Now that we’re at the end of the year, and the beginning of a new one, I’m excited to start sharing my thoughts about the best cannabis products across North America. We’re kicking things off with a comprehensive list of the best weed in California, plus I’ve decided to include a bunch of mine and Mitch Pfeifer’s favorite selections for retailers and brands as well.
The “best” of anything is super subjective and in this case, what I consider to be the best is really based on my personal experience with each brand, product, or retailer. I weighed out my experiences and talked with Mitch about taste, flavor, potency, and all of the usual 10 various categories we consider when it comes to our product reviewing process.
For retailers, I considered their menu, the deals they run, prices they list items for, and ultimately made a decision to support these companies because they do a really solid job of attracting someone like myself. I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to visit any dispensaries north of Sacramento or Santa Rosa. So, I called in a favor from Greg Welch aka Cannabiscapes, who gave us some solid recommendations for dispensaries and sun grown flower.
If you disagree, have a recommendation, or want to mention someone I missed, please let us know in the comments or hit us directly via email (info@respectmyregion.com).
The Best Weed In California (RMR’s 2022 List)
Best Rapper or Celebrity Weed
Listed in no particular order, these products are what I consider to be the best of the best when it comes to the best rapper or celebrity weed in California. Every single one of the products, strains, and brands listed below are pushing out fire.
The Marathon Cultivation is Nipsey Hussle’s cannabis cultivation entity and most, if not all, of the strains they have on their lineup go crazy. Cookies is obviously the king, queen, and everything in between when it comes to being best of the best for rapper weed and now celebrity weed too. For everything else I listed, I would proudly purchase and be excited to share all of the products.
- The Marathon Cultivation w/ Nipsey Hussle
- Gumbo By Flytrap Official and Cookies
- Birkinz By Quavo
- Wham! By Lil Baby
- Squintz By Squints from Sandlot
- YG OG by YG
- Cookies By Berner
- The Smoker’s Club By Teds Budz
- Khalifa Kush By Wiz Khalifa and Floracal
- Marathon OG w/ Nipsey Hussle and The Cure Company
Really Really Fire Indoor Flower
Top Shelf Cultivation was the High Times 2022 People’s Choice first place winner for both of the ‘Best Indica’ flower and pre-rolled joint categories. I 100% co-sign that community decision and also have to encourage other cannasseurs to try the other strains I’ve listed below too. I’m a big Gelato 41 fan, Kush, and I love a really electric Runtz or Gelato cut too. For my palate, everything on this brief list hits a home run, and does so every single time. Have you tried these? Please let me know if I missed something.
- Whoa-Si-Whoa By Top Shelf Cultivation
- Gelato 41 By Connected
- Kush Mints By CAM
- Adios Mother Fucker By Cookies
- Sherbacio By Alien Labs
- CureLato Runtz By The Cure Company
Best Sungrown Flower
Historically, Northern California has been the #1 provider of really great cannabis. Cultivating up in the mountains and away from the majority of civilization, the NorCal farmers that are currently in the the recreational cannabis industry work hard to keep their culture and businesses alive.
Each of the brands on this list brings something powerful to the table. Some of them have really dope brands combined with premium weed, others have great weed and maybe not the best branding. The fun thing about sungrown flower is that almost always, the people who grow this way try to do so in sustainable ways with less impact on the environment. The cannabis also tends to have incredibly terpy flavor profiles and is presented in a way that is more craft than the standard commercial jars or bags we tend to see in major cities. These are not just cannabis companies, they’re family and friends who own and operate small businesses.
I visited Humboldt and Santa Rosa twice this year and was able to get my hands on flower from each of these groups, confirming that they definitely cultivate some of the best sungrown flower. Since I wasn’t able to test more flower products out that way this year, my friend Cannabiscapes shared his recommendations too. Please let us know if we missed anything!
