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Articles Klaus Klaus Apothicaire

Leaf Magazine’s Cannabis Edibles Hall of Fame

Introducing the first ten inaugural inductees into our Leaf Magazine Cannabis Edibles Hall of Fame honoring lasting contributions to the world of marijuana-infused foods. These pioneers and legends changed the way we consume weed, from brownies to beverages and beyond. Send your nominations for future inclusion to dan@leafmagazines.com. 

Warren Bobrow a.k.a. The Cocktail Whisperer

Author, chef, mixologist and “Cannabis Alchemist” Warren Bobrow got his start in the alcohol industry, having studied food writing at New School University and the French Culinary Institute. He’s also written multiple books, including “Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails” and “The Craft Cocktail Compendium.” His 2016 book, “Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks & Buzz-Worthy Libations,” introduced the mainstream to marijuana-infused liquid beverages – now an entire segment of the legal weed industry. In fact, he’s also the co-founder and CEO of Klaus (@drinkklaus), creating terpene-forward craft Cannabis cocktails for the marijuana marketplace. 

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Different Leaf Klaus Reviews

Different Leaf loves Klaus!

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Clio Awards – Bronze!

Klaus

The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos

Entrant Company: MAMUS Creative

Medium: Social Media | Category: Single Platform

City / Country: Tampa / United States of America | Year: 2022 Play

Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos
Klaus: The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos

Credits

Entrant Company: MAMUS Creative, Tampa
Public Relations Agency: MATTIO Communications, New York
Design Company: MAMUS Creative, Tampa
Chief Creative Officer: John Mamus / MAMUS Creative
Creative Director: Masako Di Dio / MAMUS Creative
Illustrator: Danilo De Donno / MAMUS Creative
Website Development: Bob Plaskon / MAMUS Creative

This Clio Cannabis 2022 Bronze winning entry titled ‘The Topography of Visual Positioning Via Experimental Videos’ was entered for Klaus by MAMUS Creative. This piece was submitted to the Social Media medium within the Single Platform category. It consists of 1 video and 10 images.

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Events Klaus Klaus Apothicaire Uncategorized

Clio Awards- Silver!

Klaus

1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era

Entrant Company: MAMUS Creative

Medium: Brand Design | Category: Packaging

City / Country: Tampa / United States of America | Year: 2022Play

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Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era
Klaus: 1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era

Credits

Entrant Company: MAMUS Creative, Tampa
Public Relations Agency: MATTIO Communications, New York
Design Company: MAMUS Creative, Tampa
Chief Creative Officer: John Mamus / MAMUS Creative
Creative Director: Masako Di Dio / MAMUS Creative
Website Development: Bob Plaskon / MAMUS Creative
Illustrator: Danilo De Donno / MAMUS Creative

This Clio Cannabis 2022 Silver winning entry titled ‘1960s-Inspired Packaging for the Modern Era’ was entered for Klaus by MAMUS Creative. This piece was submitted to the Brand Design medium within the Packaging category. It consists of 1 video and 10 images.

https://www.cliocannabisawards.com/winners/klaus-1960s-inspired-packaging-for-the-modern-era-42-90.html

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Events Klaus Klaus Apothicaire Uncategorized

Clio Awards – Gold Winner!

Klaus; The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf

MAMUS Creative

Entrant Company: MAMUS Creative

Medium: Brand Design | Category: Brand Identity

City / Country: Tampa / United States of America | Year: 2022 Play

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Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf
Klaus: The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf

Credits

Entrant Company: MAMUS Creative, Tampa
Design Company: MAMUS Creative, Tampa
Public Relations Agency: MATTIO Communications, New York
Chief Creative Officer: John Mamus / MAMUS Creative
Creative Director: Masako Di Dio / MAMUS Creative
Illustrator: Danilo De Donno / MAMUS Creative
Website Development: Bob Plaskon / MAMUS Creative

This Clio Cannabis 2022 Gold winning entry titled ‘The Most Colorful Cannabis Beverage on the Shelf’ was entered for Klaus by MAMUS Creative. This piece was submitted to the Brand Design medium within the Brand Identity category. It consists of 1 video and 10 images.See all 2022 winners

https://www.cliocannabisawards.com/winners/klaus-the-most-colorful-cannabis-beverage-on-the-shelf-42-87.html

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5 Questions Interviews Klaus Klaus Apothicaire

An Interview with Warren Bobrow, CEO & Co-Founder of Klaus, The Gnome

Cannabis Industry Journal

By Aaron Green

In this article, Aaron Green sits down with Warren Bobrow, CEO and co-founder of Klaus, The Gnome, a cannabis beverage company specializing in terpene-forward canned cocktails.

