Hands down, one of our favorite cannabis brands operating in California today is 710 Labs. The brand produces everything from high-quality cannabis to solventless hash, clean vapes, Rick Simpson oil, edibles, and organic joints — all with meticulous attention paid to packaging and process. The brand’s commitment to quality output goes back to the founder’s early experience with the cannabis plant,
“I never really dealt with the schwag days, which a lot of people my age dealt with to start their cannabis journey,” 710 Labs founder Brad Melshenker says. “Mine always started with what was called high-quality ‘kind bud.’ That was my introduction to the plant.”
In an era when weed was illegal and vilified, Melshenker benefitted from having mentors who knew more than the average stoner about growing and smoking.
“Cannabis has always been a big part of my life since I was about 15 years old,” he says. “I was introduced to it through my brother, his friends were home growers back in Maryland where I grew up, the DC area. His friends were always growing seeds from Amsterdam and other high-quality cannabis.”
Melshenkner’s experience ignited a passion for the cannabis plant, to the point that he began selling it in high school and college. But Melshenker wasn’t selling for profit, he was merely selling cannabis to get money to smoke more cannabis. It wasn’t until 2008, when he built his first grow facility in Encino California, that he threw his hat into the cannabis business. After visiting a local dispensary in Encino that was equipped with a full hash bar and TVs showing the Lakers game, Melshenker realized the potential of what the cannabis shopping experience could be.
When his first grow facility failed to take off, Melshenker set his sights on Colorado, which had a more welcoming business environment for for-profit cannabis.
“We moved to Boulder in 2009 and opened our first dispensary called The Greenest Green,” he says. “It was a full dab bar and hash bar — the mission of the Greenest Green was to bring the hash to the people through the art of dabbing. It was a crazy time in the industry. It was the Wild Wild West. Growers were coming from all over the place to sell us product, but I knew that wasn’t going to last forever as regulation quickly came. And so 710 was born from the Greenest Green dab bar. We built a hash line of dabbable products and then we went and launched the 710 brand in 2011, and 2012 to sell concentrates to the rest of the State of Colorado… In about 2015 we reinvented ourselves with this “quality over everything” ethos.”
As the brand grew it relocated to California and continued to expand its roster of top-quality products, all filtered through the lens of what Melshenker personally likes to smoke. That passion is felt in every product from the brand, from the concentrates to the flower to the water hash. We linked up with Melshenker to talk about the evolution of the brand and some of its practices and asked him to dispel some of the most prevalent cannabis myths, as well as zero in on how best to find the right strain for you.
Can you explain the move to LA from your Boulder roots?
We always knew that brands were built in California, Los Angeles, and New York. LA was always where I wanted to be as a home base just for lifestyle and weather. I just love California and the pace of life here. Unfortunately what triggered it was, my wife was eight months pregnant and in the middle of the night our house burned down and we had to get out of there. And at that point, we made the decision to, at least partially, move back and have the baby in Los Angeles where we have her sister and some family and friends that were closer than the Colorado family and friends that we had.
So we decided to move back to LA and that’s when we brought on a partner to go build 710 Labs into what it is today.
When I met you for the first time, we talked a little bit about dabs. My introduction to dabs was from getting the free dab at your typical California dispensary years back, which was always horrible. You showed me that dabs didn’t have to be that way. What do people get wrong most about dabs? And what are your favorite dab devices?
Yeah, great question. So the evolution of dabbing that I’ve not only pioneered but witnessed evolve over the last 15 years is so far from where it began. Originally when we were giving out dabs at the Greenest Green and the type of dabs that you got in these dispensaries as free dabs, we were heating a metal device or a piece of metal and dropping hash on there. We were getting it hot, way too hot. It was combusting at high temperatures and producing a thick cloud of smoke that would make you cough, make you sick. You’d get really high from it and that’s what was the attraction to a lot of people, but it wasn’t really about the flavor. It was just about getting super high.
As we learned about the hash and about the consistencies and about how it burned and the vaporization rates, we adjusted how to dab as a community over the last 10 years, and we really dialed in the temperature. So it’s all about dosing and temperature. So for me, dabbing is more like sipping on wine now. It’s more about the flavor. If you’re doing it at a low temperature, you’re getting amazing flavors that the cannabis plant has to offer. Very few plants have the diversity of flavors and terpenes that the cannabis plant does. What we found is when you’re vaporizing concentrates at a low temperature you’re achieving amazing flavor as well as a very mild high. It’s a very uplifting high.
It’s not like smoking flower, it can make you tired at times and groggy, whereas smoking concentrates or vaporizing concentrates at a low temperature will have a more uplifting effect and you get really good flavor, and it’s more like a taste thing. So that’s how it’s developed. In terms of devices, I mean, there are quite a few brands out there with great devices. I recommend PUFFCO, the PUFFCO Peak Pro as well as the Proxy is my go-to on the go. And other brands are out as well that have followed.
