NortheastLeaf_Apr2026

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#64 | APR. 2026

NORTHEAST

"A B R A C A D E V I "

BANJO GLASS X OUCHKICK

F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

The Glass Issue

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

TOP NOTCH BUDS

AS NATURE INTENDED. AUTHENTIC AROMA

TRUE TASTE

CAREFULLY CULTIVATED

INDOOR GROWN

Indoor grown in state-of-the-art facilities and overseen from seed to store by our best-in-class cultivation teams, our plants are handled with the utmost care. Extensive cultivar catalog research allows us to optimize the growing conditions for each cultivar, ensuring our buds retain their true-to-nature characteristics.

Rigorous research and development ensures the selection of big, beautiful buds with full trichome coverage for premium aroma, flavor and enhanced efficacy—a full sensory experience that’s authentic to each cultivar.

FIND BIG BUDS NEAR YOU GRASSROOTSCANNABIS.COM

FOLLOW US

PLEASE CONSUME RESPONSIBLY. MARIJUANA CAN IMPAIR CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION, AND JUDGMENT. THERE MAY BE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF THIS PRODUCT. FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER. 18+ FOR MEDICAL STATES. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR HEAVY MACHINERY WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THIS DRUG. LAWS GOVERNING LEGALITY, AVAILABILITY AND USE OF MARIJUANA VARY BY STATE. CDPH-1003298, 404R-00025, AMS 351, DEVINE DESERT HEALING INC. A/U: 00000026ESRZ99769978.

GROWING TOGETHER

Breeding Grounds is a project under which Sensi Seeds releases its cutting-edge strains.

As part of this program, we join hands with breeders of Sherbinskis, Serge Cannabis, Champelli, Humboldt Seed Company, Fat Beans, and more.

We are proud to be at the forefront of developing ground-breaking genetics, working in collaboration with some of the best breeders worldwide.

SENSISEEDS.US @SENSISEEDS_US

SENSISEEDS.US

@SENSISEEDS.US

/SENSISEEDSTV

JACKIE BRYANT

MOTHERSHIP GLASS X DUSTIN BRANDON FEATURE

APR. 2026

FIRE FOLLOWER

PINKY 22 BREWTZ FEATURE

26

THE LAVA BENEATH MY FEET

ELEVATE YOUR FATE

BIRTH OF 24 THE BONG

CANNTHROPOLOGY

36

38

TERPHOGZ BLOOBERRY ZRUNTZ

16 EMILY MARIE GLASS CHOPSTICKS SET

“MINI UV DEV” | A 12-WAY COLLABORATION

JULIUS GUTIERREZ

FEATURE

GLASS COLLABS

COURTESY

CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS

PG. 28-31

WIND HOME @WINHOME

COURTESY REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO

leafmagazines.com

JAMIE ZILL @JLZILL

6

The Glass Issue

NEW BLOOM BLUEBERRY STRAINS

14

ADOBE STOCK

PIECES WE’VE LOVED & LOST

COURTESY

#64

BEYOND THE BONG GLASS ACCESSORIES

09 10 14 16 18 19 20 22 24 26 28 32 36 38

EDITOR’S NOTE STONER OWNER PIECES WE’VE LOVED BLUEBERRY STRAINS EDIBLE OF THE MONTH CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH STRAIN OF THE MONTH CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS MOTHERSHIP PINKY BREWTZ GLASS COLLABS BEYOND THE BONG ELEVATE YOUR FATE CANNTHROPOLOGY

32

JESSE JUSTICE

toke, read & enjoy!

issue

[

APR.2026

N O RT H E AS T

Taste the Terps Award-Winning High Terpene Extracts A Full-Spectrum Flavor Experience

sunextractions.com | @sunextractions

E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0

T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E

N O RT H W E ST LEA F / O R EG O N LEA F / M ARY LAN D LEA F / CAL I F O R N I A LEA F / N O RT HEAST LEA F

A B O U T T H E C OV E R It’s back and hotter than ever: our flame-blown, smoldering and, yes, still red-hot Glass Issue spectacular!

For every year that our magazine has been in print, the Leaf has dedicated one special edition to the magic of functional, high-end glass artistry.

On the cover is a stunning collaboration from the artists Banjo and Ouchkick, captured in technicolor splendor by longtime Leaf contributor Jeff DiMarco.

And if you happened to notice this month's borderless cover, well, just remember: Life rewards the bold.

PHOTO BY @IAMJEFFDIMARCO @BANJOGLASS | @OUCHKICK

CONTRIBUTORS

WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com

WES ABNEY, FEATURES

MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R

AJ AGUILAR, FEATURES

ricker@leafmagazines.com

DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN

TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R

BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES

tom@leafmagazines.com

TOM BOWERS, FEATURES

DANIEL BERMAN C H I E F C R E AT I V E O F F I C E R

JACKIE BRYANT, FEATURES

daniel@leafmagazines.com

JEFF DIMARCO, PHOTOS

JACKIE BRYANT C O N T E N T D I R E C T O R

DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES

jackie@leafmagazines.com

JULIUS GUTIERREZ, PHOTOS

BOBBY BLACK LEAF BOWL DIRECTOR & HISTORIAN bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com

ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES

MIKE GIANAKOS O N L I N E E D I T O R

MATT JACKSON, FEATURES

MICHELLE NARANJO C O PY E D I T O R michelle@leafmagazines.com

CARA WIETSTOCK C O PY E D I T O R cara@leafmagazines.com

MATT JACKSON SOCIAL MEDIA mattjackson@leafmagazines.com

WIND HOME, PHOTOS JAKE KERN, FEATURES TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS BECK ROURKE, FEATURES BRIT SMITH, FEATURES

Thanks for picking up The Glass Issue of the Leaf!

Art is one of the few pillars of the Old World remaining, enduring because nothing more beautiful than artistic expression has ever come from human hands.

While many think of classical fine art as the “Mona Lisa” or Claude Monet’s impressionism pieces hanging in fancy museums, the most OG art is in the form of stained glass in churches and cathedrals around the world.

9

Glass can hold color and shape for hundreds or even thousands of years without fading or degrading like a painting.

At the Metz Cathedral in France, this magical display of glass and light is on full display. It’s known as “God’s Lantern” for the amount of light coming through the nearly 70,000 square feet of stained glass windows, which depict religious scenes with glass set as far back as the year 1250.

"I’VE SEEN Before there were TVs or screens, artists created famous scenes in glass and constructed not just windows, but unique goblets, jewelry and other forms of art that have lasted through the centuries.

Made in fourth-century Rome, the “Lycurgus Cup” is one of the earliest examples of silver and gold fuming in glass. This technique gives the majestically crafted vessel different colors depending on the light passing through it and whether it holds liquid.

PEOPLE RIGHTFULLY CARE FOR THEIR MOTHERSHIP DAB RIGS WITH THE SAME ATTENTION AND REVERENCE AS THEIR CLASSIC CARS.”

This type of art can’t be generated with artificial intelligence and can’t be mass-produced in a factory. A combination of heat, color and passion pours out of the artist and into molten glass, reforming and shaping it into something beautiful that, if properly cared for, can last forever.

NICO SULIS, REVIEWS TAYLOR WEINBERG, PHOTOS KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES JAMIE ZILL, PHOTOS

We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of Northeast Leaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. Email paige@leafmagazines.com to start advertising!

CON N EC T W I T H

NORTHEAST LEAF!

I’ve seen people rightfully care for their Mothership dab rigs with the same attention and reverence as their classic cars.

With all respect to glass artists, from stained to soft glass to the borosilicate community, our favorite glass pieces are the ones that get us high, which this magazine celebrates.

