3 Things to Keep in Mind Before You Buy Your Next Grill

You could read a thousand and one words on the minute details that surround grill shopping, but most people certainly don’t need to. Fact is, you can find a great grill by considering just three basic details. Here’s your cheat sheet to the best part of summer.

Primary Fuel Source

Generally speaking, there are four types of grills, and they’re bucketed by their primary fuel source, be it charcoal, gas, electricity or wood pellets. Deciding between them is a matter of weighing priorities, such as convenience and control.

Charcoal: Considered the purest form of everyday grilling. Charcoal’s ability to generate both extreme, meat-charring heat and low, slow burns makes it the best option when only considering the meal on the table. However, charcoal takes longer to light and reach temperature than any other grill types. It’s also messier and heat output can’t easily be changed halfway through a cook.

Gas: This is the most popular grill type. Gas grills are ready to cook with a few minutes after heating up, can change heat output on a dime and leave virtually no mess after cooking. The tradeoff? Gas grills won’t imbue food with the same smokey flavors you get with charcoal or wood, and most won’t exceed 500 to 550 degrees at grate-level.

Electricity: Electric grills build heat with the push of a button. Most use infrared heat instead of a flame, so they produce much less smoke than any other form of grilling. As such, they won’t impart the same fire-grilled flavor a gas, pellet or charcoal grill will, and they are susceptible to malfunction if water or grease from cooking reaches vital circuitry.

Wood Pellets: A hybrid of electricity and wood grilling. Wood pellet grills monitor and maintain whatever temperature you choose — typically from sub-200 to 500 degrees — and come with fairly significant heat-up times. They’re able to operate both as a smoker and a grill, though the 500-degree cap isn’t ideal for quickly searing meats.

Grilling Space

Grill space is a common area for marketing tomfoolery — it’s not uncommon to add inches from warming and smoking racks to the total grill space, inflating the size of the actual cook space. To figure the actual grill space, calculate its area based on the dimensions of the grill itself.

Once you know how many servings you can prepare at once, you need only consider how many mouths you plan to feed. A safe size for a family of four is 300 to 350 square inches — enough room to grill burgers for a crowd (the average burger takes up 20 square inches on a grill), a handful of steaks with plenty of space in-between or larger items like ribs or pork butts.

Materials & Durability

The best argument against buying a grill online comes from considering the thing’s makeup. What do “high-grade steel” or “rugged wheels” really mean? The only way to know is to get a look for yourself.

Grills made completely of stainless steel sound good, but if the steel is thin and cheap, it’ll hardly insulate heat. Those thin, lightweight grates? They’ll warp with rapid heat change. In the grilling world, weight is generally a strong indicator of quality.

A final rule of thumb: products with the least areas for a malfunction to occur have the least malfunctions. Like with Weber’s all-time-great kettle grills, the fewer screws, bolts, buttons, cables and moving parts, the longer it’ll last.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

How to Make Fried Chicken Like One of the Country’s Best Chefs

Certain cooking processes are rooted in ritual — a meditative pour-over or the frequent stirring of risotto, for example. The act of making becomes integral to the act of consuming. Sounds and smells found in the kitchen feed into the dining experience. Memories, too.

Published in Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner is a riff on the fried chicken that chef Ashley Christensen’s mother would make for her as a child. The formula is refreshingly simple: Chicken is brined, dipped in buttermilk, dredged in all-purpose flour and fried in vegetable oil. No added spices or clever batter. Instead, Christensen’s fried chicken celebrates ceremony and process, evoking memories along the way.

“Mom would rest the chicken on paper towel–coated plates. It would hit the table just barely warm,” she writes. “This meant the chicken was crunchy but fully rested at the bone. To heat it in the oven before serving would threaten its near-perfect state, so warm over hot was always a compromise worth making.”

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Hot Honey

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
neutral vegetable oil, for frying
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups whole buttermilk
1/2 cup honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
5 small thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
3 dried pequín chiles (or chiles de àrbol)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation:
1. Combine 6 tablespoons salt, the sugar, and 4 cups water in a large pot and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 4 more cups cold water. Add the chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine, discard the brine, and pat the chicken pieces dry.

2. When you’re ready to fry the chicken, pour enough oil into a large cast iron skillet to come halfway up the sides, and heat until it reaches 325°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Meanwhile, put the flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a paper grocery bag, fold closed, and shake to combine. Fill a large bowl with the buttermilk. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Remove the chicken pieces from the brine and pat them dry. Discard the brine. One by one, dip the chicken pieces in the buttermilk, lift to drain the excess back into the bowl, then place in the grocery bag with the flour mixture. When all of the chicken is in the bag, fold the bag closed and shake for about 30 seconds to coat the chicken thoroughly with the flour mixture.

3. Lift the chicken pieces from the bag and shake off the excess flour. Add the pieces to the skillet, making sure not to crowd the pan and adjusting the heat of the oil as necessary to maintain 325°F. Fry the pieces, turning once, until done (155°F on the interior for white meat, 165°F on the interior for dark meat); this will take about 9 minutes for wings and drumsticks, 11 to 12 minutes for thighs and breasts. Transfer the chicken to the lined baking sheet and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

4. While the chicken rests, make the hot honey. Warm the honey, garlic, thyme, rosemary and chiles in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes; the honey will begin to foam slightly. Remove from the heat and add the butter, gently swirling until it’s completely melted. Arrange the chicken on a platter and spoon some of the hot honey and herbs over the top of the chicken. Pass around the remaining honey on the side.

If This Cast-Iron Skillet Is Good Enough for Sean Brock, It’s Good Enough for You

All Butter Pat Industries hand-cast-iron skillets are produced in small batches, take a lot of time to make and are apparently the choice pan of famed Southern chef, Sean Brock. They’re smooth as hell, light enough to toss veggies in, sports pour spots that are actually useful and are among our favorite cast iron out there. But they’re also far more expensive than your average pan.

Today, Butter Pat’s best-selling 8-inch Estee skillet is on sale from $145 to $119 with code MOTHERSDAY19. This size skillet is good for a single steak, breakfast for two, cornbread and various other desserts and baking recipes.

Gear Patrol also recommends:
Lodge 8-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet ($10)
Smithey Ironware 8-Inch Breakfast Skillet ($100)
Borough Furnace 9-Inch Frying Skillet ($280)

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

This Glass Helps to Decide the World’s Best Whiskey, and You Can Buy It on Amazon

Last month at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), more than 40 judges named Henry McKenna Single Barrell the best whiskey in the world over hundreds of Irish, Japanese and Scotch offerings. The win was considered a major upset (it’s only the second bourbon to win the award) in whiskey circles, with some questioning how it won at all.

Lurking in the background of the spirit world’s biggest event was a honey pot-shaped glass — the only glass SFWSC judges can use when judging for the competition. Available on Amazon for $22 (set of two), it’s nothing like a traditional whiskey snifter.