Dr.Dabber does a good one. The show products guy makes the CARTA, which is really nice. I actually prefer the old-school way of heating up a quartz banger with a torch and doing it that way. If I’m in the presence of my own home, I think it has better flavor and a more controlled atmosphere. It’s through glass. I don’t know, I just prefer it for several reasons, but on the go and for the everyday dabber I would recommend the PUFFCO Peak Pro if I had to make a decision.
Personally, I’m a flower guy. When I was researching 710 Labs, I saw that you guys have a pretty meticulous strain-picking process. I was wondering if you could just run us through that real quick.
One of the things that makes 710 Labs what it is today is the genetic library that we’ve developed over the last 15 years, from gathering strains from some of the best breeders in the world to buying seeds and then hunting for different flavors for different purposes. The types of genetics that we grow for concentrates don’t always translate over to flower because of the types of resin. So, not to get too nerdy with it, but when we were searching for strains that do well in hash, it’s a different type of resin than when we’re searching for strains that do well in flower.
A lot of terpenes evaporate when you dry the flower, so we’re always hunting new strains and new cultivars for different types of products, specifically flower and hash products. I think today we have around 140 varieties of different genetics that we’ve gathered and accumulated over the last 15 years from people all over the world, from strains from all over the world, and it’s just one of the backbones of our company.
What would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions about cannabis that your average smoker has?
I have an educational Trapper Keeper right in front of me. We have a section in there called “fallacies,” and these are two of the biggest fallacies, in my opinion, that cannabis consumers are misinformed about.
First, is the sativa-indica dynamic. “I’m looking for a sativa strain, or indica strain, that’s going to either uplift me or put me to sleep.” It’s just not how cannabis works. When you’re talking about sativa versus indica, that describes the physical traits of the plant. So, a sativa plant grows very tall, and skinny, from specific parts of the world, and indica grows short and fat, and those are from specific parts of the world. That’s the only thing that sativa and indica mean.
Where the marketing has come in is where people are looking for these strains that will make them feel a certain way. And if you do a lot of research and find some strains that work with your endocannabinoid system, then great, but a budtender’s not going to be like, “This one’s going to make you feel energetic, and this one’s going to make you sleepy.” It’s all dependent on the individual’s endocannabinoid system, what receptors are turned on and what receptors aren’t turned on, and how that strain interacts with each individual. So it is not like an overlapping answer when someone asks that. So that’s, I think, one of the biggest fallacies.
Second, is the THC percentage. THC percentage, people are like, “Oh, I only want the highest THC percentage.” Some of my favorite strains that make me feel the most euphoric have lower THC percentages, and there are 500 compounds in the cannabis plant that we know of today, and THC is one of those compounds. And it’s one of the psychoactive compounds in the cannabis plant, but there are 499 if not more compounds in the cannabis plant that are going to affect how the cannabis plant makes you feel. And it’s not just THC percentage.
If you want THC percentage, you can go find what’s called distillate 99% THC. It’s a liquid and you can smoke it with zero flavor. It’s like drinking grain alcohol. It’s the same type of thing. You can isolate certain compounds, but that’s not the way that these plants are intended to be used in our opinion. Those are the two biggest fallacies. Don’t look at THC percentage, and sativa indica is a myth.
There’s nothing really to look at there. It’s really about finding what strains work with you. And, unfortunately, it’s by trial and error, but that’s how it works.
What’s the sweet spot for you in terms of THC percentage? Or is it just strain-dependent?
Yeah. It has zero to do with THC percentage. I don’t even look at that. I hate that we even have to test for it. I mean, I get it for regulation purposes, but I just look at the flavor and how it’s making me feel all around. I just get to know the genetics really well. As for my daytime, Skittles works well for me. It doesn’t make me tired. It’s an uplifting strain and any crosses with Skittles in it are something that I like to smoke during the day.
And then at nighttime, I usually go to more GMO-type or OG-type strains, like GMO or Donny Burger help put me to sleep. Some of our OG are Cold Creek Kush that we used to grow in Colorado that we’re now hunting to find again, is another one. So that’s what works for me, but that’s not everybody. I know people that smoke OG Kush in the morning and it gives them a lot of energy. It’s not what it does for me though.
What are tips or strategies for finding something that works with your particular endocannabinoid system?
I would say, try something out and if you like it, for example, look up the genetics. There are a lot of good resources online now. For example, if you can pick a strain out, look at the genetics of that strain, then hunt for other strains with similar genetics, whether the mother or the father of that plant is present in other genetics, is good advice for what works with you. And if you don’t like a strain, then you look at those genetics and be like, “I don’t really want to mess with strains with those genetics in them anymore.”
I know it’s complex and nerdy, but that’s really how you have to look at it if you want to find what works for you the best.
Can smell tell us anything? Can we smell a strain and if we like a particular aroma of that strain, does that tell us anything?
