[[{“value”:”The air is cold, the sun is going down earlier, America just elected an asshole and the Nuggetsalready have serious injuries and backcourt questions. In other words, I’ve been going to the weed store a lot lately.
Most of these visits are for my usual flower pickup, but we all get an edible craving now and then, and it’s hard not to notice a few needles in the dispensary haystack. The end of summer and early fall in Colorado has shown me a “budget” line of rosin that tastes anything but cheap, a value-packed take on Zkittlez genetics by a true-blue grower and the budding return of one of my favorite strains.
Here are some Denver dispensary high notes, as well as information about a new motorcycle delivery service.
Soiku Bano’s New Budget Rosin LineSoiku Bano has never been afraid to charge appropriately for high-quality rosin. The extractor extraordinaire’s ability to pull distinct fumes and flavor profiles has always been worth a few extra dollars, but the small north Denver crew has released a more affordable line of rosin that’s still better than most of the top-shelf hash you’ll find at dispensaries. Soiku Bano’s Purple Label is mixed-micron, so it’s not quite as deluxe as the brand’s usual 90-u or 120-u rosin, but it still makes my nose swell and mouth water all the same.
Each Purple Label gram is a consciously crafted mix of rosin batches, according to lab director Tim Du, who says he likes using Purple Label grams for big dabs and hash hole joints. As someone with a less refined palate for rosin, though, I found the Purple Label to be perfectly fine in a daily dab rig or Puffco electric vape. My gram of the Swampwater Cakes, a heavy slice of rancid fruit and gas, only cost $38 out the door (compared to Soiku’s traditional line, which goes for around $50 before tax). Like all of Soiku’s grams, it came in a beautiful, milky dumpling ball and stunk up my entire house minutes after opening.
Egozi Disposable Rosin PenDisposable vapes have been all the rage for a couple of years now, and the rosin sector is still getting on board to mixed results. Egozi, a small cultivation, extraction and dispensary headquartered in south Denver, quietly stepped into the vape game earlier this year, with one-gram cartridges for five-ten thread vaporizers (the standard hash pen battery), as well as one-gram disposable vapes.
Daily vapers should stick to the cartridges for environmental reasons, but the $40 Egozi disposables are a snug fit for the occasional user or pothead on vacation. Each vape has what is essentially a governor plate to stop all power-rippers from overusing the battery, a common problem for hash pens, according to founder Elias Egozi. That still didn’t stop me from getting stoney-baloney while hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains, though. The Biscotti Chunks brought a potent hybrid high and a tasty mix of sweet, savory and doughy, while the Garlic Ice Cream was a good nighttime puff before bed. They were a little prone to clogging if left on their side or upside down as the rosin was running low, but that’s a recurrent issue with vapes and hard to pin on the product.
Egozi’s one-gram disposable vapes are a reliable and affordable choice for traveling.
Egozi
Candaze HotzMaybe it was all the candy memories evoked by Halloween (or a few shots of Fireball on the golf course three weeks ago), but I couldn’t stop thinking about Atomic FireBall jawbreakers last month. I could have gone for the spicy cinnamonTHC gummies made by the actual Fireball whiskey brand, but instead I gravitated to Candaze Hotz.
This newish rosin edible brand won me over last winter with Dipz, a line of gummies dipped in various coats of chocolate or frosting. Hotz might be more for older tastebuds that like Hot Tamales, Red Hots and Atomic FireBalls, but they really hit the spot if you do. The hot cinnamon flavor effectively masks the hashiness of the rosin, and the gummies have good texture and potency. If you’re bored of the standard fruit chew, give Candaze a shot.
Golden Goat’s ReturnCommercial cannabis will always command new strains and names, but it’s refreshing to see growers and brands go back to the classics. Sour Diesel has a made a small but stable comeback to flower shelves, and now Golden Goat has taken hold, too. I’ve seen the stalwart sativa, a blend of Hawaiian-Romulan and Island Sweet Skunk, at a handful of dispensaries around Denver this fall, with flower from Apothecary Farms, Bloom County, Kind Love, Lit, Natty Rems, Silver Stem and Vision Quest Cannabis. Extractors have also gravitated toward the strain, even some that I’ll spend my hard-earned money on, like Apothecary Extracts, Billo and Green Dot Labs.
The daytime high and Dole-juice-like tropical flavor of Golden Goat never grows old, whether you need an extra spring in your step before a summer hike or an extra push before working out in the basement on a cold winter morning. Golden Goat is creative, uplifting, delicious and distinct, yet that still wasn’t enough for the strain to stay relevant commercially once the Cookies-Gelato wave took hold. It’s nice to see this game-changer mount a comeback, and I hope it sticks around.
Golden Goat by Apothecary Farms
Apothecary Farms
Malek’s Z LineHey, I’m not all about the old stuff. Zkittles had a big role in the Candy Crush that took over cannabis after the Cookies wave, but I can’t argue against the extraordinary hybrids the strain produces. If you see any respectable grower with a “Z” line, you should seriously consider buying an eighth.
Malek’s has been getting more attention for its rosin line, Malek’s Melts, as of late, but the grow still pumps out some great flower for $25 an eighth. The cultivation’s recent Z offerings include Bubblegum Zkittlez, Pink Zushi, Z Pie and Z Spritzer — and if you want a cut of the traditional Zkittlez, Malek’s has that, too. The Z Pie and Z Spritzer have been my favorite two takes so far, but I’ve been back to my neighborhood pot shop three times in the last month for another jar of the Z Pie. A Georgia Pie-Zkittlez hybrid, Z Pie’s nugs are plump without being too dense, and they stink of hash and berries to high heaven, which is where I find myself every time I take a hit.
Motorcycle Weed DeliveryCannabis delivery has been legal in Colorado for a few years now, with a handful of cars or vans driving around Denver and Aurora (the only towns in the metro allowing delivery) to drop off dispensary orders at doorsteps. But guess what’s faster than a car or a van? A motorcycle.
Nature’s Transport can’t promise any illegal speeding, but Denver’s first licensed motorcycle marijuana delivery service does promise convenience, quick delivery and a lower carbon footprint than larger vehicles. Anyone of age at a residential address in Aurora or Denver can place a dispensary order with Nature’s Transport; all you have to do is sign up first.
“}]] Fall in Colorado has brought a budget line of rosin that tastes anything but cheap, a value-packed take on Zkittlez genetics and the return of Golden Goat. Read More