Called the Neat Glass, the short, fat cup was designed with a singular premise: smell is everything. The Neat Glass site spells it out plainly: “Humans detect over 10,000 aromas but only five tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami). You don’t taste raspberries, you smell raspberries and taste sweet. Add mouth feel (oily, dry, temperature, texture, minty, hot) to get total flavor. Flavor = Aroma + Taste + Mouth Feel. Flavor is 90% aroma.”

The Neat Glass runs opposite the traditional Glencairn, where a narrow top opening flushes the nose of a whiskey more directly to you; the Neat Glass, on the other hand, uses an outward-flaring rim. This is to fight off ethanol, the enemy of accurate spirit analysis, which numbs the nose and shrouds aromas; it’s why blenders, distillers and spirits competition judges water their whiskey down before drinking. And it’s the reason the glass looks like a cocktail glass ran into a Belgian beer glass.

The pitch goes like this: the wide bowl allows more surface area for swirling the juice, which agitates the liquid and forces it to evaporate from the glass, and the wide rim allows for ethanol diffusion, thereby creating a clearer nose and — if you buy the aroma-over-everything premise — a clearer idea of what you’re drinking.

Is it all talk? You be the judge.

Don’t Sleep on This $11 Whiskey Glass Used by Expert Tasters

Last month at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), more than 40 judges named Henry McKenna Single Barrell the best whiskey in the world over hundreds of Irish, Japanese and Scotch offerings. The win was considered a major upset (it’s only the second bourbon to win the award) in whiskey circles, with some questioning how it won at all.

Lurking in the background of the spirit world’s biggest event was a honey pot-shaped glass — the only glass SFWSC judges can use when judging for the competition. Available on Amazon for $22 (set of two), it’s nothing like a traditional whiskey snifter.

Called the Neat Glass, the short, fat cup was designed with a singular premise: smell is everything. The Neat Glass site spells it out plainly: “Humans detect over 10,000 aromas but only five tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami). You don’t taste raspberries, you smell raspberries and taste sweet. Add mouth feel (oily, dry, temperature, texture, minty, hot) to get total flavor. Flavor = Aroma + Taste + Mouth Feel. Flavor is 90% aroma.”

The Neat Glass runs opposite the traditional Glencairn, where a narrow top opening flushes the nose of a whiskey more directly to you; the Neat Glass, on the other hand, uses an outward-flaring rim. This is to fight off ethanol, the enemy of accurate spirit analysis, which numbs the nose and shrouds aromas; it’s why blenders, distillers and spirits competition judges water their whiskey down before drinking. And it’s the reason the glass looks like a cocktail glass ran into a Belgian beer glass.

The pitch goes like this: the wide bowl allows more surface area for swirling the juice, which agitates the liquid and forces it to evaporate from the glass, and the wide rim allows for ethanol diffusion, thereby creating a clearer nose and — if you buy the aroma-over-everything premise — a clearer idea of what you’re drinking.

Is it all talk? You be the judge.

How the One of the World’s Most-Popular Knives Is Made

The village of Laguiole is perched high on a plateau in France’s Massif Central range, in the heart of the Aubrac countryside. It is filled with stone houses with gray-shingled roofs that are blanketed with snow in the winters and overlook colorful fields of wildflowers in summer. According to the official census, some 1,200 people live in Laguiole, but one local put the number closer to 500; a single walk through the quiet, picturesque cattle town is enough to believe it. Bakery windows are painted with bulls’ horns, and the brawny silhouette of the local Aubrac cow appears on much of the town’s signage. A large brass bull stands in the town square.

Milk from the Aubrac cow is used to make the local unpasteurized blue cheese, Tome de Laguiole, which is certified by the French government with a designation of appellation d’origine contrôlée, or AOC. This official stamp guarantees specific quality standards and geographic proximity, and acts as a certificate of authenticity for well-known French products — wines, butters, cheeses — both inside and outside France. But Tome de Laguiole is, at best, the region’s second-best-known export.

Laguiole’s most famous product by far is the distinctive slender knife of the same name. Originally a multitool for peasants of the Aubrac Plateau, Laguiole knives are found in the world’s greatest restaurants — and also in cheap faux-French cafés, small-town steakhouses and bargain homegoods stores. You can buy a set of eight on Amazon for $21.99, with the option for next-day shipping, or a single handcrafted piece made over the course of two days for several hundred dollars. This is because there are relatively few limits on who can use the Laguiole name. Officially speaking, there is no such thing as an authentic Laguiole knife.

Pierre Jean Calmels invented the Laguiole droit (“straight Laguiole”) knife in 1829 while working as the village blacksmith. It was a basic design meant for farmers; the handle was carved from the Aubrac cow’s black-tipped horn or ivory and the blade came to a central point. Later, Calmels updated his design, adding a fold-out trocar, a slim surgical awl used to puncture a cow’s rumen to relieve bloat. The blade was lean and slightly curved.

When the Industrial Revolution drove local farmers into the cities of Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille and Paris, they carried their Laguiole knives with them. As the design gained popularity, it picked up other distinctive embellishments: forged handle bolsters; designs chiseled along the spine; a Shepherd’s Cross hammered into the handle; and a hand-engraved bee fitted atop the spring. A corkscrew, for sommeliers and picnickers. Today, all are hallmarks of the iconic French folding-knife style. But the Laguiole knife is just that — a style. Although widely recognized, neither the Laguiole design nor the construction is protected by the French government, European Union, or any other entity. Numerous companies around the world — in China, Pakistan, even other parts of France — churn out cut-rate versions stamped with the same name, and there’s no one to say that they can’t. Those knives, the kind you buy as a wedding gift for your cousin, are imprinted with the Laguiole name, but not its soul.

Virgilio Muñoz is one of the best craftsmen in France. This is not simply hometown bravado: Muñoz, a master bladesmith at Forge de Laguiole, is one of few to hold the title of Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, or “one of the best craftsmen in France.” He has been making knives for nearly five decades, and when I meet him on a snowy January day, his hands are covered in oil and metal rubbings. Ebony, mammoth ivory and reef coral line his workbench, set to be transformed into handles. When asked about the importance of making knives in France, he corrects me. “Not made in France,” Muñoz says. “Made in Laguiole.”

In the scorching, oily heat of the Pit, the name for the downstairs level of the Laguiole plant, another man in a burnt apron is shouting over the incessant crashing, telling me to stand back.
“Very hot!” he yells.

The cheap Laguiole-style knives sold in big-box stores are mass produced, punched from sheets of low-hardness steel and then sharpened and assembled in bulk. Forge de Laguiole, as the name suggests, owns and operates its own forge, a massive furnace used to melt and shape metal.

