July 2023 - California Leaf

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This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with the consumption of this product. For use only by adults over the age of 21. Keep out of reach of children. We are a legal recreational dispensary in Washington State.

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PHOTO BY AMANDA DAY @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA STYLING BY ALEX DUBS @WORKDUBS

CONTRIBUTORS

WES ABNEY, FEATURES

DANIEL BERMAN, PHOTOS

BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES

JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION

TOM BOWERS, FEATURES

AMANDA DAY, FEATURES

ALEX DUBS, STYLING

STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS

MATT JACKSON, FEATURES

SARA MILLS-GAINES, SALES

JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN

MIKE RICKER, FEATURES

MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING

MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS

PROFESSOR SIFT, PHOTOS

DAN VINKOVETSKY, FEATURES

NATE WILLIAMS, FEATURES

KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES

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My first dab was around 2011 – in the century-old boiler room below the now closed Northern Cross Collective Gardens – and I remember feeling the oil touch the red hot nail as the vapor burst into my lungs with the force of a thousand bong hits. The world closed in around me and I felt the reverberation of raw THC as it pulsed through my blood and into my mind, sending me away for the next few hours, humming with a high that was unlike anything else.

Over the last decade of publishing and working in Cannabis, I have personally seen the concentrate world evolve from homemade Rick Simpson Oil and open-blasted butane hash oil, to highly medicinal mono-cannabinoid extracts and vaporizable concentrates of all kinds, to being the precursor to a new world of edibles, topicals, capsules and more. For our Concentrates Issue we sought out the best examples of the different types of extractions, to share how they affect the body and the science behind the scenes.

“FOR OUR CONCENTRATES ISSUE WE SOUGHT OUT THE BEST EXAMPLES OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXTRACTIONS.”

Concentrating Cannabis means exactly what it sounds like: taking a full plant and using a process or solvent to extract the purest essence of it. This makes it incredibly important to only consume high-quality, pesticide-tested concentrates. Quality concentrates have the ability to impart healing values that Cannabis flower alone cannot replicate, delivering a pure flavor and experience that captures the taste and effect of fresh Cannabis in a perfect dab. Look closely and you’ll see that concentrates cover every aspect of Cannabis – every product beyond flower – from medicinal to recreational uses and benefits.

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Our comprehensive Concentrates Issue covers the different extraction methods, terminology, ways to consume and much more. So take a dab, flip through this beautiful and informational issue, and learn something new that you can share with someone in need of Cannabis – as both a plant and a medicine. And as always, thanks for reading and sharing the Leaf!

-Wes Abney

Our Concentrates Issue is my favorite of the year for one simple reason: I love dabs!

This playful project highlighting the nectar of our beloved flower was styled by Alex Dubs of @workdubs and photographed by Amanda Day of @terpodactyl_media. It’s an ode to the essence of the plant that we’ve come to know and love in many forms. To create the hummingbird, these creative collaborators chose the live rosins of Lofty, Focus North, Oregrown, and Decibel Dabs, along with Squishy Scientific’s temple ball and Dr. Jolly’s cured resin. The sculpture (seen feeding from Oregon’s Flower of the Month by Echo Electuary) offers a taste of the current market as it continues to lean into solventless selections.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) in June decided to delay the issuing of state licenses for marijuana businesses. The board cited possible irregularities in the scoring of applicants.

AMCC did not say if it had evidence of wrongdoing. “I know we’re all concerned about it, but it would have been just a catastrophe if the applicants went through their numbers and found an error,” said commission director John McMillan.

"The vote came a few days after the commission awarded 21 licenses to grow, process, distribute, transport and test medical marijuana."

The vote came a few days after the commission awarded 21 licenses to grow, process, distribute, transport and test medical marijuana. Several companies that didn’t get licenses said they weren’t clear on why some firms prevailed.

MAN ARRESTED AFTER ANSWERING DOOR

A Kentucky man was charged with trafficking marijuana after answering the door with drugs in June. Oak Grove Police say they went to the home attempting to serve an arrest warrant and 28-year-old Pedro Gelpi answered the door with a Cannabis blunt behind his ear.

During a search of the home a large amount of marijuana, along with money, was reportedly found. Gelpi was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

MARIJUANA LICENSE REVOKED IN MICHIGAN UNLICENSED CASE

The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency ordered an already suspended marijuana business in Shiawassee County’s Corunna to destroy all of its marijuana products, and then revoked its license.

The CRA in a statement issued in June said inspectors discovered suspected illicit and unlicensed marijuana, in addition to other rules violations. The discoveries happened during an October 2022 site visit to discuss the business’s inoperable camera system.

“When licensees don’t act within the laws and rules that govern the Cannabis industry, we must act swiftly to protect the public,” CRA Director Brian Hanna said.

MINNESOTA VETERANS ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN 2024

Thousands of Minnesota veterans will be able to access medical marijuana for the first time in 2024. Veterans receiving care through the VA System have faced some unique challenges, according to Office of Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes.

“Those providers are not allowed to certify their patients for the medical program because of the federal standing of marijuana,” Tholkes said. “So, we are tasked with developing a new way to get veterans into the program.”

2.5

ounces of Cannabis is the new possession limit in Nevada.

FLORIDA TO VOTE ON ADULT-USE CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN 2024

Aconstitutional amendment to legalize the adult use of Cannabis could be on the Florida ballot next year. The proposed amendment is inspiring both support and opposition.

Suncoast NORML Executive Director Chris Cano has issues with the petition, but it already received enough signatures to put it on the 2024 ballot. Cano said if passed, it could benefit businesses more than consumers.

The Adult Use of Marijuana initiative would allow the legal sale of Cannabis to anyone over 21 by medical marijuana treatment centers. The proposal is currently being reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court. Once allowed on the 2024 ballot, Floridians can vote to legalize personal use of Cannabis.

normalization

NCAA PANEL RECOMMENDS DROPPING MARIJUANA FROM BANNED DRUGS

"Veterans receiving care through the VA System have faced some unique challenges, according to Office of Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes."

4

medical marijuana products were recalled in Arizona due to salmonella.

D.C. WOMAN BLOCKS NEIGHBOR SMOKING MEDICAL WEED

A D.C. resident just won a private nuisance case to block her neighbor from smoking medical marijuana.

The ruling – in a first-of-its-kind case in the District over Cannabis smoke – may influence other judges and landlords, reports the news website, Axios.

Cleveland Park resident Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd was so bothered by the smoke she sued her nextdoor neighbor, representing herself.

“Cleveland Park resident Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd was so bothered by the smoke she sued her nextdoor neighbor, representing herself.”

A judge ruled last Monday in her favor. The judge ordered Thomas Cackett to stop smoking inside his own home – or anywhere within 25 feet of IppolitoShepherd’s address, The Washington Post reported. Medical and adult marijuana use are legal in D.C.

5

ounces and less convictions would be expunged by the Ohio Adult Use Act.

14

grams and less convictions are eligible for expungement in Louisiana after 90 days.

ANNCAA panel is calling for the removal of marijuana from the organization's list of banned drugs. The panel suggested that testing should be limited to performance-enhancing substances.

The proposal released in June from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports would mark a big change for the NCAA. The organization has been drug testing at championship events since 1986. Committee members recommended halting Cannabis tests at events until a final decision is made this fall.

“Legislation would still have to be introduced and approved by all three NCAA divisions to take effect.”

