Best holiday gifts for fancy weed lovers

Senior Features Writer

Nov. 2, 2022 9 AM PT

This is part of the L.A. Times 2022 Gift Guide. See the full guide here.

As the 2022 holiday season rolls around, cannabis — and the ever-expanding world of tools and accoutrement that key into it — is firmly out of the closet. Well-heeled weed heads are no longer willing to make an either-or choice between things that make them feel good and things that look good on the coffee table, kitchen counter, window sill — or anywhere around the home their heavy-lidded eyes might wander. This list was compiled with those people and the people shopping for them this holiday season in mind.

A Weed Is a Flower

The cannabis plant in its natural state, with its slender stalk, graceful palmate leaves and serrated leaflets, is a thing of singular beauty as aesthetically different from those dried jars of flowers as a cow in the field is from shrink-wrapped hamburger patties in the supermarket. The folks at Broccoli magazine celebrate that beauty in a coffee-table-worthy hardcover photo book of artful cannabis photography that was published late last year. The title on the cover is a reference to a 1911 quote by poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox (“A weed is but an unloved flower”), and the 168 pages in between are filled with magical photos that showcase the plant’s beauty. It includes cannabis ikebana (the Japanese art of floral arranging that juxtaposes the delicate plant with others including tansy, chamomile and bird of paradise), ghostly X-Ray-like cyanotypes, close-ups of pollinator insects momentarily at rest on bowed leaves and even some comical shots of lady slippers and pitcher plants posed with smoking joints, which leaves you wondering how “Little Shop of Horrors’” Audrey II would fare with the munchies.

$39 at Broccoli

Køl 2.0 pipe

Launched in November 2021, Høj (the Danish word for “high”) is all-minimalist Danish design (the London-based company’s founder and Chief Executive Simon Folmann hails from Denmark) on the outside and technological wizardry under the hood. The flagship product is a pipe called the Køl (“cool”) 2.0 and it’s an aerodynamic, matte black chunk of aluminum about 6 inches long. It’s two chunks of aluminum, actually, held together with rare earth magnets. Pulling the two halves apart reveals the pipe’s magic innards; a textured surface and a vortex shape (inspired by the scales of the mako shark, according to the company’s website) that both rapidly cools the smoke and catches more of the impurities that come with combusting cannabis than just a screen alone. (The screen in this pipe, which ships with two extras, is titanium-coated stainless steel.) The company also sells a slightly smaller version of the pipe (Køl mini 2.0) and an equally ingenious grinder (Klip) that uses stainless steel blades to cut (instead of tear) cannabis flower to a smokable consistency.

$100 at Høj

Substance mini joints

Though there’s no shortage of cannabis brands that raise awareness and funds for social justice issues, there aren’t any who put it front and center quite the way Venice, Calif.-based Sharoz Makarechi does. With the mantra of “reparations through cannabis,” she launched her first art-centric give-back brand called Substance in April 2021. Inside each flip-top box is a dozen super-small (.28 gram) pre-rolled joints (perfect for the solo smoke). On the outside of each box is one of three works commissioned from watercolor artist Sinclair Chase Korte: a clenched fist, a peace sign or the Vulcan “live long and prosper” gesture. Also, $8.46 (a number referencing the eight minutes and 46 seconds George Floyd was pinned to the ground gasping for breath with a police officer’s knee on his neck) from the sale of each pack goes to Impact/Justice to help end mass incarceration.

$50 via Substance stockists

Cannabis botanical illustration art print

This limited-edition print from Goldleaf, a Cincinnati-based design company that also makes cannabis journals and reference cards, depicts a female cannabis plant in the retro-throwback style of those hand-drawn botanical illustrations that were so two centuries ago. This one is modern-day, though — a pen-and-ink illustration by Nathan Maggard is printed (in the U.S.) on thick matte archival paper and available in two sizes: 18-by-24 inches or 24-by-36 inches.

