Jimi Devine
It’s time for our favorite L.A. cannabis picks for 2022 after another great year.
The list includes everything from prerolls to parties. Regardless of what on the list you choose to partake in, we can promise you a good time.
Best Preroll – Cali-X Preroll
Courtesy of Cali-X
We haven’t mentioned Los Angeles locals Cali-X in a bit, but it’s certainly been up to a lot. Specifically, it has some of the best in-house manufacturing SOP in the game for its prerolls and rosin. In this case, we’ll spotlight the prerolls. They are probably the nicest prerolls in California that don’t have any hash in them. When you rip them open, you are greeted by chunky material that could have only come from whole buds. They also smoke and taste great. If you’re a preroll person in general, these should be high on your list.
Best New Event Series – Doja Hollywood Strain Premiers
Courtesy of VisitHollyweed.com
Doja Pak already was doing numbers in L.A. even before we covered the RS-11 drop back in the day, which took things to the next level. This time it is breaking new ground again and taking over Thursday nights on the calendar with its Hollywood Strain Premiers. The event series essentially provides a mechanism for them to show off the new flavors in a direct-to-consumer format. The series started with the launch of Permanent Marker in June, one of the most prominent strains of 2022.
Best Blunts – Brothers Broadleaf
More people stepped their blunt game up in 2022 and the team at Brothers Broadleaf was leading that movement with their lineup of fantastic products. Even their bottom-tier Dudz line is better than everything else on the market. But they certainly shine the most on their Paxton’s Pearls and Connecticut Broadleaf lines. Both are exceptionally well done and light years ahead of what you’ll find behind the counter at the gas station. Keep an eye out on the website for the drops and don’t sleep when you see them available.
Best Deal – CAM
Courtesy of CAM
Year after year, California Artisinal Medicine continues to pump out the heat. This was reaffirmed earlier this year when it took home top honors at the Secret Sessions Cup. In the blind contest, CAM’s Kush Mints would reign supreme over the rest of the pack. Already known for its crazy deals, expect even more as its new Sacramento cathedral of heat comes online.
Best at living up to the hype – Alien Labs
Lemon Fuel OG – Courtesy of Alien Labs
Consistency is the name of the game to stay afloat in the current cannabis industry with many noting it’s the most brutal time for the game in history. This has led to a lot of fake hype by people desperate to sell their weed. Alien Labs is the opposite of that. The quality of the flower has led it to be one of the most popular and recognizable cannabis companies in the world. Be sure to get your hands on its new flavors; they were among our favorites at the recent edition of Hall of Flowers.
Best Legal Dabs – Kalya
Courtesy of Kalya
We featured Kalya in our 7/10 issue in 2021 and it’s only continued to crush it in the time since. A ton of new flavors are always one of the highlights, but its recent Emerald Cup win in Collaboration with Cosmic Edibles was delightful. Another new twist from Kalya since we last covered the company is cold-cured rosin. At first, it looked like Kalya was going to stay clear of the trend, but a fantastic batch of Marshmellow OG changed all of that in an instant. Kalya also has greatly expanded its footprint in Southern California over the last year, so it should be even easier to find them all over town.
Best New Local Flavors – Maven
French Laundry – Courtesy of Maven
Maven continued its expansion efforts in 2022 with a new flagship dispensary off Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana. The main thing backing Maven’s expansion while much of the game is hurting? Great genetics. Maven consistently delivers some of the best recreational cannabis grown in California. Its wide lineup of flavors is sure to have something for everyone, but the latest standout has to be the French Laundry. The French Laundry was one of the top strains at the Santa Rosa edition of Hall of Flowers.
Best Import – Fig Farms
Courtesy of Fig
The Emerald Cup opened up the indoor category last year to make the contest more inclusive to L.A. cultivators. Unfortunately, the Oakland OGs at Fig Farms would have none of it and took the trophy home for themselves. The new lineup from Fig is even nicer than the gear that took for spots in the top 20 at the cup. A lot of its past hype was driven by its defining renditions of Seed Junkie strains, but founder Keith Healy just popped a ton of seeds of his work. Fig’s in-house genetics were regularly featured on podiums in the mid-2010s before the contest hiatus but in addition to The Emerald Cup they just one the Illinois Cannabis Cup.
