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Cannabis Now

Photos by Greg Zeman

Industry Events

CaliCoil Sesh

Here’s a simple question with a complicated answer: what’s a “sesh”?

Like most good things in life, academic understanding is no substitute for actual experience. But generally speaking, a sesh is the wild hybrid of a dabbed out house party, a 710 swap meet and the Mos Eisely Cantina from Star Wars.

Cannabis cups attract massive crowds and big name vendors with the drama of competition and the expensive spectacle of celebrity panels and performances. These behemoth weed festivals often last the entire weekend and usually take place at fair grounds and convention centers, which usually means paying car-note prices for access to the whole schedule of events.

A sesh, on the other hand – even a relatively large one – is unlikely to have more than 100 people attending and can happen anywhere that’s willing to accommodate dozens of dedicated dabbers.

Which is how I find myself sitting in the basement of a synagogue at quarter-til-midnight, taking a massive shatter rip from a rig fitted with a quartz e-nail shaped like the Incredible Hulk.

The CaliCoil Sesh is organized by Shai, the founder of CaliCoil, which specializes in custom e-nails like the Hulk I’m dabbing with. He says the “secret” location isn’t exactly classified, but he urges me not to call it the “synagogue sesh” and says he’s already in the process of scouting a new location.

“We’re looking at a restaurant with a 420-friendly deck,” he says while blowing out a terpy cloud summoned from another rig fitted with a CaliCoil e-nail – this one custom fitted into a bobble head doll of Tony Montana from Scarface driving a canary yellow “creampuff” convertible.

Full disclosure, this isn’t my first time getting high in a Jewish temple, so while I find it a fitting location for a fifth night of Chanukah sesh, I won’t belabor the point.

Unlike most similar events, there is no cover charge for the CaliCoil sesh, just a donation box for those looking to contribute. But like any sesh, some people are there to do business, and business gets done.

The basement has been converted to a lounge, with chairs, table and couches, all of which get freely moved around to accommodate the growing crowd over the night. At one point, some guys from Silverback Extracts show up and unfold a table to showcase some of their exceptional shatter using one of Shai’s nails.

Others have just come to relax and sesh (it’s a verb too) with likeminded errl enthusiasts. The overall vibe is laidback and generous, with even the most commerce-minded vendors providing ample samples for potential buyers and those “just looking” without question.

Mondo Medicine was in the house, keeping everybody snacking on creative medicated treats the whole time. The offerings ranged from peanutbutter filled pretzels and candied peanuts to a truly unique blend of caramel and gummy candy, all of it packing serious potency. Everything but the famous candied bacon ’cause, well, you know…

Many of Shai’s creations have a comic book or fantasy theme, which he says speaks to his own “nerdiness.” One of his friends asks what percentage nerd versus stoner he is and Shai can’t provide a mathematically sound answer.

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“One hundred percent both,” he chuckles. “I mean look at this table – this is the stoneyiest, nerdiest shit ever right here.”

I have to agree.

“If there’s a Venn diagram of stoners and nerds,” I say, “the intersection of those two circles is this room right now.”

And that’s part of what makes the CaliCoil sesh so much fun. Free dabs are a part of any sesh, but when you’re standing on the opposite side of a display table, milling around a room the whole time, it’s just not the same vibe as kicking it side by side with fellow enthusiasts and swapping dabs.

And that’s another thing about the sesh scene versus the cups – it attracts the really diehard heads, the stoner superheroes.

Case in point, a young man with oversized black prescription frames that give him a slight Clark Kent look. He proves to be Superman when somebody casually mentions they have hash that could make some fire rosin.

“I have a hair straightener,” he says, as if he’s absent-mindedly answering a query about what time it is. “I’ve got a clamp too… and the screens and everything.”

Soon his gear is being used to press rosin, which is immediately scraped up and dabbed.

When several people make remarks about the boy scout level preparedness on display, the boy wonder just sort of shrugs, “It’s a sesh, right?”

Have you been to a sesh? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below.

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