$35.99-$45.99 at Goldleaf

Concentrate storage case

L.A.-based Apothecarry (founded by Whitney Beatty, who is also the founder and chief executive of Josephine & Billie’s dispensary) was launched on the premise that it’s time to ditch the shoebox — i.e. cannabis and all its accoutrements deserve not to be stored away in the top of the closet but displayed proudly. The result was a range of humidor-like lock boxes with elegantly appointed interiors that helped keep jars of herb fresh, organized and secure. Now Beatty’s trying to similarly elevate the experience for cannabis concentrate users (a.k.a. dabbers) with the Dabney, a sturdy, handsome wooden case with a glass lid that showcases 24 clear, food-safe jars perfect for holding the various waxes, shatters, crumbles and oils that dabbers prize for their varying consistencies and colors. A lidded box on one side is designed to hold dabbing tools and supplies. The fun part? There’s an LED light board embedded in the lid (powered by a 9V battery) that gives an extra punch of theatricality to the light-framed concentrate jars.

$229 at Apothecarry

The Billie bubbler

This bubbler (think of it as a kind of bong/pipe hybrid), which doubles as a bud vase when not in use, actually inspired the theme of this year’s cannabis gift guide. It’s from Wandering Bud, a five-woman team that designs and hand-makes a range of artsy — and cute as the dickens — earthenware smoking devices (bongs, pipes and chillums among them) in a Kansas City, Mo., studio. This one, dubbed the Billie, is the bestseller of the bunch, according to founder Riley Brain, and it’s easy to see why. Clocking in at around 7 inches tall with a glazed finish (the one pictured above is in a shade called moss; it’s also available in lilac, pearl and canyon), it’s almost impossible to tell that it’s a smoking device at all thanks to the concealed downstem, unobtrusive side carb and a bowl that’s nothing more than an indent with four tiny holes. For standard shipping, orders need to be placed by Dec. 15 for Christmas delivery. For expedited shipping, the deadline is Dec. 21.

$195 at Wandering Bud

Houseplant Ashtray Set by Seth

The flagship product of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s ever-expanding home-goods universe, this three-piece set was designed by budding ceramist Rogen (not all of the brand’s offerings are) to cater to his style of cannabis consumption. The centerpiece is a deep glazed earthenware ashtray about as big around and twice as tall as a sake cup that gives it a deep well to ash in. It also features a curved notch in the lip that serves as a temporary perch for an in-progress joint. The ashtray nestles neatly in a saucer that can also double as a second ashtray or place to stash matches or a lighter. The third piece, a matching tiny bud vase, adds a touch of whimsy to the set, which, in its entirety, is handsome enough to take a place of pride in any living room worth being in.

$98 at Houseplant

Marley Natural walnut and glass bubbler

Marley Natural might’ve launched in 2016 as the “official Bob Marley cannabis brand,” but in the years since, it’s made its reputation not by strip-mining the late reggae singer’s legacy but by offering an edited collection of thoughtfully designed, well-made smoking accessories. Among them is the bubbler crafted from handblown borosilicate glass and sustainably grown black walnut wood. The result is science-lab function and organic warmth with the heft in the hand of a luxe lighter or high-end writing implement. The parts unscrew easily for cleaning, which is a good thing because a piece this beautiful deserves to stay beautiful use after use.

$120 at Marley Natural

Puffco Proxy

Puffco, the L.A.-based company whose stylish Peak portable concentrate vaporizer changed the way people dabbed, is back with another game-changer: a modular vaporizer with steampunk vibes that aims to be the centerpiece of an entire cannabis consumption ecosystem. Nestled in a glass pipe-shaped mouthpiece that looks like something your grandfather might have puffed on in his study back in the day, the heart and brains is a base unit about the size and shape of a film canister that can easily be swapped into other mouthpieces. (It’s something the company decided to do after watching the boom in creative after-market glass for the Peak). It also features a 3-D heating chamber, meaning it heats concentrates from the sides as well as the bottom for a better draw, and the option of swapping a flower bowl (sold separately) into the glass-pipe base so non-concentrated can be consumed all Sherlock Holmes-like.

