Much has been written about celebrity branding in cannabis, often negative. People complain that the products are subpar and the celebs are just trying to cash in.
Since I live in New York - and haven't been traveling to legal states during the pandemic - I generally don't have access to such products.
But then a Deadhead dealer recently appeared at my doorstep with a package. It contained several of Garcia Hand Picked products. I gave him money and quickly closed the door.
Back in October we had reported that Garcia Hand Picked - a line of Jerry Garcia's cannabis products - was being launched in California... where else?
Deadheads rejoiced. Mickey Hart already had his Mind Your Head line and now Garcia's family - principally his daughteers Trixie and Annabelle - in association with Holistic Industies would be doing the same thing, just in a bigger way.
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What you notice first with Hand Picked is the groovy packaging, Turquoise green appears to be the company's color; it's swirled all over the jars that contain flower and gummies shaped like guitar picks. The jar of flower contains Fire OG, a hybrid mix of several OG strains. On the carboard box it reads: THC, 25.38%; CBD, 0.05%; terps: Myrcene 1.0, Limonene 0.6. A message from the company reads, in part:
"Every aspect has been carefully curated by the Garcia family to create an inspired cannabis experience that's spontaneous, harmonious and can bring people together the way only Jerry could."
The glass jar is heavy, a collectible with the Garcia logo on it. Inside, the bud is dense, frosted with thick green bracts. It's light and musky to the nose. A quick roll and light produces a somewhatt speedy high (I rushed over to the keyboard to write this). Overall, I can't complain, except perhaps for the price.
Let's say it's a $60 eighth, pre-tax. In California, it will cost you $80+. The jars are great but should probably be recyclable. That goes for the tie-dyed looking gummy tins as well, which contain "Jerry's Picks" infused with 5 mg of THC each and this printed message from Garcia: "Magic is what we do." They're tart and tasty, shaped almost like hearts. Twenty are stuffed into the tin.
The third act of this taste test is the coolest: five Jerry Joints tucked into what looks like a small video cassette box that also includes 10 black-tipped wooden matches and a glass smoking tip with the Garcia hand image on it. My package has the indica SFV, also an OG with Chemdog lineage. The mini-prerolls have swirly tips and smoke particularly well. I break up another joint (it weighs 0.75 gram) and smoke it in my bong to even better effect.
Now that I'm good and stoned (I also ate a green gummy), I stare at the joints package; Jerry's beard is glistening in blue, his shades intensifying the view. Inside are all the accoutrements and a set list from a Jerry Garcia Band show scrawled by Garcia's mangled right hand. On the back it simply reads, "Wisdom is where you find it."
I can buy that.
Garcia Hand Picked products are currently available only in California at the stores and delivery services listed here.
