Tommy Chong's weed is coming to a pipe near you. Seven dispensaries in Colorado quietly began carrying Chong's Choice flower this week. The modest yet carefully thought-out cannabis line consists of three strains, marketed simply as Chong's Choice Indica, Sativa and Hybrid. The genetics of the three strains: the indica is Grape Stomper, the hybrid is Blue Dream, and the sativa is Durban Haze.
Chong's Choice is modest for a celebrity line, relying less on packaging and more on overall bud quality. The Chong flower is grown by Verde Natural, a small Denver cultivator whose storefront on East Colfax Avenue is medical-only, but which sells wholesale recreationally, as is the case with the Chong line. Verde is best known for its eco-conscious practices, including grows that are solar-powered, soil-amended and pesticide-free.
Chong's Choice is not pre-packaged, but instead sold fresh out of a jar, so that your budtender at any of the participating stores will be weighing and selling you buds on sight. "It's been selling like crazy," says Erika Lindenauer, manager of the Edgewater location of Northern Lights. The line was just put on the shelf this past Monday.
The select shops that carry the line were chosen by Chong's team and reflect a smaller, more close-knit side of the weed industry — especially when compared with other celebrities' weed ventures, including Snoop's teaming with LivWell.
Chong's full line of pre-rolls and edibles will launch in October, when the stoner legend himself plans to make an in-person visit to the stores pedaling his bud. He'll also be meeting winners of a VIP meet-and-greet contest that you can sign up for on Monday, August 22; stay tuned to Westword for an announcement when the contest sign goes live.
To hold you over, here are the seven shops where you can try Chong's Choice bud today.
Karing Kind
5854 Rawhide Court, Boulder
303-449-9333
Northern Lights Cannabis Company
2045 Sheridan Boulevard, Edgewater
303-274-6495
Northern Lights Cannabis Company
183 West Alameda Avenue, Denver
303-736-6999 AMA Dispensary
1269 Elati Street, Denver
303-993-4547
Affinity Dispensary
7741 East Colfax Avenue, Denver
720-479-8458
Verts Neighborhood Dispensary
1240 West Elizabeth Street, Fort Collins
970-286-2318
Green Grass Wellness Center
440 Lawrence Street, Central City
303-582-5088
The Kind Room
1881 South Broadway, Denver
720-266-3136