routine, which this year was no disappointment.

Please enjoy the following interview with Ian Hackett, Napa Valley Fumé CMO, and Head of Compliance. Did I say that their herbs are deliciously different? 

They are. 

Warren Bobrow: Please tell me about the new brand. 

Ian Hackett: We created our new brand, fumé (pronounced foo-may), in an effort to showcase what we believe to be some of California’s best cannabis strains. We developed this premium line with the educated cannabis consumer in mind; those who seek out unique strains with complex terpene profiles and are grown by farmers who honor the plant and go the extra mile to grow responsibly in order to protect the planet. The fumé consumer understands that terpenes are key players in their experience, and they have a passion for sustainability and giving back to the cannabis community, two key components of our brand. We evaluated dozens of strains–held blind sensory panels for aroma, taste, and experience–and met with the growers in person to hand-pick the strains. To complete the experience, we coupled them with premium smoking accessories that allow people to experience the true flavor of these terpene-rich cultivars. We wanted to push the envelope in terms of cannabis packaging. I have an issue with the number of single-use plastics that, due to regulations, we can’t really avoid. So, I worked with an amazing packaging supplier, and my designer and I came up with a stunning, child-resistant certified, plastic-free solution for our king cones, pre-roll packs, and flower. 

WB: Why cannabis? 

IH: I want to help people. It’s simply part of who I am. I believe that the cannabis plant–with all of its healing properties–can help people fix themselves. The positive results have been demonstrated time and time again. From the medical perspective and how critical cannabis was in helping those suffering from HIV/AIDS and cancer starting in the 80s to how it’s used today to treat PTSD for our Veterans, and it is helping so many people who suffer from anxiety and depression with real results. We should try and heal ourselves, not mask or medicate with opioids that have been overprescribed and subsequently abused for many decades. That said, I also see the massive opportunity that the cannabis industry brings to the economy. I was lucky enough to be part of the e-commerce boom, and to me–aside from space–the cannabis industry is the next frontier. 

WB: Indoor or outdoor grown? Why?

IH: I believe that outdoor is the ideal growing style for cannabis. It’s the most natural and cost-effective method. I just love the idea of the cannabis plants basking under the California sun and swaying under our big blue skies. That said, I am a big fan and love a good greenhouse grow. You can take advantage of the sun’s energy, maintain a hospitable environment when mother nature is having a bad day, and you can have multiple harvests per year. We have one sun-grown strain in the fumé lineup called Dank Fruit, and it recently took third place in High Times’ NorCal Cannabis Cup in the sun-grown category. It’s a cross between Purple Papaya Punch x Blue Dream. I dubbed it an introvert’s paradise, and it’s my current go-to weekday strain because it delivers such a well-balanced high, and it smokes super smooth. The other two strains in the fumé line are absolute stunners. Our Double Chem OG (Light Dep) is a heavy-hitter and delivers that body buzz before taking you into a calm, relaxed state. And, our Cherry AK (Mixed Light) has an incredible nose—I get goosebumps whenever I smell it. It’s sweet and piney, and it packs a burst of energy right out of the gate; it’s a cerebral banger, and you’ll want to move around. 

WB: Favorite let’s get stoned food, where? 

IH: Gimme the salt all day. Pretzels, pizza (duh), and olives. This is why I really love an overflowing Mezze platter when I smoke with friends. I like the freshness of a Mezze platter and how savory the items are—the olives, feta, eggplant, tzatziki, and the warm flatbreads just hit the spot for me. With a loaded Mezze platter, there is something for everyone so we can just settle in, listen to music, talk, and graze and blaze. 

WB: What is your passion? 

IH: I am honestly just in love with the cannabis community. I have never felt so protective, engaged with, and proud of a group of people. I want to help people find healing with the plant and bring joy to others through recreational use. So, to combine my passion for helping and healing through the plant with my professional desire to build things, I have found an industry and community that gets the best parts of me. I have used cannabis since high school recreationally and medically after my first panic attack about eight years ago. But, being able to work with the plant, develop products and brands, and collaborate with some amazing growers, marketers, retailer buyers, and my awesome team makes me very thankful for the opportunity I have been given to work in this industry.

*Unique, high-quality cannabis, grown responsibly

fumé strains are uncommon as they are small-batch cannabis with complex cannabinoid and terpene profiles that deliver a full-spectrum experience. The strains are visually appealing, have vibrant colors, and produce enticing aromas when squeezed. Each large bud was cured to perfection and hand-trimmed with care. 

The flower is sourced based on the sustainability of the grower’s cultivation practices. The brand showcases the growers, many of whom are heritage growers who have honed their craft of growing small-batch cannabis sustainably and responsibly. That means no run-off from their grow, no chemicals or toxic chemicals are used, and they don’t import water. 