California is the fastest-growing cannabis beverage market, according to a recent Headset report. The count of beverage product offerings in California has grown quickly, nearly doubling from 2020 to 2021. As of December 2021, there were approximately 530 distinct cannabis beverage offerings.

Mocktails have been a growing product category within the cannabis beverage segment. Klaus, headed up by Warren Bobrow, the “Cocktail Whisperer,” recently entered the California market with their ready-to-drink THC cocktail, Mezzrole, a unique terpene-forward beverage with three simple culinary-grade ingredients.

We caught up with Warren to learn more about his path to the cannabis industry and his inspiration for Mezzrole. Warren is a multi-published author of six books including “Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics” and has contributed to publications such as Forbes and Skunk Magazine. After the loss of his fresh pasta business in Hurricane Hugo, he worked in banking for 20 years before reinventing himself and following his passions—becoming a bar back to bartender and master mixologist and penning his six cocktail-focused books. Warren crafted Klaus with knowledge gained from years of experience in the mixology and culinary worlds and with his strong enthusiasm for cannabis.

Aaron Green: How did you get involved in the cannabis industry?

Warren Bobrow: It was a happenstance, and it was something that I never considered before. I was working in the traditional liquor industry, and because liquor is inherently a poisonous substance, I was slowly poisoning myself and my mind with the alcohol. I made a conscious decision back in July of 2018 – I was down to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans – and I said, “this is my last drink.” I was halfway through a Hemingway, which is absolutely my favorite cocktail to have and that’s what I was known for. That’s the drink that paved the way to a wonderful career on-premises and off-premises doing brand ambassadorship and being a named person within the liquor industry. As with all great careers, this one had to come to an end, or I was going to die because liquor was poisoning me. I was probably about 75 pounds heavier than I am right now. I just didn’t feel myself and I was going to be sick.

So, I decided to take my knowledge of cannabis, which was something that I’ve enjoyed since I was 12 years old – I am 61 now – and put it to use for me in this book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics. My first book, Apothecary Cocktails, really did pave the way. I wanted to include cannabis in my early books, but my publisher wouldn’t let me. It just wasn’t time until 2015 when I wrote Cannabis Cocktails, which is all based on the early apothecary. The inspiration for writing the book certainly was from being down in New Orleans and going to the Pharmacy Museum. They had an exhibition of cannabis in the early apothecary, and I knew immediately what I was going to do with the rest of my life. There you have it!

Green: It seems like it was a sharp cut off with the alcohol industry

Bobrow: Yes, like one day to the next, literally. It was absolute. I made the decision; I came back to New Jersey, and I never drank again. I drink a little beer and wine, but I haven’t had a distilled drink in years.

Green: How did the concept for Klaus come about? Was it something that you always had in the back of your mind?

Bobrow: The idea for creating a cannabis infused beverage came from being incarcerated in New York City for smoking cannabis in the street and being taken out of commission for 48 hours, I knew that if I was drinking a cannabis infused beverage like Klaus, which is the one that I created in California, no one would know my business. Of course, when this happened, it was in the early 2000s, so the technology and the pretense just weren’t available yet. But it did put something in my mind. If I was to create a cannabis-infused beverage using my knowledge and experience as a master mixologist, the fear of consuming cannabis would be diminished.

If you look at the book, Cannabis Cocktails, and you see the recipes, they’re not for the meek. They’re really meant for a medical community – someone who needs to really eliminate pain, if you will. Cocktails in the book started at about 250 milligrams of THC, whereas with Klaus they’re 10 milligrams, Two different stories completely!