The Pit is removed from the quiet, finesse-driven work of the craftspeople upstairs. This is where Laguiole blades are cut from sheets of bespoke T12 steel, sourced from the French steelworks Bonpertuis, then blasted in an induction oven at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the crude blades are glowing red with heat, a three-man team uses a large mechanical hammer to drop 600,000 pounds of pressure onto the metal, a process that seals cracks and breaks apart impurities.

To harden the steel, blades are dipped by the basketful into a hot oil bath. I watch the man in the burnt apron use a long, hooked pole to open the door of a large box, unleashing a searing blast of heat. Inside sits a basket stuffed with knife blades, everything glowing the same lava-red; the man uses the hook to pull the basket over the vat of super-heated oil and 10-foot flames shoot up, engulfing the metal.
“Makes them strong!” he yells.

After the blades are cooled in a separate quenchant oil, they’re sharpened and polished by hand. Then, Muñoz and his team of handle-makers, engraving artists and smithies go to work.

In a long room, workers in chainmail aprons cut bone, horn and wood to handle length and work them into shape on leather wheels. Each handle is punched with tiny pinholes that will be fitted with the rivets that hold the knife together; the ancient symbol of the Shepherd’s Cross is added to the wood by hand. The hardware — springs, rivets and liners — is crafted from the same premium steel as the blade, unlike lesser models which opt for cheaper metal or plastic.

From there, the knife is passed off to one of five engravers who will hand-chisel the spine with ornamental decorations, a process that takes a half-hour for each knife; each engraver will finish just a dozen or so knives per day. The blade is then leather-polished hilt to tip, re-sharpened and presented to the inspection team, who check the weight balance, folding action and polish. Rejected knives will go back for more work. In a typical day, Forge de Laguiole produces around 100 finished knives.

Despite its old-world craftsmanship, Forge de Laguiole is not an ancient company born in a time immemorial; the brand was founded in 1987. But this was not an attempt to capitalize on a famous name. It was a bid to preserve it.
Forge de Laguiole is the only coutelier that makes, machines, finishes and assembles every piece of their Laguiole-style knife in its place of origin. It employs more than 100 knife-makers, metalworkers, sales people and support staff in Laguiole. Thierry Moysset, the brand’s CEO, speaks grandly of the Forge’s mission. “It is cutlery, yes. But it’s also culture, it’s heritage and it’s history,” Moysset says.

All types of manufactured goods can be protected: by governments and also the World Intellectual Property Organization, which issues “Geographic Indications (GI)” based on a location’s historical relationship to and reputation for the things that are made there. Forge de Laguiole knives do not have GI protection, but the brand is attempting to obtain it; Moysset says such designation would not only allow customers to buy knives backed by a certified quality guarantee — as with the local cheese — it would recognize history and help preserve it.

But among the world’s best chefs, particularly French chefs, true Laguiole knives need no higher recommendation. Michelin-starred cooks like Eric Ripert, Gérald Passédat, Sébastien Bras, Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy, Pierre Gagnaire, Anne-Sophie Pic and Jean-Georges Vongerichten have all used the cutlery in their restaurants, and Laguiole has produced custom orders for clients such as Montblanc, David Yurman and the New York Yankees. The company is not looking to gobble market share or triple its output; the forge is running hot.

On a quiet snowy day in a mountain town with as many cows as people, it is easy to recognize what Laguiole is trying not just to preserve, but to export: a slower, more considered, more lasting view of the world.
“Modernism has not yet invaded this part of the country,” says Moysset, “and changed the way we do things, and live.”

A version of this article originally appeared in Issue Nine of Gear Patrol Magazine with the headline “The Way of the Knife.” Subscribe today.

The Best Cannabis Accessories, According to GP Readers

Last week, we asked GP readers a simple question: what are the most useful cannabis accessories? Through a thicket of submissions from Bob Marley and Willie Nelson, some seriously insightful picks shown through. From the first smart bong to the difference between 91 percent and 70 percent isopropyl, these are GP readers’ favorite pot accessories.

Paperclips

“Does everything, folds into any shape. Clean bowls, tighten up joints. Makeshift grinder, just pinch against buds. Costs nothing. The perfect tool.” —AB

91 Percent Isopropyl alcohol

“I don’t smoke a lot but when I do I like to use a bubbler. Bubblers need to be clean and are at the same time notoriously difficult to clean (due to their small size and fixed stem). 91 percent iso (not the 70 percent stuff you use for disinfectant) is the key; after every couple of sessions, I take an ounce or two of iso and swish it around vigorously in my pipe just rinse with hot water and let it air dry. Works like a champ and costs practically nothing.” —Rob

Mr. Brog Tobacco Pipe Tool

“Comes with three tools, a pick, which can be used for cleaning the bowl piece, a tamper used to pack down flower and a spoon, which can be used to load the bowl. Though this tool is not designed expressly for marijuana use, it works exceptionally well. It has become an indispensable accessory in any smoke session.” —Duncan

Rowll Classic Rolling Kit

“Has everything you need on the go: paper, filters, hand grinder (which works amazing) and a pouch to stash your weed. All this in a compact slim magnetic sealing kit.” —Brian

Anova Nano Sous Vide Circulator

“Much like how hangovers get worse as you age, cannabis has made me more anxious and paranoid as I age. Maybe it’s just the quality of bud out there, but whenever I smoke a joint or hit a bowl these days, I get way too baked. Rather than flat out quitting, I turned to my Sous-Vide circulator. I now make batches of THC-infused coconut oil and put about a teaspoon in my morning coffee and evening tea. It’s one step above a micro-dose, and it makes me just very happy and creative.” —Colin

Da Vinci Miqro Vaporizer

“It’s tiny, gets hot fairly quick, and allows you to vary bowl size, so you can microdose pretty easily. It also has removable parts for easy cleaning.” —John

Evolab Colors

“Flavored and available in disposable stick or cartridge. This is the easiest way to ease into weed usage. Un-intimidating for beginners, fun and simple for the experienced who don’t want any hassle, discrete for those who don’t want judgment.” —Travis

Haze V3

“It has separate compartments to pack materials, allows you to vaporize cannabis in a variety of forms and has accurate temperature control. It’s a powerful little machine that lets me conserve my materials and get the same effects I expect from other ingestion methods.” —Morgan

Puffco Peak

“The Puffco Peak is the first ever portable electric dab rig or ‘smart bong.’ It heats cannabis concentrate to the perfect temperatures for the perfect vape experience.” —Evan

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

The 11 Best Weed Accessories, According to Experts

We’ve come a long way from the apple pipes of our youth. These days, there are a million and one ways to consume cannabis, which means it’s one of the most gear-intensive hobbies there is. As such, we hit up three experts to find out which gear is worth adding to your arsenal.

