THE CONC NTRATES
WES ABNEY CEO & FOUNDER
wes@leafmagazines.com
MIKE RICKER OPERATING PARTNER ricker@leafmagazines.com | advertising opportunities
TOM BOWERS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER tom@leafmagazines.com
DANIEL BERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR daniel@leafmagazines.com
BOBBY BLACK STATE CONTENT DIRECTOR bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com
KAYL WOHL COPY EDITOR kayl@leafmagazines.com
ASHLEY HIRCHERT SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD ashley@leafmagazines.com
ABOUT THE COVER
For the 2024 Concentrates Issue cover, the team dreamed up a dab like no other and passed the torch to the terrifically talented Mark Archer from Windham, Maine. He fired it up on a flawless Toro “Grail” (banger), roasted some rosin, and the rest is history. "Creating with hash rosin is one of my favorite things to do," says Archer. "When the Leaf approached me with the cover concept, I was absolutely stoked to try and bring the idea to life. Thankfully with the help of a fresh Toro Glass Grail and after a few (messy) days of trials, the hashterpiece before you was born."
PHOTO BY MARK ARCHER @THECURATORCO.ME HASH ROSIN BY @NORTHEASTSOLVENTLESS
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, FEATURES MARK ARCHER, PHOTOS BOBBY BLACK, FEATURES + DESIGN
JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION
TOM BOWERS, FEATURES + PHOTOS
BRETT CHURCHILL, PHOTOS
DAVID DOWNS, PHOTOS
ALEX DUBS, PHOTOS BRAM GOODWIN, PHOTOS REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
MATT JACKSON, FEATURES + PHOTOS
MYLES MERIN, PHOTOS
JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN
MIKE RICKER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
TONY RINALDO, PHOTOS
MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS
TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS
BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of California Leaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. We can offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s medicinal, recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis business, product or event within our magazine and on our website, leafmagazines.com. Email ricker@leafmagazines.com to start advertising with California Leaf!
Thanks for picking up The Concentrates Issue of the Leaf!
We live in a glorious time of Cannabis freedom where we can consume our plant discreetly, in style, and with the simple push of a button or inhale and be high as a balloon. Concentrates are the essential extracts of the plant, delivering the purest form of Cannabinoids and terpenes for our pleasure in the form of dabs, cartridges, precursors for edibles, or topical products that have endless applications. This bounty of drinks and dabs in the dispensary has all come in the last decade or so of experimentation that has radically changed how we consume and share our favorite plant.
I often reminisce on times when smoking weed meant multiple hand washings, a shower of Axe Body Spray, and a triple piece of gum which definitely didn’t make me sound like a slurring stoned goofball when I stepped back onto the sales floor at Big 5 Sporting Goods. There, I would be fired for getting high, even if all the disgruntled shoe fetchers knew which water bottle was full of the manager's vodka in the breakroom fridge.
"IF THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD, COULD THE DAB PEN REPLACE BOTH IN THE FUTURE?"
Indeed, the smell of weed is what got folks in trouble, which is why the dab pen has really changed the game. Even the flavored cartridges, which high-brow rosin smokers look down on in snobby judgment, have a magical place in the modern world of getting high. How else might one get pleasantly baked in front of the bank, outside of church, or anywhere else you might want to blast off without the exhale smelling like piney-kushy-gassy skunks frolicking in the breeze?
Smoking a flavored pen lumps stoners in with the nicotine vapers, who are largely ignored. But, instead of inhaling cancer-causing chemicals, we’re celebrating the plant on the go and at home, with a perfectly timed and temperature-controlled glob of single-source cured resin.
Inside this issue of the Leaf you’ll find a curated selection of some of the finest resins, rosins, pens and extracts that represent the many ways the plant can be transformed into unique highs and medicinal products that are all safer than alcohol.
Cannabis is the healthy choice! The many reviews and all the pontificating and puffing make me wonder. If the pen is mightier than the sword, could the dab pen replace both in the future?
Albert Einstein famously said, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Given the choice, I believe it would be preferable if we all just got stoned.
MARYLAND GOVERNOR ISSUES HISTORIC PARDONS FOR 175,000 CANNABIS CONVICTIONS
Maryland leads the way in drug war reparations with the historic pardons issued by Gov. Wes Moore freeing 175,000 from the burden of a drug conviction.
“Today, we take a big step enacting the kind of policies that can reverse the harm of the past and to help us to work together to build a brighter future," said Moore.
"This is a big deal. This is a really big deal.”
“...more than 150,000 convictions for simple possession, and over 18,000 paraphernalia charges.”
The pardons are largely for misdemeanor charges, with more than 150,000 convictions for simple possession, and over 18,000 paraphernalia-related charges. These backdated pardons cover arrests prior to Cannabis being legalized in the state in 2023, which linger on criminal records and can limit employment, housing or other opportunities. While 24 states have legalized Cannabis, none have taken such a significant action to right the wrongs of the war on drugs.
"We cannot celebrate the benefits of legalization if we do not address the consequences of criminalization," Moore said to WBALTV.
"That rollout [of legalization] must go hand in hand with pardoning past conduct, and Maryland is going to lead by example."
A pardon is not an expungement, but it will be noted on an individual's criminal record that the charge has been pardoned. This provides a legal shield against discrimination, meaning people can honestly say they have not been convicted of a Cannabis-related crime. While many of the early states to legalize focused solely on tax revenue generation and creating new rules that burdened the Cannabis industry, it appears that Maryland is truly living up to the goal of progressive legalization.
by the numbers
$40m
MICHIGAN OFFICIALLY SELLS
MORE POT BY METRIC TRACKED VOLUME THAN CALIFORNIA
California has led the world in production, sales and export of Cannabis for decades, but California’s market domination might be changing, at least in legal tracked sales.
Michigan legalized Cannabis five years ago, but the Wolverine State has been growing weed in the woods for a long time.
Ann Arbor, Michigan decriminalized Cannabis in 1974, making it one of the few free cities for stoners pre-legalization. We know Michigan loves weed, but are they really selling more than California?
According to point of sale data from BDSA, a Cannabis market intelligence company, Michigan is selling more grams of flower and units of products like vapes and dabs than California. Headset (another top data firm) also confirms that Michigan is selling more units than California, at least legally.
In terms of overall sales by cash value, CA is leading the way with $5.1bn in annual sales, versus Michigan’s $3bn in estimated recreational sales. While it isn’t a contest, that’s a ton of pot, jobs and tax revenue to support the state.
Our take is that the analysis is only as good as the data given, which makes the sensational headlines about Michigan selling more pot than California wrong. By many estimates the illegal Cannabis market is two to three times as large in California as the legal market, which isn’t accounted for in traceability systems. The West Coast is still the top dog when it comes to growing, selling and shipping pot, but as demand shifts to local, legal weed in new markets, it’s clear that states like Michigan, New York and Texas will one day sell much more weed than the Golden State.
