Pairing #1: Flower
Honey Badger’s Buds College Park paired with Cheech & Chong’s The Judge’s Water Vodka
Tannins: The Judge’s Water Vodka
It’s Cheech and Chong! It’s a bong! “It’s fucking vodka, man!”
Like Judge Gladys Dykes from “Up in Smoke,” we’re sipping on something strong. The Judge’s Water is a special edition, themed vodka from the makers at Ublendit, Inc. and the Cheech and Chong brand. Available in several editions, we snagged the setup that converts to a bong when the bottle’s empty. Simply drill a hole with the provided diamond drill bit, insert the rubber grommet and slide in the downstem.
But this isn’t just a gimmick. We’ve been continually impressed with the quality of Cheech and Chong collaborations — from Oregon’s DogHouse Farms flower line to this bottle of booze, it’s clear that quality matters here.
The 80-proof bottle boasts a clean, crisp finish that blends as well as any top-shelf vodka we’ve worked with. In a 2023 press release on Newswire, Ublendit, Inc. CEO John Spagnola noted, “Nothing in this box feels cheap. We sourced every piece of this from the best American manufacturers: the glass stems, the bottle, the label, which is made out of real metal, and of course, the vodka, which won the double gold at the San Francisco Spirits Festival, the highest award possible.”
Terpenes: Honey Badger’s Buds College Park
It’s always recommended to approach a cross-fade with caution, but we couldn’t resist reaching for this College Park from Honey Badger’s Buds in Corvallis. These deeply dense nugs drip with trichomes and a sweet, sultry flavor that smooths out the crisp, contrasting vodka.
The flower is a cross of Georgia Pie and Jungle Cake x GMO bred by Ziplock Seeds, and it pulls a bit of each parent profile into the experience. Sugary-dough details nestle themselves in the nose first, but quickly morph into a raunchy rubber note with a meaty finish.
Crack into this nug, however, and you’ll slide back into the sweet side. Buckets of blueberry syrup flavor slide through the smoke, accompanied by a heavy cream finish on the tongue — almost tangible beyond taste. The savory side is still present, and you might catch some allium essence, but it’s pushed to the back of the palate in a way that balances the berry-forward fumes beautifully.
Without subscribing to the outdated sativa vs. indica classifications, we’d say this is a daytime bud, with its bright notes bringing a notably strong, but still clear-headed high.
The Pairing: A Crisp Contrast
A bouncy buzz from the bud and vibrant vibes from vodka make for an energetic experience. This combo offers crisp contrasts between flavor and complementary effects that seem suited for something highly social.
Whether you’re passing the bottle or passing the bong, this pairing rewards a little patience and a lot of good company. Just don’t attempt the drill-and-grommet conversion until the vodka’s gone and the buzz is behind you!
thejudgeswater.com | @cheechandchong | @honeybadgersbuds
Pairing #2: Concentrate
Firekeeper Farms Pica Limon Rosin paired with Papa’s Alternative Brew Sticky IPA
Tannins: Papa’s Alternative Brew Sticky IPA
There’s a real gap between the “hangover-free” and “actually tastes like a beer” beverage markets. Many hemp-derived brews land closer to seltzer with a headache warning, and take a pinched nose to push down. But Papa’s Alternative Brew splits the difference. It contains 10 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per can, is non-alcoholic, third-party lab tested, and comfortably under the 0.3% delta-9 THC threshold.
The nose is doing the heavy lifting here. There are hearty, resinous hops up front, the kind that make you double-check you’re not holding a humulene-heavy joint. Citrus trails right behind it and is sharp enough to cut the aroma before it gets heavy-handed. On the tongue, it drinks clean and finishes crisp, with no syrupy sugar-crash aftertaste, which is where a lot of THC beverages fall apart in an attempt to cover plant flavor.
Papa’s isn’t trying to replace a hazy IPA, and it doesn’t need to. It’s built for the cooler at the campsite, real hop character, a manageable buzz and a next day you don’t have to doubt.
