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From the moment legal cannabis hit the market, weed scientists and eager capitalists alike have worked diligently to find as many different ways as possible to get consumers high. In just a few short years, we've gone from pipes and pre-rolls to dabs, moon rocks and infused bath bombs.
But perhaps the most egregious cannabinoid delivery system to hit the market in recent years is the cannabis cigar, or "cannagar." While the idea is tempting—puff on a pot-stuffed stogie for hours, like a stoned cartoon billionaire!—the price often dashes any hopes a common cannabis user has of trying one: Smaller "cannarillos" sell for about $120, while full-sized cigars can run up to $420.
California's Purple Rose Supply is trying to change that. With its do-it-yourself "CannaMold" kit, the company wants to help the less fortunate smoke like royalty by allowing you to pack your own cannagar.
Inspired by the classic Thai stick, the G2 CannaMold set includes the mold, several bamboo skewers, a wooden mouthpiece and a tamping tool for $44 (a larger version is available for $49). Per the instructions, the cannabis needs at least a few hours in the mold to take on the classic cigar shape, with a few days being preferable.
It sounds like a lot of work for someone whose favorite hobby is smoking weed and then sitting completely still. I had about an ounce left of some Deathstar OG I grew this summer, and with a weekend get-together approaching, I figured it'd be a fairly painless experiment. Best-case scenario, I could bring fancy weed cigars to all my future soirees! Worst case, a couple of friends would have a shitty experience they'd temporarily resent me for!
I decided to load the mold with 5 grams on Thursday night for plans I had on Saturday. Filling the mold was a fairly messy process—even with the built-in funnel, I still ended up vacuuming weed crumbs off the rug afterward. A small bamboo skewer threaded through the mold forms the core of the cigar. The tamping tool is built to fit around the skewer and compact the material, and fits perfectly into the chamber. All told, it took about eight minutes to fill on my first try.
Two days later, I removed the cannagar from the mold, with the assistance of the skewer handle. The instructions say to "roll your cannagar with your wrap of choice," so I went to my local dispensary, hoping for a tobaccoless wrap option and ended up with terpene-infused CannaWraps and a King Palm Palm Twist made from hand-rolled palm leaf. Using the included wood tip, I tried to roll the cannagar and tip into the CannaWrap, but the wrap was too narrow and couldn't enclose the entire cigar. It looked like I'd face the same issue with the Palm Twist. I jammed the cannagar into the end and stuck the wood tip on the other end. I lost some weed in the process, but I finally had what resembled a completed cigar.
When I showed up at my friends' house, everyone was skeptical that a cannagar would provide a better smoking experience than our standard methods. Most cannagars need a butane torch, but a classic Bic lighter did the job. Since cannagars have a hole running through the middle from where the skewer once was, you can't hit them in the same style you hit a joint. If you inhale with your mouth around the tip, you'll burn yourself—hence the provided wooden tip. It took some practice perfecting the puff, and I still don't know that there's a foolproof way of hitting a cigar that you actually are supposed to inhale. While Purple Rose claims the cannagar can last up to two hours, we ended up passing it around for just over 48 minutes—shorter than advertised but longer than we would have worked on a pre-roll or bowl.
Our post-mortem revealed some benefits to this method of smoking. The cannagar didn't crumble or canoe—no ash fell at all. It did seem the weed burned a little faster than the palm leaf, but not enough to make it inconvenient. No one coughed for the entire session. I'm not sure if aging in the mold helps, or if the hollow core somehow cools the smoke to make it less harsh, but the cannagar seemed to make my homegrown smoke smoother.
Being a stoner for so long, I didn't plan on being impressed. It seemed an excessive effort for a gimmick I'm not sure many consumers are clamoring for. But my second time filling the mold, I did it in only four minutes. I don't think cannagars will replace bongs or joints for me, but I wouldn't be surprised if they become my signature contribution to get-togethers. Make 3 grams last 45 minutes, with no refills? Even for lazy stoners, those numbers are hard to argue with.
BUY IT: The G2 Cannamold Set is available at purplerosesupply.com.