Jon’s Stone-Cold Cop List #36: Live from New York

Happy belated 4/20! I hope you enjoyed the special print version of the cops list that was released last week. This one originally ran in the magazine, but I figured since it was the holiday and I didn’t want to launch a new one just yet, it was safe to let it go. We could call it 35.5 – it was meant to have a more national feel and focus on products rather than clothes specifically, but I’m not suggesting it was a suitable substitute for this month. We’re back to our regular program.

Last week, for the second year in a row, players from across the country (and even the world) descended on New York City to celebrate our favorite holiday. Like last year, this was another record for the record books. Between Zalympix’s incredible East Coast show in Terminal 5, First Smoke of the Day’s Family Ties Brunch, Zushi’s Lower East Side Pop-Up Store, and the classic celebration in Washington Square Park, I’m still trying to pull away from the marathon of events to recover that went across town. We stayed at an abandoned mall in Chinatown, ate crazy 2:30 meals regularly, and even watched them film a scene for the new Penguin show for HBO Max. It was pretty excellent in almost every way.

So, in honor of the trip, #36 is compiled entirely from awesome stuff I found last week while stumbling around the city and its various events. I mentioned on social media a few weeks ago that I wasn’t going to take any buds with me on the trip and the city more than provided them. Shout out to any homies who came to me with some flavors throughout the week, or just a few kind words about our efforts over here. I didn’t expect so many of you to recognize me and I’ll be honest the love you showed in the city I grew up in was incredibly special. Thank you very much. Also to Sasso – appreciate your hospitality as always, my man!

As usual, you don’t have to be a stranger. It’ll take a whole village to find the flame, and I want to hear what’s upsetting you, too. Meet me here on almost every platform: @joncappetta

Courtesy of Green Gold Collective

I’ve been hearing rumors about this guy for a while now, so imagine my surprise when I bump into Bro across the country, outside of the Player’s Ball – I mean, the First Smoke of the Day brunch. My homie CGO (whom you’ll hear more about soon) spoke to him while I was waiting for the car and called me to check it out. Even though a lot of people are growing great weed right now, I could immediately see why so many heads were pointing me in this direction. These flowers are special. Although I could only check out their Pink Lemonade, which was clearly outstanding, I now declare that I will be making a committed trip to wherever they are once I get back to California to poke my nose in more of their bags .

Courtesy of Marijuantauk

I won’t lie, I’m cheering for these hometown heroes in an unusual way. Cultivating on Long Island, where I spent most of my formative years, these guys are not only sweethearts, but the flower they cultivate truly shows that they not only know what they are doing, but care about the details take care of. They got a trophy at the East Coast Zalympix for having the toughest cut in the competition with their rendition of Cap Junky, but it was their biscotti — which I affectionately refer to as the “barbecue cut” because the nose has hints of almost woody notes that remind me of an outdoor BBQ (not the chip flavor) – this really got me hooked. I smoked LOTS of Biscotti in my day and it’s an excellent strain to start with, but this rendition reignited that obsession with what feels like a whole new swag.

Courtesy of all kings

Another true New York brand, All Kings was a whole new name to me, but boy am I glad we met. Actually grown in the state, they had two cuts to show me: their OG and a ‘Grape Head’. While the OG was definitely a great strain, it was the Grape Head that I have to let you know about. This had exactly the nose you would expect from a cut with grape in the name, but the taste of the smoke was pure grape, which I wasn’t expecting. I’m talking about that sweet artificial grape flavor, and just like the OG cut, this one made my eyelids seriously droop.

Courtesy Torrone

A new discovery from the homies at Good Pizza and his breeding partner Exotiks916, I’m really excited about this stash of Torrone I was blessed with last week. Although these guys now live out west, GP is a New York native like me and about as Italian as they come, so all of his strains have some sort of Italian-American theme – like his initial Carmela, affectionately named after the Sopranos- named matriarch. Named for the motherland favorite honey and almond treat, this new cut is delicious. While I have no idea how much it actually smells like dessert, it has that wonderful piney menthol nose that I can’t get enough of and it smokes like a dream.