Abdullah Saeed

Saeed is a writer, actor, cannabis liberalization advocate. He writes and stars in HBO’s High Maintenance, co-hosts the podcast Great Moments in Weed History and occasionally performs stand-up comedy. Saeed used to host Vice’s James Beard Award-nominated show Bong Appétit.

Blazy Susan Pink Rolling Papers

“I’m not even going to ask what makes them pink because these things make your joints adorable and will bring delight to you and everyone you smoke with. Also, they roll just as a well as RAWs — believe me, I’m a stickler about that shit.”

Hemper Keeper 3-in-1 Storage

“Travel storage has always been a huge issue for me. It’s messy, inconvenient and wasteful. I probably have my own little corner of that garbage island in the Pacific from all the sandwich bags I’ve used over the years.

“This thing is secure. It holds about an eighth and has a built-in grinder that fits right under the lid. I know you can never trust a plastic grinder, but this one actually does a good job. Not too get too nitty-gritty but I think it’s because it has little pyramid-shaped teeth rather than the kinda flat ones in a cheap smoke shop grinder. Anyhow, I have like five of these all in different colors and have tried to code them according to different strains but of course I never do it so have to open the jar and smell every time.”

Pukinbeagle Quartz Nail

“If I’m watching TV (for example, Murder Mountain) or a movie (like Holy Mountain), or playing chip-and-putt with the homies, I’m smoking fat flower joints. I don’t really consider dabbing to be recreational. It plays a role in my work day, my health routine, my exercise routine, et cetera. That’s why I keep good hash on hand and clean my rig on the reg. So why would I use any less than the Rolls Royce of quartz nails?”

Puffco Peak

“Vape pens are convenient and all, but they’re purely portable, and it’s just not as fun to sit on your couch and hit a vape pen as it is to take a dab or hit a bong. That’s why this thing is such a genius entry to the vape game. There have been a bunch of tabletop vapes, but this one is far sleeker than any and just has a great user experience. Mind you, the one they sent me is still in its package because I’m slow to abandon my dab rig, but I’m handed a PuffCo peak at every weed party I go to. This thing caught on quick.”

Jessica Catalano

Catalano is a professional cannabis chef, edibles expert and author of The Ganja Kitchen Revolution: The Bible of Cannabis Cuisine. She writes for a number of cannabis publications and was an early pioneer in pushing strain-specific cannabis cuisine.

Soy Lecithin Powder

“While controversial in some circles, food-grade Soy Lecithin is a great emulsifying agent not only for non-infused foods but also for cannabis edibles. Lecithin acts as a surfactant which lowers the surface tension and allows THC to be distributed more evenly through the food product. It helps emulsify products, which helps fat and water to stay together in addition to other molecules, and lessens the chance of mold from developing (one of the controversial areas of concern).

“It also comes with some health benefits that are worth noting: reduction of cholesterol boosts immunity, improves cogitative function, helps with stress, and relieves menopause symptoms. Something worth noting if you are trying to make health-conscious edibles.”

EcoPeaceful Nut Milk Bag

“These amazing little bags are not only great for making dairy-free homemade milk or yogurts but also straining cannabis flower out of olive oil, butter or tallow. The material allows for the perfect flow of liquid fats without letting any plant material through the bag. These cute little bags are also great for your health as they are certified 100 percent organic cotton and are not made from toxic cheap nylon or polyester materials.”

Ball Regular Mouth 1-Pint Glass Canning Jars

“I think every cannabis enthusiast is secretly obsessed with Ball Canning Jars of every size as they are always somehow mandatory to store your cannabis flower in them. I have tons of canning jars in my house — both for cannabis and for canning foods. Use the jars to store flower in your spice cabinet, infuse liquid fats of your choice in the jars with a double boiler, or make cannabis-infused freezer jam for your morning toast or scone.”

Salt 2-Piece 2 qt. Stainless Steel Double Boiler

“I am all about sturdy double boilers that you can buy at a very affordable price. Double boilers are great for tempering chocolate and creating other delicious temperamental foods, however, they are also great for making cannabis-infused food items. Butters, oils, and tallows can be infused with flower in the covered top pot or you can place them into a small sealed canning jar with the cover of the double boiler off. This is also my go-to accessory for tempering cannabis chocolates or making infused chocolate ganache.”

Danny Danko

Danko is the senior cultivation editor of High Times Magazine and the author of The Official High Times Field Guide to Marijuana Strains and >Cannabis, A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Marijuana. He has selected High Times’s annual Top 10 Strains of the Year since 2005 and is also the creator and founder of the High Times Seed Bank Hall of Fame.

The Original Sweetleaf Grinder

“I can distinctly remember the first time I used a grinder to break up my weed. I was at our High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in November of 2000 and the debut of the Original Sweetleaf Grinder proved to be life-changing; No more sticky fingers, gummed-up scissors or poorly-ground chunky herb. Since that time, many imitators have tried to improve on the design but the original Sweetleaf is still the only indispensable grinder I use every day.”

The Puffco Peak

“Busting out a loud flaming torch to heat up your glass dab rig isn’t always a good look. It can be dangerous and certainly can conjure images of harder drug use to some observers. That’s why I love the portable and prudent electronic “smart rig” called the Peak from vaping pioneers Puffco. This sleek and stylish unit heats up in 20 seconds and vibrates to let you know the perfect time to hit it. The easy-to-use Peak has redefined the look of concentrate consumption.”

VapeExhale Hanu Stone

“I’m so happy that portable vaporizers have moved beyond the basic and boring pen battery and cartridge setup into a variety of different shapes and sizes. Inspired by river rocks smoothed over time, the Hanu Stone provides perfect vape hits from pre-filled pods that are curated to include only the finest in concentrated hash oils. I don’t leave home without this elegant and flavorful device.”

The High Times Beaker Bong

“Everyone needs a sturdy go-to bong for everyday use that’s easy to clean and won’t break the bank or shatter into pieces on the floor. The solid new High Times Beaker Bong is made in the USA, features glass-on-glass connections and the iconic HT logo on the main tube and the downstem. The ice pinch allows me to cool my bonghits properly for perfect temperature toking.”

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

9 Fancy CBD Products, Reviewed by a Skeptic

What the hell is CBD, anyway? Depends on who you ask.

A scientist will tell you it’s cannabidiol — a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. A stoner will tell you it’s that other stuff you get alongside THC when you smoke cannabis. And plenty of brands will tell you that, sourced from hemp, it’s a legal wundercompound, that, when combined with their gumdrops or face cream or bath salts, will cure your anxiety, improve your mood, help your sleep, soften your aching muscles, calm your inflammation, soothe your pain and generally make your life just peachy.

Their evidence for those claims is anecdotal. But anecdotes are cheap, and many CBD-infused products are not. Truth is, it’s unclear exactly what effect CBD has on the body’s endocannabinoid system, which exerts some control over your immune and inflammatory systems, and also affects things like mood, pain, appetite and memory.

