It’s warming up. The days are getting longer. The seasonal depression is fading. Spring is here, let’s spread a lil’ sunshine, yes?
As we gear up for another season of events and seshes across the country, and prepare to ring in our favorite holiday with more places to legally celebrate than ever before, remember we’ve all got a lot to be thankful for. Things are far from perfect – abso-fucking-lutely – but we all know Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this Rome’s got weed. We can’t stop fighting for the things that matter, like getting people out of prison, fair pricing for medicine, access to quality products, the right to home grow, and less burdensome regulations all around, but we’re inching ever closer to a place most of us never thought we’d see. It ain’t all bad!
In that spirit, for 35 I tasked myself with coming up with a compilation of entirely new names for y’all. To my coverage that is. Of course none of these guys were born yesterday, so I don’t mean new as in entirely fresh on the shelf, just that I haven’t yet appropriately shone the light on them. A lot of these guys are plenty hyphy on their own, as their work all merited – I’m just keeping the good word movin’!
As always, let me know what you’re seeing that’s impressing you! Yeah you could hit me on Twitter, but I’ll be all over the place the next few months, from NYC for 4/20 to NorCal for Hall of Flowers & the Emerald Cup, with a ton of stops in between, so pull up on me in real life and let’s see what’s good! I’m even hearing rumors of a second Dank Tank in LA?! You’ll have to keep an eye on social to find out!
And with that, here comes the latest Cop List:
So I’m not going to front on this one, I thought these guys were just running work. Y’all know I’m a flower guy, so while I tap in on the rosin boys, you know where my focus really goes. Well I didn’t realize they were cultivating it too, and let me tell you, seems like there’s far more than just a good washer here. I recently came upon a jar of their Puro Loco and not only does the smoke slap the hell out of you, but the flavor! The flavor is elite. The Loco is a Papaya x Moonbow #75 cut bred by Archive, who rarely misses on their own, but it’s clear the cultivation here is top notch. A new one to watch, for sure.
I went through all my lists because I was pretty sure I’d written about these guys before, but it appears I haven’t, and that’s my bad, because they’ve been killing it. While I’m sure a lot of the real heads are rolling their eyes right now, there are plenty of gentiles out there who are yet to see the light, and I’m holding the torch, so for all you out there looking to throw something world class on your new slurper, this is the one. WCA has delivered the single best tasting Z rosin I’ve ever consumed in my life – straight from the Hogz – but they’re always rocking a full portfolio of flavors – from the candy & gas the market loves, to the fruits to start your morning with, so there’s truly something for everybody on their roster. That said, good luck getting a jar, as these guys are cult-followed, and product never stays in stock long.
Lyfe Sauce is a totally new name for me, but it’s one I’m definitely going to keep my eye one since seeing their last crop. I checked out their cookies & cream (which I’m never usually a fan of) and their purple milk and boy were those flavonoids packed in. The milk has this nose that reminds me of some solventless I saw years ago called ‘Bugatti’ that I haven’t seen since, and I’m more than hyped to have this profile back in my rotation. In fact I catch myself going to the fridge throughout the day just to huff on the jar…
I’ve been hearing from the Black Hippy crew up north for a few years now, so when we finally got to tap in earlier this year I was proud to see the gang didn’t only talk the talk, but kicked it like the best of ‘em. I talk a lot about how important flavor is, and while it’s often hard to tell from the look and smell of a bud just how well the taste will hold up, it was like these buds were dripping with terps. I’m talking about a full palate stainer.
Here’s another one I’ve kind of sideline watched for the past however long: Modern Cannabis. They’ve got a few homies I know from the event circuit working over there, but having recently tried their Z for the first time, it’s time the rest of you hear about what they’re doing too. A product of Humboldt, but grown indoors (and in soil, too!), MOCA’s Z was packed with terps, providing some of the tastiest smoke I’ve seen from this varietal in flower in a long while – and y’all know I like my Z. They brand themselves as small batch, hand watered & trimmed, and it comes across in the final product. These nugs were clearly pumped with love.
Another name I was shocked I haven’t raved about before is the Crystal Farms Collective. These guys have been pushing the White Truffle for awhile now, and this is the first iteration of this cultivar that I really connected with. I think it’s probably because I heard so many people raving about this one that I set this bar too high in my head, so the first few fools who brought it over I was like ‘it’s whatever’, but Crystal’s? Now that’s some real shit. There’s a true downer lean on this hybrid, and you’ll feel it in your soul.
My homies at Chaliques told me I had to keep an eye on these guys, and it’s a good thing, because I’m glad I caught their new cultivar Cold Heat. Not only have these guys crushed the marketing with a World Industries type vibe, but the flower actually smacks. I don’t know how else to explain the taste besides calling it a musky gas, but this is the perfect ‘I need to zone the fuck out rn’ tool. I’m digging through Emerald Cup entries right now and yet this is the thing I find myself continuing to want to smoke – and you know what that means for a flavor chaser!
Wow more rosin on the same list, who are you? I know, I’m surprising myself here, but this is another bucket that I can’t stop scooping from. Thankfully Puffco’s latest Wizard product arrived last week and I’ve been walking around my apartment rotating between this Papaya and the Lyfe Sauce I mentioned earlier. There’s something special about the smell of this one that you get low key addicted to, like a good perfume that has that super funk on the back. I would lather this on myself for aroma if it wasn’t a waste of terps.
Here’s another dude I’ve been talking to online for awhile that pulled up with some work y’all should know about. Diamond Fire’s been trying to play the legal game for awhile, but he never gave up his roots – and it’s a good thing, since the market’s such a mess right now. Homie brought over some real deal herbs that not only looked and smelled like something you’d see in our centerfold, but it was packing the pressure we need to not just smoke good, but feel good too. Considering the size of his batches you’d think he’d be way custier on the price, but this is a true for-the-people cultivator. If you appreciate quality, you’ll want to tap in.
This is another guy I’ve been watching for awhile and is past due on some shine. Shaun’s been in the Zalympix competitions, he’s been cultivating heat down in San Diego, but when we linked last he showed me some of his new gas and man, this is honestly the most rank diesel smelling aroma I’ve seen in YEARS. And it translates, too! For those of you out there who are always asking ‘Where’s the gas?’, this is an answer I’m absolutely sure you’ll appreciate. This shit’s going to have you feeling like you’re floating in zero gravity for real!