How to Save a Joint for Later

This season has felt like the afterglow of a night out on MDMA - tired body, empty pockets but a hyperactive mind.

And, as I sit here staring out of a window that has been taunting me with a voice that sounds eerily like Bob Belcher when his food and utensils are talking back to him, the warm cherry of a hastily-twisted, half-smoked joint in my mouth has puttered out.?

This was the second half of the joint - usually stronger in effects and worse in flavor and smell. It’s the half of the joint that ruins a good doob tube and makes everything around it smell like tar-covered cannabis (jackets, purses, pack of pre-rolls). I’d be lying if I said I’ve never thrown up from the smell.

What if I told you there’s an easy, step-by-step process to save this precious halftime joint in a way that you’ll make you excited to savor its new, complex flavors and terrified of its increased potency? It’s a trick I learned when in a past life slinging cigars in a call center in nowheresville, Pennsylvania.

A quick disclosure. I don’t know if you know, but setting fire to most things produces smoke. When smoke cools, it condenses and often smells unpleasant (see: your hair and clothes the day after a bonfire or a cigarette smoker’s anything). Yes, yes, candles and incense and such. The same thing happens when smoking a joint or a blunt. So, even with the infinite wisdom of my guidance, and your flawless execution, the joint will never be brand new.

Keep ya joint lit.

The first step in the process requires that you’ve toked a portion of your joint. I know. But trust me. Trust the process.

The second is maintaining the delicate balance of not letting the cherry (the bright, hot ember that can reach around 1,000℉ at the end of a lit jay) go out. This might be the most challenging step. I’ve seen ya’lls joints.?

Third, with sharp scissors, snip behind the cherry, or with your fingers, use light pressure just behind the cherry and roll the jay with your thumb and index finger until the cherry pops out.?

Now twist the jay back and forth just to push out the charred bud until you can see flower that looks green but somewhat toasted. This ensures that future you has the “freshest” bud this joint now offers.?

Fourth, and arguably the most crucial step, immediately blow into the end of the joint you were smoking from for several seconds - you might see visible smoke, or you might not. Blow too hard, and you’ll watch a tube of bud fly from the joint like wet paper from a straw, blow too gently, and all your effort will be for nothing.?

This exhale expels smoke before it can cool and condense into the bud. That cooled and condensed smoke is 90% of what makes a joint taste and smell much worse on future tokes.

Lastly, keep your now seasoned joint in its own doob tube, or better yet, in the open air on the scoop of an ashtray. Never put it together with fresh product.

So, there you have it. It’s not perfect, nor is the effect night and day. The flavors will be much darker and thicker - like burnt or caramelized fruit and sugar or smoked and charred greens.?

Try it yourself. Compare it to a joint you’ve lazily thrown into the ashtray or stuffed into a tube - and let me know if it worked for you.

This month’s product reviews are on Davinci’s IQC, LIT’s Red Velvet x P4516 #18 flower, and Her Highness’ Grindzilla grinder.?

DaVinci IQC - my new favorite portable, handheld vape.

My first vape was an old Magic Flight Box a coworker gave me in 2010. At best, it was annoying to use and a thumb breaker or unusable at worst. If you know, you know.?

Since then, I have been a diehard PAX fan since the original launched in 2012. I have every generation sitting in a drawer somewhere.

The DaVinci IQC dry herb vape is hands down my new favorite. And, at $200, I think it’s a great value.

Features

My IQC is a looker. It’s a beautiful, sparkly, matte green color that I would describe as British racing green. Kudos to the color team. After 6 months, it’s barely got any scratches or marks. It also has a heavy weight to it that induces intrusive thoughts when smiling flatly at your shitty neighbor Karen.

It comes with a cleaning kit, the standard flat mouthpiece and a tube-shaped one (my preferred mouthpiece), a USB-C cable and adapter, and, if desired, an accompanying app.

At this price point, it stands out for three reasons.?

First, is that you can manually dial the temperature. You can dial the temp one degree at a time with just a few button presses. Unlike many other vapes, you don’t need the app to accomplish this but are free to use it. I’m no Luddite, but we're all drowning in apps these days anyway.

Two, the battery inside the vape is a removable 18650 battery that lasts multiple full chamber sessions for me. For heavier vapers, the inevitable winter and summer power outage, or when the battery eventually starts losing charge, you can purchase additional batteries without buying a whole new vape.?

Lastly, the channel and chamber that the smoke passes through and holds the herb are removable, making cleaning a breeze and much easier than the similarly priced PAX 3.

Packing the chamber is easy. The black “pearl” attached to the bottom helps compress the bud into the chamber and is adjustable to allow for more product. Though the pearl does get sticky after a pack or two.?

I found that the vape often heats up faster than the marketed 30 seconds and the battery had enough juice for multiple sessions.?

