2014 Locavore Holiday Gift Guide: Green Gifts

Herbal Wellness / Medical & Recreational

Budtender Expertise: They seemed to have a moderate grasp of the strains on hand, but fell short when describing full effects of each type of flower.

Cannabis Product Selection: With only a handful of different Indica and Sativa strains, Herbal Wellness didn’t really catch my eye. It also didn’t help that the products they were showing had been sitting in jars on the shelf for over 2 months.

Accessory Product Selection: When I inquired about glass pieces, Herbal Wellness only had about 5-6 to choose from. This would definitely not be my first stop when shopping pipes.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was pretty much like any other retail setting. It was moderately clean and mediocre customer service. Hard wood floors and glass display shelves lend a nice touch.

Friendliness: Besides the usual sales pitch of general flower or concentrates, I didn’t find the budtenders to be particularly helpful. Reception had a few friendly smiles, but that’s about it.

Comments: I was underwhelmed by product selection and they lacked in budtender knowledge and sanitation. Centrally located in Lafayette, it may be a good choice if it is the only shop for a few miles, though it may be worth going to elsewhere for better options.

Terrapin Care Station / Medical & Recreational

Budtender Expertise: I was greeted by a budtender at 1 of 4 stations and led through their various products. They patiently took time to describe their edibles, concentrates and flower, all while expressing what to expect from each.

Cannabis Product Selection: With a large number of flowers at varying price points, I was impressed with the number of strains they kept on hand. They also had some of the lowest prices on flower and exceptional deals throughout the week.

Accessory Product Selection: Terrapin had a handful of nice water pipes, vape pens, rolling papers and torches to browse while waiting in the reception area.

Atmosphere: The shop realized some significant foot traffic and needed to wait 15 minutes before being seen by a budtender. Wood floors and comfortable couches makes for a relaxed atmosphere, but the waiting room filled up rather quickly.

Friendliness: I found the staff to have a very friendly demeanor and try to help customers as quickly as possible.

Comments: My whole experience felt a bit rushed given the fast paced atmosphere and high volume of customers, but in the end had a pleasant shopping experience and learned a bit about some new edibles.

Karing Kind / Recreational

Budtender Expertise: The good people at Karing Kind know what they are talking about. They used to work as caregivers in the industry, and have carried that knowledge over into the recreational area.

Cannabis Product Selection: With a vast number of Sativa and Indica, plus hybrid, strains available, varying daily, plus a tremendous selection of edibles, there’s genuinely something for all tastes here.

Accessory Product Selection: The Karing Kind shirts and hats are sweet, and there’s locally-blown glass on offer, bubblers, papers, one-hitters, dab tools, and grinders adorned with the Karing Kind logo.

Atmosphere: Immaculate and welcoming, Karing Kind has a warm vibe thanks in part to the helpful staff and tasteful décor.

Friendliness: Owned and operated by native Coloradans, they say that they “started in the industry as exclusive caregivers for patients with the highest of medicinal expectations, and are now expanding to provide this same service to everybody.”

Comments: The weed-buying experience at Karing Kind is pleasurable from start to finish.

The Farm / Medical & Recreational

Budtender Expertise: I found the budtending staff to have moderate-high knowledge of the products they were offering. From flowers to edibles, they were able to assist me with anything I needed and were able to make me feel comfortable making a choice.

Cannabis Product Selection: The Farm boasted choices in the Indica, Sativa, and hybrid varieties of flower, and a standard selection of edibles.

Accessory Product Selection: This is the only dispensary I found to offer the services of both a head shop AND dispensary. The waiting room is outfitted with hundreds of pieces and bowls to browse, as well as bowl bags, books, tools and grinders.

Atmosphere: Wood floors and large mirrors give it a parlor style type look and made for a very pleasant shopping experience.

Friendliness: I found the staff to be quite friendly and helpful in both the bud room as well as the waiting room, willing to take down large water pipes and explain more about each item.

Comments: I find The Farm to be a beautiful venue to purchase cannabis and accessories for most any occasion.

Green Tree Medicinals / Medical & Recreational

Budtender Expertise: Both the reception and budtending staff did very well to provide service with a smile. I noticed on a few occasions that they were able to address customers by their first name and had a regular crowd. The budtenders had in-depth knowledge of each strain, their affects, and percentages of THC/CBD.

Cannabis Product Selection: With over 30 strains to choose from, Green Tree Medicinals is outfitted to satisfy any need you may have. Their entire collection of flower is kept in large mason jars and weighed out individually using chopsticks.