LEGALIZATION
MINNESOTA CRACKS DOWN ON WEED SALES AHEAD OF LEGAL MARKET LAUNCH IN 2025
IN
Minnesota, weed is illegal to sell in flower form until the legal market launches next year, prompting police to continue the war on drugs as sales continue in retail locations around the state. Police raids netted 120 pounds of illegal flower from 91 retail locations, which sounds like a lot of risk, gas money and overtime for cops to fill a few tote bins full of weed that is illegal simply because it isn’t taxed or tracked yet. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is responsible for regulating the market, and they were acting on reports of Cannabis being sold as hemp.
2024 CA STATE FAIR TO OFFER CANNABIS CONSUMPTION AND SALES
Judges of this year's pie contests will have the added advantage of really tasting the home-cooked flavor after visiting an onsite consumption lounge at the fairground.
Visitors to the fair won’t have to get high in their cars or hit the vape pen discreetly, as this year’s offerings include a 30,000square-foot consumption lounge where people can buy and try Cannabis from around the state. Similar to an Amazon store in Seattle, but likely with better security, customers will be able to scan QR codes and purchase Cannabis thanks to Embarc’s onsite retail license.
“...a major milestone in the state fair’s 170-year history.”
“This initiative spotlights the significant role of cannabis in California’s agricultural industry, marking a major milestone in the state fair’s 170-year history,” James Leitz, executive producer of the fair’s Cannabis competition and exhibit, said in a release.
the 2024 ballot.
The Hemp Bill passed by Congress allows sale of hemp products with less than 0.3% THC, which includes high potency Cannabis flower, as the predominant Cannabinoid is THCA until it’s heated and smoked. This loophole has allowed “illegal” Cannabis dispensaries to flourish in states around the country that haven’t legalized.
The OCM of Minnesota has been on the warpath, seizing 320,000 edibles so far this year, and raiding many shops for selling hot hemp products that will soon be legal to sell. They also warn that retailers who violate the law will face fines of up to $1,000,000. There’s no word if they expect this to stop all Cannabis use in the state until it’s actually legal to buy next year, but the OCM wants those in fear of illegal weed to know that they are doing “targeted” and “complaintbased” enforcement until licenses become available.
“Expanding the competition to include all form factors and providing patrons the opportunity to directly engage with and consume winning brands is transformational for public understanding of the plant.”
This year’s fair will also have a Cannabis category, where growers can enter their best flower in the hunt for a blue ribbon, or in this case, a gold medal. Our hot take? Go for the fair food, stay for the dabs, but avoid the rollercoaster after a trip to the ice cream cart.
Amount of money raised by Smart & Safe Florida in their bid to get recreational marijuana legalization on
FROM FLOWER TO GOLD
LIVE ROSIN & LIVE RESIN BLEND
Drawing inspiration from the ancient art of transmutation, our master cultivators and extraction artists have skillfully transformed flower into gold. Utilizing our renowned archive of strains, we've crafted four exceptional blends—Octane, Citra, Exotics, and Desserts—each meticulously curated to highlight the finest qualities of premium Live Rosin and Live Resin, o ering a unique and distinguished vaping experience.
CALIFORNIA LEAF BUDTENDER
STEVEN ASHLOCK
"CANNABIS HELPS ME STAY HAPPY AND PRESENT."
THIS NATURE LOVER is all about making music with friends. He loves carrying the backbeat in a good jam sesh, which exemplifies his passion for bringing people together. And you may find his wife Lauren tap dancing beside him.
HOW DID THE CANNABIS BUSINESS FIND YOU?
I’ve been a medical patient since adulthood. Before I entered the Cannabis industry, I was a schoolteacher for six years. Then my wife and I were living in Vermont right before the pandemic where I was hired to manage a small medical dispensary and spent four years there.
WHAT IS THE AILMENT THAT YOU USE CANNABIS FOR AS MEDICINE? You know, I use it just to calm myself down. I have a lot of anxiety and find myself too much in the past and future, and Cannabis helps me to be grounded and present.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL TEACHING. I was an elementary school teacher: kindergarten through 4th grade. I was big on social and emotional learning and working with kids to get better at interacting with their peers. My mom has been a teacher for many years and has her own literacy company, so I found a lot of joy in helping kids get excited about reading. Kind of like what I do in Cannabis now: meeting people where they are to help them find something that’s gonna make their life better.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO READ? You know, I used to read all non-fiction, like history and politics, but these days I’ve been into fantasy books. I love Neil Gaiman. One of the books I used to read to the kids was “Coraline.”
YOU HAVE A CHILDLIKE SPIRIT. IS CANNABIS A PART OF THAT? (laughs) My wife might even say too much sometimes! Yeah, I think it’s just a sense of joy and gratitude, and Cannabis helps me stay happy and present.
WHAT’S ONE PLACE IN THE BAY AREA THAT YOU HAVEN’T SMOKED THAT IS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? My first instinct is the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, but that’s not an option (laughs). I need to take that question seriously because I do love exploring the Bay Area. It would be Sutro Baths. It used to be this big swimming center right on the coast, and now it’s in ruins. I’d love to take a jay out there and let my imagination run free.
SOLFUL SAN FRANCISCO 900 IRVING ST. SAN FRANCISCO, CA SOLFUL.COM | @SOLFULCA OPEN 9AM-9PM DAILY | 628-899-7660
MUSHROOM INFUSED GUMMIES
ELEVATE Life's EXPERIENCES
THE ROARING 2020s
HOMETOWN GENTLEMEN
Having been born and raised in Alameda, owners
Justin Jarin and Arron Kraw are very familiar with the humming High Street Bridge (aptly named), one of the four access points that connect this island to Oakland. The friendship between these two dates back 20 years and now flourishes as biz partners. “It’s a rare accomplishment for your friends and family to be able to have something special in the city where you grew up,” says Justin. And now with the naval base opening for commercial real estate, this city is becoming one of the most highly sought-after for planting roots in NorCal.
EAST BAY ELEGANCE
Emulating the architectural history of this classic city, the design was laid out as an homage to the Art Deco and Victorian styles that encapsulate the old San Francisco style. Alameda was originally known as a beach resort where San Franciscans would venture to get away from the fog for weekends. So, playing off that aesthetic, these ganjapreneurs decided to incorporate a speakeasy/old-school hotel/cigar lounge vibe.
LOCAL PILLARS
Community engagement has always been important since they first opened their doors a year and a half ago. Organizations like the Alameda Fire Department and Meals on Wheels have been benefactors of these guys’ efforts. If you’re in the area, catch their monthly art fair/ farmer’s market on the first Saturday of every month, a commingling opportunity for tasty brands, artists, local photographers and clothing designers. They also have a quarterly industry night where competing retailers are welcome to take part. They do it to build awareness for the city and the good companies who call Alameda home. Hey, it’s not called Park SOCIAL for nothing!
