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Jon’s Stone-Cold Cop List #47: The Leap List
I know it’s late but how often do you get to drop on a day that occurs only every couple of years? I’ll tell you right now: not often. So here we are. It feels like it has been a far busier Q1 than usual. I’ve been to events up and down the state, and brands everywhere are pulling out all the tricks they’ve got to be seen and smoked out here. We’ve had professional conferences, pizza parties, club nights… I even went to the desert! I did more drugs at home than I did out there but the point of this is to say if you haven’t lately, go get outside. Touch some grass. I know it’s still cold most places but you can prob still go climb a tree or something. Or a rock. Fuck, you can climb your house. Go add some additional meaning to ‘getting high’. Or don’t. I can’t tell you what to do, and I wouldn’t listen to me either, but it will feel good if you do so… Another solid option (for those of you trapped in the metaverse) is watching videos of baby animals – as solid a cheat code as I’ve ever used. If you’re less wholesome, the show this column was named after’s OG program is back, and the new season is every bit as enjoyable as it was when we were kids. I digress, but value comes in many forms. Anyway! This month we’re talking about flower that’s now hash, and hash culti’s I’m now seeing in flower. I’m also addressing what I believe is likely a common confusion, including two brands with almost the same name on the same list. It’s like I’m asking for problems. Sorry if that’s a pain in the ass, but it also feels like the easiest way to explain it so, you’ll deal. We’ve also got some art, some snack tips – I’m really providing a full package here so I hope you enjoy! And if you don’t, that’s fine. Just know you’re wrong. Finally – you can catch me this month at the Chambers Project for the Godfather Show next week, or in Barcelona bouncing around Spannabis and the associated events for a while after that. And if you’re not going to any of that, you can always yell at me on Twitter. Or just not say anything! That’s always an option too!! Starting out the list is one that has been a long time coming. Flora & Flame has a great team, and they’re people that I’ve been excited to run into for a long time now. They’ve been producing great products since I’ve known them, and it’s one of the brands that I most often hear about from people in NorCal asking for my opinion. The truth is, I just hadn’t really seen enough of the work up until this point to have developed an affinity, but let me tell you, this Gushers cross they gave me a few weeks ago is the god damn truth. A very familiar feeling descendent of the cut that generated international fame, F&F’s latest varietal is just as terpy as you remember, but smokes with the 2024 Q/A requirements. This is one of my favorites of the year so far. A few lists back I discovered Moroccan Peaches in flower form, from Gorilla RX at Jimi’s Transbay Challenge. I’m pretty sure I said back then that I imagine it would crush as hash. Now, some time later, I’m happy to report I was obviously right. Only teasing, but Mountain Man certainly did the cut proud with their representation. Just as funky but with way more impact, this is immediately one of my favorite rosins in recent memory, and one that I’m consistently going back to the fridge for – even after I’d already taken out a selection of other stuff to smoke. An early contender for best packaging of the year, retail leader Mainstage just dropped the new branding for their Z on me at the Good Pizza party earlier this month, and boy is it glorious. The box, and accompanying interior mylar, are a flip on the classic Nintendo game the Legend of Zelda, now aptly titled ‘A Plug to the Past’. If you ever played on the console back in the day this is immediately going to pump you full of nostalgia, and the Z inside really doubles down on the whole ‘blast from the past’ experience. Not that Z isn’t popular today – in fact, this is actually the rec-available version of the Zkittles I mentioned last month from the highly coveted Harvest Moon, so if you’re worried about trap pricing, don’t miss your chance to grab this one in a store. I mentioned Watson on here back when they dropped the Cold Heat, and while that remains a great, heavy smoke, the team’s got a real hit on their hands with their latest, Tropical Heat. A cross of their flagship against Gelonade, the Tropical hits all the notes you’d expect with the name – citrus, fruity, candy – with a deep gas. Just like it’s predecessors, this one’s a real heavy hitter, so don’t make the same mistake I did of thinking that this was an early morning varietal – I’ve fucked a few days up. Now I’m sure that there are brands from California that have already made deals and launched on the New York recreational market, in fact I know of quite a few who packed up shop over here entirely to get something started out East, but to my friends in Staten Island, a real treat has just become available to y’all. Having already dominated several key states, including the brands aforementioned home state, as well as Florida, Preferred Gardens is now officially available in NYC, and word on the street is it’s even better than expected – especially when compared to many of the other legal wares