Accessory Product Selection: While being served, I had an opportunity to peruse through some of the pieces and pipes they had to offer. The variety offered everything from vaporizers to dab rigs and rolling papers.

Atmosphere: A generally friendly and relaxed atmosphere with as many dum dum lollipops you can eat, Green Tree services its customers in a professional, helpful manner.

Friendliness: I found the staff to be very friendly and able to answer any questions.

Comments: This is a great venue to shop and learn. Green Tree Medicinals has great products and a knowledgeable staff to making shopping a pleasure.

Native Roots / Medical & Recreational

Budtender Expertise: I found the budtenders at Native Roots to be knowledgeable of the products on hand. Leading me through a number of varieties, they were able to dictate how each strain would be received.

Cannabis Product Selection: With only about 12 strains to choose from, I was underwhelmed by the quality and general selection. Native Roots does offer a handful of salves, edibles, and vapor pens that can be used with oil their company produces.

Accessory Product Selection: Native Roots’ (Pearl Street Mall Location) has a deal with their underground neighbors where you can bring your Native Roots receipt to the head shop next door and get 20% off your purchase.

Atmosphere: This location has a modern upscale feel to their dispensary with clean edges and tile floor. Ipads are available to view strain information while you wait to be served which adds a nice technological touch.

Friendliness: I found their staff to be warm and welcoming, ready to share their personal experiences with their products.

Illuzion Glass Gallery / Glass

From the moment I walked into this gallery I knew it would take a few trips to get an idea of all the products they really have. Walls lined with professional, high grade, American made glass pipes, this store has anything and everything you’d be looking for in a glass pipe shop. It is correctly labeled a gallery for many of the glass pieces are beautiful works of art.

Colorado Glass Gallery / Glass

This gallery has to offer a number of glass pieces that can be used for smoking flower, concentrates and vaporizing at reasonable prices. If you are looking for a casual smoking device or artsy glass pipe, you can find what you need. There are some spectacular artists with work on display and for sale here, from the psychedelic swirls on the pipes by Cowboy to the pin-up and horror-themed work of Dwreck, from the Liftglass pipes that look like boxers to the dinosaurs by Elbo. These are spectacular pieces of art that look beautiful, whether you use them to smoke or not. Some of them are priced at $25,000, though there are more modestly priced items here too. Colorado Glass truly is a Gallery.

The Fitter / Glass

A Boulder institution, the Fitter, formerly known as the Pipe Fitter, nearly went out of business in 1991 when the Feds seized a whole load of their stock. They survived and scrapped it out, and their reward came with the marijuana legalization laws. Now 40 years old, this awesome head shop is seen as a place of authority, the people in the know, for people looking for serious advice. Beginners and long-time smokers alike can find great glass and fun pieces here.

New Toker:

$25 – Since the “New Toker” may be new to the cannabis scene, it may be a good idea to give them a few options of ways to consumer cannabis. I would recommend a cheap $5 glass pipe, lighter, Cannabis infused Hot Cocoa, and a Grader Card.

$100 – This price range allows you a bit more flexibility to go out and find a glass pipe that may be to their liking. At either Colorado Glass Gallery or Illuzion Glass Gallery you will be able to find something they would enjoy. Perhaps spend $50 on a glass dry pipe a half eight of cannabis and a couple of pre-rolled joints.

Casual Toker:

$25 – I would take this opportunity to share something new from the shelves that perhaps they haven’t seen before. My recommendation would be Caviar, which is a highly potent bud of flower that has been dipped in hash oil and then rolled in keef. It’s a wonderful smoke and wonderful experience for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to try it before.

$100 – I would recommend getting the casual toker a small water pipe rig used for dabbing and a half gram of shatter. You can find concentrates such as shatter at a discount on Saturdays at a number of dispensaries – Known as “Shatterday”.

Seasoned Toker:

$25 – Buying flower or concentrate for someone that is using regularly would be appreciated but wouldn’t stand out. A good option is to offer knowledge in other areas such as cooking. Wake and Bake is a wonderful cook book with great illustrations and pictures guiding you through a number methods and recipes to cook with Cannabis.

$100 – Perhaps this toker has become fed up with paying for his cannabis and would enjoy growing his own. You can find a number of great books on how to grow cannabis and there are seed banks throughout Colorado that you can purchase seeds from or even some places that sell clones!