The Smoking Jacket is an immersive three-day hash experience and competition hosted by The Hashish Inn. The inaugural event was in Los Angeles last year and Hashtek was beyond hyped to join TSJ II as a sponsor, this time around at Archive’s new event space in Portland, Oregon. Our founder Aleks and I pulled up to the PNW ready to smoke some serious terps and I gotta say, I think we succeeded in our mission. I’m rehashing our epic weekend with a recap of each day plus an inside look at the competition kit, a round-up of my personal favorite jars, the full winner’s list, and more…
The Competition Kit
While TSJ also features educational panels, resin tastings, food pairings, and more, the center of the event is of course the rosin competition. Kits were passed out on morning one and everyone was literally itching to get their hands on them. Shoutout to Snarfs Stash for putting these totally custom bad boys together! Sleek, sexy, and durable, I loved the play on a Peli case. The jars all fit snuggly in their little purple pouches and didn’t slide around, plus since the numbers were on the bottom you couldn’t mix the entries up with the wrong lid. Talk about functional and fresh.
There were 34 entries total (0.25 grams each) so we definitely had some hash to get through. The kits themselves were gorgeous, but the most impressive thing to me was the fact that there honestly wasn’t a single bad dab in the whole thing. I will say I noticed a trend of sweet, fruity, and candy-like terps as first impressions picked up a lot of Papaya, Rainbow Belts, and Zkittlez crosses. Some initial standouts from my notes were #6, #14, and #17 but we’ll get to the results later…
The Competition Scoring
When it came to scoring, each kit came with a cheat sheet (designed by the lovely Kiki Gregory) that outlined the quality scores, scales, and attributes. Samples were judged on 10 attributes:
- Visual
- Consistency
- Fragrance/Aroma
- Draw/Exhale
- Flavor
- Aftertaste
- Body
- Balance
- Overall
- Residue
Each attribute was rated on a scale of 6-6.75 (for good) through 9-9.75 (for outstanding) with scores from all 10 categories being compiled to get the final score. I thought the attributes were really comprehensive and guided everyone towards more thoughtful judging, and loved how there was space to leave notes that the TSJ team will be sharing with each competitor.
Day One
Day one began with a buzz in the air as everyone reconnected with old friends, grabbed their gift bags (my personal favorite goodies were the Six Star Society socks and pack of Cozy Cubes), and settled into their sesh stations. First up was a wake and bake tasting hosted by Indux Labs and ZAP Solventless. ZAP was heating up flavors from his new hunt on The Bird, the innovative induction heater from Indux that definitely got me zapped. My personal go-to in his tasting lineup was the Belts 3.0 #5 but the (ChemD x GB6Trix) x Tally Mon was also fire with a fruity pebble papaya terp. ZAP continues to put out some of the most unique Tally Mon creations, telling me he tends to seek out crosses with it because he admires the flavor profile so much.
Next was a tasting by Resin Ranch who brought some Chem Dog to the table. She was all gas no brakes with that super classic chem flavor you often don’t see in its purest form anymore — super sharp on the nose and diesely on the exhale. After these two tastings, I had to literally peel myself out of my seat and visit my friends over at the Howdy Coffee cart. The real MVPs of the weekend, this husband and wife duo was slinging caffeinated beverages to keep us from dozing off in between dabs. I may or may not have already had two lattes at this point, but definitely did grab a third to sip on as I settled in for the cultivation panel. The discussion centered around ways to apply more environmentally-friendly practices while cultivating for resin such as composting, reusing waste items from other local industries (did you know alpaca waste is basically gold to growers?), and regularly testing soil and water.
After getting hit with some knowledge on cleaner cultivation practices, lunch was served up by Demarcos Sandwiches and that chicken parm hoagie was probably my favorite meal of the weekend. Soooo heat. Day one closed out with a final tasting of Peach Colada from local favorite Barry’s Bubble, and the flavor on this cross of PCS1 x Papaya reminded me of those gummy peach rings. Definitely packing more peach with a hint of creamy papaya on the exhale. Truly the sweetest ending to a stellar TSJ day one!