Terpenes: Firekeeper Farms Pica Limon Rosin
Firekeeper Farms is a new name on the southern Oregon family-farming scene, and we got our hashy little hands on some of their Pica Limon rosin. This tart take on the classic Mexican candy delivers all the citrus sensation with a splash of spice and a comfortably creamy finish.
Looking like a puddle when you pop the jar, the bright gold and gooey rosin is juicy from the jump. It oozes a sweet-and-sour profile that simultaneously teases something more. Diving into the dab with our Dr. Dabber Switch GO offers a delicious discernment: This flavor isn’t simply citrus-forward. Each puff delivers a robust, earthy minerality beneath the sweetness that reminds us of all our favorite chalky, powdery candies (think: Fun Dip or Smarties).
The name Pica Limon might present as a post-dinner dessert. But we find its effects uplifting in a manner that also lends itself to earlier consumption. There’s a sharp focus found a couple dabs deep, and the bright flavors pique the senses in a way that you just can’t sleep through.
The Pairing: A Crisp Catch and Major Match
This is a combo for a sunny September afternoon — or perhaps a rainy one, when you’re dreaming of the sweet summer days behind us, and in need of a little brightness via bud and brew. But buyer beware: This is not a duo for fans of diluted flavor. It’s big, bold and bitter in the best way.
papasaltbrew.com | @firekeeperfarms
Pairing #3: Edible
Cascade Valley Cannabis Gummies paired with Rounded Corners Infused Wine
Tannins: Rounded Corners Infused Wine
A non-alcoholic wine that doesn’t taste like a consolation prize is rarer than it should be. Rounded Corners starts with actual sauvignon blanc grapes from “premier West Coast vineyards,” and turns them into “premium wine by Sonoma Valley winemakers,” according to the website description. The wine is then dealcoholized in stainless steel tanks (to retain taste) and nanoinfused with a 1:1 THC-to-CBD blend sourced from Pacific Northwest Cannabis farms. There’s no hangover, and none of the thin, watery compromise most NA wines make you swallow along with it.
It pours with real body, not the seltzer-adjacent thinness that usually gives the category away. The buzz underneath is quiet and even. This effect is closer to settling into the couch than watching the clock, with the CBD and THC working in tandem to take the edge off.
Each glass lands at a light 8 mg total (4 mg THC and 4 mg CBD) with zero sugar or carbs, and only 25 calories. Rounded Corners isn’t reinventing wine night; it’s just improving it.
Terpenes: Cascade Valley Cannabis Gummies
The folks at Cascade Valley Cannabis are catering to every craving with their latest line of gummies, available in a handful of flavors, cannabinoid ratios and beneficial extras.
We went with the Sweet Blueberry Hibiscus and Sour Passionfruit Yerba Mate, and the two flavors couldn’t be more different. Sweet Blueberry Hibiscus is the wind down of the lineup, with 4:1 THC to CBD, and built for a straightforward, relaxing body high. The blueberry hits first, and it’s honest, not candy sweet, with a floral-hibiscus tartness holding it back from going full gummy bear. There’s solventless live rosin underneath it all, so the high feels rounder than a standard distillate gummy tends to.
Sour Passionfruit Yerba Mate goes the other way entirely. Yerba mate, L-theanine and B12 are stacked in with the THC, so this rides more like a functional energy formula that happens to be a gummy. Tropical and sour up front, the focus it promises actually shows up instead of just running on caffeine.
Between the two, you can pick your flavor based on what kind of afternoon you’re having: one puts you on the couch, the other gets you off it.
The Pairing: Fruity Feelings and Unmatched Unwind
Both of these fruity little fellas pair perfectly with a sauvignon blanc, balancing the wine’s acidity with gentle sweetness and an earthy herbal kick. You’re in for some unmatched unwind, whichever route you decide to go. Better yet, grab both packs, pour a glass, and let the wine do what it’s always done best: give the moment somewhere to slow down.
cascadevalleycannabis.co | roundyourcorners.com | @cascadevalleycannabis