Legislation would still have to be introduced and approved by all three NCAA divisions to take effect. Administrators in Divisions II and III had asked the committee to study the issue. The recommendation comes as the U.S. is seeing more states allowing medical or adult marijuana use.

23

states have legalized Cannabis for adult use since 2012.

3,000

Kansas Citians have had their old weed charges cleared from their records.

W H E R E Y O U R

B U D T E N D E R S H O P S .

• B E S T M E N U I N S O N O M A C O U N T Y

• E D U C A T E D B U D T E N D E R S

• F I R S T T I M E S H O P P E R A N D

V E T E R A N D I S C O U N T S

• D A I L Y S P E C I A L S

w w w f o r m c o

• E X C L U S I V E D R O P S

• L O Y A L T Y P O I N T S

“WHEN

-Owner Joseph Barclay

Let’s face it, being a Cannabis retail store in Humboldt County is a tough job. In an area that’s famous for weighing weed by the garbage bag, it takes a certain kind of store to become a regular stop-off for both locals and visitors alike. You have to have community involvement and a strong identity – thankfully The Fireplace in downtown Arcata has plenty of both to go around.

THE FIREPLACE THE FIREPLACE

STARTED ON APRIL 20, 2020 –right after the county entered lockdown – it was opened by a team of five cultivators including Joseph Barclay, the owner of Royal Budline and the store’s purchaser.

When the group set out, Barclay expressed how they had a few goals in mind – and he’s proud to say they’ve been able to hit them in the three years they’ve been open. They wanted to create a place that offered locals some of the more exclusive items, while also providing staples at a competitive price.

Though we narrowed in on The Fireplace for its extensive and impressive concentrate selection, it should be noted that Royal Budline took home first prize for their in-house Zkittlez cut at the King of Z Hill celebration in Golden Gate Park.

Right now, The Fireplace is the exclusive spot to grab Royal Budline-grown flowers – with that 40k-winning Royal Z dropping at select stores later this year.

Having opened while dispensaries were considered essential, the group thought it was important to recognize the wide variety of reasons

people shop for Cannabis. “Some customers are looking to celebrate a special occasion, while others are looking to deal with a serious medical issue or a traumatic experience in their life,” said Barclay. “All of those customers deserve to have a quality conversation about their purchase.”

Barclay stressed that with a staff of 12, they’ve been able to focus heavily on completing that goal through extensive staff education.

“We’ll always have someone on shift who can talk about a product with authority,” he boasted of his employees.

Being owned and operated by cultivators, the store is very aware of the vast array of high-quality local options in Humboldt County. While they recognize that locals want to sample the latest and greatest on the market just as much as the shopper in Santa Monica, they try to offer as many local products as possible.

“We’ll stock any local product at least once,” said Barclay while checking the shelves. “From there it’s the customers that really say what stays and what doesn’t, but we try to focus on Arcata first, then Humboldt, then the Emerald Triangle,

and lastly the rest of the state.”

Today the Redwood Curtain isn’t as heavy as it once was, so when it comes to bringing in all the hottest concentrates on the California scene, Barclay feels like The Fireplace has a unique responsibility to bring Arcata smokers the same exclusive drops you’d find in a major city like Los Angeles or San Francisco.

“When we opened, I wanted to have a dispensary that I would drive out of my way to shop at. Having one of the best live rosin and resin selections in the state – that was for sure a goal,” he said.

Asked what concentrates are the in-house favorites at the moment, he had some heaters picked out already. “Right off the top of my head, Sour Diesel from Trilogy 710 and anything from Have Hash,” he shared. “The staff is also really excited about Moon Valley Organics, which we recently got in.”

Just off Highway 101 and a half-mile from Humboldt State Polytechnic, The Fireplace is a 1,600-square-foot building that carries around 174 types of flower along with 191 concentrates and extracts, at the time of our visit. They offer student, veteran, senior and industry discounts, along with some of the best-stocked fridges and freezers on the North Coast.

DAB VOCAB' DAB VOCAB'

Concent Extracts explained.

FRESH FROZEN

The process of freezing Cannabis plant material right after harvesting it, typically with dry ice, to preserve trichomes for concentrate extraction.

ICE WATER HASH

Made when trichomes are separated from fresh frozen plant material using nothing but ice, water and filter bags. Also referred to as bubble hash, it is usually dabbed but can also be mixed with flower and smoked.

FULL MELT

The highest grade of ice water hash, usually rated at five or six stars. Fully melts and leaves very little to no residue or char on the banger.

STAR SYSTEM

What stars are we talking about here, you say? Ice water hash is rated on a scale of one to six stars based on quality and meltability, with one being the lowest quality and six being the highest.

FLAG OF HASH

Pressing out water hash using parchment paper into a flag shape in order to dab it off a nail.

TRADITIONAL HASHISH

Produced for centuries in countries such as Morocco, Afghanistan, Nepal and India, traditional hashish is made by either separating the trichomes from a live plant with one's hands (charas) or by agitating dried, cured plant material over a screen (dry-sift), then compressing the collected resin to form a solid brick or ball of concentrate that is typically brown in color.

Six star bubble hash that’s been washed and cured using a unique process that preserves resin. It has a consistency similar to soft fudge and can be cut with a knife.

LIVE ROSIN

Solventless hash oil made by using water and ice to agitate the trichomes off of the fresh frozen plant material, which is then placed into a rosin press that uses heat and pressure to extract the rosin.

FRESH PRESS

Rosin that goes directly from the parchment paper it was pressed onto and into the jar. Tends to have a glassy, stretchy consistency like taffy.

COLD CURE

Fresh-pressed rosin that has been stored in a jar, cured at low temperatures, and agitated until it has more of a batter-like consistency.

FULL SPECTRUM EXTRACTS

Includes all compounds of the Cannabis plant such as cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids, rather than isolating just one specific compound.

WAX

An umbrella term used to describe concentrates that appear soft and waxy in appearance. Typically extracted using butane or hydrocarbon solvents, and comes in a variety of forms referred to as butter/badder, honeycomb, crumble, sugar and more.

BHO

Butane Hash Oil, or a form of concentrates extracted using butane, and available in various consistencies. Excess butane is purged using a vacuum oven.

DISTILLATE

An extract made with a distillation process that separates all materials and compounds from one specific cannabinoid, often THC. Can be used to dab or vaporize, but is most often found in edibles, topicals, vape cartridges and other products.

DIAMONDS

Cannabinoids which have been purified and isolated to form crystalline solids that look like diamonds.

FECO

Full Extract Cannabis Oil. A dark, tar-like extract made by soaking plant matter in a solvent – typically grain alcohol. Often used for severe pain relief. Sometimes referred to as Phoenix Tears or Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), after the Canadian engineer and Cannabis advocate who helped popularize its medical use to treat tumors and other cancers.

SHATTER

Named for its glass-like consistency that tends to crack or shatter when broken, typically gold or amber in color.

HASH HOLE

Also referred to as a “donut,” hash holes are rolled with a snake of hash rosin surrounded by flower. As the flower and rosin burn together it creates a perfect ring of hash resembling a donut, with bubbling rosin in the hole.

JAM

Bubble hash that has been pressed and heated until the microcrystals of THCa separate from the terps in the rosin, creating a jam-like consistency with small chunks of crystals.

EXTRACTION

The process of removing the resin from fresh frozen plant material to make a concentrate.

SOLVENT

Extraction methods can use solvents, such as butane or CO2, to create products like BHO or CO2 extracts.

