Cannabis & More

For being the first major city with recreational pot, Denver is severely lacking in cannabis hospitality spaces – much of that by its own doing. But the brains and culinary talents behind the Workbench have figured out how to pair cannabis and cooking in the most tasteful and effective way yet. Named for the “workbench” of chefs in an open kitchen, where diners get a front-row view, this dinner experience set in a downtown loft has, at minimum, ten ever-changing courses of dishes like A5 wagyu, foie gras French toast and homemade ten-layer fruit push pops. Mocktails are made to pair with certain courses, as are a handful of carefully selected rosin samples for dabbing. Talk about fine (and high) dining. Sign up to be alerted to reservation opportunities on the Workbench’s website, and come prepared to eat.

One of the few cultivations charging top-tier prices without much complaint, 710 Labs didn’t have to offer affordable options for shoppers, but we’re sure glad they did. Over the past year, 710 has vastly expanded its deli-style offerings in Colorado dispensaries and introduced buds packed in Mylar bags; both are priced significantly less than 710’s jarred flower. Although not quite as photo-worthy or trichome-laden, 710’s unlabeled options bear the same name as the pre-sealed jars, from Garlic Cocktail to Rick Jamez, and they still erupt with terps and taste better than 99 percent of the retail cannabis out there. Think of the jarred primo as a payday or steakhouse visit, because a nice deli is easier on the wallet and satisfying in its own right.

As low-sugar, probiotic sodas take over grocery store shelves and reignite Slice, we’ll stick with our own alternative take on the classics, thank you very much. Keef Cola’s OG line of infused sodas are tasty, admirable takes on their inspirations, and they’ll get you high on more than nostalgia. Cola, cream soda, root beer and Dr Pepper-style flavors are all sold in Colorado dispensaries, as well as blue raspberry, grape, orange and pineapple, plus a few sugar-free versions. Whether you’re trying to sip during the evening, get weird after lunch or make a spacy float with a scoop of ice cream, Keef Cola’s Classics line proves that nothing beats a good ol’ sodee pot.

Edibles nowadays are all gummies this, gummies that. Well, gummies are more boring than a wiffle-ball bat. Freez-Its proves that a small and convenient edible doesn’t need to be the same old fruit chew – not like we’re used to, anyway. Evoking feelings of a childhood trip to the candy shop, Freez-Its infuses Skittles- and Starburst-like candies before freeze-drying them into delectable little bites. Not a sugary candy person? Freez-Its also makes infused ice cream sandwiches and chocolate caramels, with each textural, tasty bite containing ten milligrams of THC.

Unless you’re at the NFL combine, a porno set or the State Fair of Texas, bigger isn’t always better. If you’re someone who needs thirty or forty milligrams of THC to reach cruising altitude, that equates to a lot of sugar intake with most gummies, chocolates and other dispensary edibles. Not DabLogic‘s Mega Minis. The popular hash maker’s line of rosin-infused gummies debuted last summer and punch atmospheres above their size, with 100 milligrams of THC packed into a gummy sized smaller than a LEGO brick. A small plastic tab is included to cut each serving – or, if your tolerance demands, you can plop in all 100 milligrams at once. We’re partial to the cherry and lemon varieties, but the blood-orange flavor is a tasty option, too.

We liked G, a buzzing Green Dot Labs strain inspired by Ohio G 13, just the way it was. But with so many choices available nowadays, dispensary shoppers need to be lured in, and the lone letter wasn’t cutting it for Green Dot. Enter Paloma, the same grapefruit-heavy line of flower with a new name, graphics and label. Whatever you call it, it comes packed with a blast of grapefruit rinds followed by black pepper and smoky sweetness, creating a fizzy, sex-panther-like sensation in the nostrils. The high is pure daytime fuel, bringing both gusto and euphoria for work or play. Like its tequila-inspired namesake, Paloma can be dangerous when overdone, only there’s no headache waiting for you tomorrow. Safe to say, the revamp worked, with Paloma’s weekend drops quickly selling out, and deservedly so – though selfishly speaking, we may have preferred the easier-grabbing days of “G.” greendotlabs.com

Dispensary shoppers were dismayed upon learning that Coda Signature, a popular edibles maker that started in Boulder in 2015, was closing as 2023 ended. But the brand found new life in 2024, when Colorado-based cannabis ownership firm Canvas 1839 Group announced that it had acquired Coda’s assets and planned to restart production right away. That promise quickly came true: Coda’s popular chocolate bars, from Coffee & Doughnuts to Maple & Pecan and a lemon cream and cheesecake crumble, were back on dispensary shelves within a couple of months, and Coda’s chewy Fruit Notes followed soon after.