STAFF PICKS
FLOWER
FIRREECAMP Bubblegum Pixiepop -Anthony
CAM Bubba’s Girl -Juliana
Clarkies LA Pop Rocks -Angelica
Teds Budz Lemon Berry Cherries -Razan
JOINTS
Baddie Bluntz Grape Cherry Gelato -Juliana Sluggers Rainbow Road -Angelica
710 labs Cherry Zest -Lindsay
Grizzly Peak Grateful Dave -Razan
CARTS
PLUGPLAY Mona Lisa -Lindsay turn hot girl summer -Anthony
Heavy Hitters’ Pineapple Express -Razan
DABS
Mountain Man Melts Spritzer -Lindsay
SunSmoke Rosin White Miso -Anthony
Punch Extracts Strawberry Guava -Phil
FRIED! Grape Gas -Angelica
EDIBLES
Korova Terpz Rope -Lindsay
Heavenly Sweet Fruity Treat -Phil
Lost Farm Cherry Lime Chew -Juliana
Emerald Sky Peanut Butter Cups -Razan
San Francisco Fires Up For a Week-Long Hashy Holiday
IT’S NO COINCIDENCE we have our yearly concentrate celebration this month; July is to concentrates what April is to weed. For anyone not fully aware, “710” upside-down spells “OIL,” and for years, it’s been the chosen day of celebration for dab heads seeking their own day in the sun. This year, the global festivities are getting a full birthday week over in San Francisco where the team behind SF Weed Week is launching a version dedicated to the world of hash.
DAVID DOWNS
DAVID DOWNS
MATT JACKSON
EVENT ORGANIZER and Leafly Senior Editor
David Downs said that, like the previous event, these new festivities will center around seven different clubs in the Bay where, throughout the week, seven different top-shelf hashmakers will each premiere a different world-class offering.
“San Francisco is the only place on Earth where you can attend a week-long hash festival that’s fully legal with all the perks.”
-David Downs
SF Weed Week Founder
Downs and company has already hit a home run with a successful event that garnered national attention, and this time around, he wants to provide a stage to the incredible California hash scene and help introduce new people to concentrates.
“Modern hash offers some of the most intense, legal experiences on the planet,” said Downs. “San Francisco is the only place on Earth where you can attend a week-long hash festival that’s fully legal with all the perks. We’re so stoked.”
The Bay Area has a long history with hashish. Back in the late 1800s, Richards & Co. drug store advertised its “Hasheesh Candy” in the San Francisco Chronicle. In the 60s, the “Summer of Love” made the city an epicenter for hippies buying and selling large bricks of hashish smuggled in from overseas. In 1978, the DEA snagged 547 pounds being smuggled between Pakistan and San Francisco. Today, The City, The Town and its surrounding areas have shone a light on a whole spectrum of forms and techniques for hash.
To mark this very first year of San Francisco’s Hash Week, brands from all across the state have gotten together to create a horn-o-plenty of items in all shapes and sizes. About more than just the dabbing side of things, SF Hash Week is a celebration of all forms of hash, including temple balls and vape cartridges. Residents of northern California will notice familiar names, like Jetty, 710 Labs and Oakland Extracts, bringing their best, along with Emerald Triangle favorites Arcata Fire, Nasha, Royal Key, Hash and Flowers, and Errl Hill. For the flavor-chasers out there, there have already been confirmed drops of flavors like LANTZ, Blueberry Muffin, Whitethorn Rose and Black Rainbow Piss.
Like the Mylar Bag exhibit at its leafy, sister celebration, SF Hash Week has a specialized art component to the celebration. To mark the first year, Cannabis photographer and artist Chris Romaine, also known as Kandid Kush, has agreed to exhibit 12 large pieces in a show titled “MACRO-DOSE” at Moe Green’s Dispensary. In these photographs, Romaine will explore some of the hidden world of resin in exquisite detail. Cinema fans can catch a special showing of “Frenchy Dreams of Hashish” when Meadow creates Cafe Frenchy, a manifestation of the dearly missed hashmaker’s dream to curate a French cafe that serves pastries, hookah, coffee and tea. SF Hash Week runs between 7/10 and 7/17. Check out the website for a full schedule of events. SFWEEDWEEK.COM | @SFWEEDWEEK
Mia Shea
“Raincatcher #32”
Meet Mia Shea! She’s a tenured borosilicate glass artist who got her start on the torch at the Zen Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida, back in 2011. Since then, she’s done demos around the world, including Switzerland’s Cannatrade and at the Annual Degenerate Flame Off in Portland, Oregon.
THIS GLASS YOGINI currently calls Bellingham, Washington home. If you look closely, you might find her wandering the beaches on the shores of the San Juan Islands. You also might recognize Mia’s work from the cover feature in our Glass Issue back in April 2022.
Since then, this amazing artist has continued to grow her craft and solidify herself as a prominent artist in the contemporary glass art movement.
This representation is some of her most current work to date and highlights the range and intricacies of Mia’s translation from vision to physical art in the glass medium. Enjoy her description of this provocative journey into the past.
“In the Native American prophecy, White Buffalo Calf Woman came at a time of peril and brought with her the teachings of wisdom and peace so greatly revered in these ancient traditions” Shea says. “As the people circled around, she gifted them the Sacred Pipe so they could pray to all life. In regaining connection with ritual, balance was restored.”
Mia brings reverence of days past and transparency to this vestige of ancient Native
American legacy. This piece shines light on a story that is meaningful to the current times as we navigate our way through a changing civilization.
The ancients speak of a simpler time when the act of manifesting one’s success would ring true for the entire tribe. Be that of a physical construct like the peace pipe or the mindset of bringing individual empowerment to help society join as one. We all stand to benefit from understanding the history of our peoples’ great past. I, for one, hope that this piece transpires the realms of time.
“My art is a vision of borosilicate glass born from the alchemy of inner power,” Shea says. “Through my quest to understand the multidimensional universe and investigating the interior landscapes of the soul, the glass has become an instrument in which I express the beauty of these incredible forces, masculine and feminine, working together. For this art requires the marriage of softness and fierceness in equal proportion. Borosilicate glass has truly become my greatest teacher and I am grateful to have been able to learn from so many amazing flameworkers. It is an honor to make this art for the people and bring the mystical feminine to life.”
“Through my quest to understand the multidimensional universe and investigating the interior landscapes of the soul, the glass has become an instrument in which I express the beauty of these incredible forces, masculine and feminine, working together. “
@miasheaglass miasheaglass.com miasheaglass.bigcartel.com
CHILL OUT!
No-Bake Edibles to Beat the Heat
SERVES TWO
PISTACHIO DREAMS
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1 small banana, sliced
1 whole lime, cut into chunks
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
(from 2 large limes) or concentrate
1/4 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios plus 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios, for garnish
2 to 4 tablespoons honey (depending on how sweet you want it)
2 teaspoons canna-coconut oil
1. Put all the ingredients except for the chopped pistachios in a blender and blend on medium speed until smooth.
2. Divide the smoothie between 2 glasses and garnish each with 1/2 tablespoon of pistachios.
SERVES SIX
LET'S HAVE HUMMUS
1 medium garlic clove, chopped 1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained/rinsed
2 tablespoons canna oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In the bowl of a food processor, puree the garlic, tahini and lemon juice.
2. Add half the chickpeas and pulse to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining chickpeas.
3. With machine running, add the canna oil.
4. Add the zest, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse briefly to combine. Dust with paprika.
SERVES SIX
AVOCADO CRAB PASTA
3/4 pound spaghetti
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons canna-oil
1 pound cleaned and cooked crab meat
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and reserve 1/3 cup pasta water.
