Hello my lovely Tokers! Hope you are all enjoying your summer! Our team of Tokers has been hard at work hitting the streets just as hard as we hit our favorite pre-rolls to find what’s best and what’s boof! Follow our newsletter and articles so you can avoid the summer heat and humidity while we find the best flower for you! Storefronts have been heating up and seeing more traffic, and while retail is fun sometimes it’s nice to just relax at home and have the fun brought to you! Our friends at Promoco DC have one of the best delivery/pick up services in the city right now! With consistently “high” praise (see what i did there?!?) from their clients, Promoco focuses on superior customer service and satisfaction! Tokers are constantly telling us how happy they have been with Promoco’s services. We’ve seen the flower from Promoco get better and better, and their latest samples are no exception! Promoco gifted us some SUPER new and exclusive flower from SF Canna called 5 Plus. It just dropped this June so it’s very new on the scene. Boasting a THC content of 37.62% and 42.77% total Cannabinoids, 5 Plus is a heavy hitter! With a high that’s powerfully euphoric, 5 Plus is great for Tokers who need some much appreciated relief from stress or depression. Artistic creators reported feeling creatively stimulated by 5 Plus, and I think the rambling that I’m currently doing that you’re currently reading would attest to that? Tokers I think I’ve done too much research on this one lol; I feel great! This flower is strong and tasty and my mind is exploding with energy but not in an anxious way! I think I’d recommend enjoying this later in your day just because it’s so strong and potent! I don’t feel overwhelmed but I’m not sure how the rest of my day is gonna play out now, lol. Adventures in toking! 5 Plus also possesses a fascinating terpene profile! Limonene (0.87%) - fruity & citrusy, great for relieving anxiety & stress. Linalool (0.64%) - a particularly floral terpene (think lavender), Linalool is known for its calming & relaxing effects. beta-Myrcene (0.57%) - the most common terpene in modern commercial cannabis! Think hops, lemongrass, or mangoes. Known for its calming effects. beta-Caryophyllene (0.49%) - a woodsy & herbal terpene with a flavor profile that will remind you of your favorite meals. Known for its anti-inflammatory benefits (for all our Tokers with seasonal allergies who are battling pollen!) A-Terpineol (0.15%) - found in rosemary, lavender, juniper, eucalyptus, and of course cannabis! VERY impressive list of purported health benefits including anti inflammatory, anti anxiety, and neurogenerative effects! The other flower our friends at Promoco gifted our team of Tokers is the famous designer strain Biscotti Pippen! Boasting an impressive genetic lineage of Lemon Cherry Gelato (a personal favorite strain), crossed with Biscotti, Pippen is every bit as strong as the basketball legend of the same name! Originally bred by Backpack Boyz, grown by 5 Points LA, and distributed by Cookies Melrose, she possesses some impressive stats in her own right with 26.050% THC and 29.528% total Cannabinoids - arguably rivaling even the lofty stats of Pippen's professional career (but in the weed arena of course). The milky smooth smoke from my spliff held a mysterious surprise for my pallet with a diverse flavor profile that included hints of chocolate, plum, and coffee with a subtle lemony sweetness on the backend. Great body buzz and a non-drowsy head high has me imagining toking adventures with Pippen wherein we drive around the city in a bus solving mysteries and helping Tokers across the land…am I that stoned? I am that stoned. Jeez this is no joke lol Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for....which one is better? Well it's a very, very close call, but in this competition over my stoney praise I must give it to the 5 plus. Ultimately this came down to just a slightly preferable flavor and a higher intensity, more energetic high. As you can tell, though, we are highly impressed with both specimens! Hit up our friends at Promoco DC and get your hands on these phenomenal designer strains while supplies last! Tell them Tokers Guide sent you! Let us know what you think in the comments section! Tag us! Say hi to your peoples! Pet dogs! Smell roses! Eat tacos! Are you still reading this? Am I that stoned?