Hash heads, assemble: Allgreens finally opened to recreational shoppers over the summer, so no need to barter anymore for the unique rosin from Denver’s longest-running dispensary and hash factory. The medical dispensary’s transition into recreational sales required dropping its medical license, which is a shame, but now everyone can enjoy Allgreens’ world-famous concentrates, at least. Known for having perhaps the best price-to-quality ratio of hash in Denver, Allgreens has a lineup full of funky, juicy, cheesy and sweet rosin, most of it priced at less than $30 a gram. Although the south Denver dispensary built a reputation on extraction, Allgreens still knows how to curate a full menu, with time-tested brands like Robhots gummies and Single Source flower on the shelf. Good things really do come to those who wait.

Cannabis users and heady glass aficionados were worried in February when the lights went dark and the windows were blacked out at Illuzion Glass Galleries, a longtime boutique on Broadway. Known for beautiful pieces – many by local artists – with prices that could reach six figures, Illuzion was Denver’s go-to spot for artful glass and even a basic bong or pipe for daily use. But fear not, tokers: Illuzion lives on thanks to a merger with Explore Glass Gallery, another respected heady shop on Santa Fe Drive. The new joint venture in Explore’s space combines the extensive collection of the two galleries, with over a dozen cases and displays full of pieces by Buck, Elbo, Eusheen, Joe Peters, Snic Barnes and many more, as well as a glassblowing studio for live demonstrations and a section of more standard pipes, bongs and rolling papers. 224 Santa Fe Drive 720-502-7664

Few edibles brands have been working with rosin as long as Dialed In, but the popular gummy maker abstained from CBD or other cannabinoid combinations for years. (To be fair, the full-spectrum rosin Dialed In uses to make its regular gummies has no problem knocking out most people.) When Dialed In finally dropped Dialed Out, its cleverly named sleepytime line, we were reminded that good research, development and marketing is worth the wait. The 1:1:1 gummies contain an equal mix of solventless CBD, CBN and THC, and are made with a technology intended to spur faster absorption. That, friends, is a recipe that will put you to sleep and keep you asleep.

When legalization was all but a dream, we used to envision packs of pre-rolled joints for effortless puffing. It took a while for the quality to catch up to the convenience, but now that respectable growers are taking pre-rolls seriously, we, too, can go out for a pack of smokes. The five- and ten-packs from 710 Labs aren’t cheap, but they sure save a lot of time and saliva. Each one-gram joint is stuffed with 710’s trendsetting nugs and comes with the cultivation’s signature spiral noodle filter. Imagine all the things you can do with ten joints…or can’t, because you got high with ten joints. Either way, good fun.

Walking into a dispensary with money to burn is fun for most, but some people are intimidated by so many choices and high price tags. That’s where GreenDoor, Denver’s closest thing to a monthly cannabis subscription box, comes into play. Each GreenDoor box is filled with flower, edibles, hash, pre-rolls and other licensed cannabis products sold at dispensaries, as well as deluxe foods, swag and smoking accessories. The boxes start at $130, with a delivery fee that lands at around $10, depending on the address (only Aurora and Denver currently allow delivery). You’ll be pleased with what’s inside, though, with brands like 710 Labs, Lazercat, Tastebudz and Tical previously featured. Add in themed items like movie streaming vouchers, sparkling apple cider and truffle popcorn, and you’ve got more than one fun night inside. GreenDoor can’t be offered in a subscription service format yet because of current state laws, but you can sign up on its website for alerts about upcoming boxes.

If Trader Joe’s can do it, why can’t cannabis? But outside of a handful of edibles and vapes flavored with pumpkin spice, the cannabis industry hasn’t really taken on seasonal or holiday offerings, citing strict production rules and long testing timelines. Lazercat has never let those excuses get in the way, however. The Idaho Springs hash lab pioneered rosin-making collaborations with other outfits and named a rosin jar after a longtime customer’s deceased cat last year, so a couple of Christmas and Valentine’s Day varieties weren’t too strenuous. All the same, we appreciated the approach and flavor behind Holiday Punch, a mix of Orange Mints and Lemon #102, and Melt My Heart, which blends Becky Got Back and Sourband. As Thanksgiving nears, we’ll keep our nostrils open for something savory and garlic-inspired…please.

You don’t become one of the country’s most recognizable rolling papers in a few years by being conventional, and Blazy Susan‘s approach, led by bright-pink pre-rolls, cones and personalized smoking accessories, is anything but. The Denver-based brand’s Rose Wraps, priced at less than $2, are a prime example of how often Blazy Susan shoots and scores. Made from wood-based papers and rose extracts, these wraps look and smell like pink rose petals, giving you a flavored blunt-like burn without tobacco. And unlike a lot of men, they’re dependable, romantic and last longer than ten minutes.

