This article is brought to you by the new Higher Learning LV Core Cannabis course.
Welcome to the Higher Learning LV 2023 Cannabis Gift Guide. Are you looking for a classy, premium gift for an outstanding employee, special colleague, or big investor?
Join Higher Learning LV as we share our favorite sophisticated gift suggestions—in a wide variety of price ranges to accomodate all budgets—for that special marijuana consumer in your company.
Higher Learning LV 2023 Cannabis Gift Guide
Unlike pay-to-play lists, these are products that we laid hands on and for which we conducted true reviews. We can attest to the quality of these products and are happy to put our reputation on the line when recommending them as gifts for clients, business partners, and VIP customers.
Origyn Extracts from Ayr Wellness
In cannabis-friendly Las Vegas, the home of Higher Learning LV, quality concentrates can be found in nearly every licensed dispensary. For marijuana companies that operate successfully in Vegas, offering a premium product is a monumental challenge. Those wanting to stand out must go the proverbial extra mile in terms of the quality of their plants and the overall process involved in extracting desirable concentrates from them.
When we learned about the new Origyn Extracts brand, we knew we had to try it for ourselves. Cannabis companies offering extract and concentrate products, to rise above the fray, must rethink the way in which they produce concentrates from the ground up. After all, modern cannabis consumers are picky. The volume of competition in markets like Florida, Nevada, and New Jersey means that amateur efforts at producing premium extracts are dead from the start.
Origyn Extracts: Obsessed with Purity
Origyn Extracts, a fresh brand from Ayr Wellness, seeks to check all the boxes coveted by cannabis consumers who love to dab concentrate or add it to their smoked loose-leaf flower. Here's their secret: A solvent-free extraction process involving only premium task-focused genetics and a full-spectrum formulation resulting from an ice water soak, a delicately modulated live rosin press, and an innovative multi-week cold cure.
Read the full review.
Grassroots Flower from Curaleaf
Grassroots, a Curaleaf company that has its roots in Chicago, offers top shelf loose-leaf flower in the form of buds, prerolls, and select concentrates. The brand features curated genetics and an eye on quality that is lacking in many of its competitors.
Many marijuana brands that claim to be premium are anything but, featuring poor inputs in the form of exhausted genetics and subpar cultivation, including a bad cure. Sadly, many pot brands are more marketing than muscle. Grassroots—we're happy to report—suffers none of these problems. If premium is as premium does, this brand is helping articulate the type of quality that the legal marijuana market can sometimes deliver.
Craft Strains & Innovative Genetics
Getting familiar with several different Grassroots cannabis flower strains showed us just how consistently good this brand really is. Every sample featured a proper amount of moisture, avoiding the common problem of dry weed experienced in arid climates like Las Vegas, where this review occured.
"A rainbow of orange, purple, and green adorned these buds like a Jackson Pollock painting for weed snobs."
Just as important, the samples we reviewed featured a true cure that resulted in smooth tokes—whether smoked in a bong or cone or dropped into our favorite vaporizer. Those who choose Grassroots cannabis will avoid the acrid, cough-inducing smoke of much legal cannabis for a pleasant, terpene-rich experience that will have them returning to the dispensary for more.
Rainbow of Orange, Purple, & Green
And the jar appeal? Grassroots is a gorgeous example of the art of connoisseur-grade marijuana cultivation. A rainbow of orange, purple, and green adorned these buds like a Jackson Pollock painting for weed snobs. The flower we sampled was simply beautiful, owing much of its appeal to superior genetics and an above-average trim job.
Read the full review.
Invicibowl: Toughest Bong Parts on Earth ($35-50)
Broken bongs and bowls are a fact of life, say some marijuana consumers. Not so, responds Arizona's Invincibowl, an innovative company that has taken the approach of pursuing the replacement market for cannabis smokeware with some of the most durable products Higher Learning LV has ever reviewed.
Purpose-designed and build from aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel, the company's crown jewel, the Invincibowl, is joined by sibling model Invincipole to offer cannabis consumers who like to get cozy with their water bong the ability to ensure that they will never again suffer a broken bowl or downstem.