Gotta stay hydrated and beat this summer heat and humidity! Our team of tenacious Tokers have been hard at work tactfully tasting terpenes! We need some sativa to keep up our strength amidst this heat wave! Our friends at Elevated lounge are always hard at work carefully curating an exquisite menu to satisfy any Tokers taste buds. We were lucky enough to be blessed with a generous gift of a beautiful Blue Dream Sherbert! A Sativa dominant hybrid (60% Sativa/40% Indica), Blue Dream Sherbert is a cross between Blue Dream and Sunset Sherbert. With its 21-25% THC, and its medium content of CBD, Blue Dream Sherbert helps to relax both the mind and the body. Dutch seedbank Growers Choice has artfully combined strains and genetics to give us a sweet and fruity berry bomb on our pallets with a euphoric and energetic high in our heads! Blue Dream Sherbet also won 2nd place in the Jack Herer Cup 2020 for Best Sativa strain! Blue Dream Sherbert’s high is a cerebral one, with Tokers reportedly enjoying a euphoric experience and a boost in both energy and creativity. This strain is famous not only for its aesthetic beauty, but also its near miraculous healing powers! Tokers have found some much needed relief for multiple mood disorders in Blue Dream Sherbert. It is a strain that has purported antidepressant benefits that may also help provide Tokers relief from bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and stress. I visited our friends at Elevated Lounge feeling tired and worn out from travel, work, and the summer heat and humidity. I was spent and the artful bud tenders vibe checked me real quick! Seeing that I was worn out and needing something energetic and therapeutic, the staff encouraged me to try the Blue Dream Sherbert, and I’m glad they did! The euphoric energetic boost was just what I needed to get me going again, PLUS it was delicious! I love the nose on this strain, my only complaint? I DIDN’T GET ENOUGH AND I’M ALMOST ALL OUT!! Don’t forget to tell our friends at Elevated Lounge that Toker's Guide sent you! For a limited time Elevated Lounge is being SUPER generous and giving all our readers a free gift! So remember to tell them that Toker's Guide sent you! Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Hey everyone! Just a real quick pop-in here to ask: Did you know that Top Secret DC has "Caviar Rocks". These are said to be, and I can confirm, "super gold star nugs, rolled in live badder, and saturated in kief". Needless to say they are VERY strong and actually quite economical on the budget as well. Just look at all that amazing kief coverage! You KNOW that's gonna be stoooning. Note that many times when you get moon rocks the challenge can be that the material used is, shall we say, a little shoddy or even long in the tooth (aka stale). This is not the case here as the internal bud or "skeleton" of the rock is of great cure and quality to begin with. Then wrap that in a blanket of badder for some additional "glue" and throw some finely sifted kief on top and you have these...gem stones!?!? I think we can call them that. If you've never had the luxury of experiencing moon rocks or other concentrate/kief rolled buds before this is your chance to check out what the hype has been about, and do it without the significant sum typically required at the west coast dispensaries where they're most frequently found. To get yours give the always impeccable Top Secret DC a shout today!

Cannabis is one of the most unique and fascinating industries to study for a whole host of interesting reasons. One of them is exploring the new and evolving markets that are developing around the country, all of which have different rules and products to explore and understand. There are sometimes dramatic differences in the regulations or product quality state to state and every state/region has their own nuanced culture that is slowly evolving as we inch closer and closer to full federal legalization and the ubiquitous cannabis culture that follows. To illustrate this, Toker’s Guide took a trip to Maryland to explore what their scene has to offer and see if we’re missing out on any of the good good. First thing to mention is that Maryland is strictly a medical state that does not have reciprocity. This is anticipated to change but until it does, bear that in mind. When traveling as a cannabis user, always check a state’s reciprocity laws because they will tell you if you are eligible to participate in medical dispensaries with an out of state med card or what the status of their market is and the safest way for you to participate. That being said, one of our cannabis professionals is a Maryland native with a fully compliant medical card so we were able to take a snapshot of the state for everyone else to see. As a medical state, all MD grown cannabis goes through rigorous testing for safety/potency and every label comes to the patient complete with a full cannabinoid and terpene profile of the product in addition to the peace of mind that comes with knowing your product doesn't have pesticides, insecticides, heavy metals, mold or microbial contamination. I cannot tell you how important this facet is to the market. As a grower myself I know exactly how even the best and cleanest growers can get contaminated products, which is not to say what happens when a less than responsible grower gets into the market. Having a certificate of analysis behind each and every single batch is really an invaluable safeguard for both producers and consumers and Maryland is one of the best when it comes to safety. As far as their cannabis goes...it is some of the best being produced on the east coast AND it is often easier to determine the good from the bad products given the label’s detailed information for each and every batch of cannabis. Most of the country is very conditioned to buy what they view as the “strongest” cannabis they can find aka whatever comes out with the highest percentage of thc. Indeed