Exclusive Cannabis Journalism @NORTHEASTLEAFMAG

Most unique of all is the fragility, the nature of glass being that it can break.

You can’t really break a painting or a bronze statue, but glass art is especially valuable and unique because of the care involved.

I’m proud to say that our 15th annual Glass Issue is our best one yet!

NORTHEAST LEAF MAGAZINE

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

-Wes Abney

APR. 2026

PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

mikeg@leafmagazines.com

REX HILSINGER, FEATURES

Editor’s Note

THE GLASS ISSUE

STONER OWNER @AMITHA_RAMAN @AMITHA_SHOP @ARTFROMTHEOUTSIDEPODCAST

“I really loved Sibelle’s aesthetic, how feminine her pieces are in a male-dominated space.”

10

COURTESY

My background is in marketing and strategy — identifying unmet needs and developing solutions, and that practice is something I draw upon in my day job now.

How did Amitha come to be?

leafmagazines.com

Amitha Raman AMITHA New Yorker, online accessories shop owner and curator Amitha Raman’s collection is inspired by the golden age of smoking. It blends her love of vintage decor, fine art and pieces that really rip made from high-quality, sculptural, natural materials.

What led you to this intersection of art, Cannabis and product design?

I started smoking weed when I was 14 or 15, out of a pipe from some headshop downtown that someone’s older sister had picked up.

I have a distinctive memory of my first time getting high. I remember being so giggly, having the best time and just knowing: “this is for me.”

I grew up in a strict household with immigrant parents from India and Korea, and I would get the Asian glow when I would drink.

APR. 2026

I loved that instead, I could just smoke and then cover it up with some perfume, and they couldn’t tell.

It was this amazing social bridge. I was pretty preppy, the captain of the soccer team, a cheerleader, and that group was beer drinkers. So I would look for smokers and wound up meeting friends in orchestra class. We went to First Fridays gallery nights, pretending we were sophisticated city dwellers drinking free wine. When I went to Emerson College with a lot of creatives and access to higherquality weed, it became more of a daily thing.

Initially, my idea was like Net-a-Porter: buy other people’s stuff and sell it online, but products would look great online and were actually really cheaply made. I wanted to create products that would blend with my decor, with fine materials like Carrara and Nero Marquina marble.

I remember thinking when I bought my first Roor bong, “I don’t know if I can spend that on a pipe.” But I’ve always been moved by people who do things well, and why the price is what it is. It’s not that thin glass, it’s really well made and rips really well.

I have all of these vintage Murano glass bowls or other vessels I was using as ashtrays. I have a beautiful vintage smoking box my grandfather used: dark wood with mother of pearl inlay, a brass built-in ashtray with zodiac symbols around it, space for a lighter and space for tobacco. I wanted to design things like that for smoking Cannabis.

What do you have coming up that people should know about?

Sibelle Yüksek Rrose Pipe with Custom Brass Base

IYDEEN YOUNIS @IYDEENCAPTURES

COURTESY

IYDEEN YOUNIS @IYDEENCAPTURES

“I’m just a glass girl.”

Judd Tabletop Lighter

Serra Tray & Accessories

Sibelle Yüksek Magritte Pipe

I really love the new wooden tabletop lighter — looks beautiful, looks expensive.

I’m creating new products at more accessible price points. I worked with this mother-daughter workshop in India.

I’m really excited to partner with Gotham for an exhibition in May benefiting The Here and There Collective, a nonprofit that uplifts Asian artists and curators. It feels very aligned.

I started this before New York went legal, and rec has changed my consumption.

I used to roll all of my own joints, so I designed rolling trays, but now we have prerolls. As the market changes and my needs change, my designs will too.

Why glass?

I’m just a glass girl. A lot of design-forward pieces I found were ceramic, and I like to see the smoke.

I really loved Sibelle’s aesthetic, how feminine her pieces are in a male-dominated space.

I cold emailed her. She came up with several sketches. I wanted them to be sculptural but also perform well and hit really hard without looking phallic. The Lady Pipe and Rrose Pipe are both handmade by Sibelle, and I created a more accessible price point with the Magritte Pipe.

“Fine Gifts for Serious Smokers” An Instagram shoutout from Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.

Sibelle Yüksek Lady Pipe

COURTESY

I’ve felt the stigma from my parents, my friends, the art world. I worry about it with my daughter in school.

I just want to be me and be open about it. I work out six days a week. It’s not a personal mission to break those stereotypes; it is me.

People who get more agitated about me not fitting in are sometimes people in the Cannabis space.

In the beginning, it was so hard not to respond to 16-year-olds trying to bully me. I’ve been smoking weed longer than you’ve been alive. I’m a grown ass woman — I used to smoke ditch weed out of a twoliter bottle gravity bong in a bathtub, but now I want to smoke out of what I want to. I’m doing me.

Flavin Glass Lighter & Ashtray Set

Judd Keepsake Box

STORY by BECK ROURKE @PUNKYFUNKSTER2.0 for @NORTHEASTLEAFMAG | PHOTOS by IYDEEN YOUNIS @IYDEENCAPTURES & COURTESY AMITHA RAMAN See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

IYDEEN YOUNIS @IYDEENCAPTURES

COURTESY

Amitha serves as an elegant counterpoint to Cannabis consumption stigma. Is that intentional?

perspective

Former San Diego Magazine Managing Editor Jackie Bryant joins Leaf Nation to imagine the future of the Cannabis industry.

TO ALL THE PIECES WE’VE LOVED AND LOST

14

ADOBE STOCK

A MEDITATION ON GRIEF

It’s a friend. A good piece changes your Cannabis experience by shaping and bowl leaped out of my handbag and crashed onto the tile below, shattering into a few big, refining it. It becomes the portal between you and the plant. And portals are sacred unmistakable pieces. Not a crack. Not a chip. Total annihilation. My stomach instantly dropped. spaces!

And then, because it’s glass, it reminds My chest clenched. And then, dramatically but also completely sincerely, I actually you that none of that is permanent. There’s started crying. If you’ve ever broken a piece you actually loved, you already understand a lesson in there, if you want one. Something about attachment, about fragility, the scale of this reaction. It’s disproportionate, sure. It’s also completely correct. about the risk inherent in loving objects that are designed — beautifully, inevitably — to break.

WAS MY PIECE, MY LITTLE SIDEKICK. — fitting, actually — and Instagram assured me that we Or, more realistically, there’s just this: It came everywhere with me and were all in a period of releasing what no longer serves If you’re going to care about your piecserved me well for a few years, which us, on top of it. Fine. Sure. If my spoon was cosmically es — and you should, because that’s half by any measure is a long-term reladestined to exit my life, who was I to argue? the point — you also have to accept that tionship. Long ago, a friend gave it to This is, of course, bullshit. But it’s elegant bullshit, one day, probably at the worst possible me — I haven’t seen them in years, but the pipe and sometimes that’s enough to get you through the moment, you’re going to watch one hit the stuck around, which felt like a small, useful physfirst 24 hours. Because the real issue isn’t just that it ground and shatter. And it’s going to feel ical talisman forever marking our connection in broke. It’s that a glass piece, if it’s a good bad. time and space. It was tangible. It held memories. one, is never just a thing. It’s functional You’ll replace it, eventually. You’ll If my spoon It held routine. It held, quite literally, the shape of art in the most literal sense — you don’t find another one that fits in your was cosmically my hand — until it didn’t. hang it on a wall, you mostly, actually live hand the right way, that earns its destined to exit There’s something uniquely brutal about the with it. You handle it constantly. You build place in your rotation, that starts to my life, who way glass breaks — not just physically, but existenrituals around it. It becomes embedded in accumulate its own set of associawas I to argue? tially. One second, it’s intact, integrated into your your muscle memory in a way that’s hard tions. It won’t be the same, which is life, part of your daily sensory rotation. to replicate with anything else. exactly why this one will stick.