An offshoot of longtime grower and co-owner of Meraki, Phil Halpern, Fat Grams produces some of the tastiest wax and live resin in Colorado. The new concentrate brand’s vape offerings might be even more impressive, though, especially the two-gram disposables. Although they’re not great for the planet, disposables provide a smoother rip than a standard vape cartridge, and they’re very convenient for traveling or occasional use. The live resin in Fat Grams vapes stays stable and smooth months after the first hit, however, ensuring that users get every last drop of terpy goodness, and the puffs are much easier on the lungs than those from most of its peers. A rosin version of this quality could easily fetch upwards of $90, but this fantastic little ditty is rarely priced over $65. Fat Grams, big value.

Weed gummies, while tasty, could use more variation in each pack. The more diversification, the better, and the Day Time pack from Robhots has plenty of that. A mix of three different flavors – pomegranate, tangerine and white peach – the Day Time pack is also infused with ten milligrams of four different cannabinoid extracts: THC, CBD, CBC (cannabichromene) and THCV, as well as a specific terpene blend for all the entourage-effect believers out there. The result leans toward a manageable high with less grogginess and lighter munchies, but you’re not completely out of the woods: Without a snack nearby, it’s awfully tempting to eat another Robhot.

There’s no way to hide mediocre rosin in Denver, perhaps the most evolved and competitive hash market in the world. Frosty buds and purple colors won’t save you, leaving only aroma and consistency to reveal a product’s quality – and In House has been tops at both since bursting onto the scene in 2024. Over the past year, the new Denver hash maker excelled in cold cure and jam, squeezing top-tier goo out of classic strains like Sour Diesel while pushing boundaries with modern combinations such as Captain Insano and Maple Dunks. In just a short amount of time (and despite its very un-Google-friendly name), In House has become peers with a handful of Colorado’s best rosin makers and expanded into new product territories. In early 2025, the company released a more affordable mixed-micron line and a take on the elusive piatella, a form of cured rosin made from full-melt bubble hash. That level of creativity and expansion is almost impossible to keep going, but we’re excited to see what’s next for this low-key rosin lab that lets terps do the talking.

You can get a massage, smoke a joint and have your body wrapped in sugar scrub at Pure Elevations – or all three, if you have the time. Founder Rebecca Marroquin, a licensed massage therapist, worked for years to open the south Denver cannabis spa, which made its debut last fall. Pure Elevations has solo and couple massage rooms, a hair salon area and skin-care stations, and cannabis is infused into most of its oils, scrubs and lotions. Pure also has a cannabis bar on site with the same products sold at dispensaries, allowing you to puff before, during or after pampering. Book day passes, individual services, private parties and more on the spa’s website. It only took a dozen years for a licensed cannabis spa to open in Colorado after recreational legalization, but we’ll take it.

Tetra Lounge has been a beacon for Denver’s cannabis scene since 2018, when it first opened as a private club. After years of back-and-forthing with the city, owner Dewayne Benjamin finally received a permit to open for public cannabis use in 2024, giving the RiNo venue a new lease on life. Anyone 21 and older can now enter Tetra for a daily fee, with weekly and monthly passes also available. Guests must bring their own cannabis but can rent smoking and dabbing devices and purchase rolling papers; you’ll often see a food truck and cannabis pop-up vendors at Tetra, too. Catch a game or pay-per-view fight, attend karaoke or movie nights, or follow Tetra’s social media for notices of special parties. You might run into Method Man, a Denver Nuggets player or, most likely, a group of friendly stoners with a three-gram joint – but no matter who’s in the crowd, everyone is happy to be there.

You won’t see SPCY Canna pre-packed jars or promotional posters inside of dispensaries, but cannabis users (and their bank accounts) are lucky to come across these unlabeled buds. Owner Anthony DeSarro and his cultivation staff in northern Colorado have proved they can pay homage to the old school and produce new and exciting strains, usually at lower prices than growers of the same quality. SPCY’s racy cut of Sour Durban smells like sour, skunky sage, just like classic Durban Poison, while the trichome coverage on Chimera Junky or Sunset Sherb x Mega Sour looks like the snow just fell. Bag appeal, aroma, taste, effect – SPCY checks all the boxes, without the unnecessary frills.