AS THE SUMMER HEAT and humidity intensify, I steer clear of using the oven and opt for cool beverages and no-heat meals. The top of the stove is OK, but I avoid turning on my oven until September. Obviously, I can’t always get away with this, but I try. I’m infusing with Girl Scout Cookies grown legally by my friend Teresa. It’s a lovely hybrid that leans indica, always uplifting and mellow. It’s a keeper. The recipes are guidelines; you can change ingredients, like shrimp instead of crab, and try a hummus with black beans instead of chickpeas. It’s summer, let’s chill out. Laurie@Laurieandmaryjane.com
3. In the bowl of a food processor, puree the avocado, scallion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and parsley. With the machine running, add the oils in a steady stream until the mixture is a smooth paste. Thin with pasta water if too thick.
4. Place the spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with the sauce, crab and cheese.
5. Serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.
PANTHER NEON
BRED & CULTIVATED BY MOON VALLEY CANNABIS
“The sparkling dark green and purple buds make the senses purr.”
Stellar breeding, living soil cultivation and top-tier hashmaking. Add them all together, and you get Moon Valley Cannabis, a true triple threat in the NorCal scene.
The Leaf team has been in love with Moon Valley’s hash ever since Joe Sullivan — a legendary Santa Rosa retail strain hunter with a platinum palate — grabbed us at Emerald Cup a couple of years ago and said, “You have to meet these guys; they make amazing hash.” So when the opportunity came to spotlight Neon Panther, an epic new MVC strain in both flower and hash form, we had to pounce on the opportunity for the Concentrates Issue.
“It’s a cross we worked on for some time,” Moon Valley founder Eli Buffalo said. “Just putting pollen on one thing or another. [We] started with a Blueberry Muffin male I selected that got put onto a sticky Papaya. We took the pollen from those seeds and put it on a Wedding Cake, then a Pink Runtz, and topped it off with Super Boof.”
With that family tree, the Neon Panther was destined to be a fierce predator in the Moon Valley strain food chain. We’ve fallen prey; it’s an absolute killer.
The sparkling dark green and purple buds make the senses purr, prowling with aromas of poundcake, Lemonheads, sweet meringue, pie dough, hops and lime candy. It’s a hitter, too — smooth and intense. This cat will hunt.
Good thing Moon Valley runs two separate phenotypes, one for flower production and one for hash.
“Hunting was fun,” Buffalo said. “The Super Boof was strong in a lot of the phenos, so I tried to select one that had a balance of the other flavors coming through. We picked the number three for the flower, and the number seven performs better for hash and rosin, so we are just running that one for fresh frozen.”
Make sure to check out our Concentrates Special Roundup on page 38 to see how pheno number seven performed in the hash lab, and don’t sleep on Neon Panther, or any of Moon Valley’s other stellar flavors. These guys don’t miss.
CREATIVE CONCENTRATION
THE ART OF DAB SCULPTING
“HASH ART” hearkens to the hard work and passion behind the people pumping out delicious dabs. By catering to each product’s unique characteristics, artists look to provide a peek past the limitations of two-dimensional mediums like social media. The art form teases us to talk about consistency, color and texture in ways traditional product staging and styling can struggle to showcase. Additionally, it invites nonconsumers to explore extracts and concentrates in a friendly, new light. And it’s friggin’ fun! While we’re not attributing the origins of “hash art” to any one person or project — folks, like @ca_organic, were making magical creations with concentrates and extracts over a decade ago — it is worth noting that a few creatives have stepped into the spotlight over the last several years to spark the conversation of sculpture. It’s a style that, in our community, is still fairly fresh. However, it continues to grow as brands and artists alike look to captivate consumers in a sea of social media and marketing monotony.
IN THIS LIGHT, for the 2024 Concentrates and Extracts Issue cover, the team dreamed up a dab like no other and passed the torch to the terrifically talented Mark Archer (@thecuratorco.me) from Windham, Maine. He fired it up on a flawless Toro “Grail” (banger), roasted some rosin, and the rest is history. Archer’s “Dabman” became a star in recent years, but he has since found his footing in a few more styles of “sculpting,” all while developing a stunning set of self-taught photography skills. Intrigued by his journey, we spoke with him about the inspiration behind that delightful little Dabman, the loving labor poured into his craft, and more.
How did you find your way into dab art and sculpting? I was trying to find a way to separate myself after seeing a lot of weed photography becoming more popular around the time. Pretty much everyone was doing basic dabber shots and a lot of the same stuff. I thought, ‘What can I do in this medium to detach myself and make this more appealing.’ That’s when the first ‘Dabman’ was born.
Can you share a little bit about the work behind crafting the cover image? I had to make the word ‘Leaf’ out of hash, and then I had to make that pot leaf individually out of ‘snakes.’ Then I had to shoot that and superimpose it there because it would have been impossible to get the definition of the leaf otherwise. I shot the drips separately in single frames with a high aperture and then put it all together.
That sounds complicated, and all before you’ve even picked up your camera! What’s a common misconception about creative work of this caliber? Sometimes people think that you’re just taking a picture. When I first got into it, people would ask, ‘Why would I pay a photographer when I could do it with my cell phone?’ I’ve spent thousands of dollars on my camera body alone. And taught myself everything. Learning all the programs and techniques takes years to really get down. I went to college for business and marketing, and I try to explain to people that major companies put a large portion of their expenditures into marketing because the product is almost less important than how you present it. In order to get it into someone’s hands, perceived value is everything.
What can this type of creative perspective offer consumers and producers? I think it’s a way to draw new eyes to cultivators and hash makers that wouldn’t have been seen otherwise because of how saturated the market is with traditional Cannabis photography styles. When you’re used to seeing the same thing over and over, it becomes mindless. And when you mold the hash — especially when you’re shooting on a macro scale — you’re showing people a bunch of characteristics about it, while also giving them a palpable piece of media that they’re probably going to remember.
Cold Cured Sour Lemon 90u Hash Rosin by Hidden Forrest Farms
E-85
Live Hash Rosin by Absolute Chronic Farms
GMO Dry Sift by Newtons Nursery
MARK ARCHER
Animal Style Live Hash Rosin by Str8 Chronic
Guava Icee Live Hash Rosin by Grind Cannabis Co’s
Tony Rinaldo’s style incorporates lively scenes with a mix of flower and other Cannabis forms. But you’ll also catch this Rome, New York resident sculpting everything from scary skulls to sweet snowmen, fun faces and “fresh” fruit. We spoke with Dubs and Rinaldo for more insight into this fascinating field.
How have your skills grown since your first sculpture creation?
THE “DABMAN” is an undeniably iconic creation.
But this community offers boundless ideas, and with a handful of products and consistencies circulating, the medium provides a plethora of playful options. Many familiar with Archer’s work will recognize our next two talented artists: Alex Dubs (known as @workdubs), and Tony Rinaldo (known as @loud_n_errl_).
On top of crafting our 2023 Concentrate Issue cover, North Carolina artist Alex Dubs dives into an array of lifelike creatures and more. Her art form often features figures ranging from flowers to animals, but you’ll even find wonderfully woven blunts and delicately designed bowls of kief in her collection.