Warren Bobrow, CEO & Co-Founder of Klaus

My inspiration for creating Klaus certainly was from the gnome [Warren displays Klaus, The Gnome]. He’s a star and he’s been all over the world with me. I don’t know why I first started traveling with him. Maybe it’s because he was sitting up there up on my mantle and he told me that he wanted to go out on the road with me. I was traveling all over the world as a rum judge for the Ministry of Rum and for Rum XP. We just show up at food events. I’m a trained chef, I love going to the Fancy Food Show in New York City, and I’d meet people and they invite me out to see their places. Then I started writing for Forbes and I don’t know, my career has been up and down. I’ve tried to follow my dreams ever since I left the corporate world in May of 2009.

Green: Let’s talk about the product.

Bobrow: I just have one SKU right now, which is the Mezzrole named for Mezz Mezzrow, Louis Armstrong’s weed dealer. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s all real.

Green: First, how did you land on the flavor profile?

Bobrow: For someone who’s a rum head like myself, we used to drink rum for breakfast. That’s how you become a rum head. The Mezzrole is based on a Ti’ Punch, which is the national drink of Martinique. Ti’ Punch is usually made in Martinique with rum Agricole, which is a sugar cane-based rum rather than a molasses-based rum. It’s the freshly pressed sugar cane rum before it ferments so it has a lovely floral quality and it’s 100 proof. There’s nothing weak about it!

A Ti’ Punch is freshly squeezed lime quarters, the 100 proof Agricole – one or two ounces – and cane sugar syrup stirred usually with your finger like my old friend Gaz Regan, who’s no longer with us, used to do it. He was known for his finger stirred negronis. I would do it preferably in a clean glass and there’s no ice involved because if you’re on a sailboat, you probably don’t have ice anyway. So, it’s potent. It’s a very potent drink. That’s the basis of the Mezzrole.

The Mezzrole contains a single strain of cannabis. We used a craft, land-raised strain called Hippie Crasher. It’s an indica leaning hybrid that is terpene forward. The Mezzrole utilizes the terpene aromatics of the cannabis strain. So, we have this gorgeous French lime puree that I get made from limes that are sourced down in Martinique. They have a certain oily quality to them and they’re very pungent. They’re very citrus forward and very flavorful.

Then, I’m using a ginger syrup that’s made in what I would say is a Great Britain or Jamaican style called Picketts. It’s from Denver, Colorado. My old friend Matt Pickett, and his late brother Jim created it. Jim was the bartender for Malcolm Forbes on his yacht, the Highlander, when they had it in the waters between me and Palm Beach, or wherever they happened to be on the island. Jim crafted this incredible ginger syrup, which is really authentic. And in later years, it became the Pickett’s ginger syrup that I would use in this beverage because I’m paying homage to Matt’s brother by using his extra hot and spicy ginger syrup in here along with the French lime purée.

The final element – there are only three flavor elements [besides the cannabis] – is rice vinegar. Rice vinegar in this case is something called mirin. There are two different types of mirin. There’s the sweet mirin and then there’s the dry mirin, and Mezzrole utilizes the dry mirin. I didn’t want to add any sugar. Mezzrole is six tenths of a gram of sugar for the entire can, which is eight ounces, 16 calories.

So, to recap, each can of Mezzrole is eight fluid ounces, six tenths of a gram of sugar, ginger, lime and rice vinegar with THC infusion. And it’s not a seltzer!

Green: What was special to you about the Ti’ Punch?

Bobrow: My family had a yacht, and we would go places in the Caribbean. One of the places we would go in the Caribbean was Down Island and they would have drinks like the Ti’ Punch. I remember that it was emblazoned in my brain. It was a drink that got me drunk. It was what sailors did; they got drunk. And you would get drunk on drinks that go back to the days of the pirates, because they probably didn’t have ice on the sailing vessels. So, why should a couple million-dollar yacht make any difference? We had icemakers, but you drink the drink without ice. You drink it like it was drunk in the age of sailing.