As one of the most talented extraction operations in Colorado, Soiku Bano has never been afraid to charge appropriately for high-quality rosin. The north Denver lab’s ability to pull distinct fumes and flavor profiles has always been worth a few extra dollars, but the small crew released a more affordable line of rosin last year 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 the Donny Diesel and Swampwater Cakes will still make your nose swell and your mouth water. Each Purple Label gram is a consciously crafted mix of rosin batches, according to Soiku staff, who like using Purple Label grams for big dabs and hash hole joints. Our less refined palates found the Purple Label to be perfectly fine in a daily dab rig or Puffco electric vape, however. Like all of Soiku’s grams, the Purple Label came in a beautiful, milky dumpling ball that will stink up your whole house within minutes.

From weekly drone shows to the Parade of Lights and the ever-changing nightly displays at the City and County Building, Denver likes to shine brightly during the holiday season. Christmas lights got their start here, after all, and many Mile High residents leave their lights up until the Stock Show leaves town. Colorado Cannabis Tours, the longest-standing cannabis-friendly tour service in Denver, has mapped out a holiday lights itinerary in the winter that takes riders past the city’s best public holiday displays, allowing you to get lit while taking in the lights. Riders meet at the CCT headquarters in south Denver to hop aboard, then stop by a dispensary to stock up on goodies before the tour starts (guests can bring their own cannabis, too). As Christmas songs play over the speakers and the red, green and neon colors seep through the windows, you might agree that this really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Infused pre-rolls are all the rage right now, with growers, extractors and entirely new brands launching lines of joints infused with resin, rosin, kief, bubble hash and CO2 oil, among other extracts. As with all pre-rolls, you’ll find a wide variance in price and quality, from harsh and questionable $10 options to a $60 hash hole. Our sweet spot is a pack of rosin-infused Roobie Snacks from RVRS, a three-pack of smooth-on-the-throat half-gram joints that come in indica, hybrid and sativa options. While each can last a person through multiple sessions, these little dogwalkers also pack enough punch to blitz two or three people in around ten minutes. Not bad for something that usually retails for less than $30.

Single Source could just as easily win an award for “Best Gas Station” because of all the Diesel, Headband and OG-heavy strains it pumps out, but the premier cultivation and rosin lab has too damn good of a fruit section. Whether it’s one of the many grape-leaning hits like Dulce de Uva, Gastro Pop and Grape Pie, a tart eye-popper like Lemon Heads or tropical smoothies like Sour Papaya, Tally Mon and Whip-Itz, Single Source founders Tony Karas and Kennn Wall know how to grow and squeeze a fresh glass or two. You might not stay awake after making this potent produce part of a balanced breakfast, but it should be part of any stash.

Indico was busy in 2024, opening its first dispensary in Colorado Springs while expanding into more retailers in the Denver area. We’d like to think that some of that popularity comes from the Ordway-based grower’s penchant for growing throwbacks, both in name and characteristics. Indico’s Tropical Haze smells like textbook Florida Kush and a shot of Dole tropical punch. The Orange Kush tastes like a mix of skunk weed and Hi-C Orange Lavaburst and might take you back to the 2000s, while Indico’s cut of Bubblegum will transport you back even further. Given how few Hazes and Bubblegums there are in dispensaries nowadays, we’re lucky some growers still respect the power of classic cannabis. After hitting the Tropical Haze, you’ll respect that power, too.

A tasty tag team was created in April when Green Dot Labs handed over its award-winning flower and rosin to Red Roots Rolling Co.’s Kayne Perry, who turned them into a limited number of Green Dot hash hole joints. Rolled with two grams of flower and 0.6 grams of rosin, the joints all featured a strain-specific combo from the Green Dot strain Paloma, formerly known as G. The result tasted like a shot of MalÁ¶rt, but unlike with Chicago’s beloved shit-booze, our tastebuds actually enjoyed this combination of grapefruit and gasoline – and the legendary doink left anyone who inhaled it pleasantly incapacitated for the day. The first collaboration sold out quickly, but we hear that more are in the works.

Leave it to Allgreens to weasel its way onto the Best Strain podium with rosin, but what can we say? When schnoz and smell meet, Crusty Weasel evokes everything from a bowl of rotten fruit to a gasoline-soaked trash can, and we mean that in the absolute best way. The rosin badder, a mix of I-95 and Chem-D, is a creamy bowl of ganja goop, and a champion of gas, cheesy funk and sour OG. Although it truly is a crusty old devil and hard to predict, leaving some of us glued to the couch and others pepped up and ready to move, anyone chasing the next great batch of dumpster funk must add this Weasel to their wall.