Here’s what we know for sure: CBD has been proven effective, in an FDA-approved drug, to treat a rare seizure disorder in children; studies showing its effects on anxiety, pain, inflammation, et al. have mostly only been done in lab mice. Scientists and doctors both generally agree: we need more studies to know whether it works at all, and then on what exactly, and how.

I, for one, have long toed the line of CBD skepticism — despite my belief in the power of THC to make the body feel nice. When a friend told me she’d been huffing the stuff out of a vape pen at an enormous rate to calm anxiety, I believed her. But I also thought that CBD cured her jitters in the same sort of way a fidget spinner might. CBD might be one hell of a drug — but then again, so are placebos.

The FDA, meanwhile, has cleared hemp-derived CBD for human consumption nationwide. (No dice on CBD derived from marijuana.) Which means that CBD-infused products, already available online, are en route to your local supermarket and CVS en masse.

So, over the course of a week, I set out to test everything I could get my hands on. Face moisturizers. Sparkling water. Honey. Bath salts. Most of them worked pretty darn well at their non-CBD use. As for that CBD: call the results inconclusive. Did I feel happier? I did. Did I sleep better? Sure. Less anxiety? Maybe a smidge. But then again, I worked out all week so that I could test creams on my sore muscles, and exercise, unlike CBD, has been scientifically proven to make you feel good. I also got to pamper myself on some nice, free products, which again, perks you up a bit. Overall, I found CBD not some wonder drug, but a solid marketing option that probably has some sort of baseline benefit to health — like, say, Argan oil in shampoo or Omega-3 eggs.

So no, I don’t have any answers for you as to whether CBD is a wunderdrug or not. (Though my anecdotal evidence leans toward the “not” camp.) We need our politicians and scientists to hurry up and start giving us those answers—especially since brands are already making claims galore. In the meantime, here are some anecdotes about how the best and brightest CBD products made me feel — to educate you, sure, but mostly to entertain.

Lord Jones Old Fashioned CBD Gumdrops

Promise: “Helps promote a sense of well being.”
Potency: 20 milligrams per gummy
Price: $45 for a nine-pack

Verdict: These CBD gumdrops cost $45 for a nine-pack. A writer for GQ said he eats one every morning and they make him feel “slightly but markedly better.” That’s a $5-per-day gumdrop budget. What do they pay at GQ? I need to get me a job over there, pronto.

As for the gummies, I found them a little underwhelming. Lord Jones makes fancy products with CBD and THC, and they’re very good at it. But I don’t really want fancy gumdrops, because then you get flavors like bitter, rindy lemon instead of loads of sugary goodness. (The berry flavor, on the other hand, was tasty.) I ate one in the morning and didn’t feel much change. You could also try Lord Jones’s Tincture, which, if it did anything, maybe gave my sores muscles a little bit of a light, pillowy feeling. It tastes better than Veritas Farms version, which you’ll find at the bottom of the list, but it costs a bit more.

Recess Sparkling Water

Promise: “We canned a feeling. Not tired, not wired. A sparkling water for balance and clarity … Hemp extract calms the mind, centers the body.”
Potency: 10 milligrams per serving
Price: $30 (six-pack sampler)

Verdict: This stuff is delicious. I thought it’d taste like LaCroix, which several of my friends chug like it’ll save their life, but it’s more like a slightly spritzy juice. No CBD effects to speak of, but, as my fiance noted, the packaging is beautiful. Will I be buying more for $5 a can? LaCroix it is.

Myaderm CBD Blemish Cream

Promise: “… a daily moisturizer that combats existing blemishes and helps prevent future breakouts … the active ingredient is all-natural, oil-fighting, inflammation-defeating CBD.”
Potency: 100 milligrams
Price: $25

Verdict: I’ve been blemishy lately, I admit. And I remained blemishy after using this cream. I only tried it for a few days — so maybe not long enough for the magic CBD to work on my skin. But that aside, I kind of liked the cream. It smells like citrus and melon, despite not including those ingredients. What it’s got: aloe oil, coconut oil, organic green tea leaf extract, pomegranate seed extract, olive oil, plus some organic alcohol. Mostly nice stuff, which might have convinced me that I need a nice face cream to freshen up within the morning and slather on for good luck at night. CBD effects: nada.

Ojai Energetics CBD Coconut Oil

Promise: “This creamy taste of the tropics is great for smoothies, spreads, and enhancing flavorful recipes… CBD provides some of the most diverse and effective health benefits found in nature.”
Potency: 60 milligrams per five-ounce jar
Price: $28

Verdict: I wanted to use this in a coconut curry, but the label says CBD’s effectiveness can be decreased if it’s heated to over 300 degrees. Instead, I dropped a few spoonfuls into white rice after it finished cooking. My coconut rice was deliciously coconutty, served under Trader Joe’s Cuban-style Black Beans and roasted corn, with green tomatillo salsa on top. Lack of high heat did not help any special CBD effects come through; I did not try it for oil pulling, which apparently it’s good for.

Beekeeper’s Naturals B. Chill Hemp Honey

Promise: “Whether you’re trying to find a blissful breath of calm in a stressful day or you’re looking to catch a better haul of nighttime Zs, B.Chill is your perfect dose of zen—anytime, anywhere.”
Potency: 500 milligrams
Price: $50

Verdict: What’s the only thing in the world that might make Winnie The Pooh more zen? Answer: honey with a little kick at the end. I couldn’t tell if I like this or not. It was delicious in coffee, and paired well a chunk of Ojai CBD Coconut oil. Scrum-diddly-umptious, as they say.

As for the titular “chill?” Sure. I finished my work quickly in the morning and stayed in a good mood afterward. Was that because it was Friday? Maybe. Or it could be Pooh’s favorite new slightly-naughty stash.

Mary Joe Cold Brew

Promise: “The non-psychoactive hemp extract in our coffee is one of nature’s most miraculous compounds, and we invite you to drink this product in good health, sound mind and uplifted spirit.”
Potency: 15 milligrams per bottle
Price: $64 for an eight-pack

Verdict: I drink two to three cups of coffee a day, usually from my French press. This stuff would have to be damn good to be worth $8 a bottle — that’s beans-shat-out-of-a-civet price level. I waited until my afternoon slump, then had some of this cold brew over ice when my focus was waning. Could I knock out a few chores and stay on track with work without feeling overly jittery or crashing into a heap?

I could. It tasted milder than, say, Starbucks cold brew, with an earthy, nutty flavor that reminded me of my favorite brand, Chameleon. It didn’t make me jittery and gave me a good buzz. As for CBD effects, it could not contain my anxiety when I read this quote about the first ever picture of a black hole: “It is a smoke ring framing a one-way portal to eternity.” I mean, Jesus.

