High Notes: Extraction and Breeding Collaborations

Thanks to restrictive production laws and competitive paranoia, we don't often see cannabis businesses working with each other. Sure, a grower might send material to a hash lab for processing, but it's rare to come across strains, extractions or edibles made in true partnerships on the licensed market.

Times are changing as Colorado moves into a second decade of recreational pot sales, however, and cannabis brands are finally working together. Over the past few weeks alone, I've seen two top rosin brands mix their products together, as well as a breeding and growing partnership bear delicious flower. Not only that, but one licensed and respected breeder has expanded its clone and seed offerings into dozens of Denver dispensaries, allowing you to become a cannabis collaborator as well.

Cold Cure and Jam Rosin Combos
Putting cold-cure rosin and rosin jam together in the same jar is gaining steam among extractors. I've seen them called geodes and thumbprints, and there are probably more names in the pipeline. Basically a pool of terpene-rich rosin jam placed inside of a small pressed bucket of cold-cure rosin, these mixtures provide more depth and flavor than your standard rosin dab.

Colorado hash-makers Malek's Melts and Mountain Select are both producing these forms of rosin combinations, with Malek's recently partnering with Lazercat for a Geode drop getting rave reviews online. Soiku Bano's Soiku Sundae is similar, but instead of a cold cure bucket filled with jam, it's a ball of cold cure topped with jam, like an ice cream sundae. There's no wrong way to enjoy them; stir the two consistencies together or scoop out a layer of each. Just make sure to store the combo in the fridge, and take it out to soften for a few minutes before dabbing. Sudz by Boulder Built and Say Trees
A hybrid of the Soap and Runtz, Sudz provides the real, luxurious lather for stoners. It made me feel like an innocent college student who's just smoked Headband or Diesel for the first time. I laughed, I cried, I discovered and forgot life-changing music and documentaries. Sudz gave me a temporary zest for life that most long-term cannabis users yearn for.

Boulder cultivation Boulder Built, in collaboration with genetics provider Say Trees, has an incredible cut of Sudz out right now. This detergent is far from unscented, and the high stays fresh for hours. If you know a guy who knows a guy who went to the dispensary once, put out an APB: Boulder Built's Sudz needs to be inhaled.

A5 Wagyu by Green Dot Labs
Green Dot Labs crossed in-house cuts of Downshift and Candy Cake to breed this prime cut of bovine bud, which surpassed my expectations from jar to ash. This A5 was an A10, thanks to a meaty aroma and an incredibly potent high guaranteed to surprise anyone who tries it for the first time, no matter their tolerance. In fact, A5 Wagyu is so powerful that I wouldn't recommend it as an all-day strain, because most people are destined for the dunce corner after their second hit.

Then again, wagyu steaks aren't meant to be marinated, grilled or even eaten on a weekly basis. They're too rich to approach like any other steak, and the same goes for this beast of a savory strain. I puff like a coal plant in the ’70s, and one bong rip of A5 Wagyu sends my brain to slaughter. Once I knew what to expect, though, A5 Wagyu became one of my favorite Green Dot creations.
Candaze
Rosin edibles have quickly become a dime a dozen, but this new rosin gummy brand is already standing out, thanks to consistent flavor and hard-hitting potency. Candaze gummies look awfully close to Dialed In's, but it was only a matter of time before other brands followed the trendsetting company, and at least Candaze is bringing something different to the table with Dipz, which are ten-milligram fruit gummies covered in a layer of chocolate or candy. Apple gummies are covered in caramel, cherry and orange gummies in dark chocolate, and even strawberry gummies have a layer of peanut butter frosting. Every version I've had is amusing and delicious, but the strawberry PB&J take might be the most unique weed gummy in dispensaries right now.

FreeWorld Genetics Clones and Seeds
Popular Colorado growers like Apothecary Farms, Meraki and Vera are gravitating toward FreeWorld Genetics strains, and their renditions of Early Riser, Icebox Pie and Lemonhead Delight have proven this Rocky Mountain breeder knows good genes. You can now find FreeWorld branded flower and extracts in Colorado dispensaries, but you can also grow these genetics on your own, too, using FreeWorld's expanding clones and seed lines. I've seen dozens of FreeWorld starting material options at Denver area retailers, with the Green Solution, the Herbal Cure, LaConte's, Life Flower Dispensary, Nature's Medicine, RiNo Supply Co. and Seed & Smith just a handful of metro dispensaries carrying them.