With a packed schedule between NCIA CannaVest in San Jose, and the Family Office Club’s Private Investor Summit and Cannabis Drinks Expo in San Francisco, the team assembled at three conferences in two different cities in California last week and had Golden State cannabis products on the mind.
We naturally spent ample down time investigating various cannabis dispensaries and the consumer-facing goods available in robust, thriving adult-use cannabis market. Those from more robust cannabis markets across the US may bristle at the commonality of some of these, but remember here on the East Coast things are just picking up. And there’s nothing the cannabis curious love more than the introduction to some killer products.
So this week we’re putting a spotlight on a selection of products and brands we sampled with a sense of solemn duty (ahem). Call it understanding cannabis product knowledge for the greater good. Or just call it another day at the office.
But admit it: You’re curious.
PART 5: ENDING WHERE IT BEGAN IN THE CANNABIS DISPENSARIES
BRANDS:
Caliva San Jose
Airfield Supply Co., San Jose
Apothecarium San Francisco
WHAT WE WANT YOU TO KNOW:
Caliva – Of course we wanted to get inside the dispensary that managed to build a brand reputable and successful enough where hip hop’s first billionaire MC and professional basketball team owner, Jay-Z, decided he would lend his formidable celebrity name to the overall brand strategy of the company. And while inside we were delighted on several fronts. First, the staff were more than pleasant and helpful even in spite of getting to the shop just before closing. Second, we got a string of goodies – some edibles and pre-rolls, and even their coveted Z-Cube hybrid strain which took 1st place at the High Times Bay Area Cannabis Cup in 2019. Top it off with an interior that made it look like Marie Kondo got her organizing hands on the place and you’ve got a clear answer to the question: “Why did Jay-Z pick this company to get into weed?”
Airfield Supply Co. – We, like many people, love convenience. Especially when it’s really convenient. Which is why we were glad that Airfield Supply Co., was not only a short distance from the San Jose Airport after our tired arrival, but that it’s literally on the other side of the airport itself (yes we know we could have gotten delivery but that’s not the point here). And as East Coasters swooping into town for a few days on the cannabis trade show front, it was the first stop to load up. Everything in the main image above was procured there. And it was good.
Apothecarium San Francisco – After shuttering for a remodel in 2018, the SOMA Apothecarium re-emerged looking like something out of Travel and Leisure, or where you’d go to buy a fancy watch vs some of their flower or batches of pre-rolls. We ran the gamut and got some vape cartridges, and closed out our CA week with quality purchases in one stunner of a small dispensary.
A LITTLE SOMETHING MORE:
We weren’t just going to linger around our hotel while in the great Bay Area, so after a small bite and the dispensary visit, we ventured off for a little touristy fun (see: Haight-Ashbury, Grateful Dead house). While exploring the Mission and some revelry with locals, we poured ourselves into a local social consumption establishment for their dab bar, where we employed some of the live resin concentrate we had procured from Caliva, and a little taste of the house concentrate. As far as team bonding trips go, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one when it involved working hard and playing easy, in the easiest place to play with cannabis and comrades.
[CLICK HERE FOR PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4]
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