*Elevated packaging and smoking accessories

fumé strains are offered in three formats–Flower (3.5g), King Cone (1g), and Pre-Roll Pack (3.5g). The flower is beautifully packaged in a premium UV-resistant, air-tight flower jar that preserves the flower five times longer than any other jar on the market. The King Cone and Pre-Roll Pack include custom cherry wood smoke tips created by a small wood accessory maker in the US and an organic beeswax hemp wicks to remove the taste of sulfur from a matchstick or butane from a lighter, allowing to taste the flower in its truest form. fumé packaging is totally sustainable, 100% recyclable, and child-resistant certified–to open the King Cone and Pre-Roll Packs, you simply insert a credit card to expose the snug-fit tray where each cone joint is housed in a glass tube with a cork for freshness.

*Giving back to the cannabis community

In 2020, Napa Valley Fumé partnered with Last Prisoner Project to free people who are currently incarcerated for a drug that is no longer illegal. The company continues to be an active partner with continued support in its ongoing efforts with recurring monthly donations. Napa Valley Fumé is proud to be long-standing supporters of Last Prisoner Project. 

fumé is now available throughout California on Eaze.com, Sweet Flower in Los Angeles, and select High Times dispensaries. 

To learn more, visit www.enjoyfume.com or Instagram www.instagram.com/enjoyfume/

About Napa Valley Fumé 

Napa Valley Fumé is a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Napa, CA. The company’s mission–Planting Trees for Future Generations–comes from its vision to plant seeds to grow a brighter future for cannabis by bringing the most innovative products and experiences to market. Its first brand–LAKE GRADE–entered the market in July 2019, and its proprietary strains quickly became one of the most popular sun-grown cannabis on the market. In August 2021, Napa Valley Fumé launched its flagship brand–fumé–for those who seek an elevated cannabis experience. 

To learn more, visit www.fumebrands.com.

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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, then a trained chef 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

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5 Questions Articles Interviews Skunk Magazine

Five Crisp Questions With Bryan Buckley, President and CEO HVGC

Bryan Buckley, President and CEO HVGC

I’ve met Bryan Buckley a couple of times now for this article and another magazine a couple of years ago. I was struck by his forthright character, passion for the plant, and his deep reverence for his service in the military, not a small task as I’ve learned. He’s got a handshake that speaks volumes, even before he speaks. I felt very happy to have him doing what he obviously loves, and he needs to bond with his brothers in arms through his passion and compassion. 

Warren Bobrow: Where are you from? Where do you live now?

Photo: HVGC

Brian Buckley: I was born and raised in a town north of the Philadelphia area called Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Once I joined the Marine Corps, I spent time in Quantico, Virginia, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 2011, I received orders to Camp Pendleton, California. I moved to an area called Carlsbad, California, and have been living here ever since. 

Warren Bobrow: What do you do? Please tell me about your company and what makes you different. 

Brian Buckley: Once I finished up my service in the Marine Corps, I worked for an Ed Tech firm, focusing on Higher Education. In 2016, I founded the Battle Brothers Foundation, a 501C3 Nonprofit organization that supports our veterans. It was around the same time that I discovered the medicinal benefits of cannabis. I wanted to move the dial with our nation’s legislators and began the process of being able to obtain an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Helmand Valley Growers Company (HVGC) was established to help achieve this goal. I have the honor of being the President and CEO of this adult/medical cannabis organization located in California. What separates us from other brands is that 100% of our profits go to fund veteran medical cannabis research. This research will include NiaMedic Healthcare and Research Services out of Israel and the University of California at Irvine Health. The first study is scheduled to take place in the fall/winter of 2021.

Photo: HVGC

Warren Bobrow: What was your inspiration? When did you discover the plant? What strains do you seek?

Brian Buckley: My inspiration has been veterans. I never could understand why we do not do everything in our power to ensure that they live a life of peace and the American dream that they fought so hard to defend. I discovered the plant in the 2016 timeframe. I was just having a terrible time trying to sleep and relax. It was Andy Miears who told me about the positive impact that the plant was having on his life. Once I tried it, I knew it was something special. No pill could have the positive impact that cannabis had on me. That is what inspired us to go forward with an Institutional Review Board-approved study. We wanted to prove the medicinal benefit of cannabis through data-driven results. I love hearing feedback from veterans in terms of what strains have worked best for them to help reduce their ailments. At Helmand Valley Growers Company, we want to produce what works best for our veterans to help combat the symptoms of post-traumatic stress. 

Warren Bobrow: Favorite childhood food memory? Current food passion?

Brian Buckley: My favorite childhood food memory would have to be watching high school football under the Friday night lights. For food? I love popcorn to a fault. I will take down a whole large bucket at the movies. When I make a bag of popcorn in the microwave, it is for me and me alone. Combined, I love watching football games while eating a bag of popcorn. Even when I go home, and I drive by the stadium on a game night, I can still smell that popcorn. My current food passion is cooking steak and chicken or whatever on a grill. Just find it to be relaxing. If you do it right, the food is incredible.

