Cannabis & More

Yes, that Fireball. The popular brand of cinnamon-flavored whiskey released a line of THC gummies in 2019 and quietly began selling them in Colorado last year. These weed gummies will raise your friends’ eyebrows without singeing them off, but that cinnamon flavor is still strong enough to cover the hash or grassy aftertaste some distillate edibles have. Fireball’s gummies are affordable, don’t take long to kick in, and have the same tongue-pinching spiciness that we’ve come to expect from Fireball whiskey — which, not surprisingly, tastes better as candy.

fireballcannabis.com

Colorado Hemp Honey’s CBD balms and oils for pets are great, but we’re here to advocate on behalf of the honey. In moderate amounts, honey provides the same benefits to dogs and cats as it does for humans, helping to alleviate allergies and inflammation. Add CBD to the mix, and this honey can help your pet sleep and reduce their anxiety, too. Founder Nick French has been keeping bees for fifteen years now, but he’s in on the joke. The Colorado Hemp Honey website sells cannabis leaf-shaped lick mats for pets right next to the hemp honey. Simply add a few drops of CBD honey to the marijuana lick mat, and watch your dog become a pothead. Given how delicious honey is, you don’t have to worry about convincing them to eat it.

coloradohemphoney.com

Charlotte’s Web has been a leader in the CBD field since the cannabinoid became widely utilized in the mid-2010s, and has been putting its CBD oils, capsules and other products through third-party testing ever since. That work paid off in 2022, when Major League Baseball announced that Charlotte’s Web was the official CBD supplier for the MLB. The company’s Sport Daily Edge CBD Oil is a full-spectrum oil of hemp-derived cannabinoids like CBD, CBG and CBN that helps daily focus, sleep and exercise recovery when used regularly. You don’t need to have a cannon or hit homers to use the Daily Edge, which costs a little over $1.50 per day if purchased on subscriptions — but there’s a good chance you’ll feel like an all-star soon enough. And because of all those studies and requirements that come with partnering with professional sports, you don’t have to worry about failing a drug test.

charlottesweb.com/sport-daily-edge

Myxed Up Creations founder Phil Guerin dropped out of Colorado State University and moved into his parents’ basement to make clay mushrooms just as the ’90s began, and the rest is Denver history. Guerin first opened Myxed Up in 1992 on Colfax Boulevard, and he hasn’t left the street since, despite having to move three times for various reasons and opening a second location in Aurora. Now on East Colfax and Ivy Street, Myxed Up Denver is one of the city’s largest head shops, embracing hemp, CBD and all things counterculture that have sprouted up in Colorado over the years. Hundreds of glassware, vape and smoking accessory brands are sold at Myxed Up, as well as clothing apparel, herb storage containers, air fresheners, smokeable hemp products and Guerin’s signature clay mushrooms.

5800 East Colfax Avenue

303-322-8200

1718 South Chambers Road, Aurora

303-695-9500

myxedup.com

We don’t have much patience for influencers who hawk only the latest pre-roll or promo code. Luckily for us, Dave is here, man. A grower with over 25 years of experience, MileHighDave has been pheno-hunting since 2020 for the best genetics he can find in an effort to launch his own breeding company. To our further benefit, Dave has been documenting his journey on Instagram as he grows and grades different phenotypes of colorful, intense strains like Chocolate Kevorkian and Dante’s Inferno — a strain one could argue he has already perfected. Information about terpenes, seed providers, genetics and growing conditions are almost always shared, and each post makes us eager for 4:20 to get here, already. If you want to learn or just be inspired by beautiful buds, follow Dave — he won’t let you down.

instagram.com/milehighdave420

Cannabis growers are infatuated with strains named after candy, but if you want the realest intersection of candy and cannabis, then look no further than Joyibles. Relatively new to Colorado’s edibles scene, Joyibles has come out with back-to-back hits in JoyGum, a unique line of THC-infused chewing gum, and Skittles-inspired Joy Bombs. Both are delicious and don’t deviate far from their sugary inspirations, with Joy Bombs even coming in original, sour and tropical flavors reminiscent of the rainbow. Each piece of gum or candy has varying THC and CBD content, so they’re easy to microdose — or mow down, if you’re looking for a heavier hit. Just be sure to keep count of how many you eat during a movie, or you’ll be glued to the chair by the time the end credits roll.

joyibles.com

Ever want to feel an edibles high, but without eating or drinking? Ripple’s Live Rosin Quicksticks get the job done swiftly, with no witnesses and limited ingestion. Similar to Pixy Stix, Quicksticks are small packets of sugary powder that you place on top of your tongue, but with 10 milligrams of THC that was infused with a fast-absorption formula. Unlike previous renditions of Quicksticks, however, the Live Rosin version is made with solventless extract and cannabis terpenes from Nokhu Labs and carries a little more pop than edibles made with distillate. Low tolerances don’t even need to use a full packet, but a few extra Quicksticks go down easily if more is needed. Just rip, pour and swallow; it’s on you if anyone catches it.