Courtesy of the book club

This is another one whose name had reached me before it bloomed and I’m happy to report that the hype here is real to me. The second chapter in the Book Club Cannabis story (although I admittedly missed the first), Osi illustrated to me that this is truly a connoisseur-driven brand, with a cut that hits the spot from pretty much every angle. And while you’ll often hear me rave about the nose and taste, with this one it was really the effect that shined. It felt really heavy – which is appropriate since I first saw it on Trevy’s site. It’s worth acknowledging here that basically, whenever Trev says something is worth checking out, you should always listen.

Creed: @gas_roots

If you’ve read even one of these in the past, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of Doja and the flower he’s launching. I’ve raved about several cultivars and his parties, but perhaps his most impressive move to date has been the out-of-state developments he’s made. While I’ve already pumped out some truly next-level gear out of Michigan, his latest collaboration with The Mechanic in New York got me super geeked. Look, The Mechanic has popped several of Doja’s beans, and while I foolishly missed the tasting party and didn’t see the majority of the new cuts, the Cherry Runtz he’s grown is the best I’ve seen – Cali or so.

Courtesy of the Dallas Growers Club

These guys may not be from New York, but they’re not from Dallas either. Well, at least not this Dallas. These Oregon boys pride themselves on growing “unusual cannabis” and I have to say they stay true to their slogan. I’ve seen four different varieties of them, and while they all tasted delicious, both their Pure Michigan and Strawberry Driver were worth writing home about. My favorite of the crop was definitely the Michigan cut as it had that odd, almost cheesy Kush nose. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it’s a descendant of Mendo Breath, and the flavor is consistent, so if you remember it, just add a bit of sweetness to it. What’s not to love?

Courtesy of Surf’s Up Exotics

Another vacationer I met on this trip was Surf’s Up Exotics and they had their new star “The Wave” in tow. I immediately saw what they were excited about as both the nose and looks of these buds were certainly top notch. That said, it was actually the taste of the wave that ultimately got me hooked. Although the nose initially had a sort of minty runtzy expression, this one has an almost liquorice undertone in the smoke that gets stronger as the joint progresses. It is simply a delightful smoking experience that you will crave long after you redeem it. The high is pretty great too and not as sluggish as you would expect from something so dark and sweet, but the taste!

Courtesy of Gotti

I can’t complete this list without mentioning Gotti, the big winner of the East Coast Showdown. With the trophy for first place for Best Overall, first place for Best Taste, and third place for Best Smell, her Zkittlez x Zoap pick deserves all the praise she receives. I admit this is the first time I’m hearing from these guys. While they’re clearly off to a great start, this is a brand I’ll be sure to keep an eye on as the market develops. Her flower smelled exactly as you’d expect, but the judges were right when they rated the taste so highly – it’s quite possibly the most delicious-tasting Zoap cross smoke I’ve ever tasted.

Courtesy of Conchiss

Of all the new brands I’ve learned about over the past week, this one was probably the most unexpected and oddly exciting of them all. This guy, nicknamed Conchiss, has some really good weed, but it’s the uniqueness of the whole experience that really struck me here. With wacky strain names like Green Eggs & Ham (shouts to the Dr.) and Cape Cod Saltwater Taffy, it was his Pineapple Chroma that closed the show for me. With a real pineapple nose that also keeps that weird menthol behind, this was one of the best tasting new flavors I’ve found on this trip. I didn’t like the crazy-sounding strains either, but the pineapple, man…there’s some magic in that.

Courtesy of DeLisioso

Now I can’t pretend this is the first time I’m hearing from DeLisioso. Founded by America’s longest serving nonviolent cannabis prisoner Richard DeLisi and his son Rick, DeLisisoso is the American version of turning lemons into lemonade. Launching the brand less than a year after Richard’s release was my first exposure to their flower and I have to say I am very excited about what they are working with. I tried two varieties (the purple and the yellow bag, although they weren’t labeled beyond that) and while they were both delicious, there was something very special about this yellow bag. I don’t even know how to describe the nose as it is so different from the majority of the market right now, but the smoke was incredibly clean and the high motivated me to cross half of this list straight away!