HempCon is a cannabis convention where members of the cannabis industry can display their products and services to the general community. Last weekend (Aug. 21-23), HempCon came to the San Francisco Cow Palace, where thousands of patients navigated the different cannabis booths. In California, you do need a valid doctor’s recommendation for cannabis in order to attend cannabis conventions.
All kinds of cannabis companies are represented at HempCon, and each one of them has something unique to offer to California patients. Smoke Reports attended the event with the goal of highlighting some of the brands that are going above and beyond to bring positivity to cannabis. You can check out a list of all of the winners on HempCon’s website.
Hashman/Waxman
One of the coolest booths we toured was the Hashman/Waxman booth, where both concentrates and edibles were prominently displayed to HempCon attendees. We got to chance chat with Austin and get an inside look into the history of the brand, and how far they have come over the past two and a half years. New state of the art facilities are proving that this cannabis group is here to stay.
Besides there already infamous extracts and edibles, these folks prominently displayed their newest creations: Medi-Roons. These edibles are raw, vegan, organic, non-mo, low glycemic, and paleo-compatible. They are made with organic dried coconut, almond flour, cocoa, organic syrup, vanilla extract, Himalayan crystal salt, and CO2 cannabis oil. And they taste as amazing as they sound. Each Medi-Roon contains 30mg of THC, and there are eight Medi-Roons per bag.
Pure Cure/Platinum Oils
The folks at Pure Cure/Platinum Oils also put on a great display of their products and brand mission. Evan was kind enough to walk us through all of the different products and let us sample pretty much every item. It is always really comforting when companies bring their lab tests to these events in order to represent their quality. The Platinum Oils Grapefruit oil tasted delicious and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for relaxation and a little mental stimulation.
JAHnetics
The folks from JAHnetics, which only recently launched, having been breeding strains for a long time. Many extract and edible companies use their flowers when manufacturing their products, including Mamma Bruha who is also featured in this article. ll of the genetics companies brought incredible flowers to the event, but JAHnetics introduced us to some special blends including their Ambrosia strain.
RIPS Genetics/ GreenTree Express
RIPS Genetics and GreenTree Express hosted a very popular booth at HempCon, showing off their selection of incredibly potent cannabis strains. The group is based out of North San Diego County, and takes full advantage of local conditions to grow some of the best cannabis available in California.
We spoke with their master cultivator who explained the difficulty in properly identifying strains, as well as stabilizing them to produce consistent seeds for further cultivation. Our favorite strain that they were displaying was the Strawberry Girl Scout Cookies, which you could easily smell from twenty feet away.
NorStar Genetics
This seed company could almost be classified as a research and development organization. The amount of breeding and experimental cultivation that they undertake is staggering. Jen and Joel, the powerhouse couple behind NorStar Genetics, are truly cannabis connoisseurs. One of their most notable strains, which is the parent strain of many of their genetics, is called Chelumbian, and is a big sativa with heavy yields that leaves a woodsy and earthy aroma lingering wherever you take it.
SoCal Seed Co.
This Southern California seed company offers some of the best seeds available for you at-home cannabis cultivation. The number of strains that they offer is overwhelming, but they do a wonderful job of mapping their genetics, which pairs perfectly with our mission here at Smoke Reports. One of their most intriguing strains offered by SoCal Seed Co. is their South’rn Silver Daze, which is a mix of Haze and Skunk X.
BumbleBee Extracts
BumbleBee had an very large, and professional booth set up for the event. Monique was kind enough to give us a full run-through of all of BumbleBee’s products, including the disposable vaporizer pens and the oil-filled cartridges. One thing we here at Smoke Reports appreciate about manufacturers like BumbleBee is their concern to produce strain-specific products so that patients can find the best experience for them.
BumbleBee offers anywhere from five to twelve different strains at any given time, but generally has classics like OG Kush, Trainwreck, and Girl Scout Cookies. This Oakland-based company has been a big name in the cannabis industry, and from their display and courtesy, it’s easy to see why.
Stagecoach
Stagecoach is a local extract company that remains rather elusive. But their quality is still some of the best you will ever see. Stagecoach cultivates their own flowers, meaning that every extract is entirely unique. You can find their products in dispensaries from Oakland, to San Francisco, and all the way down to San Jose. The integrity of their product is very clear, and we were lucky enough to play around with their rendition of the Purple Cadillac strain.
Cannabilabs
Cannabilabs is working to create disable cannabis products so that people can accurately measure their medication. They have an extreme commitment to quality and vigorously test their products to ensure potency and safety. They grow all of their own flowers and perform the entire extraction process in order to eliminate variables that may arise when multiple groups handle the manufacturing process. Mike and Steve were kind enough to let us sample their products, and informed us that they are working on creating a highly-potent Rick Simpson Oil (RSO product) for the future.