there are some storefronts in DC that are able to provide a potency test for the THC itself because it is such a selling point. This is a great first step but as a metric of quality it is often misleading as a thc percentage doesn’t actually give the customer a true representation of cannabis quality, just potency for one specific molecule. To put this into perspective, cannabis produces over 150 different cannabinoids and still hundreds more terpenes on top, varied from genetic to genetic, system to system, and region to region, and each one plays its part to entourage that thc into a symphony of flavor, aroma and effects that spans a breadth of nuance. Focusing on one molecule is quite frankly silly when you have an almost infinite amount of space to find the truly unique head spaces, the profiles that work best for your body, and to discover true craft and artisan products, not unlike the fine wine industry. I mean you don’t look at the quality of fine wine for its percentage alcohol do you? Ultimately what dictates the “goodness” of a high is the terpene profile itself (and your personal biochemistry of course). High concentrations of things like myrcene, limonene and terpinolene create the nuanced effects that we have come to expect from the typical monikers of “indica”, “sativa”, and “hybrid”. Whether you are looking for something a little more cerebral and ethereal or if you're looking to be knocked down and sedated, the terpenes are the components that get you to your preferred head space. If you do have medical issues you are using cannabis to ease, this is exactly how you would navigate products for symptom relief as well. Maryland makes shopping for head spaces and symptom relief as easy and transparent as possible by ensuring that every label clearly identifies all the concentrations of every cannabinoid (not just THC) as well as a total terpene concentration with the major terpene percentages listed. As a professional cannabis critic, please trust me when I say that it is the terps that make the strain. If you enjoy flavor, aroma, and nuanced highs that range from the ultimate couch lock to the most creatively energized zephyr of energy, then you like the terpenes that ultimately create the flavor, aroma, and nuances of the high! (Again, always in relation to your own personal biochemistry). Now cannabis is capable of producing literally hundreds of different terpenes which is why we see such a vast range of diverse aromas and flavors in this plant. Just the math behind all the combinations of terpenes boggles the mind; however, over time, one can really determine which terpenes and terpene combinations produce your preferred effects, flavors, aromas and symptom relief consistently and reliably. In Maryland, anything with over 1% total terpenes is relatively decent, 2%-3% is a pretty loud strain and anything over 3% total terpenes is one of the terpiest flowers in Maryland. I have personally smoked flower that had terpene concentrations up to 8% so there is still plenty of room for the market to develop, but as I went around MD I made sure to find products that hit that 3% total terp concentration mark to really illustrate some of the quality Maryland has been producing as well as the ease with which it took to locate. First I want to highlight the ever incredible Evermore Cannabis brand and company that has consistently been one of Maryland’s top tier licenses. For my money Evermore is one of Maryland’s highest quality producers for both flower and dabs so naturally I had to take a trip over to The Living Room, their home dispensary, to see what kind of goodies we could show off to the public. Evermore is not just great about producing quality, but also producing affordable quality as well! Purple Obeah - Evermore Cannabis Company, The Living Room - 19.62% total cannabinoids, 1.66% total terpenes - .71% myrcene, .29% limonene, .22% caryophyllene, .21% linalool First thing to catch my eye was their Purple Obeah, one of my personal favorites in Maryland and a rebrand of the ultra delicious forbidden fruit genetics. An absolutely stunning flower, Obeah typically tests low for THC, usually between 13%-18% however it is one of the loudest and most complex aroma/flavor profiles I have ever encountered. Robust notes of fruity florals dominate the nose, reminiscent of mixed berry, lemon candy, and hibiscus gardens. I chose this flower specifically because it was on one of the lower pricing tiers since, relative to the rest of the market, it is testing a bit lower than what a top dollar is buying. But because it has enough of the right terpenes it is in fact top shelf cannabis that, for 45$/eighth is an absolute steal. This facet I think really demonstrates one of Maryland’s strengths which is the fact that you can shop around to find what works best for you or what you prefer and have the ability to find it on a sale or at a dispensary that works with your budget as well. Like all industries, top shelf products cost the most, but the ability to access economically valued quality in the cannabis market is sometimes very difficult. As far as top shelf around Maryland goes... there is an ever increasing list of crowd favorites for all manner of discerning palates. With my budget in mind I was able to find some really excellent cannabis worth showing off to the world. There are plenty more examples to highlight and I hope to bring them all to light over time, but for now it is worth checking out these examples of some of the loudest terp profiles in Maryland! Sunset Sherbet - Evermore Cannabis Company, The Living Room - 26.99% total cannabinoids, 3.11% total terpenes - .82% caryophyllene, .67% myrcene, .54% limonene, .28% pinene Sunset Sherbet, an exquisite cross between girl scout cookies and pink panties, was chosen because of its robust and relatively rare profile. Caryophyllene is a pretty common terpene but you rarely find it as the most dominant terpene in a profile. Here