Product Review: Sparc CO2 Vape Cartridge

Creating the oils in a vape cartridge can be thought of much like blending grapes together to make wine. In order to deliver a consistent product many of the companies producing vapes will mix blends rather than highlight specific strains. San Francisco-based dispensary Sparc is now providing a line of CO2 vape cartridges that represent a combination of both of these strategies offering single-origin strains and blends.

Sparc Product Director Josh Hoffman notes that the flowers sourced for the vape cartridges originate from Sparc’s own farm in Sonoma County.

“We like to feature the strain and focus on minimalist production techniques,” Hoffman said. “When we don’t have enough product to make a single strain the product team mixes flowers to achieve a specific flavor profile. Some of the strains will be constant and some will be rotating. As we search for new strains to grow, making new cartridge combinations of the phenotypes will be a fun way to keep our cartridge selection rotating.”

The Sour Diesel selection we tried was potent, coming in at 74 percent THC, but offered a clear-headed high, making the sativa strain good for a day in the office. The C02 oil had a hint of fuel in the flavor, but took on more of a sweet candied undertone. The vape tasted both light and clean, likely due to the winterization process which, Hoffman explains, “uses alcohol to remove organic substances like plant waxes, fats and chlorophyll.”

Alongside the dispensary’s proprietary vapes, Sparc also offers its own line of flowers under the Marigold brand. Hoffman said Sparc also produces its own house kief and has plans to create cold water hash and additional “super concentrates” in the future.

“Marigold is value based organic cannabis brand that features flowers in recyclable jars and in CO2 cartridges made from these flowers,” Hoffman said. “Cultivated at the Sparc farm in Sonoma, our farm integrates the use of beneficial flowers, plants and insects to create an ecosystem in which cannabis thrives naturally, thus removing the need to use harmful pesticides and herbicides.”

As a part of its role as a provider Sparc also makes its material available to other concentrate makers.

“That helps us keep a diverse menu and low prices for our members,” Hoffman said. “We frequently partner with Beezle, Guild Extracts, Oakland Extracts, First Class, Utopia Farms, and Bliss to name a few.”

Priced at $40 for a half gram and packed with terps the Sparc cartridges are a decent value for vape enthusiasts.

TELL US, have you tried a vape pen? Which brand is your favorite?