Alex: I made a little hash rosin flower, and looking back, it was very basic, but I’m proud of it. I’ve now learned how to manipulate the hash using the heat from my fingers instead of fighting with it, so my flower petals are a lot more advanced and I can create more than just basic shapes now.
Tony: My first post (in 2014-ish) was a nipple made of shatter on top of half an Oil Slick container. I called it ‘Errleola.’ I think we would all agree that my skills have grown tremendously since then! Ha!
What draws you to this art form? Alex: There’s something very peaceful about making Cannabis art. I’m reminded of the Buddhist sand mandalas. It’s the process of creation and then destruction that’s almost spiritualistic. Instead of framing art to hang on the wall and look at, it’s something temporary and meant to be enjoyed. I can take a picture to memorialize it, but my favorite part is consuming it. To dream something
up, create it with your hands, just to combust and consume it — it’s a very refreshing form of art to me.
Why tackle creations outside of the typical jar and dab shot? Tony: They get you thinking and show the product in ways traditional staging and styling doesn’t. For example, they can show you multiple products at once where traditional often offers one at a time. Creative marketing, staging and styling are only limited to the imagination of the people creating it.
TONY RINALDO
PHOTO BY @LOUD_N_ERRL_
PHOTO BY @LOUD_N_ERRL_
PHOTO BY @WORKDUBS
PHOTO BY @WORKDUBS
Nug by Some Guy Organics Concentrate by Mr. Cleans Terpenes, Cheese Hash Co., & Hello Terpenes
Rosin by Sly Fox
Rosin by B.A. Botanicals
THE ART GALLERY HIDING IN YOUR FRIDGE!
PWhether disguised to look like an everyday object or covered in bright colors and holographic details, jars of hash are examples of modern pop art that nestle comfortably in the palm of your hand.
The traditional market is also pushing at the fringes of design in a (mostly) friendly competition that often feels like that scene in “American Psycho” where they’re all comparing business cards.
Behind the crowd of embossed, spotcoated and reflective examples, brands are pushing the envelope, such as Ogre Farms whose Double-Decker series stacks two jars on top of each other and wraps them in a giant-size, full-color scene from their upcoming comic book. Other examples are the exquisitely done jars from Professor Sift and glass artist Kaj Beck which look less like a Miron jar and more like some kind of powerful relic from a video game.
It’s not just brands doing the heavy lifting. On the illustrative side, we’ve seen commissions from artists like Burrito Breath, Lot Comedy, Dynasty Design and Idio Synape release hit after hit towards the fences without any sign of stopping.
NOTEWORTHY COLLABS
At the end of 2023, San Diego-based CLSICS partnered with Bay Area creative Porous Walker to drop a collection of merch and products including “Nobra Venom” (Cadillac Rainbow x Apple Tart), which came out as live rosin and hash hole in collectible packaging. This project also spawned a live version of Walker’s bong toke arcade game that became part of the 2024 San Francisco Weed Week.
Over in Michigan, Peachy Hash & Co. released its first-ever blend titled “Hash Pie.” This triple-team-up came complete with a coupon to scarf down some slices at local pizza giants Pie Sci and Nardo’s. To commemorate this 400-gram moment, the project commissioned some stunning artwork by Detroit illustrator Jason Abraham Smith.
In the Golden State, Netflix just finished its 10-day “Netflix Is A Joke” festival, described as perhaps the biggest comedy event in history. To commemorate the occasion, comedy powerhouse Frank Castillo and Kalya Extracts put out an exclusive batch of Zazaya (Papaya x Z) called “Frank’s Headstash,” which featured the funnyman’s stoned face across the jar in a move that was described as “amazing,” “creepy,” and “accurate.”
ACKAGING ART is another way the concentrate world is making eyes water. These box and jar stickers are miniature masterpieces that hit the town with a splash and disappear once the flavor runs out, making this constantly evolving modern art form no different than the showcases in galleries from Manhattan to Milan. Since we put out our previous Concentrates Issue, some mind-blowing collaborations and concepts have been released through the imaginations of talented individuals in our industry.
Whether disguised to look like an everyday object or covered in bright colors and holographic details, jars of hash are examples of modern pop art that fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. When you reach into the fridge for your next jar, take a moment to marvel at the tiny world-class art exhibit you’ve curated between the sliced cheese and the orange juice.
KALYA EXTRACTS
VAPE CARTRIDGES
Terphogz x Cookies Zeuz Pod
The Terphogz Zeuz Pod has achieved high status among the heady side of the cartridge crowd — they hit like a sledgehammer and they have style, with their brightly colored, transparent housing that fits perfectly in the palm of the hand. We crushed their Cookies collab, feeling that haptic feedback as our lungs filled with Georgia Pie live resin clouds. Exactly what you’d expect from two heavy hitters teaming up together, powered by CCELL tech. @terphogz_official | @__theoriginalz__
|
Airo Pod x Jetty
Those of us who’ve been in the scene long enough can remember when Airo blazed onto the scene with their stylish battery, proprietary cartridge tech, and haptic feedback. The company is leaning hard into ensuring they have high-quality extracts for those space-age batteries, collaborating with concentrate brands in multiple states across the country. We had the chance to try their recent line of Live Rosin Solventless collabs with Jetty Extracts here in California and loved each one we tried. The Papaya Bomb is particularly tasty — bright and tropical. airobrands.com | @airobrands
Raw Sins
Poison Applez Liquid Live Rosin
We’ve been watching Raw Sins since they popped up as a dab on our radar at the end of 2023. The project from partner trio Inger Airheart and Monte and Natalie Ferguson offers terrific concentrates, and we especially dug this allin-one. Not only is the Poison Applez (Apple Tartz x Garlic Juice) oil inside crisp and delicious, but the hardware is simply sexy, with stark white housing serving as a backdrop for Raw Sins’ trademark red-and-black Nordic runes. rawsins.com @raw_sins_rosin
THC: 76.2%
VAPE CARTRIDGES
halara Live Diamond Sauce and High THC Cartridge Lines
Santa Rosa’s own halara produces crisp, easy-sipping cartridges across the spectrum of flavors and styles. Their high THC all-in-ones are a convenient go-to, but we really enjoy their gold box strain-specific Live Diamond Sauce carts, which each feature oil and terpenes extracted from the same Cannabis strain.