the caryophyllene and myrcene dominance help to influence the full bodied and heavy “indica” effects while the limonene/pinene temper offer up enough of a “sativa” effect to brighten the overall profile into a “indica-hybrid” effect. Soothing to the body but not heavy enough to put you in the couch per se. The nose has floral and fuel overtones underscored by fruity, sweet notes. For me, I get lilac on top of a light whiff of modeling glue with a burst of creamy orange mango that is an absolutely enticing scent. The inhale reveals a deeper relationship to the fruity backbone with the exhale maintaining a delicate zephyr of lilac infused fuel. Overall I am transported to a heady space of calm relaxation that tastes and smells like a model airplane drying out in the lilac filled flower garden, on top of a hill overlooking a tropical paradise of orange and mango orchards. Garlic Cookies - Grassroots Cannabis - 37.47% total cannabinoids, 3.03% total terpenes - .84% caryophyllene, .75% limonene, .59% myrcene, .28% humulene Garlic Cookies is a pheno from the GMO line bred from a cross between the foundational genetics, Girl Scout Cookies and Chemdawg that has become a staple in the Maryland marketplace for years now. Since its launch it has consistently been one of the most potent and highest selling strains to date with one of the most distinctive noses on the eastern seaboard. Part of what makes it such a cornerstone of the market is that it is consistently high in cannabinoids AND terpenes and thus truly embodies the power of a robust terpene profile and potent cannabinoid content. Always on the heavier side, this batch produced a caryophyllene dominant profile with a rare ratio of limonene, myrcene and humulene to temper out the profile which, for me, creates your classic, heavy, foggy, stoney headspace that is often sought after by stoners and tokers everywhere. And the nose, my goodness the nose. Truly this cut is aptly named because the aroma is everything that a savory, garlic scented strain should be. I remember my first time smelling it, I had to do a double take into the bottle because it was so unique! I know garlic isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of good cannabis but this strain offers a savory bouquet of spicy herbal and sweet woody notes that are at once a sweet herbaceous garden and a silky cedarwood grove, co-mingling about in an exceptional full bodied toke that is absolutely worth adding to your sensory memory bank. Dosisdo #22-16 - Culta - 33.1% total cannabinoids, 3.19% total terpenes - 1.09% myrcene, .68% limonene, .32% linalool, .32% caryophyllene Another staple strain that embodies both a potent cannabinoid content as well as a robust terpene profile hails from Culta in their Dosido line. Just like the Garlic Cookies, Dosido has a few phenos and cuts out there but what Culta is really excellent about is including the exact numbering of their pheno hunts as they continue to pull out the best cuts from this lineage that ultimately stems from a cross between OG Kush Breath and Faceoff OG. Specifically I want to shout out the Dosido 22-16, aka phenotype 22 cut 16, as being a particularly excellent, heavy indica high. Over 1% of a single terpene really pushes a profile into a distinctive house of highs and myrcene is the house of heavy and the quintessential element of the “indica” spectrum of effects. A forest of trichomes coats the surface area of each and every nug, espousing mono- and sesquiterpenes into the air and directly to my olfactory system. I am immediately reminded of a buttery sugar cookie, freshly opened from a package bought at a gas station, still with the odor of gas lingering about the air. Upon smoking, the sweet gassy overtone gives way to a light but distinctly cheesy note with just a dollop of effervescent jasmine that is just super appealing to my palate. There are quite a few Dosidos to explore but the 22-16 cut is delicious and I hope those of you in Maryland get a chance to try it! Florida Kush - Garcia Hand Picked, Holistic Industries - 34.28% total cannabinoids, 4.16% total terpenes - 1.23% myrcene, 1.02% pinene, .58% terpinolene, .58% linalool One of the newest brands to pop up in Maryland is Garcia Hand Picked grown by Holistic Industries. One of their genetics that is standing out is the Florida Kush, clocking in with one of the highest total terpene concentrations I have seen on the Maryland market! At over 4% terpene concentration this batch is truly an homage to its genetic parentage, Triangle Kush and LA Kush Cake. With a near even ratio of the dominant terpenes, myrcene and pinene, and the exact 1:1 ratio of the niche terpenes terpinolene:linalool we see an ethereal representation of the most common quintessential “indica” and “sativa” terpenes on top of the quintessentially niche “indica-hybrid” and “sativa-hybrid’ terpenes. If you’re not used to reading terpene profiles this might not mean much yet, but believe you me, this combination of terpenes is quite a rare combination to find, and even more rare to find in such a quantity! The effect of this terpene profile, in conjunction with over 30% thc, is one that illustrates the breadth of effect possible from this incredible plant. It is a storm of stoney and ethereal energy and a wave of creative and calming vibes, at once focused and giggly in a delicate dance of biochemistry. The aroma makes me think of a peach cake topped with high octane frosting and fresh lavender while the flavor of the smoke really emphasizes the gasoline, cakey notes that truly linger around the palate long after each exhale. The full bodiedness of the smoke is a testament to the cure of the bud itself meaning that for at least this batch, they preserved the quality of this genetic to its utmost. Again, we each have our own biochemistry and I can only speak to my experience, but go out and give this one a shot if you’re willing and able and see exactly what this profile can do for you!