SOLVENTLESS

Extraction methods not dependent on solvents can use techniques involving ice and water, or heat and pressure, to remove oils. This is used to create products like rosin or traditional hashish.

SQUISHING

Also called “pressing,” this is the process of using a rosin press to apply heat and pressure in order to “squish” live rosin out of the plant material.

RESIN

A sticky substance found in trichomes that can be collected or extracted from the plant to make various forms of concentrates.

MICRON SCREEN

A series of mesh screens that allow trichomes to fall through to each successive screen while

HEAD STASH

Your personal, private reserve stash of those extra special or rare terps you don’t want to share. “My roommate better not have smoked that jar from my head stash while I wasn’t home.”

HEADIE

A piece of glass you’re proud to pull up to the sesh with. “Hey man, can I take a dab of this fire off your new headie?”

GLOB

A dab of epic-sized proportions. “I need a giant glob after the day I’ve had.”

710

The dab version of 420. And if you haven’t gotten it yet, “710” spells “OIL” upside down and backwards. “What event are we pulling up to for 7/10 this year?”

WOOK

A hippie who likes to take a lot of dabs and hang out at music festivals to see jam bands. “Wow, there sure were a lot of wooks on lot at the Grateful Dead show last night.”

DAB RIG

A water pipe that is used to inhale Cannabis concentrates.

E-RIG

A device that electronically heats a nail for dabbing rather than using a torch. Learn more about Focus V, one of the innovators in eRig technology, in this month’s issue or at LeafMagazines.com

NAIL

An attachment that connects to the downstem of a rig, like a bowl in a bong, to hold and heat up the concentrate.

BANGER

A bucket-shaped attachment on a rig to dab concentrates off of, made in a variety of materials, sizes and designs.

QUARTZ

A common material used to make bangers that can withstand high temperatures for longer periods of time, making it the most common and ideal material for taking dabs off of.

TERP SLURPER

A style of quartz banger with a dish attached to the bottom, invented by glass legend JP Toro. When a concentrate is heated up and melts, holes in the bottom of the banger allow oil to seep out into the dish, enhancing flavor and minimizing waste.

CARB CAP

A device that seals around the banger to help regulate the amount and direction of air going to the nail on a dab rig.

DABBER

A tool that is used to scoop up dabs and place them on a banger.

DAB MAT

A mat made of non-stick material that is placed underneath a rig when dabbing to protect the glass and keep it in place.

TERP PEARL

Small balls that spin around the bottom of the banger while dabbing to distribute the concentrate and heat evenly.

TORCH

A device filled with butane that is used to heat the nail of a dab rig to high temperatures.

ISO

Referred to simply as “iso,” isopropyl alcohol is great for getting sticky resin off surfaces and is used to disinfect and clean dab tools and rigs between uses.

THE HASH >THE HYPE

AS CANNABIS continues to march across the world, transforming policy and becoming more of a mainstream product, hash has become the counterculture hero – picking up the slack by representing classic elements of stoner society.

The crowd buying these items might account for a small fraction of a dispensary’s customer base, but this group is a veritable terp army that’s grown to represent the loudest voice when it comes to cost and demand, with a two-gram jar of rosin recently going on the private market for $1,000.

Fuji Melt

PoonTang Pie #5 melts into a Jake Mizer Glass “Heatmizer”

Photos by Amanda Day (right, and upper right)

People in this world have a prerequisite that you show a certain level of knowledge about glassblowers, genetics or hashmakers to sit at the session. E-rigs have undoubtedly made it more mainstream, but the question is: How and why has hash risen in the last ten years from tradition to trend?

Though a shift to highlighting solventless products like cold cure rosin has begun to slide through the beverage, edible and vape menus in recreational states – hash, in several of its most superb forms – has yet to find firm footing for the retail store.

Why is it that some of the plant’s most prized products only exist in either the gray area, the internet, or the freezer? That’s what we’d like to ask you, dear reader. To get you started thinking, consider two types of sought-after hash that have a difficult time getting to and sitting on the shelves at your local store: full melt and piattella.

FULL MELT

Six star or full melt hash represents the top of the game for any serious fan. It’s not the average consumer’s go-to. In fact, most of the hash you see in stores is the three and four star variety. Full melt is expensive, requires careful handling, burns at lower temperatures and needs to be stored in a freezer to keep the trichome heads from solidifying – also called “greasing up.” Producers have had trouble introducing this to the retail crowd since it isn’t as shelf stable as certain rosins.

Along with that, there’s a process to smoking it – and while flattening some and watching it melt away in a banger is a top-shelf experience – it’s one that carries a non-introductory price tag. Even vendors will tell you people who shop for full melt rarely buy the same jar twice. Still, many regular hash smokers consider it a rare treat and will prize it over a fresh press or cold cure.

PIATTELLA

Coming out of Europe, piattella has been all the hype after 2023’s Spannabis event. Named after the Italian word for, amongst other things, a tiny brick – it’s bubble hash that’s been cured and shaped into greasy rectangles that glisten with terpenes.

Innovated and perfected in Spain by people like Uncle’s Farm and La Sagrada Farm, many have called it the best hash experience they’ve had in years. Only a handful of clubs in Barcelona offer the product and even fewer are releasing piattella in the U.S. market.

Archive in Oregon experimented, but described the challenge of presenting it to consumers after it’s been sliced and portioned down from the mouth-watering patty they saw online. Sunburn Cannabis in Florida, the first to drop some on the American market, had their two-gram jars see a positive initial reception – but there’s no telling if it will catch on after the clout of posting some online dies away.

QUICK HIT

Looking at these two prized varieties, it’s hard to say if there’ll be a day when you see a filled-out full melt or even a piattella section at your local stores. We hope reading this inspires you to take a look at the hash in your favorite shops and see what’s causing such a stir with stoners

Hash is where some of the strongest remnants of stoner culture exist – where the old symbols still hold sway. Dabbing takes equipment, knowledge and practice to enjoy properly. At a time when puffing a joint or eating an edible has never been easier, you have to put in some effort to smoke hash.

120-90u Animal Cookies piattella, delicious any way you slice it.

Photo by Professor Sift

“THE CROWD BUYING THESE ITEMS MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR A SMALL FRACTION OF A DISPENSARY’S CUSTOMER BASE, BUT THIS GROUP IS A VERITABLE TERP ARMY…”

THE CARTA 2 | FOCUS V

LATELY, I haven’t been leaving the house without my handy CARTA 2 – an electronic rig from Focus V dreamt up to help hash heads “dab smarter.”

Seriously, I think I may use this device more than my own cell phone.

The thing absolutely rips – with a larger atomizer than the classic model and a 360° heating element for optimized airflow, they say “the CARTA hits hardaaa.” Even with more power, the design is sleeker than ever before. She fits right in my car’s cup holder or coat pocket and comes in an adorable mini backpack that is both portable and stylish.

Besides being thoughtfully crafted for onthe-go usage, the amount of personalization

the CARTA 2 provides is perhaps its most significant differentiator. Some of my personal favorite features are the ability to upload custom screensavers and change the LED color to match my mood or the vibe of the sesh I’m at. Here at HQ, we obviously like to keep our device on-brand – glowing green with the lil’ Leaf Nation logo as our screensaver. A whole slew of more fire features certainly makes it easy to customize your own concentrates experience with the CARTA 2.

