Many years ago, when concentrates were more akin to hash and vaporizers were mostly on tabletops, a portable, pocket-sized vape made just for oil-type concentrates hit the scene. The original G-Pen by Grenco Science made such a splash that the industry started an entirely new branch of products: portable vapes and concentrates.
These devices have come a long way from the dribbly, goopy, first models, and Grenco dropped in with another flower vape — G Pen Elite vaporizer.
Our previous G Pen guide had quick breakdowns of each device, but we wanted to take a full look and put together a G Pen Elite review for readers interested in G Pen’s bestselling device.
What is the G Pen Elite vaporizer?
Made specifically to vaporize dry herb, the Elite is not multi-use. It costs about $120 and is accessible online across a variety of retailers, as well as their own shop. Flower consumers will love the size of its ceramic chamber, as the Elite boasts one of the largest on the market.
What immediately stands out about the vape is its smooth but angular shape, like a maxed-out version of their cartridge pen, the Gio. Grooved sides mean it’s easier to hold and much harder to drop, which is something you may sacrifice with the more modernist type of pocket vapes.
How does G Pen Elite vaporizer work?
The dry herb vape heats up quickly and provides great airflow for hits that aren’t as weak as some competitor vapes. This is something that Grenco understands — the customer wants high vapor quality and a hit that keeps coming, not a slow leak of weed flavored air.
Packing dry herb into the heating chamber is simple, the same as other portable vaporizers. Make sure the flower is properly ground and packed in the heating chamber before closing and activating the device. Check the LED display and power button to make sure the device is off before filling or refilling.
Temperature control on the Elite is precise — a Celsius or Fahrenheit reading on the digital control takes the guesswork and color-coding out of the heating process. You can set the temperature using the LED display anywhere from 200°F up to 428°F depending on your vaporizing preferences.
The battery life is adequate and charging time completely reasonable at a few hours tops. It has USB charging, which makes charging fairly easy.
Is the G Pen good? Is the G Pen Elite worth it?
You don’t lose anything from the adjustments to the standard pocket vape that Grenco has made, namely some buttons and a sculptural shape, and it isn’t lacking anything that another similar model can provide, especially at this lower price range ($119.95).
Though pocket vapes can’t handle the volume of a tabletop model, Grenco at least tries to make it easy and foolproof with minimal headaches. This model’s ceramic chamber is far easier to clean than a metal heated vape.
These little tweaks are what makes this a good buy, and the one year warranty doesn’t hurt either.
GSC is one of the most famous cannabis strains worldwide. There’s not a single dispensary that doesn’t carry some form of its genetics. And even past the dollars, what makes this strain special is its influence on modern weed culture.
Initially known as Girl Scout Cookies,GSC was bred sometime around 2012 by the Bay Area’s famed Cookie Family, also known as Cookie Fam Genetics, a collective that includes well-known breeders like Berner, Jigga, and Sherbinskis, amongst others. The group spent most of its time in the shadows, so a lot of their genetics are secret, but it is believed that GSC is a cross of an OG Kush and a Durban Poison. The result is a sativa-dominant hybrid with a potent high that makes many consumers feel relaxed, euphoric, and happy.
GSC’s impact has allowed its group of breeders to create iconic brands. Berner’s Cookies brand is the most influential — simply put, without GSC, there would be no Cookies.
Brands like Cookies, Sherbinskis, and Los Angeles-based Jungle Boys carved out a section within weed culture centered around hype and expectation. The hype is seeing a new Cookies product, like the Runtz or Lemonnade product lines, and thinking “Man, is it really as fire as everyone’s saying?!” The expectation is that it should be, based on the GSC legacy.
The story of Cookies’ influence on weed and rap culture begins with GSC, when in 2010 Berner “turned on Wiz Khalifa, then a little known rapper, to the now uber-famous strain GSC,” as written by fellow Weedmaps News contributor Lindsay MaHarry. “Ten years later, and what started with a single GSC strain has now become Cookies, one of the biggest brands in cannabis.”
“Very few strains reach such an exalted place” Aaron Justis, CEO of Buds & Roses, told David Bienenstock for Vice in 2015. “[GSC] is perhaps one of the top five strains of all time, and the biggest new strain since OG Kush and Sour Diesel.”
Over the years, GSC has won several High Times Cannabis Cups including first place for Best Hybrid at the 2013 Southern California Cannabis Cup. And like OG Kush before it, GSC influence has led to a new generation of strains that push weed culture and tastes into the future.
Cannabis strain phenotypes have the exact same genetics, but for whatever reason, the genetics produced seeds/plants/children with different physical and chemical characteristics. Think about it in terms of you and your sister: y’all have the same parents, but completely different personalities; that’s GSC and its phenotypes.