The next, it’s a pile of fragments you can’t fix Which means when it’s gone, it takes a small but But for a minute — or an hour, or a day or glue back into anything functional. You can’t specific version of your life with it. That’s the part or however long your grief lasts — you’re pretend that it’s the same object. There’s no that catches you off guard. Not the inconvenience — just standing there, looking at the pieces, slow fade; just a hard stop. though, yes, suddenly you don’t have your preferred thinking: Well, fuck. And honestly? That’s I did what any rational person would do: I tried way to smoke, which is its own kind of crisis — but the part of it, too. Thanks for the memories; to assign meaning to it. It was Mercury retrograde absence of something that felt quietly essential. onto the next piece we go.

leafmagazines.com

Today, I write to you from the depths of pure devastation. Recently, my beloved little

IT

apr. 2026

STORY by JACKIE BRYANT @JACQBRY | AUTHOR PORTRAIT by IYDEEN YOUNIS

GET YOUR VEAZY

A NEW BLOOM FOR BLUEBERRY STRAINS TERPHOGZ’S NEW BLOOBERRY LINE GOES UP A G A I N S T B L U E C AV I A R , B L U E L O B S T E R A N D M O R E

Consumers and growers are in for the kind of competition that we can all rally behind: a tussle for who has the loudest blueberry terpenes in the Cannabis game.

Terphogz — the California-based popularizers of Zkittlez (known as The Original Z, or just “Z”) — debuted five new Blueberry strains dubbed the “Blooberry Line” for spring.

Terphogz’s managing director, Jon “Jondo” Orantes, said, “It’s begun, the blueberry wars have.”

The declaration encapsulates a simmering trend in contemporary ganja, with peer brand Cookies selling Blueberry Caviar flower. Berner is developing new crosses from it with award-winning Ridgeline Farms. Blue Lobster nabbed a nomination for 2025 Leafly Strain of the Year. Blue Nerdz continues to dominate. I’ve smoked all of these strains — they’re fire.

TERPHOGZ BLOOBERRY ZRUNTZ

COURTESY

perspective

FIRE FOLLOWER

Award-winning journalist, author and former Leafly senior editor David Downs’s monthly genetics intelligence dispatch.

leafmagazines.com

COURTESY

apR. 2026

COOKIES BLUEBERRY CAVIAR

UMMA SONOMA BLUE LOBSTER

COURTESY

16

Let’s get into the Terphogz Blooberry drop first.

Terphogz has released about 30 to 50 regular seed packs of Blooberry Headband (707 Headband x Bell Springs Blooberry), Blooberry Pie (Z-Pie x Bell Springs Blooberry), Blooberry Zruntz ((Z x Runtz) x Bell Springs Blooberry), IC Bloobies ((Ice Cream Cake x Sherbert) x Bell Springs Blooberry) and Black Truffle Blooberry (Black Truffle Gelato x Bell Springs Blooberry).

The priciest is the Blooberry Headband at $269 for 10, which tells you where the hype is at. The rest of the set goes for $240 for 10.

Why this drop now? Terphogz has a hit with 2023’s Blooberry Z (Dankster Blooberry x Z), which is $180 for 10, and its 2025 offspring Bloogatti (Bubblegum Gelato x Blooberry Z).

TERPHOGZ Bloogatti remains available for BLACK $220.

TRUFFLE BLOOBERRY For this new Blooberry line, Terphogz co-founder Tony Mendo said the team went back to some early 2000s Blueberry work. They selected a new male based on taste, referred to as Bell Springs Blooberry, and pollinated Terphogz’s whole lineup with it. The tastiest standouts made the cut listed above.

Some are good for hash, others are good for flower.

Orantes recommends the Blooberry Pie (Z-Pie x Bell Springs Blooberry), as well as the Blooberry Headband (707 Headband x Bell Springs Blooberry) for hash production.

Blooberry Pie should yield more and finish faster, with a wholesome blueberry pie aroma and flavor. The Blooberry Headband may take longer and yield less, but it has the most hype. The Headband and blueberry terps hit like a musical mix of high and low frequencies.

Each regular pack should have the typical polyhybrid spread of phenotypes: a mom-leaner, a dad-leaner, several hybrids of both parents and a recessive weirdo.

Mendo said growers can expect “more of a broader spectrum as far as the Blueberry lineage goes, as well as some of those deep killer blueberry jelly terps.”

Orantes said, “If you’re like me, you’re just praying for the weirdo ones.”

Blooberry Zruntz ((Z x Runtz) x Bell Springs Blooberry), IC Bloobies ((Ice Cream Cake x Sherbert) x Bell Springs Blooberry) and Black Truffle Blooberry (Black Truffle Gelato x Bell Springs Blooberry) will be your top 40 radio hits for cash cropping.

BLUE BELLES

In honor of the blueberry bloom of 2026, here’s a roundup of Blueberry strains we’re seeing out there.

All respect goes to Oregon breeder, legend and super-nice guy DJ Short.

His 1998 F4 Blueberry is $59 for four feminized seeds.

DJ Short told the Leaf that the Blueberry cultivar stays uniquely effective, and it’s always satiating.

THE HEADBAND AND BLUEBERRY TERPS HIT LIKE A MUSICAL MIX OF HIGH AND LOW FREQUENCIES.

“I call it tolerance threshold, or burnout, and Blueberry shines there,” he said. “It’s the sense of satisfaction that applies beautifully to the Blueberry. That’s why she’s holding through this test of time.”

DJ Short’s son continues the mission as the brand Blue Star Seed Co. with Candied Blueberries F1 (Zkittlez x 1998 F4 Blueberry S1) and Stoned Berry F1 (Chem D x 1998 F4 Blueberry S1), which he said has “pungent, raunchy, chemical-diesel aromas with grape hash, apple cider and berry pastry notes.”

The brand Life is an Adventure has a Blue Cheese (Big Buddha Cheese x Blueberry) that’s $25 for three fems.

Atlas Seeds sells a Blue Dream Auto (Blue Dream Auto x Blue Dream Auto) that “can be set loose outdoors and it does its thing without a lot of fuss,” according to its product description.

In clone form, the widely respected Rebel Grown also has Blue Dream cuts for $99.

New in 2026, Blueberry Honey from Humboldt Seed Company smells and tastes just like it sounds.

Got a favorite blue strain we missed? Send recommendations to david.downs@gmail.com

STORY by DAVID DOWNS @DAVIDDOWNS for LEAF NATION See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

COURTESY

TERPHOGZ BLOOBERY

edible of the month

SPACEPOPPERS.COM

leafmagazines.com

18

SPACE POPPERS @SPACEPOPPERS

Snacks.. in...Space!

Some things in life are meant to be, seemingly willed into existence through a mix of cosmic coincidence.

Space Poppers infused popcorn might be one of those fated-to-happen occurrences, and after opening a bag of their churro flavor, I couldn’t be happier that it is.

Space Poppers co-creators Rodolfo Goncalves and Sara Schonour

CREATED BY Sara Schonour and Rodolfo Goncalves — alongside Schonour’s wife, Shantel Schonour, who runs logistics and back-office operations — Space Poppers is very much a family-built brand. Their current lineup of four Cannabis-infused gourmet popcorn flavors includes Sea Salt Caramel, Chicago Style, Sweet Chili and, my personal standout, Churros.

Superbly crunchy, with a delicious cinnamon-sugar flavor layered over warm vanilla notes, the Churros popcorn is almost impossible not to eat by the handful.