Originally available in black and clear, Focus V recently dropped four fresh colorways: Grape, Midnight, Mint and Forest, as well as new Chromatix glass tops attachments and a limited run of custom branded Tuff Tethers with matching Zach Harrison carb caps.

AN OLED DISPLAY SCREEN showcases all the quick stats you need to see and tactile buttons on the base make for quick time and temp adjustments in between hits or users, or even mid dab. If you want to go digital, there’s the mobile app that makes it possible to fully control the device from your phone – changing the temperature or hit duration, saving color presets and LED light shows for different sesh vibes, or even heating up your dab – all from across the room and with the press of a button.

“We created the piece so that it could be yours,” explains JR, the brand’s Director of Product Development. “Choose your colorway, upload a custom screensaver, or mix and match accessories. We wanted to push the E-Rig space and innovate in personalization and individuality to help destigmatize dabbing. With our device, you can turn the LED light pink, put the temp down low, and heat up a dab for your grandma from your phone. It makes the whole process not only more personal, but more accessible to people who might not try dabbing off of a rig – which can seem scary with the torch, or overwhelming because it requires a lot of accessories and ongoing costs like filling up butane.”

Beyond building a device that functions effortlessly and looks sexy doing it, I’m all about being part of the Focus family because I love what they’re doing to bring the concentrates community together. The founders all have a legacy background in the Cannabis industry, currently operating with a “small but nimble” team that is incredibly passionate about hash, based out in LA with an East Coast hub in NYC as well.

Sam, the company’s CEO, goes on to tell me how, “Eight years ago, I started Rosin Tech – one of the first companies to pioneer solventless hash extraction equipment. That evolved into Rosin Tech Labs, which is now one of the leading hash companies in California. We have always championed hash-making at all levels and continue to push this passion through our products like the CARTA 2 and the network of industry functions you can always find our team at.”

The brand has been a part of international events from Spannabis in Barcelona to Hall of Flowers and Legends of Hashish in California, and collaborated with other industry leaders like Blazy Susan, Mystic Timber, and SakiBomb. A popping Discord channel creates a community for users to connect virtually, while tracking technology and social features through the app allow you to keep a count of device hits – and see how much your friends are seshing, too.

There’s even an international leaderboard of app users where you can upload your dab count and become a world champion. Finally … someone has made smoking concentrates a sport.

Thank you, team CARTA.

Making smoking concentrates convenient and customizable

“WE WANTED TO PUSH THE E-RIG SPACE AND INNOVATE IN PERSONALIZATION AND INDIVIDUALITY TO HELP DESTIGMATIZE DABBING,” EXPLAINS JR, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AT FOCUS V.

PHOTO BY FOCUS V

CHERRY GUAVA CHERRY GUAVA

San Francisco has long been a safe haven for Cannabis consumers and industry operators alike. As a result, some of the most renowned strains have been developed in and proliferated from California’s ‘City by the Bay.’ The Purps of the early aughts, the celebrated Sunset Sherbert and the world-famous Cookies all originated in San Francisco – as did SF Canna.

The team at SF Canna is made up of a small group of passionate Cannabis connoisseurs with a knack for hustling. Since the late ‘90s their tight-knit crew has been popping seeds, breeding new varietals and cultivating the very best indoor-grown flower possible. The company has zero outside investment and has been built from the ground up with an unwavering focus on quality.

SF Canna’s Cherry Guava is an in-house selected pheno of the legendary Gelato 33 that took over a year to hunt down and add to the stable. This unique rendition of the ultra-classic G33 sports a dark purple hue interspersed with burnt-orange hairs and a dense coat of blinging trichomes – there’s some serious bag appeal with this one.

After using a Flower Mill to prepare a few grams for rolling, a complex aroma consisting of sweet dough, guava, honeydew melon, clove, ginger and ripe red fruit envelops the room. It’s got all the typical traits of the G33, but with the dial turned up to 11 on the sweet, rich fruit notes and herbal spiciness. The dry pull reveals some of the cherry notes and the flavor comes across as a sweet, funky-bready profile.

The stickiness of this Cherry Guava while rolling it up is a good indicator of both moisture and terpene content, leaving it stuck to itself and maintaining a cylindrical shape. Sparking up the joint confirms the significant presence of terps – one pull was all it took to coat the mouth with hefty, flavorful smoke and a lingering sweetness well after the exhale. Immediately, a resin ring develops and after only a few puffs, the joint is absolutely dripping in terps.

The Cherry Guava’s smoke is extremely nimble and lightweight with zero detectable lung expansion and no throat burn – making it an absolute joy to inhale. Seriously, I smoked the entirety of a two-gram joint down to a clean white ash without coughing even once (that never happens).

SF Canna’s decades of experience and deep passion for the plant has led them to become one of the most elite cultivators in the state, with this Cherry Guava being a perfect representation of that passion and experience in flower form. The herb is clean, packed with flavor and smokes like a true top-shelf indoorgrown flower should.

SFCANNA415.COM | @SFCANNA_415

SOCAL: CATALYST CANNABIS, GREENWOLF AND GOAT GLOBAL

NORCAL: ZEN GARDEN WELLNESS, NUG, THE BRIGHT SPOT AND BERNER’S

“A COMPLEX AROMA CONSISTING OF SWEET DOUGH, GUAVA, HONEYDEW MELON, CLOVE, GINGER AND RIPE RED FRUIT ENVELOPS THE ROOM.”

HYDROCARBON

Errl Hill

Blueberry Muffin Live Resin

Few terp profiles on the California hydrocarbon market are as instantly recognizable and memorable as the Blueberry Muffin from Errl Hill. As soon as you crack the jar, don’t be surprised if the sweet berry pastry notes make you feel compelled to try to scoop a bite with your dab spoon. @errlhill

Humboldt

Terp Council

Papaya x The Bomb Live Resin

Vibrant tropical notes signal a delicious dab when you crack open a jar of this honey-toned live resin from Humboldt Terp Council. In a field where Papaya is ubiquitous among hash producers, this is a standout offering. 79.5% THC @humboldtterpcouncil707

brings an uplifting blend of caryophyllene and terpinolene with a myrcene undertone. The resulting combination of flavors and aromas feels clean and bright, and the resulting dab is energetic – perfect for an afternoon barbecue. 86.17% THC | 8.36% Terpenes creamofthecropgardens.com

@COTC_gardens

Shaman Extracts

Lime Slurpee Fresh Frozen Diamond Sauce

Shaman Extracts are holdouts from California’s Prop 215 era – an increasingly rare and challenging feat in today’s market. They are still standing because they have some of the best branding, packaging and live resin products on the market, and have checked all of these boxes with unwavering consistency for years. This Lime Slurpee has a ridiculously loud aroma that calls to mind a Jack Herer, Dutch Treat, Super Silver Haze or other thin-leaf long-flowering varietal. This live resin is a gorgeous rocks ‘n’ sauce consistency, and when dabbed off lowtemp quartz tastes of an intensely vibrant, lemon-lime-pine profile and offers uplifting and motivating effects.

