Jon’s choices at Puffcon and Hall of Flowers are covered in a Special Edition of the Cop List. Champelli, Surefire Selections, Real Deal Resin, Laughing Gas, Custy Life, and more can be found on this extended version.
Given how exciting October has already been—less than halfway through the month—we’re stacking this one extra thick to keep up with everything. I feel like every time I talk about something that seems to have happened months ago, I keep telling myself, “That was only last week,” and I don’t want any flame to get through the cracks. There was a tonne of heat at Puffcon and Hall of Flowers, so a special edition was necessary. I’ll still make our regular collection at the end of the month, but let’s get started.
Puffcon was a blast, to start with. This, in my opinion, is the finest event currently taking place. Although I made an effort to conceal my identity and slip under the radar, this event is so jam-packed with homies that I couldn’t go more than five feet without bumping into a member of the group. The festival has the atmosphere of the finest possible family reunion thanks to the amazing merchants and performers who participate in Puffco’s flagship celebration. In fact, it seems strange to believe that was only the second one considering how rapidly everything is going right now; it may as well have been a ten-year reunion. If you’ve been asleep so far, please listen to me: not all events are made equal, and you will likely be considerably less psyched on the shoddy occurrences around town once you realise what’s possible. I hear rumblings they’re planning to go even larger for the next one. Shoutouts once more to Puffco for making it all possible.
Hall of Flowers was once again the enormous brand showcase you would anticipate when returning to Santa Rosa. The OGs were on the ground working out of backpacks rather than spending thousands of dollars for tables at the ComplexCon for marijuana, where all of the industry’s hypebeasters were there to view the newest and best. I would really say that counter-programming won the day for this one, despite the fact that attendance did feel a little lower than normal this year. Although none of the officially unofficial afterparties were very noteworthy, two private gatherings took place at Sazon the first two nights (which is SO excellent; if you’re in Santa Rosa, it’s a must stop). More on that later, but till then, if you hear about a Doja session, don’t miss it. That one was HISTORIC.
As always, let me know what you’re looking forward to, what I missed, what you have planned, or what Twitter in general is doing wrong.
I’ve already mentioned that Puffcon is all about the pals, and this year, like last, I’m quite excited about Talking Terps’ activation there. Bringing the cottage to the public once more, the gang revealed this year’s unique commemorative event shirt, which features Crawford and his proxy, along with towels, various toys, and foam fingers. The most bizarre aspect, in my opinion, is how the Terps are always visible before you ever enter the event. This is in addition to a spectacular activation with a brand-new mural by Sunflower Form & his girlfriend. While everyone had a Puffco product, the majority of the line was covered with their different drops, and I would say that the squad was the second-most popular brand throughout the outing. The lads stood in line all day long!
I also talk a lot about the Aliens brand. No doubt. But man, the rosin they released in collaboration with Fullymelted (from Wooksauce Winery) could be the greatest I’ve ever smoked in my life. Stop there. Since there were only 100 people, of course I was a moron and forgot to scoop a jar before the event. Thankfully, my friend Frank Castillo remembered and globbed me out at The Comedy Store. All I can say is that Xeno sliced straight through even though I was already ridiculously high. In addition to being brought to a new level, the flavour lingered on my tongue for the duration of the following three joints.
Without a doubt, this was the most insane pre-party I have ever attended. These people flew our Custy Chef from New York to create the finest pizza I’ve ever eaten, for eight hours, in addition to the most expensive cannabis products now on the market and the estimated half a million pieces of glass that were littered throughout the home. Even worse, the guy skipped the day’s shift. He was there for the entire week and spent at least three days preparing the food. It was just as amazing as it sounds. How this came to be is beyond me. My friend BK the God welcomed me and told me that “Custy Life” was not a brand but rather a vibe and that no commerce would ever take place there. Even the mysterious Bobby Trill, along with friends Kapow, Dan’s Roll Ups, Alkemist Organics, and others, turned there. Since then, I’ve learned from Dan that the true goal of the whole affair is to find new converts to the White Corn Pizza cause, and mission accomplished: I’ve done just that. But in all seriousness, I think this was the most elaborate outing I’ve ever witnessed.
Indeed, Jon like Zkittles. Tell us anything new; we already know this. How about this, then? Of course, the one time FieldZ shows up with all of his new Z phenos and I miss Doja’s session, you can bet I wasn’t there to watch! My luck recently, it seems. Thankfully, Jesse the Chef, my guy, wouldn’t let him leave town without starting some new fires for the neighbourhood. I’ve seen a lot of wonderful Zkittles recently, but this one is really beautiful. It was chosen by Jesse and given the endearing moniker Z5 (a play on the A5 wagyu he’s become renowned for). This is your chance to lace up right away because the debuts of the new phenos are still a little ways off.
The lot, which attracts so many amazing artists, is perhaps my favourite aspect of Puffcon since it allows them to showcase and market their work to the locals. I had the good fortune to meet Trevy Metal for the first time and wow was I pleased to see his spread while the usual suspects like All My Hats Are Dead, Trove SF, and Elbo were back showing out. I grabbed this bizarre cushion that looks lot cooler than it sounds and features a skeleton peeping out of the half cheerful face. But it was very amazing to witness the range of this creative’s work in pretty much the right frame of mind for it, from his prints to the 1/1 stuff he had on show.
Although I’m not very certain, I don’t believe these people have ever made the list before. My choice for the show’s most distinctive nose is this one. Panacea’s Yves St. LaRuntz is definitely not just more of the same, even though it is a Runtz cut, which is obviously not the most distinctive. There is a familiar smell to the buds that carries over to the flavour and lingers, despite the fact that the sample I saw admittedly felt a little early. Soon you’ll find yourself yearning it, almost like bad vanilla. The high from this one was shockingly strong and lingered with me for a lot longer than most of its cousins have in the past. The flavour was also present.