Each bite hits with a satisfying blast of sweetness and spice, delivering a consistent crunch. Their precisely deployed use of mushroom popcorn, named for its distinctive shape when popped, is what gives this treat its signature shape and superior texture. It’s almost impossible to stop munching on, and because of their consumption-minded dosing, you don’t have to hesitate before reaching back into the bag again.

apr. 2026

… They first met during COVID-19 while competing on, and ultimately winning, Netflix’s series “Baking Impossible.”

Space Poppers are designed for exactly that kind of experience. Available in two dosage formats, 25 milligrams or 100mg per bag — which translates to either 1mg or 2mg per piece, respectively — they make it easy to dial in your ideal consumption, whether you’re sharing with friends or settling in solo for a movie night.

That intentionality is important for Sara Schonour and Goncalves, who had very different relationships with Cannabis when they first met during COVID-19 while competing on, and ultimately winning, Netflix’s series “Baking Impossible.”

Sara Schonour, a lifelong enthusiast of the plant, was initially looking for help creating infused treats for a bachelorette party, and at first overlooked Goncalves, who was a complete Cannabis novice at the time. A few years of trial and error later, the duo refined their approach, developing a distillate-based caramel infusion that evenly coats each kernel.

Not new to popcorn, the pair first showcased their creativity on the show by building a car out of popcorn, a sign of the technical precision they now bring to Space Poppers.

STORY by JAKE KERN @KUSHANDCURDS for @NORTHEASTLEAFMAG | PHOTOS by SPACE POPPERS

NFCNY.COM @NOFOCANNACO

This is definitely an active, thoughtprovoking strain, which is further complemented by its taste.

concentrate of the month

NORTH FORK CANNABIS COLLECTIVE

19

Long Island’s North Fork Cannabis Collective has consistently shown that organic and innovative practices yield great products — the Rambutan rosin is no exception.

MY FIRST STEP, as with any good sample I receive, is to photograph it at various magnifications and log it. This process involves focus stacking a series of photographs to achieve a final, full-resolution image. At high magnifications, one can see just how clean a concentrate can be, and from these photos, you can tell you’re working with something special.

Bred by Bloom Seed Co., Rambutan F2 — (Papaya x Guava’z) x (Papaya x Guava’z) — was explored through an in-house pheno hunt and produced as a mixed wash from 24 plants, allowing different expressions of sweet bubblegum and dank, funky fruit to combine. The plants were flowered for 70 days in living soil and then harvested fresh frozen to maintain terpene integrity. North Fork’s Shannon N. Wright had the honor of hand-washing the Rambutan that was then pressed and packaged for our immediate enjoyment.

STORY & PHOTOS by NICO SULIS @SEWLIE for NORTHEAST LEAF @NORTHEASTLEAFMAG

leafmagazines.com

Rambutan Rosin

The rosin, pulled in the 73-59u range, presents light in color with a soft, buddery consistency that suggests careful handling as well as successful pheno hunting and optimal temperature control.

On the nose, it is unforgettable, opening with sharp, tropical and tangy notes of fermented fruit with an underlying funk that takes you back a step.

The high is immediately delightful, delivering an immediate sense of euphoria that effectively relaxes and elevates simultaneously. This is definitely an active, thought-provoking strain, which is further complemented by its taste. The complex flavor and buddery consistency of the rosin also make for a fantastic hash hole.

This super-limited release of Rambutan rosin highlights North Fork’s focus on small-batch, pheno-driven products, giving us a glimpse into their vast and still-expanding potential as they hunt and develop their hash menu.

leafmagazines.com

20

apr. 2026

STRAIN OF THE MONTH

NORTHEAST

Black Maple C ultivated by HARBOR HOUSE C OLLECTIVE

Harbor House Collective’s grow is built around a fully in-house cultivation program in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where the team pheno hunts, grows and processes its own Cannabis. With more than 20 years of legacy cultivation experience rooted in Colombia, the growers prioritize hand-selected genetics and keep tight control over every step of the process, from pheno hunting to final cure. What makes the grow stand out is that everything happens under one roof. The cultivation team can dial in consistency, terpene profile and overall quality in a way that’s still relatively uncommon in the young, often outsourced Massachusetts market.

THEIR BLACK MAPLE is grown from Dulce De Uva x Sherbanger genetics from Bloom Seed. It’s terpy and offers a mountain-like vibe, with a deep citrus and pine aroma, a gassy edge and sweet floral undertones. Its sugary, sticky nugs boast vibrant, light green hues caked in crystals with long orange hairs, making it a total crowd pleaser with high bag appeal. As for the smoke, the sweet, piney inhale hits right between the eyes, giving way to a euphoric, heady high and a heavy body feeling.

The effects build gradually rather than hitting all at once, which makes it easy to settle into the experience without feeling overwhelmed. Black Maple is a truly versatile smoke; great for daytime if your tolerance is solid, and perfect for nighttime if you want to lean into the physical vibe and just zone out. It evokes a peaceful, creative energy, making it an ideal cultivar for letting your brain release all those artsy influences. While it’s not strictly a knock-out level bud, it may put you to sleep softly if the timing is right.

What really stands out here is how clean and smooth the smoke is from start to finish; no harshness on the inhale, just a flavorful, lingering exhale that leaves that citrus-gas profile hanging on your palate. It’s the kind of strain you can revisit throughout the day and night and still appreciate each time, especially if you’re someone who values terpene expression just as much as potency. And as if the top-notch flower wasn’t enough of a reason to try this one, you’ll also be supporting a local-and-minority-owned company run by a family who began growing decades ago in their native Colombia, and has since brought their awardwinning efforts to the heart of Boston. @HARBORHOUSECOLLECTIVEMA 26% THC, 0.79% TERPS

STORY by BRIT SMITH @BRITTHEBRITISH for @NORTHEASTLEAFMAG | PHOTO by HARBOR HOUSE COLLECTIVE HAVE A LEAD ON SOME SERIOUS FIRE? EMAIL JACKIE@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

THE glass ISSUE

MAKING HEADY HISTORY CMOG.ORG @CORNINGMUSEUM @ERICSGLASS

Andrew “AKM” Morris Darby Holm and David Colton

Laceface Glass, Hickory Glass and Phil Siegel

inside the corning museum of glass

22

The Corning Museum of Glass in New York has stood as the repository for the most important contributions to the art of glassblowing since 1951. The museum holds thousands of pieces, dating from ancient civilizations to the work of contemporary artists pushing the field in new directions. However, it wasn’t until 2019 that CMoG acquired its first piece of smokable glassware.

HicDogg, Solfire Glass, Saiyan Glass and Windstar Glass

leafmagazines.com

Sibelley, Babedrienne and Coldberger

“The CMoG Flame Collab has proven to be a resounding success in its first four years, with incredible works brought to life by a few of the top artists in the field.” /// C M O G

Sibelley x Babedrienne

F L A M E C O L L A B L I N E U P S ///

2022 - Dan Coyle (Coyle Creations), Adam Whobrey (Hoobs) and Ryan O’Keefe (Ryno) 2023 - Lacey Walton (Laceface Glass), Chris Vickers (Hickory Glass) and Phil Seigel 2024 - Saiyan Glass, Solfire Glass, HicDogg and Windstar Glass 2025 - Darby Holm, Andrew “AKM” Morris and David Colton 2026 - Sibelle Yuksek, Adrienne DiSalvo and Nicole Berger

MANY SUPERHUMANS of pipe making have visited CMoG to share the finer points of their craft at the now-annual CMoG Flame Collab. Museum manager of hot glass operations Eric Goldschmidt told the Leaf that the Flame Collab came about as a way “to celebrate the artistry and innovation of the flameworking community.” He mentioned how the last 15 years have seen a rapid acceleration of the craft, especially through the collaborative pieces, adding, “much of which has been stirred by artists creating innovative objects for Cannabis consumption."