78.4% THC | 3.3% Terpenes shopshamanextracts.com @shamanextracts_

Shaman Extracts Donny Burger Fresh Frozen Wet Badder

Donny Burger is a mashup of GMO and Han Solo Burger, which technically makes it a GMO back cross, as Han Solo Burger is GMO x Larry OG. As a result, the Donny Burger takes the GMO characteristics and ramps them up to an 11. The saucy jar absolutely reeks and kicks off waves of funky and borderline astringent dirty socks, Chem and Kush. Dabbing the wet-sugar-like sauce gives a hefty, expansive kick to the lungs and the ensuing heavy-handed body high makes this one a great option for end-of-day relaxation. 83.0% THC | 5.6% Terps | shopshamanextracts.com | @shamanextracts_

Reviews by California Leaf Staff & Contributors

Tom Bowers @Cannabombtom

Nate Williams @Natew415

Matt Jackson @actionmattjackson

Holy Water

Grape Tree & Gas Tree

The Grape Tree/Gas Tree combination is one that’s more fun to dab one after the other, so you can get a mouthful of sweet grape before lighting the whole thing on fire with highoctane gas.

@holywater710

@lemontree_verse

Holy Water

Kiwi Tree & Melon Tree

The Kiwi Tree/Melon Tree combo is bright with a flavor that is almost strawberry banana on one side and musky melon on the other –managing to create two fruit profiles that ride beautifully side-by-side when you mix them.

West Coast Trading Co.

Zkittle Mints Wet Badder

Who wants candy? The Zkittle Mints Wet Badder delivers on the citrus end of the confectionary terpene rainbow, highlighting the Grape Pie x Grapefruit lineage. The West Coast Trading lineup of Melts also features classics such as White Widow – bringing that classic strain’s beat back with tasty results. 92% THC | @westcoasttradingco

Paper Planes Extracts

Cheetah Piss Live Resin Batter

In spite of its extremely polarizing name, one dab of this Cheetah Piss live resin from Paper Planes Extracts is all it takes to win over anyone on the fence about the cultivar. The flavor is pure Cookies and Kush, and hits those notes singularly and so hard that it doesn’t need any added complexity or flair to accomplish its goal.

This offering is outstanding and would give even the best live rosin a run for its money.

@paperplanes.extracts

SOLVENTLESS

West Coast Cure

Papaya Live Rosin Diamonds

The OGs at West Coast Cure have masterfully coaxed solventless diamonds and combined these cannabinoid-heavy rocks with a highly-aromatic terpene fraction that smells absolutely divine. The jar not only smells awesome, it’s a stunner and will catch eyes at any gathering – boasting a pool of golden-hued terps interspersed with glistening hunks of solid THC. A low-temp dab reveals a moderately expansive vapor packed with a funky and sweet, tropical fruit flavor.

81.6% THC | wcc.com | @westcoastcure

Hash and Flowers Honey Punch

After securing a big win at the Transbay Challenge SF Qualifier, this brand continues to be a high water mark for the retail market for that Honey Banana terp. When they mixed that with some Purple Punch, they created a blend that has not only those sweet ‘naner terps, but hides a left hook that will rattle your solar plexus without being rough on the throat.

70.31% THC | hashandflowers.com

@hashandflowers

Hash Assassins

Scorpion Venom Live Rosin

Cultivated by GreenDawg Cultivators

Hash Assassins specializes in smallbatch runs of super-exclusive indoor flavors from brands like GreenDawg Cultivators, Preferred Gardens, BluePrint and Turtle Pie Co. This Scorpion Venom is presented as a temple ball shaped sphere of hash rosin, an appealing format that isn’t often encountered and makes for an extremely aesthetically pleasing jar. Dabbing the Scorpion Venom reveals a funky, wet earth, grape Nerds and herbaceous spice-forward profile that packs a punch of potent effects.

88.4% THC | @hashassassins_

There’s something simply classic about bubble hash. Whether in a joint, as a bowl topper, or on its own, it’s a must for any head stash. The entire Basic Bubble line at MOCA brings that traditional heat, but we fell in love with the energetic Lemon Durban. Bright, uplifting and inspiring – without making the mind race – this one is worth picking up. Check out the rest of the lineup while you’re at it. 56.8% THC |

@mocahumboldt

Blueprint Brunch Rosin

A consistency like a child’s modeling clay and with a similar shade. This flavor from Sacramento’s favored cultivators is an in-house secret that smells like sweet funk and tastes a little on the savory side. It’s a creamy mix of something earthy and woody, but with a little citrus syrup poured into the mix.

@blueprint_california

Ember Valley Cold Cure Live Rosin

Alone, each of Ember Valley’s rosin flavors can stand up with its terps held high. When you put them next to each other, you can really begin to see how EV brings the best out of each strain. The Dole Hwhip transports you to the tropics, while the Rainbow Beltz drops you off at the candy shop for a dose of Z terps. The Grape Cream Cake delivers complex fruit and dessert flavors and aromas – almost good enough to eat.

Dole Hwhip | 82% Total Cannabinoids | 67.69% THC

Rainbow Beltz | 97.88% Total Cannabinoids | 81.82% THC | Grape Cream Cake | 97.21% Total Cannabinoids | 81.2% THC | ember-valley.com

Nasha

Guava Gift

Cold Cure Live Rosin

CULTIVATED BY ALPENGLOW FARMS

Northern California’s Nasha built its reputation on traditional hash forms like their excellent temple balls, but we’ve fallen in love with their live rosin line. The Guava Gift fills the room with tropical delights and overripe rainforest funk. Delectable. 71.7% Total Cannabinoids | 66.2% THC nashahash.com

710 Labs Persy 90µ Badder

LEMON HEADZ #4

The Persy line from 710 Labs continues to dish out straight fire in its sleek black boxes, and this zesty Lemon Headz Badder is no exception. Fresh, tangy, golden-blonde hash paste offers mouth-watering aromas and flavors, making for a perfect summertime patio dab. 77% THC | @710labs

MOCA Basic Bubble Ice Water Hash

oudmouth

Full Xpression

Hardcore OG Live Hash Rosin

Coming in hot from Sacramento, Full Xpression’s rosin line brings heavyhitting top-tier strains to the jar. The Hardcore OG cranks up the earthy, spicy OG funk, overlaid with a hint of pine. We look forward to seeing more from this brand. @full.xpression

Royal Key Ghost Candy Six Star

Full Melt

The delicate dance of artistry behind successfully crafting the highly soughtafter, six star full melt isn’t possible for just anyone to execute. But the team at Royal Key has never steered us wrong with their careful approach to living soil cultivation and meticulous extraction, and their full melt is absolutely unmissable. The Ghost Candy six star is a gorgeous cross of Geist OG and White Runtz – if kept frozen from lab to dab, it comes across in little crumble cakes of terpy trichome goodness that melt away into potent, pure vapor. Perfection. @royal_key_organics

Chem Punch Live Rosin

A newer brand emerging from the labs at Natura, Plasma’s sleek space-age branding sets the stage for some out-ofthis-world flavors. We had the chance to sample their Spritzer and their Chem Punch, the latter of which was a perfect combination of gas and piney funk with a hint of sweetness. We can’t wait to see what else comes from this line. natura.io @natura_official_california

Heritage Hash Co. Rosin

There’s a reason Heritage Hash Co. continues to bring home hardware at nearly every competition they enter – led by the emerging legend Cherry Blossom Belle, the hash lab cranks out consistently fantastic expressions of strains from their legacy farm partners. We sampled a trio of flavors for this issue – the pithy Orange Turbo, the funky Triple Burger, and the bright, gassy Sour D. Each brought its own unique flavors and aromas to the table, offering smooth, scrumptious dabbing experiences. Orange Turbo | 79.27% Total Cannabinoids | 73% THC Triple Burger | 79.46% Total Cannabinoids | 73% THC Sour D | 73% Total Cannabinoids | 69% THC @heritagehash.co

Forte Papaya Live Hash Rosin

Kalya Lemon Limez & Tropical Sorbet Rosin

CULTIVATED BY LUMA FARMS AND DANCING DOG RANCH

If there’s one thing that Kalya does well – there are many, but if there is only one – it’s bringing out the perfect expression of a fruit-forward strain. We fell in love with both the Lemon Limez – with its combination of fruit, gas and chem character –and the Tropical Sorbet, which offers a rich dankness to a fruity complexity.