Day Two
Day two kicked off with another Indux Labs wake and bake sesh, this time with Xendog out of Southern Oregon. He’s known for his cut of Rosé Especial and she’s certainly special with an earthy aroma of dried lavender and a bright, sour taste of fuel mixed with candy from the Zkittlez. I was also a big fan of the Strawberries n’ Cream fresh press he brought out. Some berry strains can be more mild but this one was absolutely smacking you in the face with that strawberry flavor.
Following was a morning meditation and tasting with the dabbing duo Kush Kirk and Yashi Melts. Brandon brought the infamous Sour Diesel Bx4 and Amanda threw down her Miami Vice, a cross of Strawberry Guava x LeMans that gave me lemon berry Laffy Taffy vibes. Once everyone had their sample, the pair guided us through a deep breathing exercise then we all took a fat dab as a group. Feeling ripped and relaxed after this grounding moment, some of the industry’s biggest innovators took the stage for the melts panel to talk about resin production.
Then it was time for another tasting of Garlic Fries #7, the signature strain from Mush Melts out of Oregon. Mush Melts is known for washing genetics with savory terps that other makers often overlook, and this Garlic Fries (GMO x Irish Stout) is a true gem. The team’s select pheno hits hard with a foul garlic onion funk but some sweet cream and dough shine through from the Irish Stout. I thought this tasting couldn’t get any better, but then Sky.Hi Foods served up some killer smash burgers with crispy garlic fries for lunch right after — talk about the perfect pairing of garlicky goodness.
Next was the PNW panel bringing together top makers from the region, and I really love how TSJ made a point to give love to the locals doing big things for the hashish community. After was a tasting of rosin-infused treats led by TerpTaffy and the Purple Leaf Society. We went savory with a cracker slathered in infused garlic and herb goat cheese butter then topped with a fresh juicy tomato for the perfect little bite. Then, we went sweet with a special Marionberry Lemonade taffy flavor made with Papaya x LeMans just for the event (it was purple, of course). I’ve tried a lot of gummies and candies before but never had infused taffy, and it was so.freaking.good. with that unique soft and chewy texture.
Finally, it was time for the main event of the day: the first-ever live recording of the Hot Dabs podcast hosted by Hashaveli of Real Deal Resin. People could enter their names in a hat for a chance to go in on a glowie — Aleks kept joking he put mine in there but luckily I wasn’t chosen. Everyone who was called up survived their hot dabs and since I was sitting in the front row, I was just super jazzed that no one yakked. A successful day two indeed.
Day Three
And just like that it was day three! Everyone took a few hours in the morning to finish their judge’s kit and enter their scores, then we regrouped for perhaps the most highly anticipated tasting of the weekend led by Dammit Bobby. This Sunshine Daydream 44 was an absolute showstopper that yielded under 1% to rosin. She had a totally unique flavor that reminded me of drinking SunnyD as a kid: bright, tangy, and tropical.
We got double the Dammit Bobby with an Archive tasting immediately following, this time showcasing a Moonbow 112 x Planet Purple hybrid. Also a super low yielder, we probably won’t see this particular pheno again so sorry if you missed out! She was super candy forward for sure but the sherb from the Planet Purple crept its way in there, combining to create a flavor like pink starbursts. Fletcher, the founder of Archive, hopped on stage to join Chris for a live podcast recording of the Hashish Inn afterwards. Hosted by Shoragim — the man, the myth, the legend behind this whole event — Chris and Fletcher had a super interesting conversation about the importance of taking the time to pheno hunt and find unique flavors, building a team that you can trust and grow with, and putting passion into every stage of the process. This was the perfect segue into the moment everyone was waiting for…closing out the event with the awards ceremony. Who won the damn thing!? Keep reading to find out…
After the awards, we continued the celebration with a group dinner at the absolutely incredible Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant Janken. Some crowd favorites were the “Pineapple Express” smoked mezcal cocktail, rum and pineapple-infused pork belly, and of course the A5 Wagyu we got to cook fresh at the table on a hot stone. Oh, and we can’t forget about that off-menu dessert featuring perfectly grilled Asian pears (we got three). Man, hash makers can eat.