- Farmer and The Felon
- Huckleberry Hills Farms
- Farm+Cut
- Greenshock Farms
- Sol Spirit Farms
- Wild Land Farms
- Savage Farms
- Strong Mountain Farms
Favorite OG Kush
OG Kush used to be available everywhere in California. Nowadays, it’s getting harder and harder to find really good, or pure, OG, and only a few cultivators really do it at an extremely high level. I’m proud to say that The Cure Company, Originals, True Classic, CAM, and Floracal, are all doing a really great job at cultivating great OG Kush.
- Marathon OG By The Cure Company
- Oaksterdam OG By Originals
- True Classic OG By True Classic
- Gelato OG By CAM
- Khalifa Kush By Wiz Khalifa and Floracal
Best and Favorite Exotic Cuts
In California, there is a never-ending supply of exotic weed. The Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Central Valley, Central Coast, The Desert, and Los Angeles are all growing really great exotic cannabis. The list below features a group of really solid products, great smoking experiences, and flavor profiles that left mine and Mitch’s mouths wanting more smoke. When Mitch or I pull up to dispensaries, we always ask for whatever is the best, or whatever people are talking about the most. There’s definitely a lot more strains and products out there that we missed this year, but the cold reality is that we buy based on what the community is telling us is the “best of the best.” Please let us know what we should try, or if you disagree with our list, hop in the comments and let us know!
- Adios Mother Fucker By Cookies
- Giraffe Puzzy By Doja Pak
- Blue Agave By Cookies
- Jokersz 31 By Compound Genetics
- Zashimi By Laughing Gas
- Envy By Seven Leaves
- V-Power By Oakfruitland
- Revenge Runtz By Fiore
Favorite “Hype” Brands
Clout and hype, two words that have infiltrated my life more than I ever thought possible. When associated with cannabis it’s usually done in a way where someone develops a perceived level of quality, or some other kind of expectation, and projects it or associates it to a brand.
For example, we often hear people say Cookies is all hype and the weed sucks, and that this is because they’ve gone commercial, and the quality has dropped. I’ve heard this about Alien Labs, Connected, The Marathon OG from The Cure Company, and others on this list too.
The reality is that every single brand on this list offers cannabis that is actually pretty good, if not great, and they do so in most, if not every single one of the markets they operate in. Traveling all over the states and world in 2022, I repeatedly heard brands like Alien Labs, Connected, Cookies, Runtz, Teds Budz, and even Fidel’s, mentioned in conversations about hype brands from California. Is it worth trying? Why are the items so expensive? Those rappers don’t even know what good weed is, why should I buy that?
I’ve honestly heard it all and in a few different languages now too. S/o Cookies for being worldwide.
The reality on these brands is that they did build that hype that caught your attention. They earned whatever clout you think they have. These brands and their teams absolutely crush it day in and day out. If you don’t care about smoking really super fire weed, or something that might be considered best of the best, then this list of brands and their products just doesn’t apply to you. Move on and keep smoking whatever else you’re on.
- Cookies
- Alien Labs
- Runtz
- Connected
- Teds Budz
- Fidel’s
- Fiore
Best and Favorite Midsy Flower Brands
In 2022, I really tried not to smoke that many mids. Although historically a problem for me, this year I was blessed and primarily smoked a bunch of the best weed across North America. What I did smoke that would qualify as “mids” included the brands on this list, plus a few others that were so bad they shouldn’t be mentioned. In terms of the best mids in California, Panacea secured that title when they literally named a portion of their product line Midz, put it in nice mylar bags, and priced it as a midsy line too. Two other brands, Lolo and Pacific Stone, are respected across California for their very specific mids level of quality. They also price their products appropriately while offering better quality than one would expect at their respected price points.
- Panacea (Midz)
- Lolo
- Pacific Stone
Best Pre-Rolls
In 2022, I reviewed a ton of pre-rolled joints and more blunts than I’d ever done before too. Our YouTube channel received more than 25 new reviews from California alone. In terms of who I think really has the best all flower joints, it truly is a toss-up between Top Shelf Cultivation’s Whoa-Si-Whoa, and pretty much any of your favorite strains from Alien Labs or Connected.