Warren Bobrow: What is your passion? 

Brian Buckley: My passion is my family and the mission of proving the medicinal benefits of medical cannabis. I always try to keep a good work/life balance. Work hard all day, come home to the family, and spend quality time with the family. At night, prior to calling it a night, I think, “What have I done for a veteran today.” It is what drives me to keep going.

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Interviews Skunk Magazine

Five Intriguing Questions With Canndescent’s VP of Cultivation, Jeff Homolya

Canndescent

I’ve been a massive fan of Canndescent for several years now. Their rise to excellence creates a plateau for intellectual thought, and I’m positive that their flowers inspire others as they do for me. There is nothing that I know of that fills my mind as completely as Canndescent cannabis in regard to creativity. Sure, I have my favorite cannabis strains in every state, but that isn’t the whole story. Canndescent is consistently inspiring in my book. If only I could get Canndescent in New Jersey. Well, that’s another story for another day. I’m lucky to have been afforded the ability to taste excellence. 

Of course, tasting excellence comes with a cost—the potency. Canndescent is not for the beginner cannabis aficionado. I am treading lightly here. Sure, you can afford it, but less is more in this respect. Canndescent. 

Warren Bobrow: Please tell me about the Art of Flower. What are you trying to achieve?

Photo: Canndescent

Jeff Homolya: “The Art of Flower” means that we see cannabis cultivation as an art form. We produce each cultivar with its own individual needs in mind—ensuring it reaches its greatest potential and that we maintain genetic purity. The meticulous care we put into each strain helps us produce amazing flower and allows us to capture what makes cannabis so special. Our goal is to produce the cleanest, highest-quality flower possible so our consumers can experience everything cannabis has to offer. 

WB: How do you decide what strains to choose? Indoor or outdoor grown? Why?

JH: Through pheno-hunting, our team of experts selects strains from vetted nurseries. Each cultivar is test-grown in small batches to ensure it meets our rigorous potency, yield, and terpene standards. 

Since Canndescent is an effects-based cannabis brand, we use the flower’s terpene profile, cannabinoids, and the results of inhouse sensory tests to place a strain into one of our five effect categories—CALM, CRUISE, CREATE, CONNECT, and CHARGE. Our goal is to simplify the selection process for consumers looking for a specific experience. 

All Canndescent flower is grown in one of our four state-of-the-art indoor cultivation facilities in Desert Hot Springs, California. Growing indoors gives us more control, allowing us to curate the environment by stage and strain. 

WB: What are your six- and twelve-month goals? 

Photo: Canndescent

JH: In terms of short-term goals, we are always looking for ways to improve the quality of our flower. At our R&D center, we are also working to produce proprietary genetics. 

Our long-term goal is to expand our product offerings in the market. Sustainability is also very important to us. We were one of the first companies to create a solar-powered cultivation center. We want to continue expanding on our conservation efforts and find ways to reduce our carbon footprint and energy consumption even more. 

WB: What is your favorite cannabis strain right now? Why?

JH: CRUISE 239 is a new favorite of mine. The plant itself has an excellent structure, and the flower has great coloring and a rich chocolatey sweet aroma and flavor. Also, this hybrid is high in the terpene limonene, promoting mental euphoria and relaxing the body without causing couch lock. 

WB: What is your passion? 

Photo: Canndescent

JH: Cannabis cultivation is my passion, and it’s an honor and privilege to work so closely with mother nature every day. The reward is knowing that my efforts positively impact the lives of people who turn to cannabis. It doesn’t get much better than working with this incredible plant and helping people. 

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, then a trained chef 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

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Interviews Skunk Magazine

Five Intriguing Questions For Pro Cannabis Media Founder: Jimmy Young

Jimmy Young

Boston, Massachusetts- September 2021

I met Jimmy up in Boston a couple of years ago in the media lounge during MJ BizCon. He is very well known for cannabis. There was a certain buzz in the air and the long line of well-wishers greeted him as an old friend. He is well-liked.

My college degree is from Emerson, literally right down the street. I’m a film school graduate who did go on to work in television in NYC for a short time and I knew we had much we could talk about.

Cannabis included.

Jimmy had his microphone in hand, and he was interviewing cannabis luminaries from the area and around the world. He speaks with a knowing smile and people are naturally attracted to his comfort in the journalistic interview methodology. Being in front of a camera does that for you. It’s easier to talk to people when you know not to be afraid of speaking in public. Those of us who are trained in media get over that fear immediately- our teachers would have failed otherwise! Jimmy is a class act.  I’m proud to know him.

Jimmy contacted me the other day and asked me if I would be interested in catching up with his current successes. Of course, being a person long accustomed to interviewing intriguing people in the cannabis industry I said yes. And when I let him know, I wanted to write this piece for Skunk Magazine? Let’s just let his Boston-tinged voice- via his words, speak for themselves.

