The Indy’s cannabis connoisseurs share their top green picks

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Favorite Products & Strains

Top Choice: Godfather V.S.X.L. Cannagar | madeinxiaolin.com

COVID’s still here and doesn’t look to be leaving us anytime soon, so I’ve been trying to “seize the day!” And the product that really makes me say carpe diem! like an ancient Roman is the Godfather V.S.X.L. (Very Special Xiaolin) Cannagar, a cannabis cigar from Xiaolin (a “creative rolling studio” and “temple”).

It’s hard not to feel spoiled living in Colorado with the abundance and almost overwhelming variety of marijuana products legally available here. The downside, though, is that it can be hard to keep getting stoned and stay excited when you’ve seen everything — from weed lube to microdose edibles. Forget micro… I say the best cure is to go big or go home! And The Godfather is truly the pinnacle of “big” luxury craftsmanship.

With a burn time of two to three hours and a combination of gold foil, 10 grams of flower and 2 grams of hash, it’s more than enough to make even the most gargantuan stoner with the highest tolerance think they’re poking smot instead of smoking pot! It’s hard to offer something that really stands out from the crowd but Xiaolin does it by being one of the only companies in the United States selling cannagars. I may not be able to smoke a real plant cigar (makes me nauseous) but at least I’m at peace knowing I can replicate that coolness with a cannagar. Try out a Xiaolin Cannagar; they’re available at both medical and recreational locations. Best part about being in Colorado though? There will be even better products to talk about next year! — TT

Five other favorites

White Mousse Champagne Concentrate | whitemousse.com

Olio Concentrates | dabolio.com

Coda Signature Chocolate Bars | codasignature.com/product_cat/chocolate-bars

Escape Artist Salve | letsescape.com

Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Patches | marysmedicinals.com

Top Choice: Clementine Kush

When I look back over the past year and the various strains that I’ve sampled, there have been so many tasty tokes. The best of those smokes acted as bright spots in otherwise bleak and desolate days, two years deep into this COVID pandemic.

But there was one strain that stood head and shoulders above the rest, and that was Clementine Kush.

The Clementine was such a wonderful bit of flower — everything you could want from the herbage! It was flavorful, sticky, shiny and oh so potent! It’s one that quickly disappears off dispensary shelves, so re-up before it’s flown the proverbial coop.

The nugs were dense and smoked so slow. At over 30 percent THC, when the high rolled in, it was not playing. The buzz built like it was going to be a slow burn too. Then it suddenly kicked into high gear. Heady and blissful, it definitely brought a little sunshine to the cloudiest days of the last year! — RB

Five other favorites

Wilson Zero | Hercules | Super Lemon OG | Wedding Cake | GMO

FavoriteDispensary

Top Choice: Apothecary Farms | apothecaryfarms.com

I’ve been helping grow pot since I was 18 and writing and reviewing dispensaries since September of 2020. I’ve also worked in the marijuana industry since 2015. So I thought by now picking a favorite dispensary would be easy. In fact, though, the more dispensaries I’ve visited, the harder it is to pick favorites. Variety, after all, is the spice of life!

But if you’re going to twist my arm, I’d say there is one that stands out: Apothecary Farms. I prefer hash above flower, edibles or any other marijuana product, so Apothecary Farms is a natural choice because they make hash their primary focus.

Hash is stronger in flavor than flower, which appeals more to the weed snob/connoisseur. Most dispensaries seem to focus on flower — edibles and concentrates come second — because flower is the crowd favorite and makes the most “green.” What sets Apothecary Farms apart from the rest is not only their focus on concentrate but that some of the best hash comes from there, and the dispensary offers one of the largest selections of live resin, rosin and any other hash your heart hurts for.

Finally, everybody can enjoy Apothecary Farms because there’s a medical location in the Springs and a newly opened recreational location that’s very close to us in Pueblo. So if you’re looking for something more potent than the usual, Apothecary Farms is just the place that’ll pucker you up for the most pungent and primo pot — because Colorado truly has the best cannabis in the country! — TT

Runners-up for favorite dispensary

Primal | tinyurl.com/42rj6c53

Vital Cannabis | weedmaps.com/dispensaries/cys-center-2-80916

Green Farms Medical Dispensary | greenfarmsmed.com

Herbal Healing | tinyurl.com/y7mhvj2c

Cookies | cookies.store/stores/pueblo

Favorite Ways to Consume Flower

Top Choice: With a Cherry on Top

Being the resident flower-focused smoker on the Indy review team, I thought I would provide some insights on my favorite ways to imbibe. And when it comes to the best methods for firing the flower, oddly enough I like to toss a bit of shatter, wax or budder on top of the bowl. It’s a method referred to by some in the cannabis community as a “cherry on top.”

Not one to straight dab myself, that doesn’t mean I don’t dabble when the mood so moves me. In fact, I always appreciate a good chunk of concentrate, only I prefer it with a healthy fixing of flower on the side (or rather underneath), for those times when I want the toking to truly take me to the next level. And when you have some fine flower, a cherry on top just makes the creamiest of the crops the dreamiest to boot. — RB