Five Colorado Cannabis Products Worth the Search

Shopping for weed in Denver is equal parts fun and frustrating: There's no shortage of products to choose from, but figuring out what to spend your money on gets difficult.

Always scouring dispensaries for the best strains, hash, and edibles in Denver, I'm happy to share my high notes with you. Here are five brands or products that I've found impressive; you might have to drive across town to get them, but they're worth the effort.

Bubba's Kush Cultivation
There are just a handful of top-tier growers out there, and now one more has forced itself into the fold:  Bubba's Kush. Its Divine Kush Breath and Donny Burger are both smooth and on point, and the Runtz stacks up with other heavyweight wholesale cultivations like Cherry and Snaxland. My favorite so far from Bubba's Kush, however, is the Georgia Pie, which tasted like a peach pit and treated me like family. I visited the same dispensary twice in two days to make sure I had one more jar of this Rocky Mountain spin on Southern hospitality; fingers crossed that Bubba's Kush brings it back this fall.

Dialed In's Recent Collaborations
Dialed In is no longer unique as a rosin-infused edible — numerous competitors have entered the fold — but recent collaborations with the extraction teams at Lazercat and Viola have once again separated Dialed In from the pack. Flavors like Grape Punch, Pineapple Express and Tropical Punch pay homage to popular cannabis strains without turning off taste buds, and the effects are always robust and consistent. The recent drops remind me of softer, juicier versions of Scooby Doo or Shark Bites gummies from the early 2000s, and are much more enjoyable than 99 percent of the distillate edibles out there.
Egozi Rosin
Founded by local mixed martial arts fighter Elias Egozi and his family, Egozi also has local hashlord Mikey Dabs It on the team. Passionate about his craft and insistent on using quality press screens and extraction techniques, Mikey Dabs It has turned Egozi's extraction lab into equal parts fruit stand and gas station. Each little solventless ball of Grease Monkey, Trop Cookies or Super Boof is sure to take your tongue on a wild ride, and the high scores extremely well in both stamina and clarity. Egozi has a limited drop list and has sold out quickly in Denver and Boulder area stores since launching, but medical patients can get it straight from Egozi's South Platte neighborhood dispensary, Alto.

Green Dot Labs Flavor Pack
We always get the standard "indica, sativa or hybrid" question from budtenders, and I always give the same response: I'm looking for flavor. Green Dot Labs, fresh off rightfully lauded releases of Cherry Fluff, Dali and older favorites like Lemon Butter Rum, has heard that plea. Even in the form of vape pens (hardly my favorite form of use), the brand's rosin is smooth, flavorful and fun, thanks to Flavor Packs. The two-cartridge vape packages come in Funk, Juicy, Love and Tiki flavors, with each combination intended to hit specific taste buds. I've been reminded of cocktails, smoothies and hashy parmesan cheese so far, and am exciting to learn more during future travels. Because these things are now accompanying me on all trips.

Smokiez Agave Syrup
If you're a daily or regular edibles user, then listen to the wise words of Wu-Tang Financial: You need to diversify. Most of Smokiez products can be found on the gummy shelf, but the brand's infused agave syrup, available in various THC, CBD and CBG combinations, allows you to ingest cannabinoids in a variety of ways. Morning tea or coffee, baked goods, lemonade, cocktails — whatever you're in the mood for, this can sweeten it. Smokiez syrup is a little hard to find right now in Denver, but a handful of stores carry it, and it's worth searching out.