Warren Bobrow: Please tell me who you are? Why cannabis? Where are you located in the world? 

Jimmy Young: Maybe it was the Boston Tea Party where the rebel in me was born? (I’m starting my 65th year now, not 248 years old!)

Maybe it was the 12 championships among my favorite pro sports teams in the first 20 years of the 21st century?

Or maybe it was legalizing medical cannabis in 2013 in Massachusetts after 4 major surgeries on my arthritic athletic body, or the fact that I find out later in life I’m allergic to hops and can’t drink beer?

No matter how I spin it, I’ve been a regular partaker in the precious herb of cannabis for 38 years of my life with ten years off from 1990-2000 (a story for another day!).

Not quite sure if that gives you an idea of who I am since I don’t think after 25 years as an Emmy Award-winning talk show host, and full-time TV sportscaster, 35 years as a teacher and soccer coach, parent, and mentor to hundreds of young people in their broadcast careers, my life can be defined by my use of cannabis.

Do I like to party? Yes!

Do I preach responsible use of cannabis and alcohol, yes! I end every show with the same line, now trademarked, “It’s a whole new world of weed out there, use it responsibly.”

Do I freak about the fact that the most abused drug in our society is caffeine, and no one cares because 91% of Americans drink coffee every day! Yes!

WB: What kind of stigmas do you face in your field?

JY: As far as facing down the stigma, well that’s why I started Pro Cannabis Media in the first place! Back in 2018 I watched a CNBC TV network interview with a CEO of a Multi-State Operator, and I was so disgusted with the reporter’s preparation regarding their line of questions, I realized the industry needed a cannabis-friendly media outlet, and when Nick Gelso of CLNS Media, (a podcast aggregation network) urged me to attend the New England Cannabis Convention in Boston in March of 2018 to start a cannabis podcast, In The Weeds with Jimmy Young was born.

Now after over 250 episodes of that interview show on video and shared as an audio podcast, we continue to produce pro-cannabis media content by treating the people I meet with the same respect I treat all people.

I mean how many people on Earth have interviewed Pele’, Hank Aaron, Earvin Magic Johnson, Reverend Jesse Jackson. Been thrown in the Charles River by Bobby Orr, and partied with the late Brent Mydland and Bill Kreutzman of the Grateful Dead, Larry Miller, Carole Liefer, and Jerry Seinfeld?

Throw in interviews with the Last Prisoner Project’s  Steve DeAngelo, the founder of Canopy Growth Bruce Linton, Mara Gordon of Aunt Zeldas and Weed The People, Curaleaf’s Vice-Chair Joe Lusardi, Nick Kovacevich from Kush Co, Max Simon of Green Flower, Chris Walsh from MJBiz, Jamie Pearson from Bhang Corporation, longtime incarcerated inmate Michael Thompson, and many others. You can understand why I feel so blessed, and am so proud that we now live stream our content 24-7 on our website procannabismedia.com and our ROKU and Apple + PCM TV channel. we also produce four original shows per week, and syndicating content from seven other producers!

Best of all, we are just beginning!

We already produce a weekly Weed Talk News show for release on Fridays at Noon with contributions from 7 other correspondents from coast to coast. Those reporters we call “Canna Casters” are a take on Cannabis Broadcasters. Our training webinars to be introduced in the Fall of 2021, will feature workshops on hosting your interview show, writing for the spoken word, public speaking basics and presentation skills, interview techniques, and how to tell a story with audio and video.

We produce a weekly live business of cannabis talk show on Fridays at 4 PM EST. It’s called The Green Rush Live and we are about to launch a series of “Grow” shows and educational webinars for people who want to become part of history reporting on the end of prohibition in the US (no matter how long it takes)!

Our talented staff has recently been joined by a former NBC Sports, CNN, FOX news, and Turner Sports anchor named Dave Briggs. Who courtesy of Hub Craft, has already interviewed NFL Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson (Megatron) and his teammate Rob Sims. As well as NBA Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Gary Payton, Stanley Cup Champ, Darren McCarty, and Olympian Dr. Joanna Zieger for his Cannversation Show, and available on-demand on PCM TV’s channel on ROKU, YouTube, Apple+ platforms.

We also just launched a live 30 minute morning show at 8 AM EST with the Green Nurse Group of Nurse Mark Worster and Sherri Tutkus RN.

WB: Please tell me about your six and twelve-month goals?  What is your favorite way to introduce your company to others?

JY: Over the next year, we are hoping to identify a visionary team of like-minded business people and self-starting producers, who understand that the consumer is in charge of their use of media and information, and we want to give them options to consume news, talk, and educational content about cannabis in different forms that fit the media platform they choose whether that’s traditional TV, radio, social media, or even text blogs or print.