"At only $35 and $50 respectively, the Invincibowl and Invincipole are both great bargains for such durable and quality pieces of smoking equipment."
At only $35 and $50 respectively, the Invincibowl and Invincipole are both great bargains for such durable and quality pieces of smoking equipment. The company claims that both products can survive a fall from 10 feet onto a hard surface. In our opinion, Invicibowl is a great example of a premium quality product that is both designed and built in America.
Read the full review.
Blazy Susan Stainless Steel Rolling Tray ($25)
Blazy Susan in Denver offers a wide range of smoking and dabbing accessories, all featuring budget-friendly prices to help you satisfy your gift list. This year, we challenged ourselves to replace our aging wooden rolling tray (not a Blazy Suan).
The new Stainless Steel Rolling Tray from Blazy Susan fit the bill perfectly, with its durable rainbow sheen adorning our sesh breaks. We love knowing that we're getting every single trichome from our ground loose-leaf flower when we use this attractive and rugged stainless steel tray. Those seeking a nice wooden rolling tray should check out the Walnut Flight Pad from Blazy Susan.
Beyond the large assortment of rolling trays and cool pink and purple cones, Blazy Susan gets honorable mention for its $20 Deluxe Ashtray made of premium silicon that features a funky bowl cleaner. It's even dishwasher friendly!
Read the full review.
Lokkboxx Humidor Stash Box ($215)
Gone are the days of storing one's cannabis stash in a crumpled shoe box hidden in a dusty drawer or closet.
Every now and then, true innovation comes to the cannabis industry in the form of a product or service never before seen. San Francisco-based Lokkboxx has taken the concept of a traditional cigar humidor and completely redesigned it for cannabis. The new company has combined the advantages of humidity control with a modern appeal for a culture enamored by beautiful buds.
The company claims that its unique maple wood-clad product prevents the degradation of stored cannabis, including maintaining its freshness, taste, and potency. For cannabis connoisseurs, these qualities are paramount to a top shelf smoking or vaping experience.
"The unique maple wood-clad Lokkboxx prevents the degradation of stored cannabis, including maintaining its freshness, taste, and potency."
Lokkboxx states that it is the freshest way to store and consume cannabis—especially in social settings or when entertaining. But this is Higher Learning LV. We're in the business of educating and training cannabis industry professionals. So what, exactly, is responsible for the freshness delivered by this dramatically designed stash box?
Read the full review.
Canlock Storage Containers ($16-28)
No gift guide would be complete without one of our favorite California companies, Canlock! What began in Los Angeles as just a couple of undecorated cannabis storage containers has blossomed into dozens of cool and colorful designer models available in three practical sizes.
Canlock makes its unique glass storage containers available in three sizes: Mini, Stash, and Stash+. They are attractive, compact, and—even better—accomplish a great thing: Air-free storage of cannabis that preserves its freshness. How? A special value cap called the "airlock pump" allows any air in the jar to be pumped out after filling it with cannabis buds or ground flower.
The resulting vacuum helps preserve your cannabis flowers and their sensitive terpenes. This means that your cannabis is more aromatic and, technically speaking, delivers more health value. All for under $30.
Pretty slick, eh? But don't take our word for it. Put your own Canlock Mini, Stash, or Stash+ under your tree and enjoy the benefits of fresh bud resulting from simple science. A few pumps is all it takes to preserve your sensitive cannabis terpenes!
Celebration Pipes ($109-275)
For nearly half a century, Celebration Pipes has been producing a small catalog of craft-level luxury pipes made from 22k gold and Lavastoneware. There's been a recent surge in orders since we published our interview with the unique company and its chief artisan, Steve Lach, in November. During the interview, Lach revealed that production of these cherished ganja goblets will cease at production year 50, in 2023.
The company uses no molds and hand crafts each unit. All feature Lach's initials and the model year in which they were produced (plus a signed certificate of authenticity). In our interview, Lach explained how the first 1000 pipes featured the unit sequence number, but that this quickly became too large to fit on the small area on the bottom of the bowl and had to be changed to the production year.