For those looking for a remedy-focused experience, they also have CBD-and-CBN-rich varieties. gohalara.com | @gohalara | Gold Box Live Diamond Sauce: 74%-81% THC | High THC all-in-one: 92% THC
Sluggers Gram Slam Lineup
As a brand, Sluggers has a reputation befitting its name, with infused, kief-blanketed pre-rolls that have been sending people sailing over the left field bleachers since they swung onto the scene a couple of years ago. Fans of those little hashy bats shouldn’t sleep on Sluggers’ sleeper hit, the Gram Slam all-in-one. These practically create their own weather system on the exhale, and the golden blend of live resin diamonds and terpenes looks great in the transparent tip and tastes even better. @hitsluggers | Total Cannabinoids: 83%-90% | THC: 80%-87%
Terphogz Peanut Butter Breath Tusk All-in-One
Terphogz scored again with the new Tusk all-inone vape — it’s a substantial, solid unit that pushes out considerable clouds. We had the chance to try the Peanut Butter Breath, which was true to strain — nutty and a little spacey, just like us. @terphogz_official @__theoriginalz__
VAPE CARTRIDGES
Dee Thai Sticks
Anyone who’s been to Thailand is bound to have left a part of themselves there — mentally, or in some “Hangover”-esque cases, physically. Dee’s line of exotic Thai-inspired products always scratches a specific, wistful itch for those of us who perpetually yearn for the next Southeast Asian excursion. The brand’s Thai Stick vapes are a compact, attractive, hard-hitting, and culinarily delicious mix of liquid diamonds and exotic fruit terpenes in flavors such as Guava Gelato, Blueberry Zkittlez and Watermelon Runtz. We’re partial to the funk in the Guava Gelato, but they’re all refreshing. @deethaiofficial | THC: 89%-93%
Master Makers Live Rosin All-in-One
Master Makers keep their approach straightforward and pure — it’s all about the extract inside the jar, or in this case, the live rosin in the all-in-one vape. Both the Trop Cherry and the Juice Box units were simply phenomenal — just the right balance of terpenes, with fantastic true-to-plant flavor. They also showed a decent amount of CBG, which is a minor beneficial cannabinoid you don’t see that often in these concentrations. We’ll keep watching what keeps coming out under the Master Makers label; they keep proving it. makersmj.com | @mastermakers420 | Trop Cherry: 83.98% Total Cannabinoids; 76.487% THC; 5.38% CBG | Juice Box: 85.96% Total Cannabinoids; 78.4% THC, 5.34% CBG
Cream of the Crop
Sh*t is Bananas
Cream of the Crop’s cartridge line combines the company’s attention to detail with singlesource oil and terpenes. We dug the Sh*t Is Bananas, a Purple Diesel x Banana cross with enough terpenes to tickle the nose. Like a few others on this list, this is for the cart customer who wants their vape to taste like weed, in the best possible way.
creamofthecropgardens.com
@COTC_gardens
THC: 88.4%
DABBABLES
Cali Oilers Rainbow Z Taffy Straight. Candy. Funk. We loved everything we’ve sampled from Cali Oilers, including the gas bomb Tractor Fuel, but this Rainbow Z Taffy — part of a line of Taffy rosins that includes Banana and Strawberry iterations — brings a sweet Zzing and puts an overripe earthy stank on it. Delicious. @calioilers
Alien Labs Planet Red
To this day, we’ve liked everything we’ve had out of an Alien Labs jar. The Sacramento-based company has an otherworldly ability to hunt strains and secure collaborative partners, as is evidenced by their rosin line, which is a co-op jam with the living legends at Kalya. The Planet Red (Red Pop x Apples & Bananas #9) is out of this world, and the new packaging is killer. We can’t wait to check out the full lineup, with names that pique our interest, like Apollo 41 (ACKM #8 x Gelato 41 #31), Gaslighting (Dosidos x TKBX2), Gasteroid ((RC25 x Biscotti #1) x Lemon Fuel #6), and Xerbacio (Sherbacio x Xeno #12). alienlabs.org | @alienlabs | 84% THC
Ember Valley Live Rosin
The flower coming out of Ember Valley has brought pride to the Shasta region for years now, and the crew has always had a good nose for rosin. But while the EV jams we featured in last year’s Concentrates Issue were great, they weren’t made in-house. The Ember team has since brought hashmaking under their own roof, and the results are phenomenal. We especially loved the Jack terps in the Northern Fire and the pithy citrus of the Orange Peels. We can’t wait to see what else they churn out of their lab. ember-valley.com | Orange Peels: 79.6% Total Cannabinoids; 76.2% THC | Northern Fire: 78.9% Total Cannabinoids; 75.6% THC | Dirty Banana: 80.9% Total Cannabinoids; 74.4% THC
Errl Hill Granny Candy Rosin Errl Hill has made a name for itself preserving the terps in solvent-based methodologies over the years, so when we heard that they’d started leaning harder into solventless extraction, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on some of their rosin. We loved both of the flavors we tried. The Chicken n’ Waffles had a rich, mapley sweetness, and the Granny Candy (pictured) offered bright confectionery flavors. Long live the Errl. @errlhill
DABBABLES
Moon Valley
Cannabis Neon Panther #7 Cold Cure
Live Rosin
Moon Valley aims true in its quest to create stellar flavors for the Cannabis aficionado. Its hash is true singlesource goodness — washed and pressed from flower that the MV crew bred and cultivated on their own. The Neon Panther is phenomenal, with electrifying dessertladen aromas and flavors from its rich genetic lineage, including Blueberry Muffin, Papaya, Wedding Cake, Pink Runtz and Super Boof. The Neon Panther flower is also our Strain of the Month — check it out on page 24.@moon_valley_cannabis 90.61% Total Cannabinoids; 74.9% THC
Master Makers
Soap Cold Cure Rosin
Master Makers started out years ago as bulk hash makers, crafting concentrates for brands to put in their jars, so there’s a good chance you’ve had their hash without even realizing it. For their namesake brand, they focus squarely on a high-end, flowerfocused experience. Their entire approach shows that they care about the plant first, including going the extra mile to pack their jars inside insulated cooler packs that can preserve the integrity of your dab on the way to a sesh. The Soap Cold Cure Rosin — a cross of Animal Mints x Kush Mints cross cultivated by Emerald Queen Farms — has perfumey aromatics and just the right amount of dank forest on the exhale. makersmj.com | 68.35% THC
Kalya
SB 36 Rosin
If you live that torch life, you have to know who Kalya is. This team — led by living legend and all-around great guy Marc Hammond — puts out some of the most perfectly produced rosin on the market. This SB 36 is simply stunning. A cross between Starburst OG and KC 36, in the deft hands of Hammond, the resulting nectar is transparent. It’s like a disc of mouthwatering, mood-lifting glass at the bottom of the jar. Kalya’s tantalizing treatment of candy and fruit terps shines through in this one. Don’t sleep. @thekalyalife @thekalyaextracts | 92.6% Total Cannabinoids; 75.4% THC
Sluggers
Bubble Bath
Live Rosin
Taking the field from the Natura dugout, the Sluggers rosin line is like a pinch hitter you didn’t see coming. The brand is best known for its infused joints and its cartridges (find their Gram Slam all-inones on page 32), but this Bubble Bath cold cure live rosin shouldn’t be missed. Be careful, though — this one is aptly named. A few dollops and you might fall asleep in the bath. natura.io | @hitsluggers 94.5% Total Cannabinoids; 74.1% THC
DABBABLES
Terp Mansion Z Chem Rosin
Whether we’re talking flower or rosin, Terp Mansion crafts a castle we want to live in. The brainchild of Luke Sanders — a legend-in-the-making — the soil-grown farm pushes out amazing heat. When we asked Sanders if he had something to show us for this issue, he immediately said, “Z Chem.” It was a good choice — this light-blond goo is hitting right now, bringing the heady effects of the Chemdawg and the mouthwatering Z terps. terpmansion.com | @terp.mansion
88.65% Total Cannabinoids; 74.5% THC
Raw Sins Harambe’s Revenge
Raw Sins is a labor of love for the small bootstrapping crew involved, and it shows through in the attention to quality in the product. The bittersweetly humorously named Harambe’s Revenge is a pairing of Banana Punch and Grapes & Cream and delivers delectable fruity notes that pack a gorilla-sized wallop. @raw_sins_rosin | 70.9% THC
Mountain Man Melts White Spritzer and Moroccan Peaches Cold Cured Live Rosin
We still remember the experience of visiting the team behind Mountain Man Melts a couple of years ago on their farm, Gaia Gardens, up in Trinity County. This dedicated team cultivates sun-grown in Trinity specifically for hash production, and that production is stellar. We have never had a disappointing dab from them. This year, we particularly loved the Moroccan Peaches, with juicy funk, and the White Spritzer, which cranks up the stank and hits it with a little bit of perfume. @mountainman.melts
Trilogy 710 Amarello Live Rosin
The storied heat coming out of the Trilogy 710 is well-known at this point, and the hits keep on coming. The Amarello keeps up the pace with recent bright spots — such as the Melted Strawberries, which was our Concentrate of the Month in May — and features aromas of stone fruit, a hint of banana and a slight citrusy acidity. @nottrilogy | 72.18% THC
DABBABLES
Purist Extracts Wet Diamonds and Badder
Purist always has a good nose for extracts, and the live terpene-infused dabbables they have on the market right now are no exception. All three consistencies and flavors we tried offered the complexity of character. We particularly loved the Mimosa Punch — ripe tropical fruit with dank funk undertones abound.