I wanted to reinterpret the Ti’ Punch and bring credence and life to that drink by bringing it to life in the Mezzrole. But the Mezzrole has another story behind it entirely. That’s because Mezz Mezzrow, who was a jazz head during the jazz era, brought between two and 4,000 pounds of cannabis up from Mexico, and sold it in Detroit, Chicago and Harlem during the early days of jazz. He made quite a name for himself. At the time, cannabis was not illegal on a national level yet. If you were to ask for a joint or reefer, you might become detained by the police, especially if you were Black.  Not only were the police at that time incredibly anti-jazz and anti-Black and anti-cannabis, but they were just anti people having fun! So there had to be code names and a well-rolled cannabis cigarette was known as a “Mezzrole” and that’s what I named the cocktail after.

I’m paying homage to Louis, and I’m friendly with Louis’ daughter, Sharon. She’s the daughter that no one ever knew about. It’s a very interesting story. We’re hopefully going to do something together. I find great inspiration in jazz, and we wanted to pay homage to the role of characters in jazz by creating a beverage that hopefully wouldn’t get us arrested.

Green: Can you walk me through your choice of strain for the beverage?

Bobrow: I work with a company named Vertosa. They are the magicians in the world of nanotechnology emulsions. They’re scientists like yourself, who are upper intellects who dream in color. And the colors that they’ve chosen are the colors of the plant. So, they’ve enlivened the plant chemically through their process. I’m not privy to that process, but I’ll tell you it works. Their emulsion is gorgeous stuff. I just chose the emulsion for my next two SKUs and it’s exactly what I was looking for. It’s slightly bitter, it has depth and character, and we haven’t even added the terpenes in yet. So, it’s well balanced, and it will work exceptionally well with the craft ingredients that I’m working with. I don’t use industrialized ingredients, these are all bartending ingredients, if you will. We do 5,000 can production runs with bartending ingredients. It’s incredible food science. I love it.

Green: What was behind your decision in adding the terpene flavors?

Bobrow: What makes that interesting is no one else is doing it. So, we’re the first again! Not only did I write the first book on cannabis, and cocktails, and tonics, and all that stuff, but I created the first beverage that actually smells like cannabis. So, when you’re drinking one of my beverages, and you drink down maybe a quarter inch, and you put your nose right over the top and smell it, it smells just like the plant along with that ginger and the lime and that tangy quality of the mirin. And it’s spicy. It has an herbaceous quality to it. It’s really uncanny.

Green: Were there any challenges in working with terpenes in a beverage?

Bobrow: Yes, there’s always challenges. First off, I’m here in New Jersey, and the company that I’m working with is in California, so they can’t send me anything. So, I work very closely with a food scientist named Chris Anderson who did my scalability, and he’s absolutely brilliant. His palate mimics my own. I don’t want a sweet beverage. I want a tangy beverage. I want something that has balanced quality and fun and it makes you want to dance. I’m not looking for something to put me to sleep. That’s not my goal in life. Life is very short, and you want to have a beverage that is talkative and doesn’t get you totally destroyed. There are beverages out on the market that have 500 milligrams of THC called syrups. They’re absolutely delicious, but they’re so destructive because they want you to put them in a sugary beverage and drink the whole thing down.

I’m not a kid anymore and I don’t drink like a kid. I drink with sophisticated flavors and make beverages that are memorable. People come to me – and have since the early part of 2009 – and they say things like, “That’s the best cocktail I’ve ever had in my life. How do you do that?” My aim in life is to ruin people for their bartender because I expose all the things that our bartenders are doing to rip them off.

I started as a bar back and I worked my way up. I went to this guy named Chris James, who was working at The Ryland Inn running their beverage program. I needed a job, and he hired me as this bar back for a year and they kicked my butt. After that I could write about this stuff with knowledge and not just with something I read in a book. There’s a lot to be said for education and going to bartending school. There’s also a lot to be said for cutting your own ice and squeezing your own juice and taking out the trash.

Green: What are some of the challenges you are facing at Klaus?

Bobrow: We’re hoping to do a Series A round of financing. I wonder who would be interested in lending to us or giving us money or investing in us. I always wonder why anyone would be interested in any of this! But I have a talent and a passion, and I know that it will take me to the next step in life. I’ve waited and been very patient. I have massive shoes to fill, and I’m so committed to being ambitious.

