High Notes: Hash Hole Collaboration, Coda's Return and Black Maple Everything

Seeing two of my favorite cannabis brands on the same label is like learning that two of my favorite rappers just made a song together. The excitement is palpable, but I've been let down enough times to go into each purchase with cautious optimism. Green Dot Labs rarely misses, though, and Red Roots Rolling Co. misses even less.

The rosin-glazed collaboration between the two tops my list of dispensary favorites this spring, but there are still several other delicious cannabis creations worth talking about. Coda Signature edibles are making a much-needed comeback in Colorado, an esteemed hash lab quietly launched a flower line, and Black Maple has emerged as one of the best strains of 2024. Check out all the action below:

Red Roots Green Dot Collab
Two of the best outfits in the Colorado cannabis space teamed up for a tasty collaboration in April, and the tag-team effort delivered. Green Dot Labs handed over award-winning flower and rosin to Red Roots Rolling Co.'s Kayne Perry, who turned them into a limited amount of Green Dot donut joints. The Green Dot hash holes, each rolled with two grams of flower and 0.6 grams of rosin, all featured a strain-specific combo of Green Dot's "G" flower and hash. The result tasted like a shot of Malört, but unlike with Chicago's beloved shit-booze, my tongue actually enjoyed this combination of grapefruit rinds and gasoline. However, just like Malört, this doink left me incapacitated for the day — but without the banshee-like hangover.

The Green Dot/Red Roots hash holes hit dispensaries on April 24 and are likely sold out, but there are murmurs of another collab happening. I can't wait to see what flavor they come out with next.
Sunshine Flower
Sunshine Farms, the cultivation arm of Sunshine Extracts, quietly debuted in Colorado dispensaries in March. The popular rosin extraction lab, based in Boulder, is now growing and selling pre-packed eighths of flower in a handful of metro stores.

Founded by longtime grower Tony Chipy and Quincy Edwards, the former production director of 710 Labs, Sunshine Extracts has built a reputation on quality and affordable grams of rosin. After releasing rosin-filled vape cartridges and disposables over the past year, Sunshine Farms dropped a line of well-known strains in early spring, including Cheetoz, Dante's Inferno, Gary Payton, Red Runtz, Red Velvet and Sherb Cake. I've had good luck with the Cheetoz and Red Runtz so far, and have yet to see a Sunshine eighth priced for more than $35.
Return of Coda
Dispensary shoppers were dismayed upon learning that Coda Signature, a popular edibles maker in Boulder, was closing in December. But the brand is alive again under new ownership: Canvas 1839 Group, a Colorado-based cannabis ownership firm, announced in April that it has acquired Coda's material operating assets, with plans to restart production of the edibles maker's chocolate bars soon.

The ingredients and recipes for Coda won't change, according to Canvas 1839, which is currently focused on bringing back four of Coda's popular chocolate bars, including its coffee and doughnuts (yay) and lemon cream and cheesecake crumble bars. Other former Coda offerings, like fruit chews, will return to dispensaries after that, with potential for "collaborations and new product development," Canvas CEO Alison Di Spaltro says.

A handful of dispensaries still have Coda products from before it shut down. While Di Spaltro stops short of saying there won't be any inventory interruptions, she adds that production resumes in May with the same packaging that customers remember.
Black Maple Anything
Not only does the marketing work — I'm a sucker for anything maple — but the flavor and high back up the hype. A mix of Dulce de Uva and Sherbanger from hitmaker Bloom Seed Co., Black Maple tastes more like berries or grapes mixed with sandalwood, rubber and caramel than maple; I've also noticed hints of pine, peppers and onions and a creamy back end, depending on the version.

The genetics seem to attract Denver's top talent, from Mighty Melts and Snaxland to Green Dot and Soiku Bano, and the high is perfect for spring and summer. Every time I've puffed or dabbed Black Maple, the flexible high is creative, jovial and social. It's great joint filler for dinner parties, art projects or a park hangout, and I'm perfectly fine with it before a light workout or reading session. Stick to the four producers above (and Sunshine, which is making 90u Black Maple rosin, too), and you'll see why I'm such a sap for it.
Wyld Boysenberry
It's hard to find a dispensary that isn't carrying Wyld, and there's usually a sale or promotion on the Oregon-based gummies, to boot. I finally took advantage of one of the many "Wyld Wednesdays" in Denver and bought the brand's new 1:1:1 boysenberry gummy at 30 percent off. After knocking me out for three straight nights, I'm considering buying them at full price next time — and for someone as frugal with edibles spending as I am, that's saying a lot. The boysenberry gummies, released a little over one year ago, combine equal parts THC, CBD and CBN for an even stronger nighttime dose than the candymaker's popular elderberry gummies. Tasting like a bottle of purple pancake syrup doesn't hurt, either.