Best Celebrity Weed – Squintz
The only celebrity brand with 20 years of experience, besides B-Real, Chauncey Leopardi’s Squintz line continues to deliver the heat to Los Angeles. The lineup of flavors was even competitive enough to be featured in the inaugural edition of Zalympix. Squintz also was one of the first recreational brands to move over to a clamshell case inside the mylar to protect the nugs. The recent collaboration with Foreign Genetics on the Wendy was another hit and it was of course named for the most famous kiss of Leopardi’s life. But don’t expect to find a gimmick in the bag, it’s all heat.
Best New event – Zalympix
Courtesy of Greenwolf
Over the last year-and-a-half, few things have stormed the cannabis scene in Los Angeles quite like Greenwolf’s Zalympix. The idea of one of the premier dispensaries in L.A. hosting a contest made perfect sense, but I don’t think anyone could imagine how fast the series would take off. There is a reasonable argument to be made the contest is now the second most respected in the state, after The Emerald Cup. Greenwolf also is opened Green Wolf South LA last Saturday at 5400 S. Broadway.
Best OG Event – The Secret Sesh
Courtesy of The Secret Sesh
Arguably the most respected cannabis event series on the planet, The Secret Sesh came out of the pandemic with no lost steam. After transitioning to digital media a bit more while the world was closed, it came flying out the gates when it opened back up. Why? Because of the event’s decade of dedication to providing Angelenos a great time and access to some of the best weed on the planet. The recent Halloween festivities were as popping as ever.
Best New Local Brand – Serge Cannabis
Blackberry Gary – Courtesy of Serge Cannabis.
On the heels of the Blackberry Gary launch, Serge Cannabis has made waves up and down the state. Sure its founder and namesake already etched his name in L.A. cannabis history with his efforts to help launch Cookies Maywood and Fiore, but if Serge keeps dropping heat like the Blackberry Gary, it won’t be long until we have to add Serge’s latest endeavor to his list of L.A. accomplishments for sure.
Best Local Weed Holiday – Free Seed Day
Free Seed Day has quickly turned into one of the most iconic days of the year for Los Angeles cannabis enthusiasts. Hosted at Masonic’s on Fairfax, the day is a celebration of Los Angeles genetics. Last year even saw an appearance from the always elusive Capulator. Keep an eye on Masonic Smoker’s Instagram page. This year it took place in April just a few days before 4/20, just in time to get your seeds popped and into the yard for summer.
Fidels – Most Deservingly Hyped Local Flower
Courtesy of Fidel’s
When we covered Fidel’s transcontinental adventures in our 7/10 issue, we spent a lot of time going over how he brought the Hash Hole-style preroll back from Barcelona. But his flowers also are crazy, a month after we ran that story, he would win the L.A. edition of the Transbay Challenge I host. The KMZ was a Zkittelz Terp-heavy delight. It was easy to see why the judges were so excited about it and why the community is so excited to see flowers coming out of his new facility.
Best Cuts – Green Dragon
Green Dragon continues not only to provide Los Angeles with well above-average flowers and also great genetics. While many would horde the dope cuts the team at Green Dragon has secured over the years, they’re mothering them up and getting them out to the masses. A lot of people appreciate the commercial viability of clones given the lottery ticket aspect of buying seeds, not everyone is going to be a winner.
Best Local Garden for a Diverse Palate – 3C Farms
3C expanded into Downtown in 2022. They brought with them one of the widest lineups of flavors in the state. Whether you’re looking for a great OG, a Jack that turns back the clock, or some weird lime thing you’ve never even smoked before, 3C Farms has you covered. That being said, the OGs are what put it on the map and that should be your first pick when you visit the shop for the first time.
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