Goldschmidt added that “the CMoG Flame Collab has proven to be a resounding success in its first four years, with incredible works brought to life by a few of the top artists in the field.”

The event will return for its fifth year in May 2026, inviting a team of artists to spend a week at the museum’s Amphitheater Hot Shop. During that time, the group is challenged to melt their respective styles and visions together, creating one cohesive, sculptural piece. When asked how they choose their artists, Goldschmidt said the team at CMoG works each year to identify an individual with a strong portfolio of collaboration work, and then, like a heist movie, asks them to name their two- to three-person dream team to pull off one epic job. That first year, Dan Coyle called in Adam Whobrey (Hoobs) and Ryan O’Keefe (Ryno) to create a futuristic piece dubbed “D-XG 2052.”

Since then, artists like Phil Seigel, Solfire, HicDogg, Darby and AKM have been invited to share their world-renowned techniques at CMoG. For 2026, CMoG is complementing its major exhibition on Women in the American Glass Studio with a team that Goldschmidt called “some of the strongest women in contemporary flameworking” to illustrate how this legacy remains alive and well. Goldschmidt excitedly revealed to the Leaf that the 2026 lineup includes host Sibelle “Sibelley” Yuksek, along with Adrienne “Babedrienne” DiSalvo and Nicole “Coldberger” Berger. Glass fans who know DiSalvo’s intricate carvings or remember Yusek and Berger’s fire-spouting collaboration from Oregon’s 2023 DFO glass exhibition know that this will be one for the books.

Third annual CMoG Flame Collab final piece: “Cathedral” by HicDogg, Solfire Glass, Saiyan Glass and Windstar Glass.

apr. 2026

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by CORNING MUSEUM See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

THE glass ISSUE

CUSTOMS FOR A CAUSE

Dustin Brandon, left, and Mothership Glass Founder Scott Deppe, dabbing it up in Bellingham, Wash.

mothership glass x dustin brandon

24

Professional athlete. Comedian. Civil rights advocate. Musician. Dustin Brandon

leafmagazines.com

has held many titles throughout his life. For the past nine years, he has worked tirelessly to establish himself as an irrefutable pillar of the Cannabis community.

“I CAME INTO this community as a That’s where Mothership Glass comes medical patient,” Brandon explained. into the story.

“This plant saved my life. My disability Forged in fire, crafted with care and is brittle bones, called osteogenesis annealed with meticulous effort and imperfecta, from birth. I'm 42 years old, dedication, Mothership produces some and I've broken and fractured over 850 of the highest quality functional glass bones throughout my life. I've had close art in the entire world. Captained by to 75 surgeries.” innovative artist Scott Brandon’s story is one Deppe, the enterprise is a “I approached of strength and resilience. collective of some of the Mothership, and most prodigious glassDespite trauma, tragedy I said, ‘I think and a recent bout with blowers in their field. there’s an area COVID that nearly took his “I approached Mothlife, Brandon has consisership, and I said, ‘I think we can fill here tently faced adversity and there’s an area we can in regards to bounced back with unyieldfill here in regards to the the disabled ing perseverance. disabled community, not community.’”

“I grew up in a tough just making glass more -Dustin Brandon upbringing, from foster accessible for people care to state-run facilities, with disabilities, but as a and a school for kids with disabilities,” whole, around the entire community…

Brandon said. “My sister and I got split How can we have disability inclusion?’” up. Her name was Felicia, a year youngBrandon recalled. er than me. In 2018, she lost her life to Mothership invited Brandon to their suicide. When I lost her, it took a while base of operations in Bellingham, to figure out if I could even come back Washington. He tested their entire from that. But eventually I figured out range of products and took measurehow to develop myself all over again, ments, all with a goal of designing the through her, for her. She's my reason for perfect consumption experience. everything.”

Deppe, Justin Johnson and Colin Over this last year, he diligently rebuilt Taylor of Mothership joined Brandon to his health and dove headfirst back into discuss accessibility in functional glass the Cannabis and glass communities. and creating a piece tailored to his

apr. 2026

individual functional needs. They sketched out a plan for a special one-of-one design inspired by his sister, known as “Felicia’s Gift.”

The rig is a Torus/Fab Torus recycler with a sunflower motif and “Felicia’s Gift” engraved at the base. It features a wider base for stability, slightly longer drains for hand grip and a ground-out, interchangeable neck equipped with attachments of different angles, including a hookah hose for increased ergonomic versatility.

“This piece means a lot to me, not only to be a voice for the disabled community, throughout accessibility, through glass and in which ways we consume our medicine, but in how we heal ourselves,” Brandon explained.

Deppe showed care and consideration during the visit. He personally set up the rigs, altered table heights and dialed in water levels to provide the perfect experience.

He even surprised Brandon with an accessory — a topper for a Slurper-style banger — still warm out of the kiln.

“We want to help everyone out and lift everyone up,” Johnson stated. “It's a lot for us to be able to make a piece like this. And I'm happy we're going to be the ones doing it.”

“It’s an honor,” Deppe added. “We just want everybody to have the best smoking experience possible. That's what Mothership is about. So, if we can do something to make it more comfortable or more fun for somebody, we're going to do it.”

With this significant push forward for the accessibility conversation, Brandon’s story has come full circle.

After nine years of grinding hard in the Cannabis industry, he finds himself serving as an advocate not just for himself, but for the greater Cannabis and disability communities as a whole.

“It’s not only about accessibility, but about encouraging people with disabilities to be part of the journey,” Brandon explained.

“I hope this gets the conversation going in the glass community and even in the Cannabis community — from grows to work stations and everything in between.”

A huge amount of appreciation to Dustin and and Mothership for inviting Leaf Magazines into this important conversation on accessibility in Cannabis, and a special shoutout to Crystal Hoffman (@hashinit_) and Jeff Hooten (@casedgod) for coming along for the ride. @2LESSLEGS MOTHERSHIPGLASS.COM @MOTHERSHIP_GLASS

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

THE glass ISSUE

Pinky x Darby Collab

26

leafmagazines.com

Pinky x Darby x Luna Collab

pinky brewtz According to Aaron Gutierrez, even his grandmother calls him “Pinky.”

What began as a childhood nickname has evolved into his professional moniker.

And while Gutierrez is better known as “Pinky Brewtz” in the world of glassblowing, Pinky Brewtz is better known as “the Jaguar Man.”

apR. 2026

Pinky x Quasar Collab

MUCH OF GUTIERREZ’S WORK portrays the image of an Aztec warrior wearing a jaguar helmet, his face inside the gaping mouth, head wreathed in feathers. His rigs seem almost ceremonial and have become high-priced items in the world of glass.

Reached at his home in San Diego, Gutierrez told Leaf Magazines, “From the beginning, I knew I wanted to represent the culture I’m from. To not just be a Hispanic glassblower, but to try and carry forward some of that traditional art from Mexico.”

Obsessed with the artistic styles of Mayan and Aztec history, he said he wanted to use glass to create art much like how artisans from regions like Sinaloa, Jalisco and Oaxaca have done for generations.

Pinky x Quasar Collab

Pinky x Darby Collab

Pinky x Cowboy Collab

“There’s an aesthetic I’m trying to put out, and that’s one that represents Mexican culture.”

Pinky x Darby x Luna Collab

Gutierrez became Pinky when he got into a fight as a kid and needed something to hold his pants up. The only thing he could borrow — which would become the makeshift weapon that won him the fight — was a friend’s pink belt. He said he hated the nickname, but by the time he was in high school, even his family called him Pinky. So when he was thinking about what to call his brand, he said, “I just wanted to keep it simple with something people already know me as.”