First and foremost I want to give a huge thanks to Matt Lawson-Baker of Alternative Solutions for meeting with us and giving us a virtual tour of their absolutely phenomenal medical cultivation facility here in Washington D.C. Seeing their multiple grow rooms, all setup with the highest quality equipment controlling everything from airflow and humidity to nutrient absorption, was enough to make a long time small batch cultivator wide-eyed like a kid in a candy store - and this was over Zoom. Just to put a point on something to the tokerverse out there, Alternative Solutions is a medical cannabis cultivator. That means you can only find their beautiful buds at medical dispensaries and you have to have a medical cannabis license to procure them. Have no fear, though, because we have a fun guide on how to get your medical cannabis license here in DC (coming very soon), and one coming in the near future on how you can get your medical cannabis license in Virginia. Note that the District now has full reciprocity for other states' medical cannabis programs, so you can grab your MD, VA, PA, CA, FL, etc. medical marijuana cards and stop in to a DC dispensary right away. If you need to get your card, know kind of how it works, and are looking for a way to get started, we recommend Veriheal. Their system is super straight forward and smooth from start to finish. You can have your medical marijuana card in no time! Now, with all that said, when you get your medical marijuana license, and for those of you who already have it, I highly recommend that you check out the magnificence that is Alternative Solutions line of hand-finished flower. People often say, "you won't be disappointed". These guys and their bud aren't even in the same universe as disappointment - and that ladies and gentlemen is what people say about you when you are clearly and relentlessly striving for excellence. When we were originally beginning to hunt for the best medical bud we could find in town, we went around to every dispensary in the District and we kept asking "hey, what's the best flower you've got in right now". Time and time again the answer would invariably include at least one, if not three, specimens from Alternative Solutions. We've already reviewed their Panama Red, which we found utterly fantastic and a delightful experience (can't wait for more), so now we bring to you their own mega exotic creation dubbed Tiger Rose. A completely unique and exclusive cultivar, Tiger Rose is a cross of the most orange/citrus heavy aroma and flavor monster, Blood Orange, and Topanga Zkittles. Yes, if it seems like Alt. Sol. is throwing around some really exotic genetics it's because....THEY ARE. Matt told me they literally have a strain hunter traveling the world looking for the best and most exotic pheno's to breed with. They are cultivating their own strains and Tiger Rose is the pinnacle of these efforts so far. Extremely colorful, overtly citrus in aroma and flavor, and splattercasted (I don't care if that's not a word) with heavy trichomes, this 50/50 hybrid is something to behold. My buddy after seeing and partaking in it said "it's kind of like comic book weed bro" and then went on an hours long walk outside. When he came back he said "what was that called again?" and went on and on about it's "gentle euphoria" and his "glowing frontal lobe". My point is that this guy is a long time connoisseur and he was absolutely raving about it. As an enormous fan of Tangie and its many offshoots, the Blood Orange phenotype must be, as Matt says, the most like fresh oranges ever. It's influence on the aroma of the Tiger Rose alone is enough to make me an instant and lifelong fan. There's something deeper and more complex there, though, and it's quite apparent that it's the Topanga Zkittles shining through. Because of it, the powerful orange flavor is subsequently injected with a blast of sugary creaminess. At this point, I realized what I thought had been so citrusy sweet, was actually now more laden with a cake-like flavor...sort of like an orange Milano cookie. SO delicious! Anyhow, we couldn't be more impressed with Tiger Rose, Panama Red, and all the great work Matt's doing over there at Alternative Solutions. Do yourself a favor and the next time you're in your local DC medical dispensary ask them if they have any Alt. Sol. in stock, then get prepared to be blown away if they do.

There exists a long and diverse Girl Scout Cookie lineage, all stemming back from some of the original commercial genetics that took off early on in the cannabis legalization movement. These lines have twisted, turned, and weaved their way to today, where here we are sampling "Double Stuffed", a Platinum White (platinum girl scout cookie crossbreed) crossed with Cookies and Cream (girl scout cookies crossbreed) from our good friends over at Promoco DC. This piece of cannabis breeding work comes from Exotic Genetix and embodies some of the richest properties from both sides of its genetic lineage...with a slightly new twist that makes the Double Stuffed its own special thing. First it is worth noting that these buds are huge! Maybe we just got lucky with our bag but each and every nug was an absolute fatty, dotted with bulbous and snowy trichomes and just begging to be ground up and consumed. But before we could get to the toke I needed to do my due diligence around the enticing aroma that fills the nostrils when you crack open the bag. The aroma is a complex and layered experience that I think helps this strain stand out from its ancestors as a new twist on the Girl Scout Cookie genetic line. There is absolutely the quintessential cookie scent around this flower, earthy and spicy but with distinctly sweet and creamy notes. It reminds me of spiced chai cookie dough mixed with a light potpourri of sharp evergreens and a subtle but distinct vein of vanilla, all deeply permeating the nose. A dry inhale allows the spicy, earthy cookieness to shine through while simultaneously triggering my mouth to start watering and yearning for a toke. The aroma is creamy as well which lends to a blending effect around these scents that creates the sensation of cycling through new smells. Every smell is slightly different than the one before, but comfortably similar in such a way as to both confuse and please the mind. The deep forest greens and royal purples that appear in the colas help to further entice my mind as the visual appeal from this strain is so alluring. I really encourage people not to judge their cannabis based solely on appearances, but we cannot deny that the more beautiful looking a flower is, the more we are innately attracted to it. The beauty of this strain is worth taking a moment to appreciate, just don’t forget that it is always meant to be consumed! Speaking of consuming, this Double Stuffed's smoke was full bodied, creamy and lingered on the palate long after my exhale. I really appreciate a full bodied smoke in general because it indicates an above average cure and helps the flavor/aroma experience last for moments, sometimes minutes after each toke. This Double Stuffed provides exactly that experience and enabled ample savoring of each toke. The high itself is particularly excellent too, at least in my opinion, as it offers an array of easily noticeable effects. The initial onset is a cerebral yet foggy/hazy high that sets the tone for a giggly time. As that time progresses, the high creeps into the rest of your body, slowing down your day and mellowing out for some primo relaxation time. For me, this is the quintessential “stoner” high that so many of us fell in love with in our earlier experiences. Something that produces the full gambit of heady, giggly, stoney, and relaxing effects is super desirable to me and I am so stoked that Promoco is offering up this excellent variety to the public. A big shout out to Promoco DC for their strain selection! They have truly found an excellent cookie pheno to promote and I am privileged to be able to sample some of its heady and heavy goodness. Whether you’re looking for a high that is full of nostalgia and nuance or if you just appreciate fat and beautiful nugs, Double Stuffed is for you and Promoco DC is your guy!