I was an executive assistant in a Trust Bank for 20 years. I put my life on hold for others because they wanted to make an example out of me. I never became the person that my parents wanted me to become. They wanted me to become a lawyer and I didn’t have the aptitude for that. I had the aptitude for being a creative soul and a creative mind. It just took me 20 years longer to be able to achieve that.

I consider myself the luckiest man in the world because I did work for the C-suite and for the top of the house and I sold wine to them when I worked on the nights and weekends in a wine store. My customers were the presidents and “kingmakers of the world.” Here in Northern New Jersey, if nothing else, it’s pretty affluent. So, I’ve long been accustomed to coming from that environment. I know what that environment means and the importance of that environment. I had to figure out how to make it myself because I was, in polite parley, “disowned.” So, I am self-made, and I have a great product that I’ve created out of nowhere. It’s hopefully going to allow me to figure out what the next step will be in my life. I want to make this a national name.

Green: What trends are you following in the cannabis beverage space?

Bobrow: I’ve had some good ones. I’ve had some okay ones. And I’ve had some that are just, I don’t know. I’m a cook. I’m a saucier. I love flavors. I’m trained in France. I cook. It’s a lifelong thing. I started as a dishwasher, and I worked my way up. I’ve traveled the world eating.

I’ll tell you, if you don’t know flavors, you can’t put anything together. And if you don’t know what goes into making a beverage that’s different than what anyone else is doing in the world, then you don’t deserve to be in this business because it’s highly competitive and people play for keeps. If I only get one chance to capture people’s imagination, it comes with this beverage right here [Warren holds up a can of Mezzrole].

Green: What’s next for Klaus?

Bobrow: I hope to be doing Klaus Nein. It’s a terpene forward, non-cannabis infused craft beverage. It doesn’t have any THC, so I can sell it everywhere. I caught the travel bug years ago, when I was traveling all over the world for the rum business. And I got it back again. I hate that the world became such a small place during COVID. Because it really is a big place. And it’s a place that I need to explore more of. Stay tuned!

Green: What are you most interested in learning about?

Bobrow: You know, it’s funny. I think everyone that I come across I can learn something from. My teachers at Emerson and later at MIT, where I spent a fitful year, taught me that I wasn’t the smartest person in the room, but I certainly was the most inquisitive. So, I want to be known as someone who has pretty good listening skills. I also have great skills in the way of trying to draw out answers from people. So, I have a lot to learn and I’m excited about the opportunity of learning. If I can share a little bit of my knowledge with other people within the industry and they respect me for what I’ve achieved, then I’ll be a much happier person. I’m already happy. I’m very lucky. I am the luckiest guy in the room.

Green: Thank you Warren. That concludes the interview!

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mg magazine

mgmagazine!

https://indd.adobe.com/view/37506186-b5b9-4a5c-acb0-1c55becb1878

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Sharon Preston-Folta

Little Satchmo

Sharon Preston-Folta, Little Satchmo
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5 Questions Skunk Magazine

5 QUESTIONS WITH BEN LIND-CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER/OWNER – HUMBOLDT SEED COMPANY

BY WARREN BOBROW 08/08/2022

https://www.skunkmagazine.com/5-questions-with-ben-lind-chief-science-officer-owner-humboldt-seed-company/?v=7516fd43adaa

I’m a massive fan of something we call in the wine business, terroir. Quite simply, the taste of the place. This terminology holds true in the cannabis industry as well. There are subtle differences between cannabis grown in natural, living soil, outdoors- under the sun, and that which is grown indoors under lights. I’m rather fond of the kind that is grown outside under the sun, Biodynamic- when possible- and at the very least, organic.
I was introduced to the Humboldt Seed Company several years ago, and their relentless hunt for quality strikes me to this day as the good stuff. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to smoke the results of their hard work. Very impressive indeed.

Warren Bobrow: Please tell me about yourself.  What do you do? Local? Global? 