@thekalyalife

We discovered a plethora of Papaya when doing our research for this issue, but Forte’s take on the classically perfect hash-washing strain is a cut above most. Loud, exotic fruit terps fill the air, and you’ll find yourself immediately salivating. We want to pair this with a Thai curry. Mmmmm. @forte_solventless

Moon Valley Super Boof

Full Melt Ice

Water Hash

We’re no strangers to the fine fire coming out of Moon Valley’s NorCal facility. Like some of the best hashmakers, they source all of their flower from their own indoor facility – where they employ living soil cultivation techniques, and in doing so, ensure that they have complete control over quality. Their Super Boof full melt ice water hash features light berry and cherry notes, and earns its space in your hash freezer. 90.1% Total Cannabinoids 74.2% THC | 4.62% Terpenes | @moon_valley_cannabis

Rosin Tech Labs

Catso Cold Cure Live Rosin

Real Deal Resin Bipolar Series Rainbow Belts Cold Cure + Sauce

The split jar is one of our favorite trends in the dabbing world right now, because it opens up the potential to highlight different flavors, consistencies and expressions. Real Deal Resin chose to feature two different consistencies from two different extraction methodologies – cold cure rosin and sauce – to showcase the different expressions of the candylicious Rainbow Belts strain, with tasty results. 72.45% THC realdealresin.com | @realdealresin_

Terp Mansion

Orange Slapz Live Rosin

When you open a jar of this Humboldt-made hash, you’ll understand why it’s called Orange Slapz – because that’s exactly what it does. Zesty orange with a slight sugar-cookie undertone makes this a tasty treat.

@terp.mansion

Humboldt Terp Council

Guava Pop Live Rosin

Choosing a favorite among HTC’s lineup of solventless live rosin doesn’t prove easy, but if one must, the Guava Pop makes a strong case. Guava terps are undeniable, with a salivating sweet, rich tropical funk. This is a fantastic dab for the beach. 69% THC @humboldterpcouncil707

As it continues to add high-profile collabs and coveted awards to its resume, Rosin Tech Labs is on an absolute tear. At their core is their ability to craft fantastic solventless extracts, and this Catso is a perfect example. Potent funk and a slight gas tempered by a simple sweetness makes for an excellent addition to any sesh. 80.9% Total Cannabinoids

76.1% THC | @rosintechlabs

VAPE CARTRIDGES

West Coast Trading Co.

Copilot Cartridge

DREAM WEDDING LIVE RESIN TERPENES & MELTED DIAMONDS

West Coast Trading Co. offers a complex melange of fruit, earth and perfume notes that continue to develop after the exhale – making for a pleasant, unique vaping experience.

87.69% THC

8.85% Terpenes @westcoasttradingco

Mainstage Disposable Full-Gram Rosin Pens

Mainstage has a great habit of working with some of the finest names in the game on their in-house products and this is no exception. With a full gram of solventless live rosin processed by Terp Mansion up in the Emerald Triangle, not only are these potent with great flavor and feature an impressive draw, but they also make use of an AVD battery that feels easily palmable for discreet use. Highlighting flavors like Thin Mint Cookies and Grape Pie – you also have USB-C charging to make sure your disposable is always working at full capacity. Thin Mint Cookies: 80% THC | 9.13% Terpenes | Grape Pie: 68.7% THC 7.36% Terpenes Modified Fruit Bowl: 73.3% THC | 8.5% Terpenes | mainstagecali.com | @manstage916 | @terp.mansion

Friendly Confetti, Pink Panties & Crepes Live Resin

The crew at Friendly earns its reputation as a leader in the vape scene, with well-conceived branding and packaging wrapped around quality oil. All three flavors we tried – Confetti, Pink Panties and Crepes –were tasty and sipped easy. The Confetti really frosts the cake, with a hint of sweet and ripe kiwi character.

81.9% Total Cannabinoids | 80.2% THC friendlybrandusa.com | @friendlybrandca

Humboldt Terp Council Loudmouth, Flambé & Citrus Twist

The Humboldt Terp Council cartridge line delivers on the hash company’s name. We had the pleasure of sampling three flavors, each of which offers its own unique character. The Loudmouth hollers with ripe tropical fruit and cheese. The Flambé is a light and airy middle sibling. And the Citrus Twist drops more than 15% terpenes on your tongue. With terp levels this high, it’s a pleasure to report that the Citrus Twist takes it easy on the palate, like sipping pulp-free OJ. Don’t be surprised if the terpenes start to tickle the nose after a few draws – it’s the Humboldt Terp Council, after all. @humboldtterpcouncil707 | Loudmouth | 67.8% THC | 7.75% Terps

Flambé | 67.9% THC | 10% Terps / Citrus Twist | 66.4% THC | 15.36% Terps

Cream of the Crop

Hassionfruit Live Resin Vape Cartridge

Luscious clouds of tantalizing, nostril-tickling terplicious vapor billow from this solid release from the Cream of the Crop crew. A cross of (Platinum Cookies x GDP) x Blue Power x Gelatti, the Hassionfruit lives up to its name. 84.4% THC | 11.91% Terpenes creamofthecropgardens.com

@COTC_gardens

Devi Melon Fizz Rosin Cartridge

Bringing on the fruity terps, this cartridge from the crew at Humboldt’s Devi Cannabis stays true to its Melonade x Moonbow 75 lineage, with light, refreshingly tasty vapor. We’re looking forward to seeing what this crew puts out in the future.

@devicannabis

Shaman Extracts OG Kush Cured Resin Cartridge

The king of Cannabis, OG Kush is easily the best known cultivar in the world, and will probably go down as the greatest strain of all time. Shaman Extracts has crafted this cured resin cartridge that delivers a lime-forward version of the ultra-classic profile for those living life on the move. Their proprietary ceramic hardware delivers tasty rips with ease, and it only takes a couple of puffs for a heavy-handed, eye-dropping high to kick in. 81.4% THC 3% Terps | shopshamanextracts.com | @shamanextracts_

Real Deal Resin

Rainbow Belts

All-in-One Cartridge

Real Deal Resin never disappoints. The colorful, pro-wrestling-inspired packaging and all-inone cartridge is a work of art in and of itself, but the candy terps are the real draw here. It’s discreet and tasty, and the disposable unit is rechargeable in case the battery goes out before you finish the goodness within. 77.74% THC realdealresin.com

@realdealresin._

VAPE CARTRIDGES

Dr. Norm’s SleepWell SleepVape

Dee Thai Disposable Vapes

Featuring a mix of live resin and distillate, Dee Thai has branched out from their amazing edibles to create a line of disposable vapes focused on delivering a mouth-watering flavor along with potency. These are the kind of things everyone at the party is going to want to try. The pineapple, mango and guava all manage to combine the best parts of fresh, candy-fruit flavors – but without any aftertaste. An excellent option for afternoon outings or slipping into events and knowing Dee Thai, we’re just waiting for the jackfruit flavor to come out next.