- Top Shelf Cultivation
- Connected
- Alien Labs
- Originals
- Cannabiotix aka CBX
- The Cure Company
Best Infused Pre-Rolls
There are a ton of different ways people are infusing pre-rolls these days. We’re seeing a bunch of melted THC diamonds being called liquid diamonds. I’ve seen a bunch of average flower infused with those diamonds then rolled up into joints. Some get painted with distillate and dusted with kief, some don’t.
The world of infused joints expanded heavily into rosin this year. We as consumers had seen the joints described as hash infused, kief infused, live resin infused, and even ice water hash for some of the more elevated folks, but never had there been very many rosin products. I went from smoking zero hash holes from 2009-2021, to smoking probably 40 or so this year. I purchased ten or so at retailers, s/o to Fidel’s and LA Family Farms, and then got ahold of another ten or so from the traditional market. Rosin prices are also dropping in California, so it’s been great buying $20-$30 grams of rosin and rolling up my own too.
In terms of best of the best, the list I have below is a solid one to rock with if you spend your money on infused pre-rolled joints or blunts at dispensaries. Fidel’s Hash Holes are kind of pricey but the quality is 100% worth the ticket. I have yet to be disappointed. LA Family Farms features really great flower and rosin and is 100% delicious and worth checking out too. Cookies latest diamond infused blunts were actually all really good, like light years better than the blunts they ran with in 2021. The flower was great and the diamonds actually were noticeable from a potency standpoint.
The cold truth is that I honestly hated 99% of the infused joints I tried this year. People think they can compete with Jeeter and they simply can’t. Stiiizy’s joints come close but don’t burn for five minutes and almost always don’t even have flower all the way to the tip. Don’t even get me started on their live-resin joints, or the King Roll’s from Loudpack either. I’m also going to take a shot at Gelato for having what my friends describe as the state’s worst infused joints. People we usually give free weed to won’t even take these from us when we get them as BOGO’s at shops in the valley. I’ve also given up smoking them because I usually get the minis and they’re smashed or super wet.
- Fidel’s Hash Hole
- LA Family Farms Hash Hole
- Cookies Diamond Blunts
- Jeeter (Seasonal Drops)
Best Edibles
There are a few things you all should know about me. One, I have a crazy sweet tooth. Two, I sleep terribly due to back pain. Three, I love buying weed candies and using them for daily aches, cravings, and also to help me sleep at night.
I’ve been using cannabis to manage my sleep since 2016-2017. I started having notable back pain and stiffness because I was working from home and on my computer or phone all the time. Fast forward to today, the sleep issues and back pain still exist, but are better managed thanks to various cannabis products. This list features five of what I would consider to be the best weed edibles in California.
If you think we missed a product or two, let me know in the comments.
- Space Gems Assorted Sours
- Kiva Lost Farms Live Resin (Saint JHN Collab)
- 4Front Ventures Hi-Burst (Sour Cherry)
- Camino Sour Peach
- Wyld 1:1 or CBN
Favorite Vapes
Having previously worked for a vape company, I became a daily vaper and found myself ripping distillate, live resin, sauce blends, rosin carts, and just about anything and everything in between, pretty much all the time. In 2022, I made it a point to consume significantly less vape products, but still managed to try a ton of different products.
For cheaper more affordable vapes, Stiiizy really makes it hard to not be the top option. Their distillate with botanical terpenes seems to be a crowd favorite, and when I tried it I actually enjoyed myself too. That battery definitely is better than a basic 510 thread cart and their terpene blends are just better than other companies with the same type of distillate meets botanical terp vapes. For their live rosin, I legitimately enjoyed using their battery, and the rosin inside the pod had great flavor that was accurate for the strain.