Mary’s Nutritionals Muscle Freeze

Promise: “Combines natural plant extracts for a soothing, cooling effect … Preclinical trials over the past four decades have found that cannabinoids, like those found in hemp extract, show potential to be a natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotectant, antidepressant, and many other benefits.”
Potency: 75mg full-spectrum hemp extract
Price: $35 (1.5oz)

Verdict: I’m not a huge fan of menthol-peppermint-tingle products — Dr. Bronner’s peppermint sends me running for the hills. Which makes Mary’s Nutritionals Muscle Freeze a tough sell for me, personally. The oil felt very good going on, and smelled like Vick’s VapoRub and cleared out my sinuses. Then the “freeze” kicked in. It was intense. It alternated between a very refreshing ice-packs-on-my-arms cold and waves of what felt more like a burning. I felt it in my nipples, even though I didn’t put any oil there. After about 30 minutes, the burn-freeze went away. Were my arms and shoulders a little less sore than my back and legs? Maybe. The next day, they remained a little bit sore. But if you like the cold-burn feeling, maybe it’s for you. (Side note: several studies have showed CBD applied topically to help arthritis pain and some diseases affecting inflammation … in rats.)

Empower Bodycare CBD Infused Soaking Salts

Promise: “Designed to give you full body relief by helping you to relax and melt the tension away.”
Potency: 118mg CBD per bag, or about 30mg per bath.
Price: $30

Verdict: My god, was this stuff wondrous. As a soaking salt, I mean. It’s unclear what exactly the CBD topical relief oil in it is meant to do. (On their website, Empower says the salt is “non-intoxicating” and that the combo of CBD, salts and essential oils “soothes discomfort.”) But it also includes epsom, pink Himalayan and Dead Sea salts, plus aromatherapeutic essential oils like lavender and bergamot.

I do have a bathtub, and it’s one of my favorite things about my new apartment. Don’t trust anyone who tells you they don’t love a bath — they can’t stand themselves. It was relaxing as hell, all right, and made the water silky with just a hint of lavender fragrance. I have more left over, and I plan to soak in it again.

Veritas Farms 500mg Whole Hemp Oil Tincture

Promise: “Contains beneficial cannabinoids and plant molecules.”
Potency: 500-milligram bottle; 16.6 milligrams per serving
Price: $50

Verdict: I was all set to review Veritas Farms’s lip balm, because it sounded fun. Then they sent me this tincture.

Last year, my fiance was diagnosed with a wildly under-researched headache condition called SUNA (short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headaches). Sounds scary, right? It is. Essentially, something has pissed off her trigeminal nerve, which we all have on the sides of our faces. When you have SUNA (or one of its cousin diseases, trigeminal neuralgia and cluster headaches), those nerves are wrathful, sending burning, shooting and/or stabbing pains into your face whenever an attack occurs. My fiance is now on an anti-seizure medication, and it works, generally. But every once in a while, the nerve pain breaks through, sending her into a painful state for a few hours.

Anyway, we were walking through Rite Aid when she had her last attack. We quickly headed home, where I saw the tincture and remembered a scientific paper she’d found (here it is) discussing CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids as potential treatments for trigeminal neuralgia.

She held a dose of the tincture under her tongue. And just as she finished grimacing at the taste, she opened both eyes. The pain was gone, the redness and heat of her face, too. Nothing beside the heavy-hitter drug prescribed by her doctor, and that must build up in the bloodstream before working, had ever done anything close to that to the pain.

It was just once. The next several times she had an attack and used the tincture, it didn’t appear to help at all. This is why we need clinical studies, not anecdotal evidence. But that night, we danced around our apartment to music, celebrating, laughing. So yes, in this case, CBD made me feel very good, indeed.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

Does CBD Actually Work? We Put Nine Products to the Test

What the hell is CBD, anyway? Depends on who you ask.

A scientist will tell you it’s cannabidiol — a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. A stoner will tell you it’s that other stuff you get alongside THC when you smoke cannabis. And plenty of brands will tell you that, sourced from hemp, it’s a legal wundercompound, that, when combined with their gumdrops or face cream or bath salts, will cure your anxiety, improve your mood, help your sleep, soften your aching muscles, calm your inflammation, soothe your pain and generally make your life just peachy.

Their evidence for those claims is anecdotal. But anecdotes are cheap, and many CBD-infused products are not. Truth is, it’s unclear exactly what effect CBD has on the body’s endocannabinoid system, which exerts some control over your immune and inflammatory systems, and also affects things like mood, pain, appetite and memory.

Here’s what we know for sure: CBD has been proven effective, in an FDA-approved drug, to treat a rare seizure disorder in children; studies showing its effects on anxiety, pain, inflammation, et al. have mostly only been done in lab mice. Scientists and doctors both generally agree: we need more studies to know whether it works at all, and then on what exactly, and how.

I, for one, have long toed the line of CBD skepticism — despite my belief in the power of THC to make the body feel nice. When a friend told me she’d been huffing the stuff out of a vape pen at an enormous rate to calm anxiety, I believed her. But I also thought that CBD cured her jitters in the same sort of way a fidget spinner might. CBD might be one hell of a drug — but then again, so are placebos.

The FDA, meanwhile, has cleared hemp-derived CBD for human consumption nationwide. (No dice on CBD derived from marijuana.) Which means that CBD-infused products, already available online, are en route to your local supermarket and CVS en masse.

So, over the course of a week, I set out to test everything I could get my hands on. Face moisturizers. Sparkling water. Honey. Bath salts. Most of them worked pretty darn well at their non-CBD use. As for that CBD: call the results inconclusive. Did I feel happier? I did. Did I sleep better? Sure. Less anxiety? Maybe a smidge. But then again, I worked out all week so that I could test creams on my sore muscles, and exercise, unlike CBD, has been scientifically proven to make you feel good. I also got to pamper myself on some nice, free products, which again, perks you up a bit. Overall, I found CBD not some wonder drug, but a solid marketing option that probably has some sort of baseline benefit to health — like, say, Argan oil in shampoo or Omega-3 eggs.

So no, I don’t have any answers for you as to whether CBD is a wunderdrug or not. (Though my anecdotal evidence leans toward the “not” camp.) We need our politicians and scientists to hurry up and start giving us those answers — especially since brands are already making claims galore. In the meantime, here are some anecdotes about how the best and brightest CBD products made me feel — to educate you, sure, but mostly to entertain.

Lord Jones Old Fashioned CBD Gumdrops

Promise: “Helps promote a sense of well being.”
Potency: 20 milligrams per gummy
Price: $45 for a nine-pack

Verdict: These CBD gumdrops cost $45 for a nine-pack. A writer for GQ said he eats one every morning and they make him feel “slightly but markedly better.” That’s a $5-per-day gumdrop budget. What do they pay at GQ? I need to get me a job over there, pronto.