When asked what Pro Cannabis Media is, we answer: We tell the stories of the cannabis industry in their own words. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the line, cannabis has saved my life, cannabis has changed my life. I do believe that God put this plant on Earth to bring people together, improve the wellness of people, and clean the environment with an acceptance of plant-based medicines, and industrial materials (hemp).

WB: What is your passion?

JY: I was a rebel as a child (and some might even say as an adult). I was fortunate to have two wonderful parents who raised me with a silver spoon offering privileges that I am grateful for but recognize how lucky I was and how fortunate.

Now I recognize what a mess my generation has made of our environment and judicial systems and the role that cannabis has played in a failed war on drugs that was driven by hatred and race. I feel so guilty that young people have to undo what my generation, and others before it, have created, but I will do everything I can to give a voice to those who are trying to make changes in the world to make it a better place so we all can live together in harmony and peace. The late Lenny Zakim (NE ADL Director, Richard Lapchick (Racial Conscience of Sports), and Mohammed Ali (The Greatest) all believed in one family of humanity where our diversity is our greatest strength. Now we have a chance to make an everlasting change if power and greed don’t get in the way.

As Bobby Kennedy used to say… “Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

Thank you, Jimmy!

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Interviews Skunk Magazine

Scarlet Fire Cannabis Company: Deadhead /Entrepreneur David Ellison

David Ellison

ONCE IN A WHILE, YOU GET SHOWN THE LIGHT: GRATEFUL DEAD-INSPIRED CRAFT CANNABIS STORE SCARLET FIRE OPENS IN TORONTO

The unexpected, one-of-a-kind store celebrates Dead Head founder David Ellison’s passion for cannabis, music, magic, and psychedelia.

Former Toronto securities lawyer, David Ellison, tuned in, turned on, and dropped out of the rat race to open a Grateful Dead-inspired cannabis store Scarlet Fire Cannabis Co. (scarletfirecanabis.ca), that Marijuana Venture Magazine calls “a dispensary experience unlike any other”. The offbeat and funky cannabis retail store reflects the founder’s love for the iconic American counterculture band. Dead Heads and those looking to experience the band’s magic can revel in mesmerizing decor and wax cosmic with the highly knowledgeable team of cannabis experts. While listening to the Grateful Dead and other jam bands the Dead inspired.

The store was designed by SevenPoint Interiors (www.sevenpointinteriors.com), an acclaimed design and manufacturing firm specializing in cannabis retail. The team transformed what had been a soulless check-cashing store into a colorful, sophisticated tribute to the iconic band’s aesthetic to transport customers to an altered state of consciousness. Outside the front window, people first see a series of portholes cut through scarlet-stained panels backdropped by a circular screen of moving psychedelic images—dubbed “The Rabbit Hole.”  This creates a somewhat hallucinatory optical illusion to curious passersby that often stop and curiously stare at the unique psychedelic visual trying to figure out what it is. Once inside the store, customers realize what they saw was not an illusion, but very real and entirely different from what they thought they saw from outside.

“At Scarlet Fire, we wanted to create a customer engagement so different from what they are used to,” says Ellison. “We start our customers on a journey and educate them. We’ve created a place where cannabis, music, magic, and psychedelia merge.” 

Warren Bobrow: Please tell me about yourself. Why the Grateful Dead? What was your favorite show? When are you bringing your concept to the USA for all of the USA-based deadheads?

David Ellison: First and foremost, I’m a father to three amazing kids (Abby 15, Aliya 13, and Josh 10). I’ve been privileged to hold a number of titles in my life, but Dad is the one I’m most proud of.  I used to be a corporate securities lawyer before I decided to drop out of the rat race, open Scarlet Fire, and follow my bliss.  I think I got trapped doing something that wasn’t me.  After 20 years of practicing law, I got tired of making rich people richer.  I’m 48 and I want to enjoy the rest of my life and do something to better people’s lives.  Our mission statement at Scarlet Fire embodies that: To improve the quality of people’s lives with cannabis.  We do that every single day.

Why the Grateful Dead? That’s an easy answer to feel, but an almost impossible one to explain with words.  It’s food for your soul and I if had to explain, it just couldn’t be understood.  The Grateful Dead is part of my identity, part of who I am.  Something happened to me the day I saw my first show at the age of 17, and the Grateful Dead became just as much part of my identity as my name.

I never had intentions of bringing the brand to the US.  It’s possible, I guess.  Although, I can’t see bringing the brand to the US until at least the time that the US federal government gets its head out of its ass when it comes to cannabis.

