Hi there, and welcome to The Dealers Diary - my musings on the cannabis industry in California, New York and Washington, and building Halara.
If you missed past emails, I recommend checking out the Dealers page where you can see the past emails I sent.
In today's entry: a week in Arcata | the 4/20 that started it all | Northern Lights
The Desk
Hey Dealers,
This one's coming out a bit late today because I was grabbing coffee and going on a quick catch-up walk with Brian Bresee, who is a near and dear friend. For those of you who know Brian, you know he’s a real one.
This week I'm writing from Arcata, up in Humboldt County. For those who don't know it, this is about as northern California as you can get before you hit the Oregon border, and it's where a whole lot of the weed in this state actually gets grown. It's also where the crew at Up North calls home, so I came up to catch up with them in person.
The best part of the trip was seeing Brian, one of the sales reps at Up North. Brian is the reason Up North and Halara are together at all. We met years ago at a 4/20 at the Sundial store in Redding, got to talking, and he's the one who brought us up to the team here. Without that day in Redding we wouldn't be where we are, so it was really lovely to grab a beer and catch up with an old friend.
Me and Brian this morning.
I also got dinner at Cafe Phoenix with Geoff, who runs Up North, as big things are coming up with new drops in CA. If you come to visit Eureka and Arcata, definitely go here for food. It's all locally sourced and the chorizo burrito is top tier (yes, I know I'm turning this into a food newsletter).
Beer and a book. At this bar on Tuesday night the "Liver King” was in town and bought the bar drinks. I shit you not.
In between, I got outside as much as I could. I went for a run through the redwoods, which never gets old no matter how many times I do it, and then went birding around the Arcata Marsh and found eight birds I'd never seen before, then stood and watched the sun go down over the bay!
The morning run.
Sunset over Arcata Bay. I mean look at this^
And last, the one y'all have to go to: Cafe Mokka. This is a hidden gem. It's a coffee shop in the front, and then out back there's a Finnish sauna and private hot tubs. You get your coffee, then sit in a hot tub under the trees before you hit the sauna. I did the whole session and it was so lovely.
Cafe Mokka. Coffee in the front, sauna in the back.
If you're ever up this way, walk the marsh until the sun goes down. Here's to old friends and the people who got you here!
Onwards and upwards,
-Malcolm
What We're Seeing
Up here people hardly ever ask what the THC number is. Spend a few days around people who grow weed for a living and you notice they judge it by how it smells and tastes, not the percentage on the label. Vapes work the same way. A higher number on a live resin cart can actually mean less of what made the plant special in the first place, and we wrote up why: Why Live Resin Cart THC Percentage Is Misleading.
Strain Spotlight
Here's Nick on it:
Since Malcolm's about as far north as California goes this week, it's a Northern Lights week. This is one of the old-school indicas, Afghani crossed with Thai, and ours tastes like sweet pine with a little citrus on top and a smooth finish that anybody who smoked in the 90s will recognize right away. It's a nighttime one. It quiets your head down and pulls you toward the couch, so save it for after the to-do list is done. It comes as an AIO and a cart, and if your shop doesn't have it yet, ask your budtender for it by name.
Northern Lights AIO.
Dealers Choice
Somebody found Nick's number on the back of the box and texted him this:
"Hey Man. The oil you made is so clear, I thought the pen was empty for a quick sec. Love it. Keep up the great work."
That's the stuff a label can't tell you. Thank you, whoever you are!
Quick Hits
Cannabis users trust their budtender more than their doctor. A new federally funded study found people lean on dispensary staff for cannabis info over doctors or the government. Budtenders, y'all are the experts now. The study.
New York just passed $4 billion in legal weed sales. The governor marked the milestone this week, and it's a big jump for a market that's still pretty young. The story.
Weekly Munchies
After all that sauna time I needed something cold and green. A friend of mine made this smoothie recipe and it's incredible. Prepare to feel really fucking healthy.
Refer a Friend
Got a friend who's heading up to Humboldt? Send them this so they know where the sauna is.
P.S My Weekly Bops
It was a Hozier kind of week amongst the trees.