tryripple.com

Dutch treats are hard to find in Denver bakeries, but they’ve become staples in dispensaries thanks to CannaPunch’s Dutch Girl Stroopwafels. A popular snack in the Netherlands made from two thin disks of baked dough with a sweet filling in the middle, stroopwafels work in the morning placed over a hot cup of coffee, and at night under a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The brand’s caramel, chocolate, lemon and strawberry varieties, each infused with 10 milligrams of THC per stroopwafel, are all award-worthy, but the blueberry-inspired Moonberry flavor takes the top spot, thanks to 10 milligrams of CBD, CBG, CBN and THC packed into each treat. Just as tasty as its peers, the Moonberry wafels come with a four-cannabinoid punch made to put you in bed and keep you there. Can confirm.

cannapunch.com

Dialed In Gummies started the whole rosin edibles wave in Colorado, so it’s no shocker that the company continues to redefine what can be made with the solventless extract. Dozens of followers began infusing their gummies and chocolate bars with rosin after seeing Dialed In’s success, so the Denver-based producer stayed ahead by releasing its new line, Liquid Gummies, which have been coating our lips since debuting last summer. Like Dialed In’s gummies, each batch of these simple syrups is made in collaboration with esteemed growers and extractors such as Lazercat and Soiku Bano and include terpene and cannabinoid information on the package. Mix them with something fizzy, shake up a mocktail or guzzle Liquid Gummies straight, but respect the power of rosin, or your body will cease to function until tomorrow.

dialedingummies.com

If you’re a daily or regular edibles user, then listen to the wise words of Wu-Tang Financial: You need to diversify. Most of Smokiez edibles products can be found on the gummy shelf, but the brand’s infused agave syrup, available in natural, chocolate, maple and vanilla flavors and various combinations of THC, CBD and CBG, allows you to ingest cannabinoids the way you want to. Morning tea or coffee, baked goods, candied bacon, lemonade, cocktails — whatever you’re in the mood for, this can sweeten it, but with a glycemic index at 40 percent lower than refined sugar. That way, even diabetics can join the fun, according to Smokiez.

smokiez.com

If you’re new to cannabis and dispensary shopping, then Reefer Madness is a safe choice. Not only will you find one of the most extensive menus in Denver, with well over 200 recreational and medical strains and dozens of edibles and hash options, but you’ll also be able to stick it to decades of prohibitionist propaganda by shopping at a store named after an infamous (and hilariously bad) anti-marijuana movie from 1936. The only madness you’ll suffer here is from the ridiculous amount of options, but not to worry: Reefer Madness won’t rush you, and the budtenders are patient with questions.

Getting a taste of everything is nice, but squeezing cannabinoids like THC, CBD and CBN — all of which can have sedative effects — into one edible will knock most people out cold unless handled properly. Despite the cheeky name, Canyon Suck-Its are every bit as gentle as they are effective. Each Suck-It comes with 2.5 milligrams of various cannabinoids, but our favorite is the pink lemonade flavor. At 2.5 milligrams of CBD, 2.5 milligrams of CBN, 2.5 milligrams of THC and less than 1 gram of sugar per piece (with forty pieces per pack), these lozenges hit the bull’s-eye if you use edibles to help you fall asleep but don’t like getting too baked or feeling groggy the next morning.

canyonthc.com

Wyld has figured out how to stand out in the world of weed gummies, a very impressive feat when you think about how many of them there are. We could visit the same dispensary for two weeks and buy a new brand of THC or CBD gummies every time, or simply stick with Wyld and be happy all the time. Each of the brand’s ten flavors are sweet, scrumptious and offer taste devoid of any distillate or hash oil, with our favorites being the strawberry, pear and elderberry, all of which contain different CBD, CBG, CBN and THC combos. Wyld also now makes sour gummies, offering cherry and green-apple varieties at the moment, and just came out with a new line of rosin-infused gummies, Good Tide. Whichever batch of Wylds you end up with, the flavor meter will always be at ten.

wyldcanna.com

It’s always nice to see a hometown hero make a name for himself on the national scene, and that’s exactly what Cherry co-founder Jason MacLean is trying to do with his new seed project, Coool Beans. Cherry’s reputation at the top of the cannabis cultivation chain has been solidified for a few years now, with the company recently expanding into rosin, pre-rolls and edibles, but nothing lights up MacLean’s face like seed talk. In a short span, Coool Beans has released over forty genetics for home growers to buy online, including several popular Cherry strains, such as Dankarooz, NY Mayhem and Sprinklez, sold at dispensaries. Coool Beans is here to move cannabis genetics forward, according to MacLean, and that means chasing new and inventive creations that most breeders aren’t producing. Colorado deserves more respect in the cannabis breeding world: Maybe the Coool kids on the block can get us there.