I don’t have a favorite show.  There are so many great shows from so many different periods of the band’s history, I just don’t know how to “rank” them or claim one as a favorite.  If I started to go through the shows I most listen to, I think I’d go about 5 times over my allowed word allotment here.  I don’t have a favorite per se, there is a show that is the most memorable or meaningful to me.  In 2002, I saw Bob Weir and Ratdog open for B.B. King at the Pistoia Blues Festival in Pistoia, Italy.  I managed to get my hands on a backstage pass, and how that happened is a story all to itself.  I went backstage after Ratdog finished and just as B.B King came on stage.  I saw Bob Weir, and I mustered up enough courage to walk up and say hello.  He was so nice and friendly, and I was so nervous.  We chatted about the blues and Willie Dixon for a bit and then stood beside each other and watched B.B. King from behind the stage.  I’m standing there thinking to myself somebody needs to pinch me, so I know this is real.  That’s something I’ll never forget.  Once I bumped into Billy Kreutzman wandering the streets before a show looking or the venue.  I showed him where the venue was and helped him out of a jam, I guess.  That was pretty memorable too.

WB: Tell me about your company? What are your six-month and twelve-month goals?  Indoor or outdoor grown for you?

DE: I think we created something special with Scarlet Fire.  It’s more like a living, breathing, and evolving life form than a company.  It’s not something that can be duplicated or cookie-cut like a chain store or a franchise.  Every person who works here brings something different and unique that enhances the store and the vibe we create.  Add a person or take one away, and the Scarlet Fire organism changes organically.  We have some of the best and smartest people in the industry working here.  They are cannabis sommeliers, not budtenders.  You can’t go to university and get a degree in weed, but if you could they’d all have earned a Ph.D.  We pay our staff more than what is standard in the industry, and they also have an opportunity to share in the profits.

It’s really important to us that our customers get a really good product and pay a fair price. I’d say our prices are 10-15% cheaper than most stores.  A lot of it is based on mutual respect.  We are humbled by the respect our customers show us by shopping at Scarlet Fire and coming back, and we return that respect by making sure our customers get the most for their hard-earned money.  We work hard and spend countless hours curating our menu.  Nothing comes through our door unless we can stand behind it.  If we make a mistake and bring in something that we don’t like, I’d rather destroy the product under controlled conditions than see a customer walk out of the store with it.

As far as what the 6 months, 12 months, or future beyond holds, I don’t know.  We have our own branded cannabis coming in October sometime, starting with a 10-pack of pre-rolls.  We wanted to do something with old-school cultivars that you might find in the Dead lot.  We are crossing an Oaxacan landrace sativa, indigenous to Mexico and Central America with Mazar Kush, having roots in the Hindu Kush mountain range between Afghanistan and Pakistan. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m pretty excited about it.  We have some other pretty cool shit up our sleeve, but we are keeping tight-lipped about it for the moment.  Otherwise, it’s tough to predict how the retail market in Ontario is going to evolve.  So, I guess the answer is…I don’t know what I’m going for, but I’m gonna go for it for sure.

WB:  What kind of cannabis consumer is your favorite?

DE: First, I love all my customers.  They are all such beautiful people from all walks of life.  The diversity is amazing and it’s a real cross-section of humanity.  Meeting all of these wonderful people allowed me to look at the world through a second lens.  Not many people are lucky enough to get a second chance at living, and for that, I am eternally grateful to my customers.

I guess my favorite customers are those that want to listen and learn from us just as passionately as we want to talk about weed and educate them.  I love it when a customer walks in and says something like the weed I suggested for them the last time was amazing, they loved it and was exactly what they wanted.  Then they ask, what else do I have? It’s the customer that doesn’t want anything twice no matter how good it is that keeps us on our toes.  Cannabis is a never-ending journey, and I love being a guide to their journey.

WB: Tell me about your food memories. What is your favorite meal? Made by whom? Where?

DE: Growing up, my favorite meal that my mom made was a vegetarian lasagna. I love it just as much to this day and she always makes it for me for special occasions.  I also love BBQ and low n’ slow wood-fueled cooking.  At one time, I owned five different BBQs.  I have paired this down to two BBQs, but I always want to add to the collection.  I make pretty mean BBQ if I do say so myself.  A lot of my friends are pushing me to try entering a BBQ competition.  Maybe next year.

WB: What is your passion?  

DE: My first passion is my kids, for sure.  Aside from my kids, my real passion is music.  When I first saw the Grateful Dead and heard Jerry Garcia, I was like…. I wanna play music just like that!  My grandfather bought me an acoustic guitar for my birthday, and away I went.  If I could do anything in this life, I would be a musician.  However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I lacked the necessary natural ability to pursue music professionally.  That’s a nice way of saying, I’m not very good.  While I am a fledgling musician at best, I like to think of myself as a professional listener of music. I love the way talented musicians can convey feeling and emotion and imagery through what they play.  Maybe that’s why I love Garcia so much.  The man could tell a story of a thousand words with just one note.  He could also bring you to tears with the same note. Maybe you need to be born with a tortured soul to play like that.