available in the city right now. MOCA isn’t a new name to the Cop List. When they say they’ve got something new, I tune in – and when it happens to be one of (what I believe is going to be) the next big cultivars I’m hyped before I even crack the jar. Though they never disappoint so it’s not a big surprise, this is a really special flower. As regular readers will know, this is the second expression of Honey Bananas that I’ve seen in flower (although two more versions have found their way to my desk since), despite it having had a solid run on the hash market for a few years now. However, for a plant everyone said sucked in flower, this is the second time the flavor profile is just as good (if not better) than most of the hash I’ve seen. I’m confident in stating once again, the HB flower wave is going to be big this year. If you’re looking for some on the rec right now, this is the ticket. I love to see homies crushing collaboratively, and the Taste of LA box set is, in my humble opinion, a case study in doing it right. A mass collab organized by writer/creator extraordinaire Matt Jackson and gummy edible leader Cozy Cubes, features material from leading hash makers like Dammit Bobby, Ganjah Guru, and the Real Cannabis Chris, and provides a selection of flavors reminiscent of famous hotspots around the city. I will admit, while Chamoy Fruit Cup is of course a no brainer, some of the flavors were unexpected for me – a kid raised in the northeast – but I have to say, even if I don’t understand the connection, the Apple Pie ones were incredible. The Raspberry Dole Whip with the sour center? Crazy! It’s also worth noting that these are bigger doses than most of the gummies on the market, so if 30 mg is too rich for your blood, maybe split one with somebody… Here comes the confusion train! I’ve written about a Greasi before, but it wasn’t this Greasy. One’s an I, one’s a Y, I’s genetics, Y’s Couture – both are dope, but both deserve their distinction. When I caught up with GC at Good Pizzza’s event in Sac they laced me up with a total of 4 Zs. One a classic Z, and another – something totally different – ZZZ. I’m not going to lie, I’m excited by the alphabetical diversity in their cultivar titles, but they’ve also got really really good weed, too. And it’s veganic! Which honestly doesn’t always work in the finished product’s favor, so when you see it work it’s especially dope. Worth checking out. Now I’m throwing Greasi second here just because I’ve written about him before, I’m not picking favorites in the battle of the grease – but I couldn’t complete this without showing some love to the Cherry Expo he’s pumping out right now through Kee’s Headstash. Grown by Trinity Trichomes, the Cherry Expo is a Pistachio Gelato crossed with Rainbow Beltz, I almost worried that they were messing with the flavor or something, because it smells exactly like cherries and that expo marker kind of paint thinner smell – however, unlike spray packs, this one actually tastes like it smells, and it smokes world class. I think Stundenglass is having it’s moment right now. While the Modul was a great addition to the high end gravity bong that the brand had proliferated, the Dok is really the ‘Aha!’ moment for this one. Basically a magnetized bubbler addition to the Modul unit, the device is compatible with both concentrates and dry flower material, and follows the trend of shrinking rigs, rather than going for absolute smoke domination like it’s predecessor. While I personally like this device much better, it’s also much more travel friendly, and not quite as paroxysmal inducing, making it much smoother of an experience for what I imagine is the majority of consumers. In an effort to keep you cultured, this next entry is an artist I’ve been a fan of for a while now that’s proving more impressive with every new piece he releases. Based in the Bay Area, Nishant has displayed his work across the globe – and with good reason. Everything he puts out is – I don’t know how else to say this but expressive. You can feel what he was feeling – or trying to capture – when painting each and every one of his incredible pieces. Although he definitely mixes his mediums, he’s one of the most prolific painters / drawers I’ve discovered in recent years, so if you haven’t already, you should be following his journey. Honestly while there are a few I would like to call attention to in this piece, I don’t really know what any of them are called. I can’t read any Asian languages. However, they all have lil description pictures on ‘em (thank god) that do a pretty excellent job of setting the stage, so we’ll use that and bag color as our navigational directory. They’re mostly Lay’s anyway. But the black one that looks like steak with butter – marvelous. It tastes like they were cooked in wagyu fat. They’re thin yet satisfying like scalloped potatoes. The yellow/green one with the chicken leg on it? Fantastic. It’s like chicken ramen in a chip. Perfect amount of spice and seasoning, miles away from anything selling on the United States’ potato index. The red Lays bag with what looks like a Pastrami sandwich? Ridiculous. The purple truffle bag? Actually not for me, but the homies go nuts for it. Archie’s has a great selection, but for those out of town check out a few of your local headshops, I’ll put money on at least one of them having some.