cooolbeans.com

A family-run business, Egozi debuted in Colorado dispensaries in September to high acclaim and continues to impress. Founder Elias Egozi and lead extractor Mikey Dabs It insist on using prime starting material, quality press screens and laborious extraction techniques, creating fumey, delicious balls of space hash that sell out quickly. Despite virtually zero marketing, Egozi has become one of Colorado’s most respected rosin brands in short order, thanks to mouthwatering extractions of Trop Cookies, Wedding Pie and so much more. With a new line of rosin syringes and vape cartridges dropping in March and a dispensary, Alto, as a home base, this small operation in southwest Denver is already acting like one of the big boys in 2023.

egozifamilyhash.com

Apothecary Extracts is largely connected to its signature Ambrosia line of live resin, but the popular extractor and dispensary outfit has been producing in-house rosin vapes since 2021, and somehow they’re still slept on. Disposable vapes are usually associated with a dip in quality, but Apothecary’s 1-gram rosin vapes beat out cartridges from several popular counterparts, providing smoother and more potent hits with top-tier flavor. You can find them only at Apothecary Farms dispensaries, with a lone Denver store on South Broadway and the rest in southern Colorado. The Sour Papaya’s mix of cheesy funk and Diesel is worth the trip, though, and Apothecary Extracts plans to crank up production if the vapes are a hit.

apothecaryfarms.com

Dabbing is cool. Dabbing is great. But some of us older users can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with: Some of us just want to watch the hash burn. And melt. And cover our bowls like ice cream sprinkles. Bubba’s Kush bubble hash, loose and full-melt, looks like kief but tastes like rosin, and provides a high somewhere in between. The freshly frozen trichome heads, pulled from Bubba’s strains like Super Boof and Sundae Driver, can be dabbed if you must, but our favorite way to use them is garnishing bowls and joints — usually on top of Bubba’s flower of the same strain, to get the full flavor experience.

bubbaskush.com

Rosin has become so prevalent in Colorado that the price has dropped significantly over the past couple of years, but all of that competition has only nudged extractors into more innovation. And even with several hot new kids on the block, everyone is still chasing 710 Labs. The longtime heavyweight of extraction’s first- and second-press rosin achieves gorgeous cream and golden color from 710’s award-winning flower, and the outfit continues to push flavor boundaries through its deluxe line of Persy rosin and rosin sauce. Squeezed from finely refined water hash instead of flower, 710’s Persy line is so intense on the tastebuds that going back to burnt flower might seem like a step down. If you can afford it regularly or feel like treating yourself, though, give Persy a call: Everyone should experience the best at some point.

710labs.com

So what if JAD’s Mile High Smoke is the only licensed cannabis bar in the state, technically making it a winner by default? It took serious gumption to become the first cannabis-friendly venue with a sales license in Colorado — a very long time coming, considering that recreational pot was legalized over ten years ago. In less than a year, owners Josh and Stacey Davis have created a pub vibe in JAD’s, complete with a full cannabis menu, flat-screen TVs, video games, a munchies menu and plenty of regulars who work in the cannabis space. Everyone might be too stoned to remember your name, but the Cheers-like surroundings make JAD’s a comfortable hang, especially if you need a legal place to toke up.

As much as we’d like to pull a Ron Swanson and tell Home Depot employees “I know more than you” as they sheepishly walk up to offer uneducated help, that just isn’t how our parents raised us. We don’t have to worry about that at A Cut Above, though, where only Colorado’s top growers can get on the shelf and the budtenders have probably tried everything in the inventory. Flower from esteemed growers like 710 Labs, Cherry, Green Dot Labs, Higher Function, Mesa Verde, Single Source and Snaxland is always within reach, as are newer cultivations like Bubba’s Kush and Melody. The concentrates selection, though not as expansive, is still well chosen, with extractors like 710 Labs, Egozi, George Hashington, Green Dot, Lazercat and Mountain Select all regularly stocked. Whether you’re a cannabis connoisseur or trying to impress one, you can’t fail with this Cut.

Trying to pick a favorite Green Dot Labs strain is like trying to pick the best Gatorade, but when it comes to cannabis flavor, we want straight gas, homie. Thunderdome, an exclusive release from Green Dot in 2022, mixes those fuel-forward qualities we love with a more modern garlic flavor, to incredible results. This puppy has so much octane that dirty glass will run like a Rolls-Royce when Thunderdome is in the bowl, and joints taste like fermented garlic dipped in gasoline. Yet it continues to evolve. A subtle candy-like sweetness and more funk appeared after a few extra days of curing — or maybe that was just our nostrils and tastebuds trying to catch up with Thunderdome’s gauntlet of terps. Thunderdome is currently sold in dispensaries in dabbable and vapeable concentrates, but we hope to see more flower on the shelf soon.

greendotlabs.com