Pineapple: 91% THC | 94.5% Total

Iced Mango: 93% THC | 97% Total

Ripe Guava: 88.2% THC | 92% Total deethaigummy.com | @deethaiofficial

Paper Planes Extracts Coco Chanel Live Resin Cartridge

Paper Planes not only crafts some of the finest dabbable products in California, they also like their terps on the go via strain-specific live resin cartridges. The Coco Chanel offers a luxuriously smooth puff that features notes of grape hookah, petrichor and rosewater, and the accompanying effects are heady and slightly distracting. Paper Planes has opted for all-ceramic hardware that provides a delightfully flavorful draw, with the added benefit of looking super sleek and sexy. @paperplanes.extracts

Shaman Extracts

Amnesia Haze

Live Resin Cartridge

Amnesia Haze is a classic thin-leaf varietal that delivers an uplifting, cerebral high with only a couple of draws. True to style, this live resin tastes like Squirt soda with a Pine-Sol floater topped with lemon and lime zest. At over 90% THC and 6% terps, this cartridge is both potent and extremely flavorful. Shaman Extracts continues to demonstrate their mastery of all things live resin with this travelfriendly rendition of their top-shelf dabbable extracts.

90.3% THC | 6% Terps shopshamanextracts.com @shamanextracts_

Nasha

Banana OG x GMO

While most of the cartridge brands on the market go for the unobtrusive delivery of recreational consumption, the MJ mixologists in the Dr. Norm’s lab aim straight at the wellness space. This four-cannabinoid sleep pen has a therapeutic feel to it and effectively delivers its calming effects in the wee hours. 55% THC

17.57% CBN | 7.14% CBG

9.89% CBD @doctornormsofficial

Live Rosin All-in-One

CULTIVATED BY ALPENGLOW

We’ve always been fans of the hash artistry at Nasha, and the team’s approach to traditional hash. They’ve done well with their entry into the vape space, bringing their own brand of discreet class to the category. Their all-inone showcases the classic OG/GMO terps with a silky draw.

78% THC

6.6% Terpenes nashahash.com

Chemistry Strawnana Frosting Live Terp Cart

CULTIVATED BY RADICLE HERBS

Chemistry is well known for its allegiance to sungrown Cannabis, and their highly visible rainbow-laden packaging has made them an easy go-to for many cartridge users across the state. This Strawnana Frosting was cultivated by the team at Radicle Herbs in Mendocino, and extracted into a gorgeous golden-amber hued full-spectrum resin by the team at Chemistry. The flavor is equal parts rich, sugary-sweet cherry, bright red fruit and diesel fuel, and backs up the luscious flavor with full-bodied effects. 78.6% THC | 5.7% Terps | trychemistry.com | @trychemistry

Friendly Chem De La Chem

FSO

Perhaps the most purely beneficial of all cannabinoid concentrates, the FECO family, including RSO and FSO, packs the entire medicinal arsenal of the plant into a highly potent oil. Friendly’s honey-toned oil can be used to infuse edibles and topicals, or be consumed on its own for maximum impact.

friendlybrandusa.com

@friendlybrandca

710 Labs

Tupac Pure Kush #1

RSO + Cherry Zest #4 RSO

Whether you’re looking for a high dosage or just advanced relief, you can’t miss with RSO. 710 does it right with that alien-blood-looking goo that smells strongly of Cannabis. They also make sure to be completely transparent about the cultivar(s) that go into each applicator, not just with the strain name, but with advanced notes on lineage as well.

Tupac Pure Kush #1 (Pure Kush Topanga x Rick James #28) + Cherry Zest #4 (Zkittlez x Animal West)

758.91mg THC

1.85mg CBD

710labs.com/california

@710labs

Community Cannabis

Bubble Hash Gel Caps

Bringing easily transportable relief to the medical Cannabis space, the folks at Community (in the Kalya family) score a heavy hit with their Bubble Hash Gel Caps. “For medical use only,” packaging warns. Take that advice, unless you’re a heavy consumer. 66mg THC per capsule | 2,028mg THC per bottle

@communitycanna

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Trail Blazers

From the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, hundreds of thousands of hippies traveled to the Far East in search of adventure, enlightenment and the world’s best hashish, along what was known as the Hashish or Hippie Trail.

BEAT IT

After World War II, the U.S. experienced an economic and cultural boom – leading many well-to-do Westerners to begin vacationing along the old Silk Road (also known as the “overland route”) and later publishing accounts of their adventures. These tales, along with beatnik author Jack Kerouac’s groundbreaking novel “On the Road” – which glorified a Zen, vagabond lifestyle – incited a wanderlust in America’s youth. In 1957 (the same year that “On the Road” was published), Kerouac himself visited Tangiers, Morocco – meeting up with fellow beat writer William Burroughs, who lived there for a few years.

As the ‘50s ended and the Beats evolved into Hippies, more counterculture icons began heading East: Beat poet Allen Ginsberg moved to India in the early ‘60s, and in 1967 the Beatles also headed there for a meditation retreat at an ashram. As a result of these cultural influences, hundreds of thousands of young Americans disillusioned with capitalist consumerism and Cold War paranoia began a decade-long exodus to the East – seeking a freer, simpler life and the ultimate mystical high. Though they didn’t actually call themselves “hippies” – reportedly preferring the terms “intrepids” or “freaks” – this pot-smoking pilgrimage to the hashish capitals of the Old World became widely known as the “Hippie Trail” or “Hashish Trail.”

ON THE ROAD

Following in the footsteps of such legendary explorers as Alexander the Great and Marco Polo, countless counterculture vagabonds undertook some or all of the nearly 6,000-mile overland journey across Eurasia. Typically starting off from a European city such as London or Amsterdam, these “intrepids” would often travel by train, car, motorcycle or “Kombi” (often garishly painted Volkswagen minivans). But the cheapest, most common modes of transportation along the Trail were either hitchhiking or via the several bargain bus lines that emerged to serve the ever-growing influx of hippie hash seekers, such as the Indiaman Bus Company (who offered rides from London to Bombay for around $45), Amsterdam’s Magic Bus, Budget Bus and Swagman Tours (a.k.a. the “Asian Greyhound”). These companies marketed inexpensive fares to the hippie crowd via underground publications and bulletin boards at various Hippie Trail hotspots.

Main photo: Chicken Street in Kabul, Afghanistan—one of the hippie hubs on the Hashish Trail. Above: route maps from the Swagman and Indiaman bus companies. Left: Swagman bus tour makes a stop in Kabul (1970).

While there was no formal or definitive trail, these journeys typically followed one of two main paths: a Northern route, passing through Tehran, Kandahar, Kabul and Lahore en route to India and Nepal, and a Southern route, through Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan. Regardless of the specific route, however, almost all of these pilgrimages (which would take several weeks or even months to complete) passed through certain hubs that offered travelers access to rest, restaurants, resources, connection with fellow Cannabis-loving compatriots and of course, killer hand-made hashish.

THE PUDDING SHOP

As the only metropolitan city to straddle Europe and Asia, Istanbul, Turkey (a.k.a. the “Gateway to the East”) was where all routes converged. And for any freaks passing through Istanbul, there was one essential stop: The Pudding Shop.

