Set that Slack status to ‘away,’ Leafly Nation.
This Labor Day, we’re escaping once more before winter. We’re road tripping, camping, meeting up, hanging out, and seshing to American Labor’s achievements like the eight-hour workday, weekends, and legalization. All the while, we’re sneaking a toke off these potent, tasty new vape pens.
Vapes go uniquely well with Labor Day. You’re on the move, in public, or in mixed company—situations that call for discretion.
THC is now hassle-free. Small ‘Dart’ carts fit discreetly in your palm. Every legal state shopper can tap ready-to-use disposable vapes, which don’t need chargers or compatible batteries.
And vape cartridge innovation has swept the land. Millions of weed consumers in 14 legalization states have countless options for a more pure, more flavorful, stronger puff.
Solventless surges in the west. Live resin drenches the midwest and east. More legal stores in more states like New Jersey, and Illinois means better options than sketchy street carts from god knows where.
America’s tastiest THC cart list comes from Leafly’s in-house terp sherpas road-testing a slew of new carts. We rounded up the nation’s award-winners, best-sellers, and the most authentic, hype flavor purveyors. A distillation of our findings from ten legalization states follows below. Jump in.
California live rosin and live resin pods, carts
California’s the biggest, wildest, most influential legal weed market in the world. This Labor Day comes with sinking hash prices amid a flood of flower. It’s a buyer’s market for the best carts ever made on this Earth.
Pax Era Live Rosin pods
We had Pax in our 420 guide. They just won a High Times Cup. Leafly Nation loves PAX’s solventless era pods. Solventless means no butane, propane, or other volatile solvent touched the flower. It means using ice water, mechanical agitation, screens, freezers, and heated presses to get at the good stuff inside the trichome and toss everything else. See also: Jetty Extracts solventless carts; 710 Labs Persy Rosin Pods.
A Golden State live rosin disposables
On the more boutique side, Northern California high-end indoor growers A Golden State bring their high bar to a disposable live rosin vape of their own. Made by the champions at Humboldt’s CA’s Arcatax, the AGS Caramel Apple hits super-flavorful and true to the strain in a way that distillate sources just can’t be. The gold mouthpiece and embossed leather add bling and class, giving it a feminine touch. See also: top-shelf Sacramento, CA grower CAM’s new line of live resin disposables; plus grower Terphogz’ Zeuz pod flavors.
Dosist live resin disposables
The most trusted name in dose-assisted, effect-focused vapor tech, dosist, touts its latest live resins, including authentic, tropical Papaya (relax), Grape Apefruit (bliss), and Banana Kush. Dosist gets ready for the club with a refreshed, sleek, black disposable design. (The pre-’22 white ones gave off obstetric vibes.) There’s also the dosist ‘dose controller’—a vibrating battery base tuned to their unique carts. For more of the best in live resin disposables, see also: Raw Garden ‘ready-to-use’, Alien Labs, and Connected disposables like Gelonade or Lemonatti.
Oregon rosin and live resin carts
The mature cannabis market of Oregon sports some of the world’s best hash-makers getting the good stuff into vapes. Their growers work on the most explosively flavorful new strains ever created.
For starters, Happy Cabbage smooshes mucho rosin into pods these days. We’d hit their Z-Cubed, First Class Funk, Lemon Mintz, or Strawberry Guava. See also in rosin pods: Nelson and Co.’s T1000.
Oregon live resin flavrs also rank among the most trendy in the world. We’d start with Avitas’ Apricot Octane, Stankasaurus, Medellin, and Blueberry Muffin.
Washington live resin carts
Up in Washington, cart fans enjoy a bafflingly huge selection of live resins akin to the microbrew culture.
Around since 2014, Dabstract fields one of the deeper catalogs of live resin strains anywhere in the world with Donny Burger, Redneck Wedding, Bitch Fuel, and the rare Face-Off OG in a Pax pod format. I’d also hit their Black Lime Reserve, Apple MAC, Orange Zkittlez, Bluezz, and old-school GDP.
Colorado rosin and live resin carts
Ask your vape cart brand—are they growing flower? Fresh-freezing it? Ice water hashing it out? Are they squishing rosin? Or are they blasting dodgy trim, and adding in the cheapest terps that’ll pass testing?
Over in Colorado, they’re some folks crushing it at squishing live rosin, which sounds like a great way to preserve terps in The Rockies.
Akta specializes in live rosin carts we’d scoop up: Lilac Pisco (a sativa), Tropsanto, Garlic Breath, and Sundae Driver.
Live resin pens offer another juicy option at altitude. Natty Rems grows their own flower for live resin carts like Jungle Cake, Glue, Wavy Gravy (live rosin), and Cherry Diesel.
Nevada Cliq and disposable vapes
Turn down for what? Nevada celebrates all-singing, all-dancing legalization just like the coastal west now. Super-popular for that turnt up girls getaway: Airo’s Lemon Cake, or Bahama Breeze, as well as Select Cliq’s Super Lemon Haze.
For a more chic, functional look—hit the Beboe Inspired, or Downtime.
Arizona rosin and live resin carts
Arizona pot prices have tumbled in the last year, even as vape tech took off. That’s a win for consumers. We’d start with the Abundant Organics rosin carts Sunshine Daydream or Granny Skunk. And then check out K.I.N.D’s award-winning Sweet Karts line in Rocket Pop, Live Resin Gorilla Glue, and True OG.
Illinois live resin carts
Legal since 2020, Illinois’ vape demand remains sky-high, with supplies choked by red tape, and thus, the highest prices in the US on the legal side. Multi-state brand Cresco moves liquid live resin for the masses in trendy flavors: Bruntz, Motorbreath Haze, Tiger’s Milk, Mint Cake, and Lemon Meringue Kush #6. See also: Verano live resin Berry Gelato, or Strawberry Cough.
Another award-winning MSO, Rythm uses CO2 extraction for L’Orange, Pep-O-Chem, and Dosidos.
Michigan live resin heaven
Michigan went legal at the same time as Illinois but with a bigger medical infrastructure and a freer market. The result: live resin heaven. We heard good things about LightSky Farms Whipped Cherries #10, Orange Cannoli, and Motorbreath #15. The brand Element’s owning it with Lemon Cherry Gelato, Papaya, True OG x Rainbow Belts, and Gello.
Massachusetts disposable, or live resin carts
Rolling weed standing up on a boat in the wind bites. We’d bring a disposable out on the Bay—like In House Genetics’ Gas Cake, Lemon OG, Lemon Fuel, or Guava. For live resin carts in Mass., I’d try Cresco’s Cornbread live resin (Katsu Bubba Kush x Rare Dankness #2) or Fire Stomper.
New Jersey legal carts get started
Lastly, New Jersey is having its first legal Labor Day—congrats, Jersey boys. We’d hit the Ozone Blue Zkittlez or the Golden Pineapple. Ditto for the Rythm’s Animal Face or Animal Face x Banana Cream.
OK, it’s go-time, Leafly Nation. Grab only the best for your sesh. And let us know how it goes in the comments and reviews.