I've been meaning to share the existence of these delightful little milk chocolate and peanut butter bombs from Puff Kings DC with you all for sometime, but secretly I've been hoarding them all for myself!!! MUWAHAHA. Just kidding...sort of. If you know me personally, or through my writing on this site, you've probably come to reason that I'm more of a flower person than a consumer of edibles. But, if you really know me well, then you know my fondness for cannabis flower is only rivaled by that of my affinity for all things chocolate. So when these milk chocolate pb bombs came into my life I was both elated and perplexed: I wanted to eat dozens, but they are far too strong for that! Yes, please be careful here as they are 100mg THC and 50mg CBD EACH and fully capable of taking down a large male elephant with a mere handful. At the right pace, however, these things are OH SO perfect. My "pace" involves eating half, waiting an hour, and then eating a nibble or two more. The onset is slow, but quicker with the few nibbles thereafter and, in no time at all, I'm floating down the lazy river of my mind. Be careful not to leaf your new batch of chocolate edibles in the high heat of your parked car! Better to slice them in half and share with a friend right away than risk having to deal with a gooey melty mess. Or, keep that AC pumping and manage their temperature. Pro Tip: Throw them in the freezer for an even "chiller" experience. 🤓 🤦‍♂️ As we roll into this weekend, if you're looking for a consistently great, reliable edible experience look no further than Puff Kings DC. In addition to these beloved Belgian chocolate "leafs" I'm also a big fan of their gummies and cakepops (as seen below) as well!

Our passion for growing the DC cannabis industry into a truly exceptional market drives us to explore every nook and cranny of the i-71 space to suss out the businesses that go above and beyond to provide exceptional quality products and service. As you might imagine, we have encountered all kinds of businesses and products, from the best to the worst that our city can offer and I have to say, finding a truly exceptional experience is quite rare. It is through the lens of this rarity that we contrast Elevated Lounge (@elevated_lounge_dc), 2428 Wisconsin Ave NW (2nd floor above Boba Tea), as not only an example of the quality DC can offer, but as one of DC’s absolutely premier i-71 storefronts. Their business model works essentially in 3 tiers (storefront, monument tour, consumption friendly art lounge) that flow harmoniously together and truly service the needs of DC’s cannabis culturalists in ways that are unique, exceptional, and compassionate. We got a taste of what life is like with this company and I am so happy to be able to report nothing but positive notes. So, let's dive into Elevated Lounge! First thing I noticed was that their location is excellent; very high trafficked area, lots of other businesses thriving around it, relatively easy access to parking (a challenge anywhere in DC) and just easy to locate in a safe and comfortable area. Like many of the most responsible storefronts, they employ top tier security as well as take covid friendly precautions that really emphasizes their desire to keep their customers as safe as possible in their experience. After showing ID to security, we entered the waiting room that felt like an honest to god dispensary waiting room. Though we are operating under i-71 guidance and I was purchasing a very excellent print of the local monuments, the waiting room had the same vibes as a traditional dispensary experiences, complete with education, a comfortable and classy environment, and the safety and security I have come to take for granted in more regulated states. This was refreshing to see but ultimately we had to get into their gift room to really see what they are about. There are several places out there that have created a nice environment but then drop off in the quality of their products and here at Tokers Guide you know we are about the quality of the product itself! Their operation is super efficient so our wait time was comfortable and quick and soon we were able to go into their back room to meet their budtender and examine their selection of gifts. This is where Elevated Lounge really starts to stand out head and shoulders above their competition. Their menu consisted of nothing but the top shelf strains DC has to offer, high end cannons (finger sized 2g prerolls) and cannagars, and the widest array of munchies (edible infusions) I have yet to see in a storefront. I couldn’t even begin to decide but luckily, their budtender was more than friendly and took the time to walk me through every one of their options, complete with magnified display pods for up close examination! I was truly impressed with their variety and their quality. DC is plagued with sub-quality cannabis and to find a storefront that carries