Time to kick back and shmoke some weeeed. Jay & Silent Bob products, from the Caviar Gold instagram feed.
I first became aware of Caviar Gold products about two years ago, soon after recreational shops first appeared in LA, when this stoner band I sometimes hang out with was having practice. After a couple of pipes had already been passed around enthusiastically, one of the members pulled out a small container of Moonrocks–bud which has been infused with high-test hash oil, then dusted with a layer of kief to keep it from sticking to everything. The bowl made its way around the circle precisely one time, before the band all stared at their hands and collectively declared practice over.
This made an impression. I looked for the Caviar Gold products, and only spotted them in my local SF Valley stores once. Foolishly, I passed on them for a lower priced infused option, which turned out to be disappointing. But the name Caviar Gold had entered my lexicon as the maker of some legit desirable high quality product.
It hit my radar again recently, when I expanded my view to the offerings at West LA’s Herbarium, and found that not only was CG still around, as a national brand with sponsorships, they had recently launched a set of products in conjunction with Jay And Silent Bob, nee Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. It’s a laughably logical branding opportunity for Tinseltown’s most famous pot dealers, who happen to have a new movie to promote.
Intrigued by the descriptions and user reviews, which suggested a celebrity tie-in of actual quality, I reached out to the company. They were kind enough to provide samples of two signature prerolls – a J&SB branded Berserker joint, and their popular Cavi Cone, this one of the Strong Berry variety.
Neither of these products are exactly like Moonrocks, missing the powdery kief coating, but they serve a similar purpose – “weed plus,” something a little stronger than usual, not as intense as straight hash oil, that you can smoke using a normal pipe and lighter. But these joints remove the muss and fuss. One of those minor annoyances tied to a great pleasure, you inevitably end up wasting some of your Moonrocks. You just do. No matter how careful you try to be, it still gets stuck to the jar and your fingers and the tray and everything, especially when it’s hot, and this is California. I mean, it’s February as I write this and already hot enough that you do not want to leave that stuff in the car for long hours.
These prerolls can be puffed upon as desired, then dropped back into the plastic tube they call home, where they will go out quickly and leave you set up for an easy re-light. No sticky fingers are involved, and I appreciate that there is no kief rubbed on the outside of the paper as with some infused prerolls – that stuff always burns off without half of it getting in my mouth anyway. If you insist on breaking open the paper to smoke the contents in a water pipe, the distillate-infused herb inside is a little oily but still much easier to manipulate than sticky-ass rocks.
I started with the Berserker joint, the hybrid choice of their three infused strains. (Snoogans are their indica, and Snoochie Boochies their sativa, Smith’s chosen favorite.) The tube included a little Berserker Jay three-panel comic written by Smith, a cute and chortle-inducing touch.
This is the first infused product I have ever seen which promises a roughly 50/50 mix of THC (28.7%) and CBD (24.3%)- this is accomplished by using a CBD-rich distillate atop high-THC bud. The taste is strong with oil, but not bad. I prefer my weed products without added flavorings. The distillate infusion gives it a darker character in the burn, which is slightly moist as the oil begins to ignite.
I made it maybe half an inch down before I had to let the J extinguish itself in its tube for the first time. The hit to the forehead was immediate, and the body sensation was especially nice, warm and blankety. It turned out to be one of those nights for leaving YouTube on the TV auto-seeking old music videos based on my recent preferences. This old chestnut was one that came up, a stoney moment of New Wave psychedelia. Any moment that brings this song into your life is to be cherished.
Over several hours, I finished the whole thing, though it took several sessions. At its most effective, it was making a great contribution to pain relief while keeping my mood considerably sedated. It did feel like a somewhat different sensation than one typically encounters, with an intense come-on that fades over time, prompting more hits. I’m told that CBD can actually help counteract the unpleasant effects of a too-intense THC high, but in this case, it certainly didn’t stop the THC from being heavily felt. It may however, have helped the most intense effects pass away a little more quickly. It’s like you’re talking yourself right up to the edge, and then taking a little something extra to help you back down.
This was nice, and worth pursuing for someone who’s interested in trying a 50/50 CBD-THC blend in a smokeable product. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that it eventually smoked down to the stub before bedtime. I’m not super used to spending $25 on one night of cannabis fun, even if it was more fun than usual. Nevertheless, if money is no object, I would say this one comes Recommended for someone who needs an especially effective pain reliever that is not an overwhelming high.
The following night, I broke out the Strong Berry Cavi Cone, and did a double take when I saw the THC ratios. While no percentage is provided on the label, it indicated this one infused joint contained 469 mg of THC and 45 mg CBD, compared to 287 and 244, respectively, in the Berserker. This was going to get me waaay more high, with way less CBD to help with the comedown. I said my prayers and jumped in.
The berry flavoring is indeed strong, not my personal favorite aspect, though if one has to endure an added flavor, this wasn’t unpleasant. The marijuana however, is what we came for, and the heavy indica in here is, evident from the first taste and lung expansion, fucking hella potent.
There used to be a challenge of sorts online, the goal being to consume one of these babies in fifteen minutes. (The company does not endorse this activity, officially, but that hasn’t stop Kevin Smith from doing it for his podcast.) I don’t need to be macho in my partying and have no trouble saying, I think I would wuss out of that challenge almost immediately. Half of this stick, puffed a few hits at a time over three sessions, got me got high AF, all night. And higher than usual, by a good amount. Once in a while, even we veterans find a weed product that penetrates our skulls like the stuff used to back in the day. This really is that product. This is the thing that would shut down a stoner band’s band practice, in case you ever need to do that. I’m not even going to comment on the stuff I watched that night, half of it I can’t remember. This was part of it though, I do remember that much. Ugh.
High AF is not necessarily how I want to go about my day every day, so the remaining half a Cavi Cone provided a little boost to my final bowl of human-strength herb before bedtime, over the next three days. I’m still old fashioned enough to believe that less is more where concentrates are concerned, no matter how good and pure they are. Having an ecstatic feeling once in a while can be sublime, burning out your receptors through over-use is a bummer. This one did have pain relief qualities as well, though be advised that they come with that powerful ganja high as a side effect.
This product is not going to be for everyone, and I would urge approaching with caution, even experienced stoners. But if you are up for the heavy head, anxious to jump into the deep fryer, this product is definitely and highly Recommended. Right now this second, it is the most recommended infused-bud product I know about. $25 is a premium price for a single joint but for someone who uses it like me, this is more like buying a few days’ supply of hash, and worth it. The attention to quality and potency is more than evident, and I can see why a career pothead like Smith would develop a taste for the stuff. Snoochie boochies indeed, dudes.
Thanks to Mike at Caviar Gold and the Herbarium in West Hollywood for hooking me up with this review sample.
Really great writing here, thanks !