Ursa and Rove are two other brands that are pretty popular here in California. Both deliver really great live resin vapes and I believe they’re both offering rosin now too. I hope to review those in 2023 so stay tuned!
- Stiiizy Distillate w/ Botanical Terpenes
- Stiiizy Live Rosin
- Ursa Extracts Live Resin
- Rove Featured Farms Live Resin
Best Beverage
My bank account is notably lower in 2022 and part of that is because I started drinking. I know, I know, but at least it’s not alcohol, right?! These three companies have developed absolutely fantastic beverages. So fantastic that if I have cash on me at all, and I happen to be inside a dispensary that sells these flavors or items, there is 100% chance that I’ll buy a can or two, or a four-pack if I can.
- Green Monkè Tropical Citrus
- Pabst Blue Ribbon Mango Orange
- Wunder Blackberry Lemon
Best and Favorite Rosin
I’m going to keep it a buck (100) with y’all and admit to the fact that I am not the headiest smoker, or dabber in the room. I have been dabbing rosin and immersing myself in that culture since 2017, but I’m certainly not the guy who walks around with multiple grams of cold cure live rosin with each one costing anywhere from $50-$150 a unit. I don’t have a crazy fancy terp slurper or a terp timer, and I’ve only dabbed on a Mothership piece maybe twice in my life.
What I do have is experience at more than 50 farms, grows, and labs, and I do dab all different types of extracts every single day. The science behind rosin is no easy task and the brands on this list have proven themselves as masters of their craft. Some of these brands are more commercial or craft than others, and that is part of what makes what they do so great. I definitely enjoy consuming products from each of these five brands and recommend trying anything you see from them. In terms of my pick for best in California, I think 710 Labs is best in terms of being at commercial scale with craft definitely still included. I think Kalya is best at this California craft scale with MSO commercial scale just around the corner. The subtle and/or major difference here is that 710 Labs is widely regarded as best in America for licensed and legal rosin, whereas Kalya is only really considered in that convo for California. Not a bad situation to be in either way so just go take some dabs and enjoy the terps.
- Terp Mansion (Cured)
- Punch Extracts
- Papa & Barkley
- Kalya
- 710 Labs
Photo of (Papaya x Mimosa) x ZT Wilson
Kalya Genetics x Dancing Dog Ranch
Taste Notes: Grapefruit, Guava, Candy, Citrus
Sativa-Dominant Hybrid
Best Health & Wellness Brands and Products
Another day means another chance for aches, pains, illnesses, or other things to try and take away your shine. For me, my mother, and one of my grandmothers, we sometimes are only able to deal with our pains because of the assistance cannabis products provide.
My mother and I both suffer from severe digestive issues. My oldest grandmother recently had major shoulder, arm, and facial surgery. Depending on what the issue is that day, we might use Buddies Fire & Ice Topical, or go the route of tinctures or RSO. I’ve found that I really enjoy the multi-strain blends that GetZen utilizes for certain products. The strain specific RSO Tablets from Emerald Bay Extracts are great if your certain strains are the magic you need. My mom and I, we both also really enjoy the capsules with specific ratios from Proof Extracts. And then of course there is Papa & Barkley, arguably the most popular and best-performing Health & Wellness brand in California. Everything we’ve used from their company works great, including my favorite product, their super potent topicals.
- GetZen RSO
- Papa & Barkley (Topicals, Tinctures, Patches, Pills, Edibles)
- Emerald Bay Extracts RSO Tablets
- Proof Extracts RSO
- Buddies Fire & Ice Topical
Notably Dope Brands With Fire Products (Not Mentioned Elsewhere)
The brands on this list all do something phenomenal in one way or another. Flower companies like Maven Genetics, Claybourne, Peakz, Lumpys, Fig Farms, Ember Valley, Clade 9,420 Kingdom, West Coast Cure, and Highnstein Cross Joints all offer really solid products. Uncle Arnies, Tsumo Snacks, Cann, Smokiez, and Plug N’ Play also provide California premium products ranging from vapes and beverages to gummies, crackers, chips, and infused apple juice!