Ben Lind: Humboldt Seed Company (HSC) started out as a local Humboldt County seed seller back in 2001. Our mission has always been to provide the highest quality cannabis seeds to both home growers and commercial cultivators. HSC has grown by leaps and bounds since our humble beginnings. We are now the largest licensed cannabis seed seller in California, have seeds for sale in multiple U.S. states, and as well a provider of seeds to multiple countries abroad, including Canada, Jamaica, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, the UK, Malta, Thailand, and South Africa. As the Chief Science Officer, I head up our international program focusing on R&D, generating global partnerships, and overseeing exports. 

I spend a lot of time talking with government officials and regulators around the world to help start conversations, provide education, and help to develop international seed regulations with the goal of cementing cannabis seeds as a legal, regulated global commodity. This role has led me to travel quite a bit, mostly between Colombia, Jamaica, and Europe at the moment. We are currently going through the extremely rigorous and time-consuming process in Colombia with our partners at Natureceuticals RX to register over 40 of our varietals. Colombia is treating cannabis like corn or soy, or any other traditional agricultural commodity. They have the highest bar of entry in the world for cannabis genetics, with the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) requiring producers to grow a suite of genetics in multiple climate zones for evaluation before being granted registration. This process involves a large capital outlay and a significant amount of time as the plants must be grown to maturity, analyzed, and then destroyed. Agronomists then look at the overall health of the crop, assess the growing methods, consider disease resistance, and perform extensive lab tests. Once this official evaluation process is completed, all the crops are destroyed. Yep, you heard me right. All that choice, high-quality cannabis is destroyed. Once a genetic meets all the government requirements, then it can be officially registered and grown legally. 

WB: What obstacles do you face? How do you anticipate removing them? Please tell me about your six and twelve-month goals for HSC. 

BL: The biggest obstacle is probably how the decision-makers in different countries often view cannabis very differently. Addressing each country’s specific government needs and requirements can be daunting. My approach has been to start the conversation by asking a lot of questions about what the specific country’s needs are and then to identify what the documentation requirements and regulatory impediments might be. I try to focus on building a bridge to a common goal and then work step by step to create a workable plan to get there so we can move forward. If you have trust and a shared vision, I find that things tend to move in the right direction.

In six months, I’d like to have achieved global seed exports to all legal jurisdictions worldwide. As far as the twelve-month goal, I’d say it would be taking that next big step and having it be possible to export tissue culture and living plant material. Seeds being shelf stable for long periods of time don’t come with the same challenges. Exporting living plant material can be difficult if plants are held up in quarantine or shipping is delayed. We see the beginnings of relationships developing that will hopefully lead to this becoming a reality. Some of the first conversations between South Africa and Canada and Jamaica, and Mexico regarding agricultural imports and exports centered on cannabis. The Mexican and Jamaican governments recently reached an agreement to start exchanging cannabis as well as other agricultural products. It’s kind of cool that this conversation started with cannabis and will hopefully lead to a multifaceted, mutually beneficial trade arrangement.

WB: What are feminized seeds? How do they differ from non-feminized?  Do you have favorites in this regard? Indoor or outdoor grown? 

BL: With regular cannabis seeds, you have a 50/50 chance of male/female plants. Using feminized seeds from a reputable breeder will guarantee close to 100% female plants. This streamlines the process, and you don’t have to worry about sexing your plants or having half of them be unusable. It’s also a nice space saver, as you’re using all your prime growing space for plants that will yield buds.

Feminized autoflowers will revolutionize the industry in the next 3-5 years. Unlike traditional photoperiod varietals, autoflowers don’t rely on light cycles to determine flowering and can be harvested within 100 days or less of planting. A favorite for indoor growing would be Hella Jelly. It’s a productive, fast-flowering Sativa-dominant varietal high in THC with a fruity cotton candy terpene profile. For outdoor, my pick would be Emerald Fire Auto. Anyone can beat the weather with this one. It has a super-fast flowering time and looks and smells the same if not better than its photoperiodic counterpart. It’s a bit like a side-by-side Coke, Pepsi taste test. 

WB: Do you have a mentor? Who taught you the craft? When did you first discover cannabis? 

