Weed products are reaching new heights of potency, quality, and even absurdity. No place is this more evident than Hall of Flowers, a cannabis product conference and trade show held in Palm Springs on December 8 and 9th.
As weed infiltrates the mainstream one brand at a time, large-scale events and conferences have emerged, each serving a different facet of the industry. While festivals like The Emerald Cup are all about the growers, the weed, and the deep, tangled roots of cannabis culture in the pre-legal era, Hall of Flowers is glitzy, buyer-oriented, and features entrepreneurs and creators all flush with cash. The current It Girl of weed conferences, the show reflects the future of cannabis branding and the savvy stoner it predicates.
Here are the wildest (and best) products we saw on the conference floor.
The Puffco Peak Pro Indiglow
The Puffco Peak is the seminal cannabis product of the past decade, responsible for revolutionizing concentrate consumption (dabbing) similar to the way Apple streamlined the aesthetics of technology. Prior to its conception, users would have to use a tortch and fundamentally freebase a condensed cannabis substance called concentrate or extract out of a bong-like device called a “rig,” which was sketchy-looking, and deemed inaccessible by most. The Puffco Peak elevated the experience of dabbing and made it as simple as the push of a button. Suddenly, consuming concentrate was as easy as sipping champagne.
Bottom Line:
The second iteration of the original Peak, The Peak Pro, is a perfect device. The Peak Pro Indiglow, a limited edition version inspired by sacred geometry, is almost too beautiful to look at directly. There is no object I own that I love more than this one.
Founder’s Blend Live Resin Aperitif by Artet x Aster Farms
Cannabis drinks run the gamut of quality. A dicey genre I am weirdly obsessed with, (I’ve tried literally every drink in the CA market), the new strain-specific Founder’s Blend live resin aperitif collab between Artet and Aster Farms takes the cake in terms of flavor, effect, and overall chic-factor.
Most cannabis beverages are made using a THC distillate, an isolated THC substance that gets you high but doesn’t necessarily make you feel good as it’s missing the spectrum of other joy-inducing chemicals like terpenes and other cannabinoids. This aperitif is made with live resin, a concentrate made from fresh cannabis flower that preserves joy-inducing chemicals, leading to a more nuanced, full bodied experience.
Bottom Line:
As opposed to mainlining THC, which inherently is not a social substance, you’re experiencing Honeydew Funk, a sungrown strain by Aster Farms that is effervescent, social, and party approved.
El Blunto’s Tiffany & OG Diamond-Infused Bluntitos
Everything about this product is mf baller. First of all, there are literal diamonds in these blunts, and not the kind that come with massive ethical concerns. These diamonds are much more high vibe, and come from weed instead.
El Blunto makes the highest quality blunts money can buy. Hand-rolled, hand-hewn, cured for 72 hours… the works. The weed they contain is whole nug broken down by hand, and comes from El Blunto’s collaborations with the best flower brands in the biz.
Bottom Line:
Available in singles or packs of four, each of the Tiffany & OG Diamond-Infused Bluntitos offer a languid, euphoric high, containing Tiffany & OG flower and a concentrate consistency called “diamonds,” which is made from the cannabinoid THCA and sparkles like the real thing.
Nug Pops
The psychoactive icicle sparkling from the A Frame cabin of your dreams, Nug Pops are Otterpops that get you stoned.
Bottom Line:
I already said “Otterpops that get you stoned” — need I say more?
Her Highness Cum on the Go Pleasure Packets
Her Highness is a fabulous woman-owned brand out of New York who have really hit the nail on the proverbial head with their new product “Cum on the Go.”
Bottom Line:
Single serving CBD lube packets for the woman who has it all, but always wants more.
TSUMO Snacks
Contrary to popular belief, not all edibles have to be candy! I think the fact that edibles exist almost exclusively in the realm of sweets reinforces the idea that cannabis consumption is something indulgent as opposed to something that could be part of your daily routine.
Bottom Line:
TSUMO is exciting because they offer a line of savory cannabis snacks that are just as nostalgic as their saccharine counterparts, from hot cheese puffs to ranch chips and everything in between.
Koan Cordials
Koan Cordials is taking a novel approach to the crowded beverage space with their beautiful effect based line of mini drinks that includes experiences like Play, Delight, Calm, Wonder… you get the point.
Bottom Line:
Each little beverage is concocted with a ratio of cannabinoids and blend of terpenes to deliver a specific and unique experience, allowing users to tailor canna-cocktails to fit their mood. The future is now!
Sweet Pee Diamond Badder by Fig Farms and Gold Drop
I included this Sweet Pee Diamond Badder because it’s a heady drop from two brands that normal people should know about but definitely don’t. Fig Farms is a grower-owned brand with beyond meticulous practices that turn out some of the most insane weed I’ve ever seen. Gold Drop is a concentrate brand that exists in the same stratosphere of excellence. Top shelf in every sense of the term, this diamond batter is an electrifying and uplifting sativa perfect for getting everything on your list done with a blinding, rainbow-like positivity that beams from deep within your soul.
Bottom Line:
The perfect extract to try out with your brand new Peak Pro Indiglow.
Highatus Gummies
Highatus is the new edibles line from Cannabiotix, a weed brand hot enough to have its own subculture of fans. They grow the kind of flower that makes you feel amazing on every level, not just stoned. Made from CBX flower, the Highatus gummies do not disappoint.
Bottom Line:
With exciting branding and effect-specific based copy that lets you know exactly what you’re getting into before you get in too deep, these gummies are sour, fun, and a real stand out in a conference awash with sticky-icky treats.
Green Lantern and Whitethorn Rose from Redwood Roots
These strains come to us from Redwood Roots, a Humboldt distro that brings the best weed in the world, from sungrown legacy, and family-run farms of the Emerald Triangle, all the way to customers like us. Truly, God’s work! Two of the standouts in their current craft roster are Green Lantern by Ridgeline Farms, and Whitethorn Rose by Huckleberry Hill Farms. Green Lantern is a juggernaut of deep forest euphoria that is one of the buzziest strains of the year, not to mention one of the best selling 1/8ths for Cookies right now (who also distributes Ridgeline’s flower).
Huckleberry Hill’s Whitethorn Rose has dark purple buds, tastes like a smoothie, and is my favorite flower I’ve ever experienced. The legacy genetics were originally cultivated by grower Johnny Casali’s mom, who passed them down to him. With a high that’s joyful, exciting, and deeply soul soothing, you can feel generations of love shine through this beautiful flower.
Bottom Line:
The two best flowers I encountered over the course of Hall of Flowers — a show where I smelled, tasted and smoked countless varieties of cannabis.