- Maven Genetics
- 420 Kingdom
- Uncle Arnies
- Claybourne
- Smokiez
- Clade 9
- Cann
- Artet
- Peakz
- Lumpys
- Fig Farms
- Plug N’ Play
- Ember Valley
- Tsumo Snacks
- West Coast Cure
- Highnstein Cross Joints
Breeders Killing The Game
If you were to look at a list of all the different weed I smoked this last year, I’m sure there would be a large number of items that featured parent genetics from these breeders. I don’t want to pick one as the best, because that would ultimately be based on what I like to smoke. So, below I’ve listed out seven breeders who are currently crushing it, and who did the damn thing in 2022. If you are one of the breeders below or know the strains and cuts that these teams created, I encourage you to search for your strains on YouTube to see if we’ve reviewed something on our channel.
- Archive Genetics
- Compound Genetics
- Exotic Genetics
- Grandiflora Genetics
- Powerzzzup
- Purple City Genetics
- Seed Junky Genetics
Dopest Packaging
When a customer goes into a dispensary, or looks at a delivery service’s online menu, the packaging is one of the biggest selling points alongside the strain name, THC percentage or milligram, and price point. The brands on this list have created super dope packaging that is both eye-catching, unique, and it has to be dope. No other edible brand kills it the way Wyld does in terms of packaging. Their unique design opens up like a flower and is consistent from state to state. Teds Budz and Cookies both crush at the super clean culture meets hype meets streetwear vibe, plus the weed is phenomenal inside. Mitch’s pick was Laughing Gas with their custom gas-masked themed bag that is also shaped to match the design.
- Laughing Gas
- Teds Budz
- Cookies
- Jeeter (Seasonal Drops)
- Wyld
Best Hardware For Smoking, Vaping, Dabbing
There are all kinds of devices and tools you can use to assist with cannabis consumption. I am a daily user of the Guardian Edition Puffco Peak Pro, am a former user of the Ispire Daab, and currently utilize the Mamba Electric Grinder alongside Vibes Papers and Raw Rolling Tips. Asking around to my fellow dabbers and smokers across North America, the Focus Carta and Toqi Dab Bundle are two other clear-cut crowd favorites in terms of portable smoking devices.
- Toqi Dab Bundle
- Puffco Peak Pro Guardian Edition
- Focus Carta
- Ispire Daab
- Mamba Electric Grinder
- Vibes Rolling Papers
- Raw Rolling Tips
Favorite Dispensaries
With the exception of the retailers up in Santa Rosa, Humboldt, and Northern California above Sacramento, all of these other dispensaries listed below are ones that I have actually visited. I’m proud to say that every single one of the retailers offers great products, consistently attractive or valuable deals, and super competitive pricing.
Each of these shops brings something great to the table and aims to have a positive impact on your day.
- Los Angeles: Cookies Maywood, City Compassionate Caregivers DTLA, Pineapple Express Hollywood
- Bay Area: Berner’s On Haight, Embarc, SPARC
- Sacramento: 420 F Street, The Sanctuary, NUG
- San Diego: March & Ash, Cookies La Mesa
- Long Beach: Catalyst, LB Collective, The Circle
- Orange County: Evergreen, Tropicanna, Mr. Nice Guy
- Central Coast: Megan’s Organic Market, Cal Green Medical, Elevate (Lompoc)
- Central Valley: Valley Pure, Cookies Coalinga, Patient Care First
- The Desert: West Coast Cannabis Club, Green Dragon, Dr. Greenthumb
- Inland Empire: Plant Galaxy, Stiiizy, Cookies, Shango
- Santa Rosa, Humboldt, and North California: Plant Shop, One Log, Papa & Barkley Lounge
Available at LB Collective in Long Beach or Los Angeles via Green Lion Delivery or Market Run Delivery for Orange County