Opened in 1957, the Lale Pastahesi (Turkish for “Tulip Pastry Shop”) was a small restaurant/dessert shop on the city’s imperial avenue (Divan Yolu) that was nicknamed “The Pudding Shop” by Western visitors who frequented it due to its variety of cheap and delicious Turkish puddings.

The Pudding Shop became the hub for all hippie activity in the city – a phenomenon the owners encouraged. To capitalize on the increased patronage and publicity, they actually had new signs made with the nickname to hang in front of the shop. They also installed a bulletin board where travelers could leave messages, post travel tips, and solicit or offer rides. Remarkably, this message board became the only place in the city where information about inexpensive transportation to Asia was available to Western tourists.

KABUL & THE HINDU KUSH

Long before the U.S. or Soviet invasions, or the Islamic Revolution, Afghanistan was actually a pretty progressive place that was warm and welcoming to Westerners. Various accounts from that time – including those of future travel gurus like Rick Steves and Lonely Planet founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler – tell of bus drivers, hotel managers, and even customs agents smoking hookahs with travelers and offering them gifts of free hashish. According to the Wheelers, by the early 1970s, Kabul was actually “in danger of becoming a tourist trap” – with an average of around 5,000 hippies in the city at any given time.

Like in Istanbul, there was a specific part of town that catered to the influx of hippie tourists. In Kabul, that place was called Chicken Street – a narrow, two-block-long mar ketplace crammed with eateries, hotels and various shops selling clothing, rugs and trinkets. Oh … and you could buy hashish and opium there, too.

Leaving Kabul, the route continues along the southern edge of the Himalayan Mountains in a region known as the Hindu Kush (or, as the Greeks called it, Cau casus Indicus), where the potent, portly “indi ca” variety of Cannabis first originated. It was Hippie Trail travelers who first brought seeds

of these strains (such as Afghani and Kush) back with them to Europe and North America – and it was those genetics that then laid the foundation for most of the popular cultivars we enjoy today.

GROOVY GOA

Next, the Trail traverses the infamous Khyber Pass into Pakistan and India. At that point, travelers had a choice: either turn south into India, or continue southeast along the Himalayan foothills and up into Nepal.

In the winter, many would head down to the state of Goa on India’s west coast for its warm weather and water. Originally a Portuguese colony before being annexed by India in 1961, Goa retained many of its European sensibilities and famously welcomed foreigners. In fact, Goans have a trademark term for their indolent, indulgent lifestyle: susegad, from the Portuguese word sossegado, meaning “quiet.” That philosophy, along with its beautiful beaches, lack of police presence and accessibility to drugs (particularly hashish and LSD), made Goa what has been described as “a counterculture Nirvana.” Indeed, Anjuna Beach’s legendary full moon parties have attracted many hash icons over the years, including Mila Jansen and Frenchy Cannoli.

K-K-K-K-K-KKATHMANDU

During the warmer months, however, the most popular terminus of the Trail was Nepal’s fabled capital of Kathmandu.

Boasting one of the oldest hashish-making traditions in the world, Nepal is renowned for its hand-collected, hand-pressed hash known as “charas.” Charas is typically rolled into what is called Temple Balls, which were sold legally at cafes and hashish shops all around the country. And just like Chicken Street in Kabul and The Pudding Shop in Istanbul, there was one particular section of town that the hippies all gravitated to: in this case, Jochen Tole Street in Kathmandu Durbar Square, better known by the nickname Freak Street. Freak Street became the epicenter of the counterculture in Nepal thanks to its concentration of hotels, eateries, tattoo parlors and most importantly, its three dozen government-licensed

hash shops – the most famous of which was the legendary Eden Hashish Centre. Opened in around 1970 by owner Devi Dhatta Sharma (nicknamed the “Ganja Raja”), Eden was a five-story Cannabis dispensary catering exclusively to tourists that featured a warehouse floor, a showroom floor, and a consumption lounge floor loaded with comfy couches and beds.

Sharma brilliantly marketed the shop to Westerners with a series of calendar posters featuring images of Hindu gods and goddesses and English writing that served as perfect souvenirs – and later, as sought-after collectors’ items. The business became so successful that in 1973, Sharma opened the Eden Hotel: a nine-story luxury hotel one block south of Freak Street, whose “Heavenly Pleasure Room” served a selection of hash-infused foods and drinks.

Unfortunately for him, the flow of tourists was about to dry up.

END OF THE TRAIL

Sadly, during the mid to late ’70s, several wars erupted that would spell doom for the Hippie Trail –including America’s War on Drugs. In 1973, the Nixon Administration reportedly paid a $47-million bribe to King Zahir Shah to have him declare Cannabis and hashish illegal in Afghanistan. Three years later, bowing to U.S. pressure, Nepal also banned Cannabis products. Then, a series of military conflicts across the Middle East and Asia – including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 – quickly made many nations along the Trail inhospitable and dangerous to Western travelers, effectively ending tourism in the region.

Today, few remnants remain of the old Hippie Trail. The Pudding Shop is still open, but other than some old photos and clippings on the wall, it’s essentially just a tourist trap. The hash shops on Freak Street were long ago replaced by conventional businesses, and tragically much of the neighborhood was destroyed or heavily damaged by an earthquake in 2015. But hey – I hear Goa is still pretty chill, at least…

To hear one hippie’s tales from the Hashish Trail, listen to Episode 23 of our Cannthropology podcast at worldofcannabis.com/cannthropology or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nepal is renowned for its hand-pressed hashish known as “charas,” which was sold legally at cafes and hash shops all around the country.

Hash shop in Kathmandu.

Outside the Pudding Shop in Istanbul (early 1970s).

Temple ball hash.

Eden Hash Centre on Freak St.

PUDDINGSHOP.COM

Eden Hash Centre promo calendar & restaurant menu.

Daily Mirror article on hash in Kabul (1971).

MICHAEL PALMIERI

Hippie chick selling Manali hash in Goa.

DUDE, WE WERE HAVING A GREAT NIGHT, AND THEN... It appeared that the late shot of elixir was what transformed Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde, escalating the exuberant whiskey-burn growl into an ear-piercing screech.

And that’s where the off-switch appears to have malfunctioned.

Like a shark upon the first scent of blood that triggers the wide-eyed feeding frenzy, in an instant, what was a composed practice in cocktail etiquette became an all-bets-are-off mission to Mercury. This was the turning point where the motor skills became erratic and sloppy – effectively turning the leaking lip into a lawn sprinkler that sprays the bar with nonsensical gibberish.

And here I am, hyper-aware of every tic and touch while you decimate the vibe of the room with nails-on-a-chalkboard karaoke. The turkey strut turns to a fumbling act of foot balance and mumbled lyrics – thoroughly entertaining yourself whilst the room second guesses the system of open mics and over pours.

Dropping the microphone, you parade to the bar demanding attention – lambasting those who won’t share in your fist-pumping, shot glass-pounding camaraderie, measuring the patron’s moxie in ounces.

Your jerking, brutish arms are weapons of buzzkill. And then there you go, swapping spit with the wobbly sea hag who appears like a ball to the barstool chain – deliriously charmed by your advances. She cackles with delight while you attempt to dance her around before stumbling to the filthy floor like limp bags of garbage meant for the dump.

Meanwhile, her cross-eyed cougar friend peers towards me, on the hunt for the thunder from down under. So, I grab your arm and shuffle out of the impact zone as the bouncer gets anxious.

Thankfully, I just use Cannabis. So, you have a friend to drive you home.

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