He was working as part owner of a clothing company back in 2014 when he first discovered glassblowing. Visiting a friend in San Luis Obispo, Gutierrez said they smoked DMT, and his buddy showed him a pendant he had just finished making. He said looking at the universe of colors and patterns, knowing they were all produced by human hands, blew his mind.

Before that, Gutierrez said he imagined bongs and pipes were made by machines.

Finding out it was a craft lit a fire within him, and he jumped onto eBay to order his first torch.

At first, he said he was making more generalized imagery, like feathered serpents and alebrijes. But his whole trajectory changed the day Gutierrez proposed to his wife, Ruth Gutierrez, at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico. To celebrate, they smoked a bowl from the only thing they had: a traditional clay whistle in the shape of a jaguar’s head. Ruth Gutierrez remarked how cool it would be if he could make pipes and dab rigs like that.

On their way down the pyramid, Gutierrez said his wife’s ring dropped in between the stones. At the time, they saw it as a tragedy, but he said they’re now convinced that “it was the sacrifice the gods required to put us on the path we’re on now. It changed my life forever; that moment shaped me as a married man, a father and an artist.”

Since then, Pinky Brewtz has solidified an artistic style and gone on to collaborate with prominent names in glassblowing, including Elbo, Darby Holm and Banjo.

Gutierrez said he has a group of collectors who seek out his art and has been able to meet fans from all over the world.

With so much of his inspiration coming from traditional Mexican artisans, Gutierrez feels a responsibility to support the community and the heritage that his work springs from.

He told the Leaf he donates portions of his U.S. sales to charities in Mexico and collaborates to showcase the work of traditional artisans, like his collaboration with third-generation wood-carver Efraín Fuentes. Gutierrez said he’s always looking for ways to work with these artists to create modernized versions of traditional craft.

“There’s an aesthetic I’m trying to put out, and that’s one that represents Mexican culture,” he said. “The culture is what’s important. AI is going to eat us up. Our history will be deleted if we don’t carry these things forward, and in some small way, that’s what I’m trying to do.” @PINKYBREWTZ

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON | PHOTOS by WIND HOME @WINDHOME See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

THE glass GLASS ISSUE

F U S I O N S O F TA L E N T

swissperc x snic Gold-plated medium classic with quartz crystal on the base and fluorite on the swoop

Nate Dizzle @swissperc Snic Barnes @snicbarnesglass (FB)

28

LOVE GLOVE Ram’s classic gun style complemented with hearts by JOP

Joshua Opdenaker J_opdenaker_jop

leafmagazines.com

Ram Mickelsen @ramickelsen

glass collaborations For this year’s annual Glass Issue, the Leaf team decided to deep dive into collaborations. These amazing works of art come to fruition when multiple artists combine their different techniques to create something out of this world. Whether crafted by a couple of shop mates or 12 people at a national event, the outcomes show that the best things come from working together. Join us in celebrating these collaborations. Some of them are the latest, and some of them are legends. Turn the pages slowly and enjoy.

apR. 2026

STORY by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JEFF DIMARCO @IAMJEFFDIMARCO

COLLABS

contrabasso x eusheen Basso’s “Singularity” recycler design adorned with Eusheen’s reticello pattern

29

leafmagazines.com

Abracadevi

Banjo @banjoglass Zach Puchowitz @ouchkick

PHOTOS BY @WINDHOME

25 years of combined excellence join forces for the first time

> > C O N T I N U E S N E X T PA G E

PHOTOS by @IAMJEFFDIMARCO (LEFT) & @WINDHOME (RIGHT)

THE glass GLASS ISSUE

> > C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E

COLLABS

leafmagazines.com

30

friendship UV-reactive set by the Main Circle team featuring a Power Pat cap

on the spectrum Complete set of old-school functionals with all the accessories to match

Cowboy @cowboyglasss | Jason Lee @jasonleeglass | Chunk @chunkglasss

apR. 2026

Anthony Van @sleek___ Mike Gong @original_gongster Eli Munster @elimunster

STORY by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by WIND HOME @WINDHOME

31

Mega UV Devi

@banjoglass / @justincarterglass / @pipemaker / @blackfireglassworks / @chacha_chainz / @philsiegelglass @frompy / @lilbearglass / @hardcore_toke / @pogoglass / @co_liicutz / @karmaglass420

PHOTOS by JAMIE ZILL @JLZILL

leafmagazines.com

12 artist UV-reactive masterpiece created for the greater good at the Michigan Glass Project

THE GLASS ISSUE

GLASS ACCESSORIES

Chopsticks Sets

PHOTOS BY@MR.FACET

Emily Marie Glass @emilymarieglass

PHOTOS BY @JESSEJUSTICEPHOTO

32

BEYOND the bong While glass is often the backbone of the sesh, this art form can go far beyond

PHOTO BY @SUGAREIDGLASS

leafmagazines.com

functional smoking pieces. Check out our roundup redefining the unique uses of modern glassblowing.

APR. 2026

fumed glass vases Reid Malek @sugareidglass

diamond of the woods

Middleton Glassworks x Mr. Facet @middleton_glassworks @mr.facet

A Dress Made of Nothing but Glass Katy Scissorbaby @ktscissorbaby

PHOTOS BY @HOLGA80

PHOTO BY @GRACEHELLMAN

square donut decanter Davin Titland @davin_titland

fountain of youth Sculpture, Rig and Ashtray

PHOTO BY @BORO.VISION

Calm Glass @calmbo

> > C O N T I N U E S N E X T PA G E

STORY by KATHERINE WOLF @KATADELLIC for LEAF NATION

> > C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E

THE glass ISSUE

accessories slide mugs Surf Rat Glass @surfratglass

Cropel and Cucumber

PHOTOS BY @SURFRATGLASS PHOTOS BY @RENZOFERRUZOGLASS

leafmagazines.com

34

Dichro Latte

apr. 2026

Latticino Honey

glass drinking vessels

Renzo Ferruzo Glass @renzoferruzoglass

STORY by KATHERINE WOLF @KATADELLIC for LEAF NATION See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

JOIN THE ORIGINAL GRASSROOTS CANNABIS ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION IN MASSACHUSETTS, 31 YEARS ON THE GROUND AND STILL GROWING TOGETHER!

elevate your fate

36

“It feels like I’m playing with lava. I’ll go watch the lava flow, then go straight into the shop and work with something similar.”

THE LAVA BENEATH MY FEET HOW HAWAIIAN LINEAGE, BREATH, SAND AND FLAME SHAPE THE ART OF JULIUS GUTIERREZ

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

There is a moment on the Big Island of Hawaii when your breath slows to the tempo of the crashing waves, you notice the salt and ash in the breeze and you are struck by the sense that Earth is a living ancestor.

apR. 2026

MAYBE IT’S THE MOLTEN LAVA running through the Earth’s caverns beneath your feet, a reminder that this land is the domain of Tutu Pele, the fire goddess of Hawaii. She is our great-grandmother, an ancestral spirit to be respected, honored and approached with deep humility. The type of humble respect a glassblower embodies when the alchemy of these fragile yet timeless creations begins.

It is in this reverence that Julius Gutierrez steps into a relationship with grandfather fire, not as a tool, but as a living elder, one that echoes the same elemental energy as the lava rivers of Pele herself.

At Moe Hot Glass, guided by master glassblower Daniel Moe, Gutierrez has spent eight years shaping more than glass. He is shaping story, lineage and elemental memory, drawing from a land where fire is both destroyer and creator, where Pele’s breath reshapes the island in real time.

Can you introduce yourself in your own words and share what’s been moving through your world lately?