Thin Mint, sometimes called Thin Mint GSC, is the most popular GSC phenotype. It produces a minty aroma with a sweet cookie dough taste from its frosty dark green and purple flowers.
It’s top reported effects are relaxed, aroused, and uplifted, versus GSC’s effects of relaxed, euphoric, and happy. Thin Mint is also thought to be the GSC strain used to create the renowned Sunset Sherbert.
Platinum GSC is another popular phenotype of GSC. Or at least it’s thought to be a phenotype of GSC, as its genetics remain unconfirmed. Some think it has the same GSC parents of OG Kush and Durban Poison; others believe there was a third strain tossed into the hybrid mix.
Like the original GSC, Platinum GSC has the familiar strong aroma of sweet earthiness, however it usually has a little bit more of a fruity flavor than its big sister.
This strain’s top reported effects are hungry, relaxed, and creative, so if you’re looking to smoke while you kick back in deep thought, Platinum GSC could be the one for you.
OG Kush Breath, also called OGKB for short, is another GSC strain with a murky history and unconfirmed genetics. Some believe it is the third lesser-known Cookies phenotype; others believe it is Cookies crossed with Cookies. Though we can’t declare its genetics for certain, we do know that the plant leans toward the Sativa side of hybrids.
OGKB has a vast array of flavors. Some simple like the floral and earthy profile that’s most apparent, some complex like those hashy undertones that are tough to describe to less experienced cannabis consumers.
With its much smaller reputation than the preceding strains, there isn’t too much information about the effects you get from smoking this strain. But if it is a GSC phenotype, or a GSC backcross, then the effects will most likely be potent and relaxing, though you’d have to try it to know for sure.
Do-Si-Dos is an indica-dominant strain that has had a strong run over the past couple of years, being crossed with damn near everything out there. The results gave us popular strains like Peanut Butter Breath, Slurricane, and Dolato, also known as Do-Si-Lato (Dosi-Lato).
Do-Si-Dos was bred by crossing OG Kush Breath with Face Off OG. The buds are usually going to be thick, dense, and purple-accented with white trichomes everywhere. In addition to its aesthetics, Do-Si’s sweet grapey and hashy flavors make this plant a real treat for cannabis enthusiasts, especially those that like dabs.
The top reported effects of Do-Si-Dos are relaxed, creative, and happy and its potent high instantly lets you know the next few hours will probably be spent doing as little as possible. Get too comfortable and it might be night night time.
When it comes to strains from Cookies hybrids, there aren’t too many that have gained the acclaim of Sunset Sherbert, sometimes simply known as Sherbert.
Mr. Sherbinski bred the strain by crossing GSC with his Pink Panties. It has a traditional earthiness of GSC, how the strain is named for its fruity flavor that makes the experience like smoking a fruit cocktail.
With euphoric, giggly, and happy being its top reported effects, Sherbert tends to be less potent than the traditional GSC strains.
Sometimes known as Animal Crackers, Animal Cookies is a cross of GSC and Fire OG, the parent strain of WiFi OG. It has a cherry cookie flavor and is usually very potent, making most consumers feel happy, relaxed, and uplifted.
Gelato is a cross of Sunset Sherbert and Thin Mint Cookies that has taken the world by storm.
Named for having a sweet dessert-like taste, Gelato kicks out a fruity and gassy aroma and flavor that takes your senses on a ride. The high is potent as hell too, with the strain’s top reported effects being: relaxed, uplifted, and happy.
There are many popular Gelato phenotypes including Gelato #33 (Larry Bird), and Sherbinski’s Gelato line: Gelato #41 (Bacio Gelato), Gelato #43 (Gello Gelato), Gelato #47 (Mochi Gelato), and Gelato #49 (Acai Berry Gelato).
The Lord of the Rings saga might be a big-budget film classic today, but it has always had stoner ties — even when it was only in print. The tough, hilarious, and kind Gandalf, a wizard of Middle Earth, is a character most notable to the weed community, owed to his liberal use of what author J.R.R. Tolkien called “pipe-weed.”
According to the Lord of the Rings Fandom Wiki, it’s a plant with “sweet-smelling flowers” that the Hobbits, like main characters Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, cultivated, smoked, and traded with neighbors. To some, it sounds like a tobacco product, while others point to its floral description, hinting that pipe-weed might be more like our own weed, but the true definition may have been muddied by the movies.
Like any good fiction writer, Tolkien could have simply been making up his own plant altogether. However, considering his heyday took place during the mid-century era, tobacco is the more likely subject.
Pipe-weed from Middle Earth to Hollywood
It’s really film director Peter Jackson’s doing that so many thought of the “Halfling’s Leaf” as a fantasy cannabis analog. He plugged a quip from head wizard Saruman to Gandalf, alluding to “cloudy judgment” post-pipe-weed consumption in the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring.