Celebration Pipes even offers a seven pipe bundle for $420. Now how cool is that? Get your own limited edition and collectible Celebration Pipe in your favorite color and learn how great classic loose-leaf cannabis smoking can be!
Read the full review.
DaVinci IQC Pocket Vaporizer ($200)
DaVinci turned the world of mobile vaping upside down years ago when it debuted. Featuring precise temperature settings and a clean vapor path, DaVinci's products offer such accuracy, refinement, and overall quality that we are comfortable recommending them to the most discerning of patients and professionals.
All of DaVinci's mobile vape products accomodate loose-leaf cannabis or hemp flower. Each model features a vapor path that is completely void of metals, glues, plastics, or other substances that might result in unhealthy off-gassing during heating. Your precious cannabis is evenly heated (and never burned) in a ceramic chamber lined in glass and travels through a pure zirconia vapor path. DaVinci offers superbly conscientious herbal vapor engineering and is the industry standard within its product category.
"DaVinci offers superbly conscientious herbal vapor engineering and is the industry standard within its product category."
For those who gain the most benefit and pleasure from healthy vaporization of cannabis flower, DaVinci's engineers have developed three capable and affordable models that avoid the problems that plague most models, including uneven heating, burning of product, unused product, and the toxic off-gassing mentioned above.
We love our IQC vaporizer with its large herb reservoir, convenient USB-C charging, short 30-second warm up period, and high quality premium metal construction. It can even be controlled from a phone, a very convenient party trick! Get one for that favorite cannabis consumer in your company today! It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Leafwize Naturals ($7-298)
At its core, the cannabis culture is about health and wellness. Even "recreational" consumption results in improved health outcomes at physical, emotional, and psychological levels. That's why the all natural products from Leafwize Naturals in Orange County, California are at the top of our gift giving list!
Leafwize Naturals' range of tinctures, gummies, and cartridges includes pure products and centers on CBD and delta-8 THC. Oil drops, vapes, gelcaps, and even CBD oil for dogs and other pets are available. Check out Leafwize Naturals; they make excellent stocking stuffers for your favorite marketing expert or cultivation manager!
Listen to Leafwize Naturals president Dena Putnam!
MiniNail PURR Enail Set ($575)
It was during MiniNail's October 2020 sale, in the middle of social isolation due to pandemic, that we took the plunge and fulfilled one of our gear dreams, the acquisition of a MiniNail enail rig. This Seattle-based small business has its eye on solid engineering and exceptional build quality. Reliability is also through the roof.
For those of you unfamiliar with enails, they are rigs intended for dabbing (vaporizing) cannabis concentrates. Enails are an alternative to the traditional old school torch approach for dabbing concentrates.
Instead of firing up a torch and running the risk of catching Aunt Betty's hair on fire, enails provide the heat to vaporize your favorite concentrate via a much safer heating coil that wraps around a bowl, or "dish," made of something like titanium, ceramic, or glass.
"Instead of firing up a torch and running the risk of catching Aunt Betty's blue hair on fire, enails provide the heat to vaporize your favorite concentrate."
Enails offer serious patients the ability to consume very potent THC-rich dabs without suffering the potential negative health impact of smoking. With an enail rig, consumers can enjoy a considerably stronger sesh than would be afforded by smoking or vaping loose-leaf flower.
ProMaster Ring Light ($119-249)
Video conferencing on networks like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams has become a permanent part of the corporate toolkit, with employees at all ranks and positions participating. Unfortunately, not all industry professionals bring their A game in terms of lighting. In fact, poor lighting is the number one problem suffered by video participants!
To help those who are illuminated with less than optimal house lamps or incidental (and unpredictable) window light, there's the ProMaster range of professional ring lights to the rescue. With models at 10", 14", and 19", professionals in the cannabis industry are sure to find one that fits both their desk and their budget.
We jumped on the bi-color 14" model from our friends at B&C Camera in Las Vegas, mating it to a Manfrotto table top tripod. This combo gives the lighting unit enough stability to endure a Southern California earthquake—and gives us plenty of confidence when we're live and need to properly light up our green screen for an important client meeting or podcast recording. Highly recommended!
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