Soiku Bano‘s Sundaes aren’t technically thumbprints, geodes (or whatever else you want to call placing a pool of terpene-rich rosin jam inside of a small pressed bucket of cold-cure rosin), but they still qualify and dominate the category. Each Soiku Sundae jar contains a two-gram ball of cold-cure rosin with 1.5 grams of a rosin jam drizzled on top and mimics the dessert in more ways than one: “The sauce hardens,” according to lab director Tim Du, “sort of like a chocolate sauce on top of an ice cream sundae.” At 3.5 grams, these Sundaes cost a bit more than one- and two-gram thumbprints, but treating yourself isn’t supposed to be cheap – and puffing anything from Soiku Bano is definitely treating yourself.

Cannabis growers now have more reach than ever, allowing dispensaries in the far corners of Colorado to stock award-worthy buds. For a store’s flower menu to stand out requires a strong selection, fresh product and competitive prices on a daily basis, and Maikoh Holistics’ Denver outpost is leading the pack. Not only are esteemed growers like 710 Labs, Green Dot Labs, Locol Love and Verde present, but you’ll often find their latest strains at basement prices. Staff members are honest about what they like, what’s overhyped and what they haven’t tried yet, which is rarer among budtenders than you’d think. Walking into a store with $30 and walking out with a bag of dankness shouldn’t require so much effort or trust. At Maikoh, it doesn’t.

Dispensaries are having a tough time with foot traffic right now, and it’s even harder for those on the outskirts of town. Yet Krystaleaves, a small family-owned dispensary in Commerce City, continues to offer reasons for Denver shoppers to make the drive. In addition to having some of the metro area’s best dispensary-grown flower by its internal cultivation staff, Cuban Crew, Krystaleaves also has an extensive hash list that’s more affordable than it should be. Popular extraction outfits like 710 Labs, Green Dot Labs, Lazercat, Malek’s Melts, Olio, Soiku Bano and Sunshine are typically on hand, along with a strong lineup of live resin and vaporizer products. The shop is also first in line for drops from 710 and Malek’s, which often release new and limited items there, from rosin thumbprints and hash hole joints to multi-gram jars.

Good dispensary deals don’t just save you money; they allow you to stock up, surprise a friend and try higher-end products that are otherwise unattainable. The weekly deals at Yuma Way, which include everything from vape pens to products from premier brands like 710 Labs and DabLogic, will help you achieve all of that – and still have something left for a few pre-rolls or a pack of gummies. With ten Denver-area locations, a steady stream of discounted ounces and shake, and price cuts ranging from 20 to 35 percent, Yuma Way can relieve financial stress before you get home, where a pre-roll or dab will handle the rest.

Selling rosin in multi-gram containers is all the rage right now, from two-gram jars to an eight-gram “bucket.” Makes sense: Buying larger amounts is usually a better deal – and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal than at Allgreens. The dispensary’s internal hash operation has been cranking out prime cuts at select prices for years, with rosin lovers around Colorado flocking to the south Denver store for its badders and jams of Cheese, Crusty Weasel, Melted Strawberries, Papaya BX and much more. A two-gram Allgreens Jetpack of 70u-159u badder is just $50, with 90u fresh press and jam only $20 more. For $80, you can grab a four-gram Pod of 70u badder, and don’t forget the daily deals on Jetpacks and a solid selection from other top extractors, too. It’s easy to see why this shop sometimes sells out.

Finding a dispensary that puts medical patients first is hard in Denver these days, but two of Higher Grade‘s three stores are still exclusive to the MMJ crowd. Generous to their medical members and heavy on daily deals, Higher Grade’s medical locations provide patients with an award-worthy mix of wholesaling heavyweights and stanky in-house flower. You’ll find brands like 710 Labs, Apothecary Extracts, Green Dot Labs, Lazercat and Sunshine, popular edibles from Keef Cola, Rozzies and Wyld, and Olio extracts and vape cartridges at perhaps the lowest prices in Colorado. But what really sets Higher Grade apart is a top-tier growing staff, which has been gardening above its weight class for years now. Choose from savory haymakers like Garlic Cookies and sweet-tasting buds like Pink Pebbles, Slurricane and Sugar Shack.

If working in legal weed truly is like dog years, as industry folks like to say, then Love’s Oven is approaching pillar status. The Denver cannabis bakery has been at it since 2009, years before recreational sales were legalized. And even as Love’s Oven continues to diversify with infused chocolates, drinks and an expansion to Florida, Colorado dispensary shoppers can still depend on delicious infused baklava and crème brûlée bites, s’mores and turtle brownies, red velvet cookies and other shelf-stable treats. Made with cannabutter instead of distillate, these baked goods are free of chemicals and artificial preservatives, according to the company, and that sort of care is uncommon nowadays. After snarfing down one or two baklava bites, you’ll feel the Love, too.