BL: I was exposed to cannabis at a pretty young age by my aunts and uncles. I remember pulling weeds in my aunt’s strawberry patch when I was around six years old. She would intersperse the cannabis plants between the tiered strawberries to hide them. I have this vivid memory of her telling me, “no, don’t pull that out!”. She had to show me the difference between the weed and the weeds. I didn’t make that mistake again. She taught me early on that cannabis was just another plant in the garden with many benefits. 

My uncle is quite a character and a cannabis breeding enthusiast. He has kept the same landrace Oaxacan clone alive since 1978. He bred it to not smell like weed to evade detection. It started out in his backyard in Arizona and then got trucked around every time they moved. He used to be a researcher at the University of Tucson and would sneak parts of the clone in for lab testing.  

WB: What is your passion? 

BL: Preserving indigenous varietals and using ancient genetics as a foundation for creating new, unique strains is something I get excited about. I feel strongly that it’s important that we carefully consider all the past varietals and respect the qualities that are often both special and beneficial. Many contain unique compounds of great value, along with novel terpene profiles and unknown cannabinoids. They are like the rainforest of cannabis. We don’t want to lose all that amazing diversity. 

Our South Africa R&D project focuses on crossing the high-THCv (Tetrahydrocannabivarin) Transkei landrace strain that grows well in the highlands of South Africa with our signature strain, Blueberry Muffin. We are just now starting to gain a better understanding of these less well-known cannabinoids. High THCV strains may provide a viable alternative to a variety of pharmaceuticals in the future. Multiple studies have shown possible potential for THCv in diabetes, Parkinson’s, and seizure disorder treatment.

We will be releasing what I like to call our newest unicorn in the barn this fall. Black Beauty is a high THCv strain with appetite suppressing qualities that could potentially be a viable alternative to caffeine and Adderall. It could be a healthier energy booster and perhaps cut into the Red Bull market. We’ll see…

You can find out more at their website: Humboldt Seed Company – The Best Seeds In Humboldt, California

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5 Questions Interviews Klaus Klaus Apothicaire

Meet Warren Bobrow, the Famous American Mixologist Who Makes Shots with THC

ElPlanteo.com exclusive interview with American mixologist Warren Bobrow, author of Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations.BYTHE PLANTINGJULY 22, 2022

Warren Bobrow

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Note by  Hernán Panessi  originally published in  El Planteo . More articles by El Planteo in  High Times in Spanish .

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Warren Bobrow was just 5 years old when he tried a cocktail for the first time. He was a glass of sherry mixed with ginger-ale and a salty olive in Barcelona, ​​Spain, with his parents. “I remember it was really hot and the refreshing quality of the ‘kids’ drink has stuck in my brain to this day,” says the mixologist, chef and writer known for Cocktail Whisperer and author of Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails. & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations .

warren bobrow drinks cocktails cannabis thc marijuana
Warren Bobrow’s Book of THC Drinks

The memory of that drink became a complex, unusual and unexpected introduction to mixology. “Even if it was made for a kid, it was still a cocktail ,” says Bobrow.

And, in his life, one thing led to another: he was a dishwasher, he studied at culinary school, he became a chef, he worked in restaurants of all kinds, he became a renowned bartender and he was even nominated for the Spirited Awards – Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, renowned industry awards. He has written six mixology books and hundreds of articles in magazines around the world. “It’s been a very busy life.”

As it is, that “busy life” is anointed in the game, in the tests and in the innovation. But, curiously, he supports his professional decisions based on a certain simplicity. “A well-mixed cocktail shouldn’t have a plethora of disparate ingredients,” he acknowledges.

Your first experiences

In that sense, since he was 16 years old he began to investigate the world of cannabis in drinks. And that kickoff was also subject to a bit of a fluke: As a teenager, she bought some awful faso brownies in New York’s Washington Square Park. He came to his house, put them through the blender, dumped a bunch of chocolate liqueur and chocolate ice cream on them. And… Boom!

“I was with some friends and we were very drugged and drunk.”

At the time, when he wrote his first book, Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today , published in 2013, his publisher at the time did not allow him to include cannabis themes.

warren bobrow drinks cocktails cannabis thc marijuana

Over time, this trend was reversed and cannabis was taking a more prominent place in his bibliography.