top tier genetics that have their magic preserved and ready for the customer is absolutely invaluable as both a patient and recreational consumer. This is not to mention their exclusive partnership with Cannahiba, DC’s premier cannagar roller, which for me, was an absolute gem to discover. For those of you who haven’t tried one, a cannagar is a cigar-style cannabis roll that is rolled with kief, oil and fan leaf wraps that has an amazing reputation for high quality smoke and hours of enjoyment behind it; a true cannabis cigar if you will. Elevated Lounge is the only place in DC where you can find one of these masterpieces by Cannahiba which really shows how much the management of Elevated truly cares about upholding a certain standard of quality in the industry. Including such a high end and relatively niche product to their menu might be construed as a risk by some business owners but in my opinion it shows tremendous forethought, long term planning, and passion for cannabis and I commend them for seeking out this exclusive relationship. Beyond that, they are heavy on their gifts! This is a true throwback to the kind bud days where an 8th from your dealer actually carried 4g instead of 3.5g as a demonstration of solidarity in industry. With cannabis entering traditional markets we see a hyper focus on weights being precise and never being over to preserve ROI. Elevated makes sure that their gifts are a little fat for their customers so not only does your gift come at very competitive prices, but it also comes with more bang for your buck than most stores will allow! This is truly a blessing to the customer and it shows Elevated’s commitment to maintaining an authentic cannabis culture within their business. If you are someone who is looking for the highest quality products at some of the best prices in DC or if you’re after some niche luxury products that are super hard to find then Elevated Lounge will soon become your home spot. Their educated and compassionate staff will guide you through the creme de la creme of DC cannabis and you will leave with something exotic, covered in trichomes, and full of the healing magic we know and love. Their consistency of product and commitment to cannabis culture and good industry practices will definitely have you coming back time and time again. I am so excited to have been able to tour this spot. Team Elevated (@elevated_lounge_dc) is not only here to stay, but here to set an example for the market to follow. A big shout out to their team for putting the effort into creating a truly exceptional experience and well curated menu that I will absolutely come back to for as long as I use cannabis. PS: When you visit them, mention that Toker's Guide sent you for something extra!

One of my favorite things about cannabis is how it often has a tendency to create seemingly ridiculous flavor combinations that work in a way that our brains can’t quite grasp from a culinary perspective, but certainly wet the palate of sophisticated cannabis consumers. I only mention this because Buddha Buddy’s Shiskaberry flower gave me this exact experience by pairing gassy notes with what I'd call...berry parfait. Overwhelmingly, out of the jar, you get wafts of creamy blueberry, strawberry, and guava that give way to pine sol, propane and gassy notes as you grind up the flower. The aroma is like taking the best parts of a berry field, throwing in some tropical fruits, distilling this down into a gaseous form, and then pumping that gas through the creamy caramel section of Willy Wonka’s factory. Once it hits my olfactory system the result becomes strawberry/blueberry fruitiness highlighted, almost accentuated, by the gassy notes. Only the cannabis community could predict that gassy berries would be a desirable flavor profile, but Buddha Buddy was absolutely hip to this palate! Shishkaberry is a cross of the DJ Short’s Blueberry and an unknown Afghani cultivar that produces crown and conical bud structures with a rich trichome density and a fairly complex high. The complexity of the high is most likely a combination of b-pinene, myrcene, limonene and caryophyllene which not only explain the fruity and gassy aromas, but also the clear-headed and energized high that slowly fades into a perfectly relaxed, but not drowsy, finish. The initial onset is bright but as my day goes on I can slowly feel my body fill up with a cozy muscle relaxation and a slightly more mellow vibe. I would describe this as the perfect late afternoon toke, enough pinene and limonene to brighten your mood and sharpen your focus for the last bit of activity for the day, followed by enough myrcene and caryophyllene to mellow you out as you begin to unwind. Shishkaberry is a testament to sophisticated cannabis palates everywhere and an essential tool in the daily cannabis users tool box. Give Buddy Buddy a shout ASAP to get some of this awesome cultivar for yourself!