Final Thoughts

For me, this vape is a no-brainer purchase for those who want quality, ease of use, and flexibility. It looks great on my desk, works how I want every time, and charges quickly.??

With a 5-year warranty, this is a gift for yourself or a loved one that will actually be used (looking at you whiskey stones).

Flower Review of the Month

I’m a daily imbiber. I don’t consume for medical reasons, so my usual doses are low. I can have a few tokes or a 5-10mg edible and be where I want. Feel free to roast me in the comments, but know it will irreparably harm my self-esteem and will be the first thought that pops into my head when I’ve ingested far too much.?

My flower and concentrate reviews will follow a similar format -?

• the label or COA information of the top 3 cannabinoids and top 3 terpenes,?
• testing and packaging dates if I remember before throwing out the packaging,?
• looks, smell, feel, taste, and smoke (how I smoked it/harsh, smooth, ash),?
• subjective feelings of the effects, and?
• whether or not I think it’s worth buying or passing.

In full transparency, LIT is a brand owned and operated by a current client, Ayr Wellness, a company that I represent in my full-time public relations and communications work at Trailblaze.?

LIT is a flower brand started by Tahoe Hydro in Nevada. I got the chance to meet CEO Ray Schiavone and CCO Tobias Rich at a launch party in Massachusetts. Both are seasoned cultivation experts, and their product proves it.

LIT Red Velvet x P4516 #18 Flower?

Total Active Compounds (TAC): 28.2%

• THCA: 25.5%
• Delta9-THC: 0.78%
• CBDA: 0.08%

Total Terpenes: 2.31%

• Beta-Myrcene: 1.23%
• D-Limonene: 0.31%
• Alpha-Pinene: 0.25%

Visual

The mylar back that the product comes is becoming more common, and I can take it or leave it. I’d rather have an opaque glass jar, but I know that increases costs. You can reuse the mylar, but my partner is a jar collector - I can’t throw any away. If you are in the market for tchotchke-sized jars, please send help.?

The nugs are frosty and a reasonable size. About 5 nugs for the whole 8th.?

If I knew nothing about this flower and someone passed it to me to look at, I’d be excited.?

Feel

The buds are very dense and sticky. The nugs were a pain to break up by hand because of it. I know - boohoo me. It’s a great problem to have.?

Smell?

The bright citrus smell from the limonene is strongest when you open the bag. It’s a smell I associate with cleanliness or freshness.?

After grinding, the earthiness of the myrcene and pinene come front and center with a distinct sweetness to it - like honeysuckle. The citrus almost disappears.?

I want this in a soap or candle. Fabuloso needs to make this a fragrance asap.

Taste?

I’m a fan of IPA beers, and this bud reminds my tongue of a good New England IPA - bright, juicy, and fresh with some earthiness.?

There’s a familiar taste of garden-fresh, sweet lemon-citrus. As those fade, you get the light earthiness of a grassy tea.

The flavors are well-rounded without being heavy.

Smoke (Bong + Butane Lighter)?

I cornered the bowl, like all of you should learn to do. Blasting a whole fresh bowl for yourself in a group is rude, and if you are by yourself, only gives you a single fresh toke. Learn some manners and etiquette. Read Andrew Ward’s book The Art of Marijuana Etiquette for some great tips.?

The smoke is so smooth I think it would be easy to inhale an entire waterfall bong’s worth of smoke. Someone try and come back to me on this. I’d forget how to breathe if I tried.?

There was a surprising pepperiness on the exhale that made me sneeze a few times. I almost dropped the bong - did drop the lighter.?

The moisture level was perfect. When I cornered the bowl, it didn’t overburn, only roasting my precisely targeted area.

High?

Off of one corner of a bowl, I was high. My cheeks felt large and taught. Off two corners, my eyes were heavy but relaxed.

I stopped at two corners and started listening to music. Got stuck on Genesis by Ren.

Worth It?

If you like this flavor profile and a sedative effect, this strain is well worth the money. The cure was spot on, the moisture level was perfect for a bong, and the terpene flavors were strong. All things I want in my weed.?

If you can find it near you, it’s absolutely worth trying.

Cannabis Product of the Month

This month’s product of the month is Her Highness’ Grindzilla Luxe Grinder.?

It’s a three-piece grinder that I have used for a couple of months and have collected plenty of kief. There are zero signs of the plating coming off or the grinding blades dulling or falling apart. It has significant weight, and I love that the lid is magnetic.

The design is beautiful and a testament to why aesthetics need to be more thought out in cannabis products.?

For $36, this gold-plated grinder is a steal and would make a great stocking stuffer.

I left out direct links because while this is a review newsletter, I don’t want any social channels to flag me as promoting the sale of an “illegal” substance. Copy and paste any products into Google, and you will find them easily enough. I believe in you.

If there is anything about any of the reviews you feel I missed or would like me to touch on, or if there’s a product or brand you’d like to see a future review, please leave a comment down below.?