But it’s the prologue of The Fellowship book itself that seals the canon argument. Tolkien writes of his beloved Hobbits:
“They imbibed or inhaled, through pipes of clay or wood, the smoke of the burning leaves of a herb, which they called pipe-weed or leaf, a variety probably of Nicotiana. A great deal of mystery surrounds the origin of this particular custom or ‘art’ as the Hobbits preferred to call it.”
Canna-fans need not despair. Just because the books hint at tobacco and the movies hint at weed does not mean that countless cultivators didn’t come through with their own homages to Middle Earth and the Hobbits’ love of pipe-weed.
Additionally, smoking cannabis out of a “Gandalf pipe” is something of a stoner rite of passage or bucket list item to be crossed off. Numerous glass pipes are shaped similarly to the Gandalf’s pipe-weed piece and are pretty easy to find in most glass shops.
If you’re a lifelong fan or just coming around to these nine-plus hour epics, pipe-weed is as integral to Hobbit life as it is to ours. No matter what effects you imagine come from a big drag of Gandalf’s pipe, you can enjoy the story behind the smoke rings, because he is hands down the Lord of those rings.
As summer fast progresses, it’s the perfect time to throw open the windows and refresh your space — cannabis space included. A deep clean can have incredible uplifting effects on the mind, so if you’ve been putting off your spring clean organization, today’s the day to finally bite the bullet and break out the cleaning supplies.
In the wake of Marie Kondo‘s rising popularity — and all manner of “sparking joy” throughout your home — your weed inventory shouldn’t be neglected during a deep scrub. Below, check out the ultimate guide to keeping an organized and fresh space for all your cannabis gear.
Assess your inventory
Have you been holding onto old pipes and bongs for years? Do you have a couple of pot cookies getting stale in the back of your pantry?
Go through your entire collection of cannabis goods and lay them all out in front of you. Organize and group pieces by type: pipes, bongs, flower, concentrates, and edibles — this will give you a full visual of what you have.
Then, go over all nooks and crannies for any type of gear you may have left behind. You may be surprised by just how much stuff you’ve acquired over the years.
Find what brings you joy
After you’ve grouped and laid out every cannabis accessory and product you own, hold each item in your hand and rigorously assess which ones truly spark joy. Set aside any items that you use religiously or daily as “keeps.”
Next, you’ll want to determine which products have been collecting dust, as well as those you have forgotten about completely until just now. Do you really need four bongs, six pipes, a pile of glass jars, or those empty disposable vape pens you’ve been collecting for some reason? In a separate pile or box, set aside the pieces you know you can get rid of without feeling a sense of emptiness from letting them go.
You also may be holding onto pieces that possess wonderful memories — these can be considered keepsakes, but only if it isn’t everything in your collection. It’s up to you to determine which items you wish to hold onto purely for the joyous memories they procure. But be sure the memories are truly joyous and you’re not a pining over that pipe you once shared with an ex who you no longer speak to or friend who may have walked out of your life. Now’s the time to start anew with a sense of cheer rather than loss.
Optimize and clean
Now that you’ve determined which pieces stay and which pieces go, it’s time to scrub them all down. Set aside time to put in a little elbow grease for your new, pared-back collection.
For any vapes or rolling trays, you can simply wipe them down with a cleansing wipe for a fast refresh.
Gift, use, or clear out
Has a friend been eyeing that old grinder or papers you haven’t touched in months? It’s time to give it all away. If you know you won’t be using your cannabis accessories, or they’ve been sitting around for an eternity, just gift them. You’ll be sparking joy with both yourself and your mates with this generosity.
If you bought a strain here and there and hated the effects when smoked but continue to hold onto those little jars of nugs, consider turning them into homemade topicals or cannabis butter. You can use up the strains without the smoke and can instead use them to treat arthritis, sore muscles, or add a touch of stone to any dinner plate.
Last, as hard as it is to let go, you may need to throw away any broken or damaged pieces. As much as you’ve told yourself that you’ll fix them in the past if they’re still broken to this day, it’s time to let go and toss.
Refresh your cannabis space
Wherever you kept your cannabis products — be it a shelf, drawer, stashbox, etc. — open it up, wipe down the whole area, and let it air out for a couple of hours. You can even run a fan over the space for extra clearance. This will get rid of any stale smells and bring back a sense of peace and calm surrounding your cannabis collection.
Lastly, re-organize your cannabis products to their rightful home — keep all items in one designated spot and organize them by category for easy searching.
You have now Konmari’d your cannabis gear. Everything should be sparkling clean, organized to the nines, and totally pared down. Bonus: you can treat yourself after all this hard work by lighting up and kicking back.