Team Hashtek At The Smoking Jacket
Everyone at team Hashtek agreed it was such a natural fit for us to sponsor The Smoking Jacket. We’re a small company with local manufacturing, and TSJ really made a point to highlight the flavors of the region in which the event was held — when it comes to both food and hash — with its local lineup of munchies, resin tastings, and the PNW maker’s panel. We also have a mission to make high-quality solventless products more accessible, so one of the things that really drew us to this competition in the first place was that it’s open to the public. While some others are invite-only or require previous event wins, anyone willing to throw down their best could compete here. Plus, since every ticket holder got a kit and submitted their scores for the “People’s Choice” award, we all got to have that full tasting experience normally reserved for expert judges.
Aleks and I had so much fun hanging out at the event, smoking our way through our judge’s kits, and meeting everyone in the community. We were slinging some hoodies and Mood Mats and had one of our A-series machines on display, which was quickly scooped up before the weekend was even over by The Unknown Terp (who placed 10th in the Maker’s Choice category this year)! We’re looking forward to seeing it cranking in their Influence Solventless lab out in Bend, Oregon. It was also dope to see TerpWizard compete with Hashtek-extracted resin, who runs an A-Series out of his lab in Michigan and has been interviewed on the blog as part of our Hashmaker Q&A Series. Ras Kaya Paul of PNW Roots was also in attendance as an expert judge and panel speaker, who uses a 65t to crank out his award-winning six-star melt in Washington.
Top Jars From The Smoking Jacket Weekend
Before we get to the competition winners, I rounded up some of my personal favorite jars I got the pleasure of smoking on throughout the weekend…
Peanut Butter Breath by TerpStyle out of Michigan. A glob of this PBB from TerpStyle was my breakfast all three days of TSJ. I prefer savory to sweet in the mornings, and this jar was right up my alley — rich and nutty with hints of creamy vanilla. Blowing out the smoke was like slurping down the milk after a bowl of Reese’s Puffs. Mhmm.
Purple Churro by Emerald Queen Farms out of Humboldt County. Emerald Queen Farms wasn’t in attendance but shoutout to Action Matt Jackson for sharing this jar out of his head stash that blew me away. I’ve never really experienced a cinnamon terp before — she was mostly sweet but left a little spice in the back of my throat — and now that I have, I will certainly be coming back for more.
Hazelnut Cream BX 2 by TerpWizard out of Michigan. I’m based in Denver so Dablogic is a classic (shoutout to Julian who was also a speaker and competitor at the event) and their Hazelnut Cream has always been one of my go-to terps. I was too excited to try TerpWizard’s take on it and man was she killer with that nutty coffee creamer note I can’t get enough of, followed by a little funk.
Pineapple Coconut Bikini Martini by The Real Cannabis Chris out of Southern California. This was hands down my single favorite dab of the entire trip, smelling exactly like a marshmallow being roasted over the campfire. I couldn’t believe how well that aroma carried over to the taste with hints of grilled pineapple and milky coconut. There was even an aftertaste of fire-charred sticky sweet marshmallows that coated my mouth for a few minutes after the exhale, taking me straight to the tropics.
The Smoking Jacket Winner’s List
Without further ado, the official winners list. Congrats to all the competitors that really knocked it out of the park this year. We can’t wait to see what you all bring to the table next time and watch Fort Wendy put on their Smoking Jacket at opening ceremonies. So until TSJ 2024, you stay hashy!
Expert Judge’s
1st: Fort Wendy with “Yellow Zushi”
2nd: Turtle Trees with “OG Pie Breath”
3rd: Trichome Tortoise with “Superboof”
Maker’s Choice
The Real Cannabis Chris with “Michael Jordan”
People’s Choice
The Real Cannabis Chris with “Michael Jordan”
The Smoking Jacket 2023 Video Recap & Photo Gallery
Special thanks to:
@thehashishinn: Host
@simp.lee.adam: Emcee & Tastings Host
@archive.pdx: Venue
@humphreyhashish: A/V & IT
@snarfs_stash: Judge’s Kits & Gift Bags
@sean_nonyabizz: Security
@coachbrucie: Fire Chief
@ginger.larf & @thenakedgrower: Concierge
@extractsdaily & @terpcam: Photo & Video
@skyhifoods, @howdy.coffee, @demarcos_sandos_pdx: Food & Beverage
@dablogic, @slite23, @professorsift, @kushkirk, @yashimelts, @pacificnwroots_kaya, @dammit__bobby_: Expert Judges
Written by Kat Wolf @katadellic for Hashtek