“We Still Smoke” is their motto, and that’s obvious. puristextracts.com | @purist.extracts | 74%-92% THC
Errl Hill
Kush Cake Live Resin
Errl Hill knows how to preserve the terps. The Humboldt-based hashmakers have been crushing it for years in the triangle and have made some of our favorite dabs along the way (Blueberry Muffins, we’re looking at you). The Kush Cake is no exception. Sweet and fruity, this golden nectar — a cross between GSC and Cherry Pie — sings in the hands of the Errl. @errlhill
Gelato
Badder Chips and Crumble
We love Gelato’s commitment to the dessert angle — their infused dipped sugar cones were one of the stars of our Edibles Issue in December 2023. It makes sense that they’d come out strong in the dabbables category with foodlike consistencies and flavors, with a slightly doughy Slurricane Crumble featuring aromas of limeade concentrate, and God’s Gift Badder Chips with a look reminiscent of chunked-up parmesan cheese and a sweet citrus kick. gelatocanna.com | @gelatoco
Turtle Pie Sunday Paper
73.39% THC | 3.69% CBG
This tasty Sunday Paper coming from Turtle Pie is nothing but good news. The fragrant sugar from the Bay Area brand brings it with a blend of fruity and skunky funk. Pair it with brunch and your favorite ink-stained broadside on a sunny Sunday morning or as an evening wind-down. turtlepieco.com | @turtlepieco 88% Total Cannabinoids | 74.4% THC
Bubble Hash Backstory
Before rosin was all the rage, the most popular form of “solventless” concentrate was water-extracted “ice” or “bubble” hash (so named because it bubbles up when smoked). But unlike charas and dry sift, which were known about for millenia, bubble hash didn’t really enter the stoner zeitgeist until the 1990s — thanks to the entrepreneurial endeavors of a cadre of Cannabis icons.
SADU SAM’S SECRET
By most accounts, the history of bubble hash begins with two of the most notorious Cannabis breeders of all time: Holland’s Nevil Schoenmachers and David Watson, aka “Sam the Skunkman” or “Sadu Sam” from Santa Cruz. Legend has it that during their interactions in Amsterdam sometime during the early 1980s, Nevil shared with Sam the secret of how to separate resin glands (trichomes) from Cannabis by agitating it in cold water. He’d allegedly learned this method from an “unknown American” from the Emerald Triangle, who Sam reportedly suspected may have actually been a Canadian named Montreal Mike — an acquaintance of theirs who’d visited the top hashish capitals on the fabled Hippie Trail.
In any case, Skunkman decided to cash in on this valuable new knowledge. He self-published a little manual entitled “Sadu Sam’s Secret” that provided step-by-step instructions for the “hash washing” technique: crushing buds up into a container of cold water, shaking or stirring it briskly, letting it settle, then pouring it through a coffee filter. He then designed a small ad that offered an “amazing natural and organic resin separating technique” using “only 2 common household items” for just $10 and began running it in High Times’ August 1987 issue.
Though many stoners who ordered Sam’s booklet undoubtedly learned the method, it would take nearly a decade for water hash to really take off — thanks in part to the 1998 book “Hashish” by Sam’s pal, botanist/author Robert Connell Clarke that included the technique, and a valuable new tool from the infamous Hash Queen of Amsterdam.
ICE-O-LATION INNOVATION
By the mid-1990s, Mila Jansen was already renowned in the hash community for her invention of the Pollinator — a portable clothes drier-like machine that tumbled the resin glands off of Cannabis (for more on Mila, see Cannthropology - July 2022 at leafmagazines.com). Thus, when a Swiss inventor from Laytonville, California named Reinhard Delp attended the High Times Cannabis Cup in November 1997 seeking to market his new hash-making device, it was the Hash Queen he reached out to. At a private meeting at her house, Delp demonstrated to her his patented Ice-Cold Extractor: a funnel-shaped stainless-steel drum filled with ice water that used pressurized air to separate mature resin heads from the flower.
After signing a contract with Delp to sell his machine, Mila later showed it to two of her friends: a hash smuggler named Eldon and an entrepreneur named Mark Rose. Allegedly, after seeing it in action, Eldon pointed out that the same result could be achieved with just a couple of nylon bags with different screens (Mila denies this claim, saying the idea was hers). Rose then reportedly came up with the name “Ice-O-Later” (since they were using ice to isolate the resin glands) and later inked a deal with Mila for his company ACME Nepal to manufacture their re-envisioning of Delp’s invention. Mila’s Ice-OLator bags premiered at the 1998 Cannabis Cup, kickstarting a long run of award-winning Ice-O-Later hashes over the next several years.
Despite their product’s success, their partnership barely lasted a year; Mila split with Mark, retained ownership of the brand and apparently shifted production to Turkey. And although the Ice-O-Lator bags were a revelation in the field, like any prototype, they had their limitations: reportedly allowing some unwanted plant material into the hash and losing more mature trichome heads into the wash. Luckily, these issues would soon be addressed by an enterprising young Canadian who was about to make some serious waves in the world of water hash.
Original “Sadu Sam’s Secret” ad (High Times, Aug. 1987).
The extractor schematic from Delp’s patent.
Hash Queen Mila with her Ice-O-Lator kits.
THE BUBBLEMAN COMETH
A hemp grower/entrepreneur hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Marcus Gary Richardson began smoking Nepalese, Moroccan and Afghani hash smuggled in through Montréal and Vancouver in his late teens. It wasn’t until attending the 1995 Cup that he’d first tried bubble hash, courtesy of his mentor-to-be, Rob Clarke.