“I’m a farmer, a father, a psychonaut exploring biology, chemistry and playing with different elements,” Gutierrez said. “Nature moves through my reality daily and inspires my work.”

You carry Peruviano and Braziliano roots while living on the Big Island.

How do your bloodlines and the land beneath your feet shape the way you approach the flame?

He speaks of Peru first, of tight-knit Indigenous South American roots bound by the joy of a big familia. It was his familia’s move to Hawaii that awakened his awareness to a deep systemic concern for native sovereignty.

“Seeing what happened here to the Kanaka Maoli tribes lit a fire in me to help represent Indigenous voices,” Gutierrez shared.

His pieces carry that intention: Hawaiian lineage patterns, tribal geometries etched not as decoration, but as protection, remembrance and resistance. In many ways, they mirror the markings of the land itself, lava fissures and flows shaped

by Pele’s hand.

He dreams of one day creating

from Hawaii’s own silica, All Things Cannabisglass Fordirectly All People allowing Pele’s body to become the beardedlorax medium. rickerdj

There’s an alchemy to turning aj.og sand into glass. What does that transformamaaryjwhite tion teach you? leaflifepodcast PODCAST “It teaches you to stay levelheaded

and to let go. Glass breaks. You have to practice nonattachment,” he said.

“There is humility in the flame. No matter the skill, no piece is guaranteed. Beauty can collapse in an “A good homegrown Suinstant, just as land can be reshaped per Silver Haze,” Gutierrez overnight by lava’s flow.” said. “I prefer to dab upliftIn this way, the practice becomes ing strains because they are spiritual, an ongoing lesson in sursimple, clean and quick.” render to forces greater than oneself.

Gutierrez works primarily with Have you blown your own smoke chalices? soft glass, an ancient EPISODES: “In my intro to glass class at the univerform known for its #317usMODELING CANNABIS sity, they told we can't &create bongs. So fluidity and sensitiviBONGS naturally, I#314 made it a point to create a few ty. Unlike more rigid of them,” he with SKATING a smirk &ofCANNABIS rebellion. materials, it requires #310said ROLLER “Those pieces, onceINeveryday constant attention. #303 TECH CANNABIStools, are now cherished artifacts marking the begin“You’re fully #296 TOLERANCE BREAKS ning of my collection.” dancing with it,” he #294 MUSHROOMS explained. “The pro#285 HOW TO BE A GREAT BUDTENDER Many people see glassblowing as a craft, cess is physical, sweat, more! What does it but othersand feelsoit many is a ceremony. movement, breath, an represent to you? orchestration of body THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS “I feel like the very act of glassblowing and molten elements.” is ceremonial,” he said. “When you get That intimacy gives EVERYWHERE into the flow state with the flame, it’s like a his pieces a living qualtrance, everything else falls away.” ity. His lava vessels feel Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit-forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment.

Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.

Here, fire becomes more than heat; it like they’re still flowing, like they could becomes a teacher. The process demands shift at any moment. His ocean forms full presence, where breath and hold motion within stillness, echoing flame cocreate form. the meeting place of land and sea.

One sculptural piece — an open, Living on an island where lava womb-like form lined with crystalline flows beneath the surface, do you green — was inspired by the place feel a relationship between his daughter, Andará, was conceived, your work and that living merging land, lineage and life into a earth energy? single form.

“It feels like I’m playing with lava,” he What do you hope people feel said. “I’ll go watch when they hold your work? the lava flow, then go “Childlike wonder,” he said straight into the shop simply. “Curiosity for underand work with somestanding how these pieces were thing similar.” made.”

The connection is Perhaps that is the true medicine visceral. Lava and glass of his work, not just the visual repare both born of heat, resentation of the objects themselves, both carrying the story of but the feeling they awaken. A return transformation. to the youthful essence of awe.

“In those moments, the boundary beIn a world that often forgets its tween studio and landscape dissolves. The connection to the elements, Gutierrez furnace becomes a contained volcano, the stands in the fire as both student and blowpipe an extension of breath,” Gutierstoryteller. Through flame and form, rez said. “I’ve even joked about blowing he reminds us OGs that creativity is a glass from the lava herself.” living ceremony in motion.

Our readers love Pakalolo.

Do you have a favorite strain or preferred method of consumption?

LISTEN

leafmagazines.com

LeafLifePodcastAd-May2025-10.5x12.25-FNL.indd 1

@leaflifepodcast4185

4/19/25 8:51 AM

@AWORLDOFJULIUS HUHONUAAQUAPONICS.COM @INKA_GLASS | @MOEHOTGLASS MOEHOTGLASS.COM

STORY by ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR @AJ.OG @ELEVATE_YOUR_FATE Photos Courtesy Julius Gutierrez | See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

ADVERTISE WITH THE LEAF! support exclusive cannabis journalism! in print since 2010!

EMAIL RICKER@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM UP NEXT! THE CONCENTRATES ISSUE / JULY 2025 / EMAIL PAIGE@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM FOR INFO & RATES!

Shop for for Shop high end high end genetics genetics @thecultureseedbank @thecultureseedbank

cannthropology

PRESENTS

leafmagazines.com

38

Birth of the Bong AFRICAN ORIGINS Evidence suggests that bongs originated in Africa sometime in the 12th century. In the late 1800s, archaeologists documented how various tribes in Eastern and Southern Africa would smoke “dagga” or “dakka” out of holes in the ground, using bowls fashioned from mud or clay and inhaling through a hollow reed — a primitive apparatus known as an “earth pipe.”

In an article from a 1910 edition of the German anthropological journal “Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie,” (reprinted in the 1975 book “Cannabis and Culture”), a Dr. Moszcik confirmed that the Ngoni, a tribe near the Zambia/Zimbabwe border, used such an earth pipe that utilized water filtration: “A hollow tube is stuck into one of the pits to act as a mouthpiece and prevent particles of earth entering the smoker’s mouth. Hemp is then placed in the bowl and kindled. A little water is poured into the duct and the native lies flat or kneels down and inhales the smoke through the water.”

ETHIOPIAN EXCAVATION In 1971, Boston University doctoral student J.C. Dombrowski discovered 11 pipes made from animal horns, stone and pottery in the Natchabiet Caves of Lalibela,

APR. 2026

Ethiopia. Among these were two ceramic pipe bowl fragments dating from between 1,100 and 1,400 C.E. that tested positive for Cannabis.

In his paper “Cannabis Smoking in 13th-14th Century Ethiopia: Chemical Evidence,” archeologist Nikolaas J. Van Der Merwe wrote of the fragments: “Both bowls formed part of waterpipes; an aperture at the bottom of the bowl allows for the attachment of a vertical stem, which presumably descended into a water container.”

Then, in 1945, archaeologist Mary Leakey uncovered a waterpipe crafted from a gourd in Tanzania. This discovery may provide insight into the origin of the word “bong,” as apparently, there lived a tribe in nearby Kenya known as the Bong’om. There’s also a town in Liberia named Bong, which may or may not be connected.

THAI HIGH Nevertheless, conventional wisdom holds that the term bong actually originated in Thailand as an anglicized version of the word “baung” — a reasonable presumption, considering that the earliest written record of the word bong appears in a 1944 Thai-English dictionary which defines it as “a cylindrical piece of wood with

A bong merchant in Yuanyang, China takes a smoke break.

DAVE STAMBOULIS / ALAMY

To many hardcore heads, their bong is more than just a piece of paraphernalia — it’s a reflection of their personal style — even a symbol of their stoner status. Sure, joints are great, but there’s nothing quite like a fat rip from a baller headpiece to go from sober to slobber in 4.20 seconds flat. So fire it up, fill that chamber and get ready to inhale the totally tubular history of the bong.

a hole, chamber, or slot; a bamboo waterpipe for smoking kancha, hashish, or the hemp-plant.”