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, then a trained chef 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

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(The Late, Great) Frenchy Cannoli, Master Hashishin Graciously Reveals His Five Questions

Frenchy Cannoli, Master Hashishin

I was recently over in Germany (back in 2019) for the Berlin Bar Convent and while I was there, I led a panel on combining cannabis and intoxicating beverages. Afterwards I spent some time wandering around the city parks. I had many opportunities to purchase some European hashish, but I didn’t do it this time and it’s too bad because European hashish is completely different than most of the stuff that is called hashish in the United States. The last time I smoked some Middle Eastern hash, I was in Paris, and it was about twenty years ago. The little “Temple Ball” felt to my hands like warm oil and the fragrant cannabis flowers were softly pressed (all by hand) until they combined to make a paste, which was then further rolled into a tiny ball which got me really, really high. Like a wet wool blanket on a hot summer’s day. All enveloping.

The source of this hand-made hashish was impeccable, And this sample was not purchased in a park but came to me through some really tuned-in locals who knew the European hashish trade well and only smoked the very best.

It’s funny to me as a world traveler, just how relevant hashish is outside the USA, not just for recreational purposes, but for deeply sociological ones too. Most of it is smoked in cigarettes with really stinky, (to me) Turkish-style tobacco, a practice that I cannot enjoy because of my historic bias against tobacco. Thus, I’ve missed out on some incredible Middle Eastern hashish varieties for this reason. Tobacco just gives me a massive headache, especially with the addition of hashish.

The traditional hashish in Europe is completely different from the “Ice-Water method” of powdered hash found here in the USA. The powdered stuff is hash in name only. It doesn’t represent hash to me at all. I hardly ever see real hash in the United States. The experience is completely different, like the concept of terroir in fine wine. The taste of the place. It happens by osmosis.

When I found out about Frenchy and his techniques through a couple different sources, I set my canna-vision on contacting him. When I saw a picture of him, Frenchy immediately reminded me of the late Serge Gainsbourg, the infamous French musical raconteur, both wild and intriguing.

I knew we would be fast friends.

Frenchy, I cannot wait to share a smoke with you, mon amie.

Editor’s note: Frenchy left this earth on Sunday.

The same intellectual agility holds true for makers of gourmet hashish. But without further ado, may I please introduce, Frenchy Cannoli, Gourmet Hashish Master.

Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourself. What is it that makes you the most renowned at your craft? Why Hashish?

Frenchy Cannoli=FC: Once upon a long time ago, I was a child dreaming of adventures, travels, and discovery, the child, grew to be a rebellious teenager holding on to his childhood dreams of adventures. Traveling the Silk Road, sailing the Red Sea, or sharing the life of tribes in the Sahara and the rain forest was more appealing than the 9-to-5 life my family and society wanted for me. My first experience with Hashish at 17 was a revelatory experience of pure and extreme wellness, joy, and pleasure. But, because Hashish was perceived by society as a dangerous drug, seeking a state of well being made me a reject, a danger to society, only the misfits of the world smoked Hashish in the early 70s and lengthy prison sentences were the deterrent of the time. The pressure of society on a rebellious teenager dreaming of adventures was bad enough, the pressure on a hashish smoker was unreal and unhealthy, and as soon as I became an adult, on my 18 birthday, I left France to travel the world, never looking back.

I’ll answer the third part of your question before getting back to my craft. Hashish is not only a part of the culture of producing countries, but it was also part of most western cultures since the 18th century. We simply don’t smoke the flower as you do in the U.S. The rest of the world focuses its cannabis consumption on the resin, so Hashish it is.

What is it that makes me the most renowned at my craft?

My love, passion, dedication, and attitude coupled with my scientific approach to traditional hashish methodology and my association of cannabis and Hashish with wine and wine-making, is what makes me stand out in the western world. The quality of the resin I work with is what makes me stand out in producing countries.

WB: How did you learn your craft? Is it something that is passed down from generations, like a great pastrami recipe? Do you have a mentor? 

FC: I spend many years in the Hashish producing regions of the world. But I never had a mentor per se or look for one for that matter. The goal wasn’t learning at that time. I was young and clueless. Acquiring the finest quality Hashish available in the region was the goal. The quality I was seeking was never for sale. The highest grade of Hashish was kept for the family whose members have been smoking for generations. I spent months working alongside local Hashishins. And, while I wasn’t consciously learning the craft, I was nonetheless absorbing their knowledge and passion for it. The art of collecting trichome heads from live cannabis plants on one’s hands called making Charas in Northern India, or from dried and cured plants using a sieving methodology which is making Hashish, are very ancient practices that have been passed down over countless generations in producing countries. Traditional Hashishin knowledge is not based on science but on learned experience and cognizance spanning possibly the whole evolution of humanity.

I have never looked for any type of mentor in my life. I have always been too rebellious and independent for such dedication. However, I have had many teachers. I have been mentored by every family that ever shared their life and fields and harvests with me. Now, I hope today to close the circle and go back to share the knowledge I have gained since.