As for the gummies, I found them a little underwhelming. Lord Jones makes fancy products with CBD and THC, and they’re very good at it. But I don’t really want fancy gumdrops, because then you get flavors like bitter, rindy lemon instead of loads of sugary goodness. (The berry flavor, on the other hand, was tasty.) I ate one in the morning and didn’t feel much change. You could also try Lord Jones’s Tincture, which, if it did anything, maybe gave my sores muscles a little bit of a light, pillowy feeling. It tastes better than Veritas Farms version, which you’ll find at the bottom of the list, but it costs a bit more.

Recess Sparkling Water

Promise: “We canned a feeling. Not tired, not wired. A sparkling water for balance and clarity … Hemp extract calms the mind, centers the body.”
Potency: 10 milligrams per serving
Price: $30 (six-pack sampler)

Verdict: This stuff is delicious. I thought it’d taste like LaCroix, which several of my friends chug like it’ll save their life, but it’s more like a slightly spritzy juice. No CBD effects to speak of, but, as my fiance noted, the packaging is beautiful. Will I be buying more for $5 a can? LaCroix it is.

Myaderm CBD Blemish Cream

Promise: “… a daily moisturizer that combats existing blemishes and helps prevent future breakouts … the active ingredient is all-natural, oil-fighting, inflammation-defeating CBD.”
Potency: 100 milligrams
Price: $25

Verdict: I’ve been blemishy lately, I admit. And I remained blemishy after using this cream. I only tried it for a few days — so maybe not long enough for the magic CBD to work on my skin. But that aside, I kind of liked the cream. It smells like citrus and melon, despite not including those ingredients. What it’s got: aloe oil, coconut oil, organic green tea leaf extract, pomegranate seed extract, olive oil, plus some organic alcohol. Mostly nice stuff, which might have convinced me that I need a nice face cream to freshen up within the morning and slather on for good luck at night. CBD effects: nada.

Ojai Energetics CBD Coconut Oil

Promise: “This creamy taste of the tropics is great for smoothies, spreads, and enhancing flavorful recipes… CBD provides some of the most diverse and effective health benefits found in nature.”
Potency: 60 milligrams per five-ounce jar
Price: $28

Verdict: I wanted to use this in a coconut curry, but the label says CBD’s effectiveness can be decreased if it’s heated to over 300 degrees. Instead, I dropped a few spoonfuls into white rice after it finished cooking. My coconut rice was deliciously coconutty, served under Trader Joe’s Cuban-style Black Beans and roasted corn, with green tomatillo salsa on top. Lack of high heat did not help any special CBD effects come through; I did not try it for oil pulling, which apparently it’s good for.

Beekeeper’s Naturals B. Chill Hemp Honey

Promise: “Whether you’re trying to find a blissful breath of calm in a stressful day or you’re looking to catch a better haul of nighttime Zs, B.Chill is your perfect dose of zen — anytime, anywhere.”
Potency: 500 milligrams
Price: $50

Verdict: What’s the only thing in the world that might make Winnie The Pooh more zen? Answer: honey with a little kick at the end. I couldn’t tell if I like this or not. It was delicious in coffee, and paired well a chunk of Ojai CBD Coconut oil. Scrum-diddly-umptious, as they say.

As for the titular “chill?” Sure. I finished my work quickly in the morning and stayed in a good mood afterward. Was that because it was Friday? Maybe. Or it could be Pooh’s favorite new slightly-naughty stash.

Mary Joe Cold Brew

Promise: “The non-psychoactive hemp extract in our coffee is one of nature’s most miraculous compounds, and we invite you to drink this product in good health, sound mind and uplifted spirit.”
Potency: 15 milligrams per bottle
Price: $64 for an eight-pack

Verdict: I drink two to three cups of coffee a day, usually from my French press. This stuff would have to be damn good to be worth $8 a bottle — that’s beans-shat-out-of-a-civet price level. I waited until my afternoon slump, then had some of this cold brew over ice when my focus was waning. Could I knock out a few chores and stay on track with work without feeling overly jittery or crashing into a heap?

I could. It tasted milder than, say, Starbucks cold brew, with an earthy, nutty flavor that reminded me of my favorite brand, Chameleon. It didn’t make me jittery and gave me a good buzz. As for CBD effects, it could not contain my anxiety when I read this quote about the first ever picture of a black hole: “It is a smoke ring framing a one-way portal to eternity.” I mean, Jesus.

Mary’s Nutritionals Muscle Freeze

Promise: “Combines natural plant extracts for a soothing, cooling effect … Preclinical trials over the past four decades have found that cannabinoids, like those found in hemp extract, show potential to be a natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotectant, antidepressant, and many other benefits.”
Potency: 75mg full-spectrum hemp extract
Price: $35 (1.5oz)

Verdict: I’m not a huge fan of menthol-peppermint-tingle products — Dr. Bronner’s peppermint sends me running for the hills. Which makes Mary’s Nutritionals Muscle Freeze a tough sell for me, personally. The oil felt very good going on, and smelled like Vick’s VapoRub and cleared out my sinuses. Then the “freeze” kicked in. It was intense. It alternated between a very refreshing ice-packs-on-my-arms cold and waves of what felt more like a burning. I felt it in my nipples, even though I didn’t put any oil there. After about 30 minutes, the burn-freeze went away. Were my arms and shoulders a little less sore than my back and legs? Maybe. The next day, they remained a little bit sore. But if you like the cold-burn feeling, maybe it’s for you. (Side note: several studies have showed CBD applied topically to help arthritis pain and some diseases affecting inflammation … in rats.)

Empower Bodycare CBD Infused Soaking Salts

Promise: “Designed to give you full body relief by helping you to relax and melt the tension away.”
Potency: 118mg CBD per bag, or about 30mg per bath.
Price: $30

Verdict: My god, was this stuff wondrous. As a soaking salt, I mean. It’s unclear what exactly the CBD topical relief oil in it is meant to do. (On their website, Empower says the salt is “non-intoxicating” and that the combo of CBD, salts and essential oils “soothes discomfort.”) But it also includes epsom, pink Himalayan and Dead Sea salts, plus aromatherapeutic essential oils like lavender and bergamot.

I do have a bathtub, and it’s one of my favorite things about my new apartment. Don’t trust anyone who tells you they don’t love a bath — they can’t stand themselves. It was relaxing as hell, all right, and made the water silky with just a hint of lavender fragrance. I have more left over, and I plan to soak in it again.

Veritas Farms 500mg Whole Hemp Oil Tincture

Promise: “Contains beneficial cannabinoids and plant molecules.”
Potency: 500-milligram bottle; 16.6 milligrams per serving
Price: $50

Verdict: I was all set to review Veritas Farms’s lip balm, because it sounded fun. Then they sent me this tincture.