Regardless, the crafting of bamboo bongs is an ancient tradition deeply rooted in Thai culture. As thaibong.com explains: “This is not merely a tool, but a reflection of a way of life, a history, and an art form passed down through generations.”

SILK ROAD MIGRATION Thanks to the legendary Silk Road and the East India Company, tobacco arrived in the Orient during the 16th-century Ming Dynasty, and smoking it from blinged-out metal waterpipes became all the rage among royalty and the upper classes.

In fact, Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing dynasty was reportedly so fond of her waterpipes that she was buried with three of them.

It’s also through the Silk Road that bongs eventually made their way to Middle East trading hubs, then on to Europe sometime in the 17th century.

With tobacco flowing in from the Americas, some Europeans began using waterpipes to imbibe, but they never became as popular as they were in Asia and Africa. It would take three more centuries (and a countercultural revolution) before the bong would catch on in America.

Wood and bone ceremonial bong of the Lega tribe in Congo, Africa.

“The bong is not merely a tool,

COMING TO AMERICA During the 1960s and early 1970s, many U.S. soldiers fighting in South Asia started smoking Cannabis to help them sleep and cope with the daily traumas of war. It was these Vietnam vets who brought the bong home to America, where they were soon embraced by the weed-fueled hippie movement.

“During the Vietnam War, American GIs on R&R would come to Thailand to kick back and relax To the mainstream, Rumph for a while before being sent back to fight in the was best known for his movie Vietnamese jungles. It was there that they discovcharacter mugs, such as ered the bong,” explained Thai writer Nuttawat E.T., King Kong, Attasawat. “[Bongs] were smuggled back to the Superman, and United States, where they became an integral part his highly of American Cannabis culture.” successful With the proliferation of headshops over the next Star Wars sedecade, bongs grew ever more accessible and popries. But for the ular — becoming the preferred smoking method for Jim Rumph at his studio. counterculture, countless stoners and a symbol of the counterculture. it was his cadre of To meet this demand, some American artists and entrepreneurs whimsical fantasy-themed bongs for which he’s began manufacturing a new style of bongs made from ceramics. revered. From skulls and snakes to dragons and demons, Pegasi and unicorns to wizards EARTHWORKS and topless maidens — Rumph’s sword-andThe first U.S. ceramic bong manufacturer was a comsorcery smokeware were some of the most pany called Earthworks. Best known for their iconic sought-after stoner collectibles of the era.

Old Man Bongs, Earthworks was founded in 1971 by an OG stoner we’ll call Mr. Thomas, since he prefers G.GRAPHICS V. GRAFFIX his real name not be revealed.

Around the dawn of the “In 1971, newly married and always getting high, 1980s, a new material for I needed to find a way to make some money,” making bongs emerged: Thomas told World of Cannabis. “So I started acrylic. Compared to waEarthworks in a garage I rented, and we began terpipes of the past, acrylic making bongs.” bongs were cheaper and Within a year, he’d expanded the operation into more durable. Pioneers of U.S. Bongs ad in a 2,000 square foot facility, purchased some used this plastic paraphernalia High Times. equipment, and hired “30 very friendly stoned included U.S. Bongs from hippies” to mass produce his Old Man Bongs. By Rockville, Maryland (allegedly the first to fea1973, Thomas and his team were cranking out ture pull-out downstem carbs) and a MilwauOld Man about 1,200 a day, which they sold to headshops, kee-based company called G.Graphics.

Bong sales reps and distributors for $5 each.

Founded by a stoner named Todd Galanter, Earthworks eventually produced 724,400 of its Old Man G.Graphics bongs originally consisted of a tin pieces, making it the top-selling bong of the decade and a can filled with concrete and a PVC tube with subcultural phenomenon. Old Man Bong clubs began forma hole drilled in it for a metal stem. Eventually ing all over the country, and the Earthworks factory became a Galanter shifted production from his basement stoner tourist attraction. Thomas even claims he and his crew apartment to a warehouse and upgraded his buried a slew of bongs all around the country. materials. Though mostly sold only at local “There are over 50 burial sites for Old Man Bongs, protected headshops in Wisconsin and Illinois, G.Graphin cypress boxes for future discovery,” he told WOC. “I believed ics bongs became extremely popular in the then that we were making something that quite possibly would greater Midwest. Nevertheless, Galanter apbe found by archaeologists thousands of years later.” pears to have shut the company down in 1990.

Sadly, Thomas’ bong empire ended in 1983, when he sold But by far the most well-known bong the company and quit Cannabis. Now retired and in his manufacturer of that era was a brand 70s, he hasn’t smoked weed in over forty years. whose name sounded suspiciously similar to Galanter’s: Graffix. Any American THE SLYME FACTORY who was getting high in the 1990s is Another popular 1970s ceramic bong maker was a zany undoubtedly familiar with Graffix’s iconic artist from Missouri named Jim Rumph. jester skull logo and most likely found Inspired as a child by Mad magazine, sci-fi books, and themselves choking up a hit from one of fantasy artists, Rumph became an underground illustrator their long, colorful tubes at some point. and graphic artist during the 1960s before switching to ceGraffix was founded in 1988 in Tucson, ramics in the ’70s. Operating out of Southern California, his Arizona … but beyond that, there’s companies, Mind Circus and Slyme Factory, began selling shockingly little information available fantasy-themed pottery, drinking vessels, and yes, bongs. about this iconic, enigmatic brand.

but a reflection of a way of life, a history and an art form passed down through generations.”

Classic Graffix straight tube bong.

KEEP CALM AND BONG ON Despite their artistic value, bongs are still classified as drug paraphernalia by the U.S. government under the Controlled Substances Act, and are therefore federally illegal to import, export, sell or transport across state lines.

To get around this law, headshops have historically posted signs stating that their smokeware was for “tobacco use only,” and forbade use of the word “bong” in their stores. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the Justice Department from launching Operation Pipe Dreams in 2003, driving many bong makers and retailers out of business. Luckily, this beleaguered industry has made a triumphant comeback over time. Today, with Cannabis legal in so many states, paraphernalia sales are permitted under state law in much of the country and estimated by several market research firms to be a $73 billion market.

After nearly a millennium, the humble bong has proven itself to be more than just some clever contraption for getting high — it’s an enduring international artifact of humanity’s heritage, and an ever-evolving symbol of Cannabis culture that continues to bring joy to millions of stoners around the world.

Bobby Black is a former senior editor and 21-year veteran of High Times magazine, executive director of the World of Cannabis Museum Project, and host of the Cannthropology podcast. For more Cannabis history visit cannthropology.com.

STO RY b y B O B BY B LAC K @ CAN N T H RO PO LO G Y for LEA F NAT IO N

BONG PHOTOS COURTESY OF WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM PROJECT

THE GLASS MENAGERIE In the 1990s, borosilicate glass established the new standard for smokeware thanks largely to “Godfather of Glass” Bob Snodgrass. Snodgrass and his early apprentices — such as Jason Harris (Jerome Baker), Chris Shave of JAH (Just Another Hippie) Creations, Dan K, and Cam Tower — went on to found the functional glass industry as we know it today. In fact, it was allegedly Tower who first crafted what we now consider the classic bong shape — a bubble-like base with a long, straight tube — out of a single, solid fused piece of glass. (See Cannthropology April 2021 and April 2023).

These boro bongs have enabled myriad new innovations, such as fuming (aka color-changing glass), cooling ice catchers, smoke-diffusing percolators and multi-chamber recyclers.

Over the past three decades, glassblowing has become the art form of choice for many Cannabis lovers who create and collect mind-blowing heady works of functional art worth thousands of dollars.