With 4th of July right around the corner, you might be asking yourself: "Do I have enough weed for the cookout I'm hosting this weekend?" This is a common anxiety inducing issue for many tokers in the lead up to big holiday weekends - not just the mid-summer one capped by a fireworks finally. If you happen to be in Virginia, you might also be finding yourself inundated with calls from friends who, now that cannabis is "legal" in the state, are looking to come to your cookout, specifically, to smoke the best weed around. Well if you need to fill your coffers and want to impress your guests with some sincerely exotic looking flower, look no further than DC storefront RELVA, where you'll find this dark purple beauty known as Grape Cake. If you haven't had a chance to check out RELVA yet, it's definitely worth popping by. The folks there are super friendly and eager to assist and they're right down bustling H St. corridor with many other viable storefronts (ah the beauty of colocation). Incidentally, relva means "grass" in Portuguese - had to look this one up - which I was stoked to learn. Inside you'll find a very clean and professional retail setting complete with display cases, abundant lighting, and tranquil imagery. There's a slew of great CBD options if you're into it, but ask the budtenders about the Grape Cake and they'll show you the way. An indica dominant cross of Grape Stomper, Wedding Cake, and Cherry Pie, this bud has the super fruity/grapey flavor and aroma you would expect from the name. What you might not expect is the spicy and gassy aftertaste upon exhale. Very exotic indeed! Note that the contrast between the uber dark purples and the sizable white layers of trichomes is abundantly apparent - as seen in my accompanying photos. To ensure the utmost structure and trichome retention, they're keeping it in jars - we're much bigger fans of this approach versus mylar bags and wish more vendors would move in this direction. Again, for that eye-popping, head turning bag to show all your friends this Independence Day weekend head on over to H St. and check out this Grape Cake from DC I-71 storefront RELVA. Don't forget to tell them Toker's Guide sent you!

Nestled into a warm and inviting bookstore-like space near the Eastern Market in SE Washington D.C. is a great I-71 storefront that many in the neighborhood are raving about, but maybe you were unaware of. It's called No Kids Allowed and we've just become big fans! They're clearly creatives with a passion for cannabis and this is present in the school-for-adults theme they have going in terms of their art and interior decor. While kids are definitely not allowed, adults are very welcome to "play" and the caring staff are eager to participate in helping you find all the right toys you need. With a wide variety of excellent flower, edibles, and concentrates there's something for all (adult) ages and interests too. I was lucky enough try their Jet Fuel OG, a potent and delectable cross of Aspen OG and High Country Diesel originally bred by 303 seeds. It's mega gassy nose and flavor, for some reason, always equate to the perfect pairing for summer time activities for me. This along with the sativa energy makes you want to keep the day moving with an ear to ear smile on your face. It even comes in a durable and air-tight container - one with an emblem of a jet fighter about to take off on it's top. Let this serve as a symbol for how this batch of bud will make you feel - like blasting off and ripping through the skies at supersonic speeds, yet with supreme control and clarity. Fresh, pliable, oozing with trichomes, and with a petro-esque aroma you can smell for miles, she's definitely well worthy of a connoisseur's palate. To get some of this absolute GAS for yourself hit up No Kids Allowed today...and tell them Toker's Guide sent you.

Many of you are very familiar with Top Secret DC (if you're not I highly recommend checking them out) and how great their highest level "super gold star" strains can be. However, lately I've noticed prices creeping up with the rest of the market in DC. Is $75 worth of "little known secrets about DC" really necessary for each single slice of gift at this caliber? Well, if this Biskanté is any indication, my answer is a resounding YES! After all, what's a puny piece of useless paper or little 1's and 0's in some bank's computer somewhere really worth anyways? You can't drink dollars. You can't eat dollars - not for much nutritional value anyways. And you certainly shouldn't smoke a dollar - yikes! So, if it takes $8 to get a single beer in some DC bars these days, why can't a phenomenal batch of award-winning, fresh cut, designer, super-rare weed be $75? ...and I do mean super-rare. A brand new entrant and winner of the 2021 Emerald Cup from the notorious Alien Labs, this 50/50 hybrid cultivar's genetics are under tight wraps, and for good reason. The complexity of the flavor and aroma are truly...breathtaking? I'm really at a loss for words when attempting to describe it. At first, it's everything you want it to be in utter dankness. It's so savory that it not only makes your mouth water, it causes those little spikies in and around your tongue to start tingling. You might find your eyes lighting up, you're ears seeming to lower, and a rush flowing to what some have described as a golden headband around your head. It's savory, skunky, tangy, and creamy all at the same time. Upon exhale, you'll notice the savoriness actually gains, nearly to the point where I was wondering if there were black truffles lightly ground in - there aren't, it's just the aftertaste. Epically grown in what were likely small batches, she's completely triched out with little loss or degradation from transport. It's texture is the ideal balance of brittleness and stickiness. When you break it up there's a supple feel and it really makes for the perfect roll. When we rolled a few and lit up behind a pub in Arlington at least three waiters commended us, two emphatically, on the "richness" of the smell. I must say, it smokes f*ing awesome! To pick up some of this supremely connoisseur level ganja for yourself, give the legendary Top Secret DC a shout ASAP!