Last year, my fiance was diagnosed with a wildly under-researched headache condition called SUNA (short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headaches). Sounds scary, right? It is. Essentially, something has pissed off her trigeminal nerve, which we all have on the sides of our faces. When you have SUNA (or one of its cousin diseases, trigeminal neuralgia and cluster headaches), those nerves are wrathful, sending burning, shooting and/or stabbing pains into your face whenever an attack occurs. My fiance is now on an anti-seizure medication, and it works, generally. But every once in a while, the nerve pain breaks through, sending her into a painful state for a few hours.

Anyway, we were walking through Rite Aid when she had her last attack. We quickly headed home, where I saw the tincture and remembered a scientific paper she’d found (here it is) discussing CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids as potential treatments for trigeminal neuralgia.

She held a dose of the tincture under her tongue. And just as she finished grimacing at the taste, she opened both eyes. The pain was gone, the redness and heat of her face, too. Nothing beside the heavy-hitter drug prescribed by her doctor, and that must build up in the bloodstream before working, had ever done anything close to that to the pain.

It was just once. The next several times she had an attack and used the tincture, it didn’t appear to help at all. This is why we need clinical studies, not anecdotal evidence. But that night, we danced around our apartment to music, celebrating, laughing. So yes, in this case, CBD made me feel very good, indeed.

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.

These Are the Best New Products in Coffee, According to Coffee Experts

The Specialty Coffee Expo is the largest event in craft coffee. It’s where the world’s baristas, roasters and coffee geeks congregate to talk about what’s new and next in the coffee world. But it’s also where the biggest gear makers in the coffee world show off their latest digs. These are the best products shown at the Expo, as chosen by a panel Expo judges. You can find the full list of winners and their respective categories on the Expo’s website.

Kruve EQ Glassware Line

After a successful crowdfunding effort at the tail end of 2018, Kruve’s EQ coffee tasting glasses took home the prize for best new coffee accesory. The pair of glasses focus on bringing out specific notes in a cup of coffee by emphasizing and de-emphasizing acidity and sweetness.

Breville Barista Pro

The Barista Pro is Breville’s mid-way point between high- and low-end espresso makers. It sports a digital interface like the Oracle and comes in a neat all-in-one package (built-in grinder, dosing mechanism and auto-tamp). Buy it from Williams Sonoma for $300 less than Breville’s site.

Bellwether Coffee

While Bellwether’s roaster is strictly for commercial use, there’s still a good chance it’ll impact your coffee drinking. The machine is a fraction of the size of most roasting rigs, produces zero extra emissions and roasts seven pounds of green coffee every 15 minutes.

Cafelat Robot Espresso Maker

If you’re looking for a manual espresso maker with some class, the Robot may be the end of your search. It doesn’t skimp on materials, rocks a charming industrial look and its brew baskets can be ordered either pressurized or professional-grade (if you have to ask, get pressurized).

Cometeer Capsules

Not much is known about Cometeer Coffee Capsules, but what we do know is encouraging. Its site promises specialty-grade coffee frozen “in peak state” and ready to brew with our without K-cups (plus, it’s recyclable). The collection of high-profile roasters are already on board may be even more telling — co-signatures from craft coffee roasters like George Howell, Bird Rock, Equator and Counter Culture don’t come easy.

6 Questions to Ask on Your First Trip to a Dispensary

The prospect of walking into a shop full of pot could feel odd for about 80 percent of the country (residents of 40 of 50 states, anyway). Because no matter how many times your buddy who went to college in Boulder tells you it’s super chill, seeing hundreds of strains on the wall runs the risk of being overwhelming for folks unacquainted with the dispensary experience. Hence the necessity of a very brief and helpful guide on the matter, penned a group of experts who are about as well-versed on the subject as any.

Written by the editors of Vice’s Munchies blog, Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed ($27) is a very colorful, very informative collection of pot prepping and cooking how-to’s. Also within its 255 pages are plenty of smaller guides on choosing and buying the right weed for you.

What follows is a brief, six-question list to consult before or during your first trip to a weed dispensary. Good luck.

What’s fresh today?

You want a recent batch of cannabis, not something that’s been sitting on the shelf for too long. [Editor’s Note: For more info on the shelf life of cannabis, along with tips for storage, consult this guide on Leafly.]

Is there anything that smells like oranges or lemons?

If you usually like citrusy cannabis, start there. If you tend toward floral or sweet-smelling strains, ask for strains that give off those aromas.

What’s good for an active day? What’s good for sleep?

Asking if a strain supports specific effects will help you find the product you most enjoy.

What do you have for under fifty dollars per eighth?

Being specific about your price point can greatly speed up a consultation. Dispensary staff don’t want to offer you options that you can’t afford.

Is this sun-grown or indoor? Was it fed with traditional nutrients, or was it grown organically?

If you’re looking for eco-friendly cannabis, make sure it was grown outdoors or in a greenhouse, which runs on much less energy than a warehouse full of high-intensity discharge lamps. Plus, cannabis nurtured in a living soil and fed compost can be much more flavorful. As you consume cannabis grown using different nutrients and in diverse growing mediums (soil, coco coir, mineral wool, pure hydroponic, aeroponic, etc.), you’ll become more familiar with what you like and don’t.

Is this lab tested? Can I see a terpene profile?

Most dispensaries must test their cannabis for THC potency and to confirm products are free of pesticide residue. Some places also test for terpene profiles, but not all. So, for example, if you’re looking for a strain high in limonene, you might have to rely on your nose.

3 New Coffee Roasts to Try Right Now

Seasonality is everything in coffee. So when it comes to choosing the best beans to brew at home, our recommendation is simple: just look to what’s new. Here, three fresh batches from some of the country’s best roasters — Spyhouse, Kickapoo and Temple.

Spyhouse Doris Alicia Cruz

Spyhouse’s southwestern Colombia roast is grown in the Andes, the world’s tallest mountain range that supports significant coffee production. What to expect: higher elevation is known to produce coffees with more complexity and acidity.

Origin: La Caldera, Nariño, Colombia
Roast Level: Light-Medium

Kickapoo Organic Peru La Guava

Peru’s slightly off-kilter, complex beans are the hot single origin of the moment. Fresh bags are dropping everywhere, but you should turn attention to Kickapoo’s La Guava, the beans of which are harvested about 100 miles southwest of Cusco. The roast rides the line between light and medium and yields a sweet, balanced cup with a vanilla-heavy finish.

Origin: El Progreso, Peru
Roast Level: Light-Medium

Temple Peru Santos Manchay

Dark roasted coffee gets a bad wrap in the coffee community, but that’s changing. Sourced from Santos Manchay Antonio’s lots in the heart of the Andes, Temple’s new Peruvian dark roast is the ideal bag to buy if you’re just getting into specialty coffee. It’ll be a nostalgic reminder of the coffee most people grow up with, just a lot better.

Origin: Cajamarca, Peru
Roast Level: Dark

Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here.