WB: What is your most memorable experience in the cannabis craft? Indoor or outdoor grown? Regions that are good for hash production? Countries? 

FC: I don’t have to think long about that one. Collecting live resin from wild cannabis plants on my bare hands in remote valleys at the feet of the Himalayas has been by far the most engaging and extraordinary experience of my life. I did not have much contact with the live plants before I went to India. I always worked with bundles of dried and cured plants. The plant matter was of little importance, it was all about the resin. The tropical climate at the feet of the Himalayas makes drying cannabis plants to gather the resin an impossible task without electricity and modern technology like dehumidifiers, so the local practice is to collect resin on the palm of one’s hands. This is certainly the most ancient methodology devised by humanity to collect cannabis resin, the only tool necessary is your bare hands. It was truly a revelation to collect resin directly from living plants that first season in the Parvati valley. It was a full sensory epiphany that lasted weeks, and when it was time to get back to civilization, I knew that in the future that there was nothing that was going to keep me away from these valleys come September to late November and the first snows.

As a child, living a survivalist type of adventures in the wild was one of my dreams, so living in these remotes valleys was very enticing. Living in a cave or makeshift shelter at 8,000 feet for months at a time, days away from civilization is not the type of vacation most people would enjoy, but I thrived. I was not only living my childhood dream; I was also living a Hashishins dream. Collecting live resin is quite simple, remove the fan leaves from the plant. Caress the flowers gently between your hands. Clean your hands by brushing off any leaf matter that has stuck to them after rubbing each flower and start again. A layer of resin will build up on the palms of your hand, little-by-little with each plant worked. The first hand of Charas will be shiny and transparent. Slowly the color will darken as the layer thickens with each successive flower worked. To remove the resin from your hands, press and turn your thumb on the most resinous part of your other hand. Snap the resin off and repeat the process until your hand is clean, and your thumb holds all the resin mass. Change sides and repeat the process with the thumb on your other hand. It is a straightforward technique perfectly adapted to the region and the climatic conditions.

The technical part of collecting live resin is easy enough to share, the experience, on the other hand, is impossible to convey with mere words, but I’ll try. Imagine a small, remote valley, lushly green with a river coursing through the middle streaming from a chain of mountains topped with eternal snow. Imagine fields of semi-wild cannabis plants sporting every imaginable shade of color and fruit flavor with each plant expressing its own unique aroma. Imagine the feeling of collecting delicately, layer-after-layer of resin on your hands, going from flower-to-flower in the full heat of the tropics. Imagine a constant overload of terpenes so intense it feels like your whole body is absorbing the aromatic essence of the valley. The intensity and magic of the experience brought me back season-after-season, a place in my nomadic life where I could feel grounded. I truly belonged to those valleys.

With all the respect I have for growers in general, indoor plants are, in my eyes, a domesticated evolution of the wild landraces of the producing regions of the world at best. Like a dog is to a wolf, and in the worst-case scenario, an indoor plant is much like a caged animal.

WB: What are the differences in Hash? Are there gourmet varieties? Who makes them?

FC: The differences in Hashish are as diverse as the difference in the cultivars available today, and the growing regions of the past and present. When I was young, we had a limited choice of flavors. Our options were confined to the producing countries of the world – Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey/Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indian/Nepal. The cannabis plants in each of these countries had a very distinct terpene profile, specific and unique to each region. The diversity of cultivars and terpene profiles of today’s market has changed my world in a rewarding way. Every cultivar I work with transports me into a new reality. It is very much like traveling to a new producing country. Making Hashish from each of these new cultivars is a dreamlike adventure in foreignness and the most exciting and satisfactory experience I could have wished for my senior years.

A Hashishin is like a winemaker, a cheese-maker, or a three-star Michelin Chef. Our craft is to present an expression of the quality of the agricultural product we work with that is defined by the land, the climate, the genetics, and the farmer that grew the product.

*Terroir*

WB: What is your passion? 

FC: My passion is living a life that brings me joy and pleasure. Traveling was everything for 20 years. Then it was and still is fatherhood. However, I have carried the stigma as a Hashish smoker all my life. And, as much as it was part of the thrill of living outside the boundaries of society during my nomadic life it became a scary and dangerous pleasure when I became a father and I had to hide this aspect of my life from everyone but my wife and my dealer for fear of losing my family.

Hashish was the balm that healed my childhood scars. It has been the key to a feeling of belonging, of pure positive energy, of immense joy and purpose, and I would not relinquish it even if it were still considered evil in the eyes of society. So be it. I was seen as a pariah in society during my teenage years in Europe for smoking hashish. When I started to travel in producing countries where Hashish was part of the culture, and I was accepted. Then in India, it became spiritual, smoking cannabis resin is an act of devotion to the God Shiva. And, finally, I came to California and discovered that cannabis was actually a medicine. After all these years, Hashish has become much more than a grounding and benevolent force in my life, it has become my life.

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