But his link with cannabis did not occur in his investigative stage, but has an atavistic link: his grandfather had a botanist where he manufactured pharmaceutical products . “It was just snake oil, but I feel like there’s a correlation,” he confesses.

The famous cocktail with THC

Among the most popular cannabis-infused cocktails is the Mezzrole , which is sold exclusively in California, USA.

What is Mezzrole? A combination of small limes from the French Caribbean in a puree, blended with a touch of Japanese vinegar in a tangy, herbaceous version. A very spicy ginger syrup base from Pickett’s hailing from Denver, Colorado. “The best ginger beer concentrate in the world, and I’ve tried many during my research,” he says.

The cocktail follows with a base of 100 proof Agricole, a THC nanotech handcrafted creation. That includes about 10 milligrams of THC, from a strain called Hippie Crasher.

“It’s a really revolutionary drink full of terpenes,” he confesses.

Mezzrole, re crazy

At the time, the Mezzrole ​​is a Bobrow creation whose goal is to drive its drinkers crazy . “You don’t get destroyed, but it’s not too different from the social version of smoking a joint . Of course, without the annoying smoke that announces your presence, ”says the mixologist.

He continues: “ I wanted to build a THC cocktail that would allow you to carry out all the social interactions of the plant without condemning yourself to social ostracism from non-smokers. I am offering the full cannabis experience in a well-constructed cocktail that truly smells like a well-cured cannabis flower.”

Among the riskiest cannabis drinks is the one he made during his appearance on Viceland . “They asked me to make a CBD/THC cocktail that they could feel.”

There, emboldened by the production’s suggestion, he mixed a bottle of straight bourbon on tap with a serving of roasted orange juice, ruby ​​grapefruit with angostura bitters, and Italian orange soda. In addition, he added about 250 mg of THC and CBD .

“They lit up a little bit ,” Warren jokes.

Good and bad, bad and good

His book Apothecary Cocktails is about to reach its fifth printing imminently .

However, it’s not all good news for Bobrow: “ The bad part is that I was blacklisted by the liquor industry , so there was a lot of animosity and fear towards me. Unfairly, the truth. But that was kind of the end of my career . Although, in the abstract, it was not what ended my career.

How!? Did Warren Bobrow Retire From Bars?

“ I had to do it for my health. I put on a lot of weight working as an off-premise craft spirits brand ambassador and as a rum judge for the Ministry of Rum and Rum XP.  My job was to get people drunk with the best spirits in the world , with the recipes in my books and the experience that working for Chris James at the Ryland Inn as a bartender gave me,” he reveals.

“It’s not an easy job!” He says, between jokes, at 61 years old.

Today, Warren runs the company that produces Klaus , a cannabis-infused ready-to-drink , and excels at the vice of popularization by writing regularly for Skunk , Cannabis Cactus and Different Leaf magazines .

—The first time you had a drink with cannabis was during that anecdote you told when you were about 16 years old. Now, when was the last one?

—Mmmhhh… The last time was the other night. The experience was, precisely, with Klauss, my drink. I didn’t want to drink any of the caramel-flavored carbonated waters, nor the syrups. They are too sweet, I don’t like them. That is why my drink is not sweet, far from it: it is acidic and well balanced.

THC banned, THC welcome

Meanwhile, the world of professional cocktails looks with some suspicion at the world of cannabis . It is that, these days, the consumption of THC mixed with alcoholic beverages is illegal in the United States (with the exception of California). For this reason, their drinks are not available in American bars .

Among his next creations, Bobrow plans to make a new version of the classic Zombie , a cocktail made up of various types of brandy and rum mixed with various types of fruit juices. The cocktail will feature details from a sativa strain that “will make you want to dance bossa nova.”

In his case, the famous mixologist uses cannabis medicinally because he suffers from glaucoma and marijuana “preserves his vision.” Likewise, he admits that he likes to “be crazy ” because it makes him “feel inspired” and allows him to write, open his brain and, according to him, unlock his third eye . “For various reasons, cannabis is part of my life.”