“It blew my mind,” Richardson remembers. “It just completely changed my life.”
In 1997, Richardson moved to Vancouver, where he started growing for the newly-opened BC Compassion Club and became a big player in the Cannabis market there. That is, until one day in 1998, when he was arrested at a roadblock with around 16.5 pounds of weed and $6,000 in cash — leading him to rethink his career as a Cannabis cultivator: “It was devastating to me. I was really good at it, and I didn’t know what else I could possibly do. And so, my wife just said, ‘Is it possible you can do something with Cannabis that maybe wouldn’t get us put in jail?’”
After a friend showed him the Ice-O-Lator system, Richardson had a flash of inspiration; at the 1999 Cup, he decided to approach Mila with an offer to buy 1,000 sets of bags and become her official distributor in Canada. Unfortunately, that meeting did not go as he’d hoped.
“She was having a very bad day,” Richardson recounts. “We did not have a good conversation.”
He returned home crestfallen, thinking he’d blown his big opportunity. But then, his wife suggested an option he hadn’t considered:
“She said, ‘Why don’t we just make our own bags?’” he recalls. “I looked at her like she was from another planet. I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t know how to sew!’ And she’s like, ‘Well … I’ll learn.”
But if Richardson was going to create his own water extraction set, he wasn’t about to just make a knock-off of the Ice-O-Lator bags — he’d need to improve on the concept. So rather than just two bags with screens of different micron sizes, he offered three. By March 1999, Richardson had started a new company called Fresh Headies and launched his new ice extraction system, called simply “Bubble Bags.” For the product’s slogan, he borrowed a phrase first coined by Skunkman that he’d learned from Clarke years earlier: “If it doesn’t bubble, it’s not worth the trouble.”
For Bubble Bags’ slogan, Richardson borrowed a phrase first coined by Skunkman that he’d learned from Clarke years earlier: “If it doesn’t bubble, it isn’t worth the trouble.”
Richardson began selling his Bubble Bags on the internet, which, at the time, was still a novel thing that not many people were taking advantage of — that is, except for the clandestine Cannabis community, of course.
“For the first time, thousands of people were gathering on websites such as Cannabis World, Cannabis Culture and Overgrow, and talking about things that were very secretive for many decades prior,” he explains.
Through one of these online forums, Richardson was contacted by Mila’s former associate, Mark Rose, who offered to be his manufacturing partner. Together, they then sourced top-quality materials, such as resilient, specially-coated parachute thread and superior silkscreens from Switzerland. Richardson also gradually expanded the set to eight bags, including the 90- and 120-micron screens able to produce the “caviar of bubble hashes:” 5- and 6-star-rated full melts. As a result, Bubble Bags became the new industry standard for making water hash, and Richardson earned a new nickname: “Bubbleman.”
TROUBLE IN THE BUBBLE
Unfortunately, though, Bubbleman’s successes drew disdain from those whose ideas he’d developed upon. In 2001, Delp sued Richardson for patent infringement: a legal battle that would last nearly a decade before being settled out of court.
“I worked out a deal and paid him six figures for the lease of his patent,” Richardson claims. “So I know how to do business the right way.”
Sadly, Delp passed away in October 2017 without receiving proper public recognition for his invention or the revolution it helped spark.
Even worse, Mila told everyone that Marcus had ripped off her intellectual property (even though, according to him, she herself had “borrowed” the idea from Delp).
“People thought I had stolen the idea from Mila,” Richardson laments. “So for a very long time in the community, I was looked down upon.” She became further aggravated in December 2002 when High Times writer Kyle Kushman — unaware of their schism or who Mila even was at the time — published the article “Bubble All the Way” that sang the praises of Bubbleman’s product with no mention of where the concept had originated and included photos (provided by legendary breeder Soma) that she believed were of her bags rather than Bubbleman’s. As a result, the Hash Queen called them out in person
at the Cannabis Cup that year — interrupting Kushman’s live “Grow Show” seminar to voice her grievance publicly. Despite Mila’s animosity towards him, however, Richardson says he harbored no hard feelings towards her.
“In her defense, I would’ve hated me as well,” he acquiesces. “She’s a strong woman and a legend in the community, and I respect that. I respect that she was fighting for what was hers, and I respect her hustle … all I wanted was for everything to be good.”
Thankfully, these two luminaries have since come to peacefully coexist in the international hash community that they helped create.
FULL-MELT FUTURE
With the explosion of butane hash oil (no pun intended) in the 2010s, bubble hash might’ve fallen by the wayside had it not been for the next wave of extract artists who innovated dabbable new forms of water hash by using fresh frozen flower and more complex equipment, enabling them to freeze-dry extracts and manipulate them into textures desirable for dabbing. Perhaps the most notable of these water hash wizards is Essential Extracts founder (and Mila protégé) Nick “Nikka T” Tanem, who coined the term “solventless.” After traveling to Amsterdam in 2003 to apprentice under the Queen herself, Nikka T brought the skills he’d learned back to the US — helping to set the standard, and the stage, for the next decade and beyond.
Today, there are countless concentrate companies across the globe producing some of the finest quality solventless hash that’s ever been made — each of them another ripple in the ice water, another aquatic echo of the stupendous splashes made by those original entrepreneurs of extraction and forerunners of full-melt.
For more Cannabis and hash history content visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.
Full set of Bubble Bags.
Above: Mila with protégé Nikka T. Right: Some “full melt” water hash.
Marcus “Bubbleman” Richardson.
Kyle Kushman’s “Bubble All the Way” article (High Times - Dec. 2002).
MARCUS RICHARDSON
WE ALL KNOW what this means, right? But in case you’ve been held hostage in the lobby of a dental office for the past decade tortured with easy-listening music and nine-month-old gossip magazines, it’s an acronym for Laughing My Fucking Ass Off. Which implies that someone is overcome with a howling expression of jubilation. And this reflex is so genuine that it goes beyond the ability to contain one’s composure. This is not a giggle. This is not a smirk. This is a response to something that is so inherently funny that it results in a physical burst of happiness, expressed without restraint. The person is not just laughing, they are laughing hysterically.
However, he or she who uses this language, almost always through texting, is only chuckling … maybe.
They are not laughing hysterically at all. They are pretending to do so by transmuting their emotions into modern terminology that seemingly does it for them, while the inherent expression of this joy — at whatever level — is still largely restrained within their mind and body. Kind of like being held captive in the lobby of a dental office.
Imagine standing in front of someone and telling them that you are laughing your fucking ass off. They would say, “No you aren’t.” The reply would be, “Right, but I think it’s really funny.” And the other person would say, “Then why aren’t you laughing?”
Yet, when an emogenius sends this expression through their mobile device, they intend to have us believe they are a fun-loving, outgoing friend who drinks up life with an outlandish sense of humor. Realistically, however, this person spends an average of 8-12 hours a day being occupied by a digital screen, and experiences very little to no reaction at all.
Just because you say something doesn’t make it true. By the way, Cannabis is my best friend forever.