Yeah, I think trusting your nose is an important piece of it. I smell jars and I’m just like, “I don’t want to smoke that,” for example, like the Haze strains. I know this stuff just doesn’t work with my body. It gives me anxiety. So, yes, I think you should trust your nose. And I think one day, I’ve said this before, and it’s not too far off, there’s going to be doctors out there that can test your endocannabinoid system, just like they can test your nervous system or your cardiovascular system.
They’ll test your endocannabinoid system and tell you what receptors you have turned on and what receptors are turned off, and they can analyze your endocannabinoid system and then recommend certain strains for you. I just don’t think we’re there yet, but I think that’s coming.
What do you think the cannabis space, in general, can and should do better?
I think the cannabis space should not fight internally. I think we need to fight for the plant and the progression of the plant as opposed to inner hate. I think we all need to be more compassionate towards each other. And then from an educational standpoint, I think we really need to educate people, like you and I just talked about. How do you find a strain that works for you? How do you learn more about dosing? People eat edibles. They get way too high and never want to touch the cannabis plant again.
Teach them. Maybe try with half a milligram to see how that makes them feel. I think education and educating the consumer is really, really important in moving this cannabis movement forward because there are a lot of my friends who don’t smoke cannabis anymore because they don’t understand that they can use it. They just need to learn how to use it that works with them, as opposed to drinking alcohol or Xanax or other pharmaceuticals. I think cannabis can do a lot, but people get scared because they’re uneducated.
Let’s talk a little bit about dosing. What do you recommend for someone who is dipping their toes into the cannabis space and maybe is anxious or afraid? What are good practices to go about acquainting yourself with edibles?
I think on the edible side, I think that’s the low-hanging fruit of getting people into the cannabis world who don’t want to necessarily smoke or vape. So edibles are the right way in, but you really need to, I believe, start with half a milligram to one milligram and see how it makes you feel. And really, it’s a marathon, not a race. You have to start slow. That’s where I would start with the edible side of things. In terms of smoking, I would maybe recommend vaporizing to start and just taking one or two puffs, waiting for 20, 30 minutes, see how you feel and going slow with it.
I think where people get in trouble is when they just want to get back to their high school days when they could smoke a whole blunt or smoke a joint or take a bong hit. Our bodies change and you need to go slow before you go fast. I think that’s the high level of it in terms of specific dosing. Again, half a milligram to a milligram on the edible side. If you don’t feel anything, go up to a milligram or two. But me, personally, I smoked every day, and I can’t handle more than five milligrams of edibles. The way my metabolism works, it makes me anxious, and I get nauseous, so I always say, “start small.”
Do you think, if you stay smoking herb that has THC at a lower level, is there still a need for a tolerance break?
Good question. There’s a PhD named Michael Backes who talks about this, he thinks that introducing a lot of CBD into your regimen will help you where you don’t need to take the tolerance breaks because the CBD will help counteract the THC intake. But I also think anything, any substance in the world, you should take breaks from and use in moderation. I think anytime something has you as opposed to you having it, is a problem, and just really controlling. Working with cannabis in moderation like you would with sugar, alcohol or any other substance. That would be my advice.
Aside from the education aspect missing from the cannabis industry, what else do you think the industry is falling short on?
Well, I mean, access to capital is definitely a problem. I think the other thing that is happening is overregulation. For example, the Colorado industry is completely overregulated with the testing requirements and everything that they’re making companies jump through, and I hear all the time companies just going out of business because the regulation is killing them.
So I think there’s this pendulum swing that needs to come back to the realization that we need to be regulated just like alcohol or tobacco and not like… I don’t even know who’s regulated as much as us. I mean, the FDA is not a regulator. USDA, none of this stuff goes through the amount of jumping through the hoops that we do. The pendulum needs to swing back a little bit and be more business-favored.
So, talk about taxes, too. I mean, it’s overtaxed. It’s really tough to compete with the black market. The black market is winning the battle at this point, and that’s due to how high taxes are in terms of going to buy something in a store versus from the guy down the street.
What is the most underrated 710 Labs product in your opinion?
I would say our Noodle Joints are the most underrated product. It’s hand-rolled, top colas, has the rotini noodle filter, is gluten-free, has perfect airflow, straight. They’re not cones, so they burn really well and the flavor comes through. If you can get a fresh Noodle Doink within two weeks of when it was rolled and packaged into the store, I think it’s one of the best cannabis products out there.
https://www.tiktok.com/@710labstiktok/photo/7327776588861377838
Why do you think they’re underrated?
I just don’t think we’ve got enough out there. It’s very hard to scale that business, and I don’t think we’ve got them into enough people’s hands yet. People just don’t know about them. Hand-rolling is very hard to scale across four states, and our biggest challenge from a product perspective is figuring out how to scale that side of the business in terms of getting enough joints out to the people.
What’s your favorite 710 product and why?
My favorite product is the Water Hash. It’s a little hard to explain why, but it is the best flavor of the cannabis plant in a jar, unadulterated trichome heads, still frozen from when the plant was harvested and extracted with extreme care and little agitation. I believe the best product that the cannabis plant has to offer is Water Hash, in terms of flavor, the high, and the craft nature of it.