Royal Gold Extracts
This Santa Rosa-based extract company had a very fun booth at HempCon. They have been around for the past six months and are already in six Bay Area dispensaries. One of there newest products is a cough syrup infused with THC and other cannabinoids.
Canna Care
Canna Care is a fantastic company with a great history. This Santa Rosa-based producer was founded eight years ago by Tamarya after she discovered how effective cannabis topical were for her own arthritis. Canna Care has been available at many locations in the Bay Area for some time now, yet we still found out new information while interviewing the wonderful women working the booth. The ginger salve is apparently very effective for sports injuries, and the peppermint salve offers additional aromatic therapy.
Pura Vida Health
This Oakland-based edible production company does a particularly good job with their branding, which comes as no surprise considering that the parent company, One Plant Foods, is available in over 800 locations. This family-operated business is definitely concerned with the contents of their products, and very visibly publishes their lab tests and organic certification (for the food products, since cannabis is still federally illegal and therefore, ineligible for the organic stamp).Issa and Heather were very gracious with brand information, and let us sample all of their different granolas, as well as the first high-protein CBD bar (which is delicious).
Mel’s Canna Tea
Mel’s Canna Tea is a husband-wife team that just started creating cannabis beverages for the public. HempCon was their first event and they were quite popular with all sorts of California patients. Their teas are kosher, organic, and include 250mg of cannabinoids per bag. Currently, they are using a blend of the strains Blue Dream and Sour Diesel to make their teas. This company has only been around for a month and a half, but we can surely expect big things to come from this small cannabis team.
Von Baron Farms
This LA-based company started off making breakfast materials, and was actually launching their cannabis brand the Friday of HempCon. We approached their booth because there was a massive crowd, and we quickly found out why. These folks were making samples directly from a waffle iron, and passing out the delicious results to anyone willing to experience medicated breakfast foods. It was delicious, and the demonstration proved how incredibly simple it is to make your own cannabis infused breakfast pancakes with a can of Von Baron Farms pre-made batter.
Cannabis Creamery
Isaac’s Cannabis Creamery is another edible company that began without cannabis. Lappert’s Ice Cream has been in the creamery business for over thirty years, and now the son Isaac is revolutionizing the way California patients medicate. Isaac was kind enough to explain the process of infusing cannabis into his cold dairy delights, noting that the trick is to make sure the compounds are spread evenly throughout the product. Cannabis Creamery has won many past awards, and now Isaac travels around California to offer his ice cream at all of the different cannabis conventions.
Mamma Bruha
Aaron from Mamma Bruha offers an awesome line of products. The company was founded only four months ago, and yet their products can be found in over twenty locations. All of their products are strain-specific, and are in fact made using strains offered by JAHnetics. We were very impressed with the Mamma Bruha tinctures that include terpene-filled, full-spectrum options, complete with multi-herb special ingredients to promote herbal synergy. The branding is also very well done and hopefully we see more cannabis brands following their tasteful and highly-potent products. Our personal favorite was the Passion Fruit tincture that brings a truly fruity taste.
Cannabears/Cannamels
Kelly is an example of someone who loves what she does for the cannabis industry. She literally does it all. She grows the flowers, she extracts the cannabinoids and infuses them into her gummy bears and caramels, and she travels to the events to personally distribute her products. She even makes her own costumes! This Burlingame-based producer is known world wide as someone who likes to make quality cannabis products. Each piece has about 75mg of THC, so these little treats pack quite a punch. Kelly exclusively sells her products at events, so you won’t be seeing this brand in dispensaries quite yet.
Phytopurh
Phytopurh was a very interesting company to speak with at HempCon. They are planning a September launch, and were using this event to get a feel for the market place, as well as the branding utilized by other industry members. We were very impressed with their commitment to quality, as well as their simple and discreet branding. Definitely a good product to use as an introduction to those who are cautious about trying cannabis medicine.
Morning Sun Farms
This collective from Nevada City does it all. They make edibles, extracts, topicals, and their own flowers. It is always impressive to see cannabis companies take on all of the different stages of cannabis product manufacturing, and it is even more impressive how these folks have mastered each of these steps. Lab tests were prominently displayed for all of their products, which is exactly what the cannabis community needs when it comes to better information for patients.
Smoke Reports at Future Events
Smoke Reports will continue to attend events like HempCon and provide breakdowns of the different vendors who are offering wonderful cannabis products. If you ever miss a cannabis event, check out our blog to get the scoop on what is new in the cannabis industry. The next HempCon in the Bay Area is this September 18th-20th at the San Jose Convention Center.
For the most up to date info on Smoke Reports, follow us on Twitter @smokereports or like us on our Facebook page. If you would like to learn more about future cannabis expositions and conventions, please comment in the discussion section below, or reach out to us through our social media platforms.
The post Smoke Reports Reviews San Francisco HempCon 2015 appeared first on The Smoke Reporter.