$299.99 at Puffco

Rose Los Angeles X Nünchi CDB edibles

CBD Turkish delights by Rose Los Angeles X Nunchi

Rose Los Angeles, a brand known for its THC-infused take on Turkish delights, has partnered with haute jelly-cake maker Lexie Park of Nünchi (whose artistic foodstuffs have appeared on the menu at Chifa as well as in projects for Nike, Skims and the Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show) for a pair of seasonal CBD-infused flavors packed in delightfully bubble-festooned boxes. The bubbles are a nod to the bubble-tea-inspired flavors inside; Nünchi Boba Mixed Citrus Oolong combines the flavor of oranges, grapefruits and lemons (from Bernard Ranch), bergamot and Ruby Oolong tea from San Francisco-based Song Tea and is infused with Silver Haze flower rosin from Elli-Hou Farms. The Nünchi Strawberry Jasmine Boba (pictured) uses Sour Lifter flower rosin from the same farm along with Song Tea’s Snow Jasmine green tea and Albion and Mara De Bois strawberries from Chino Farms. (Note: Because these don’t contain THC, they can be ordered online and ship almost anywhere in the U.S.)

$45 at Rose Los Angeles

Floral-print vaporizer battery

Necessity is the mother of invention as the proverb goes, and so it is with L.A.-based House of Tyne, which local cannabis brand PR maven and entrepreneur Ralina Shaw founded when she couldn’t find vaping accessories that reflected her personal style. Shaw doesn’t reinvent the wheel with her brand’s flagship product — pen-like rechargeable vaporizer batteries compatible with 510-thread vape cartridges — but she does give it a dash of eye-catching design. Well, two designs, actually: Flora (pictured above), which wraps the battery in a bold tropical wallpaper-like design, and Posh Pink, which is a solid color somewhere near dusty rose.

$19.99 at House of Tyne

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Monogram OG Handroll

Before you scoff at the notion of throwing down $50 for a 1.5 gram pre-rolled joint — even as a gift for the cannabis connoisseur in your life — you need to know a few things. First, the OG Handroll is from Jay-Z’s pot luxe brand Monogram. Second, this joint, nestled in a sleek, matte black tube with a screw on top, is inspired in its design by the experience of smoking a premium cigar. What does that mean? It means Monogram’s artisan joint rollers break down the flower and then hand roll each one using a special technique (perfected by the brand’s culture & cultivation ambassador DeAndre Watson), resulting in a joint that burns slowly and, like a fine cigar, can be smoked over multiple sessions.

$50 at Calma West Hollywood

Session Goods pipe

When it comes to weed-smoking gear, simple is better, though often at the expense of style. That’s why this pipe is a standout; a futuristic-looking cone of black-tinted borosilicate glass dimpled in a few strategic places to form a bowl, a carb and an ash-catcher near the mouthpiece. What really elevates it, though, is the silicone-carrying sleeve that slips completely over it, both disguising it and allowing it to be ported about with a fully packed bowl on board. The included bent metal loop threads through the narrow end of the sleeve, which turns the whole thing into an innocuous-looking rubbery conical keychain.

$48 at Session Goods

Vessel ashtray

This three-piece ashtray and storage caddy from Carlsbad-based Vessel looks and feels like it could’ve been created in the heyday of the Midcentury Modern movement. The ashtray part is a nearly 4-pound square of pleasingly smooth, white concrete with a spheroid indentation in the center and a notch in two opposite corners. When not in use (or when carrying the ashtray to another room to empty it), a thin slab of walnut wood fits neatly into place over top. Another handsome piece of walnut, this one divided into three compartments (designed to be compatible with the brand’s other smoking gear but suitable for matches, lighter, loose herb or pre-rolled joints ), fits into the base of the ashtray, minimizing the amount of coffee-table real estate needed for a stylish sesh.

$150 at Vessel

Flora Nero hash globe

Launched earlier this year by husband-and-wife team Eli and Anna Peer, L.A.-based design house Flora Nero (which means “black flower,” a nod to hashish — and Eli’s love of it) takes cannabis accessories to ultra-luxe new heights. The first collection, called Other_Worldly and designed by creative director Marc Thorpe, mines the materials and motifs of the Space Race and consists of eight super-swanky pieces made of aluminum, glass and wood. The most eye-catching, jaw-dropping and mind-bending of the bunch is the hash globe, an elevated take on the old hash-under-glass method of smoking. The setup consists of a handblown smoky gray glass globe with a tapered (removable) anodized aluminum mouthpiece that gives the whole thing a slightly Sputnik vibe. The open-bottom end of the globe sits over an aluminum base in which a tapered spike is centered. A chunk of hash (Eli says dry-sift hash works best) is skewered on the spike and lit, and after it burns for a bit the glass is put back in place and the orb fills with smoke that can then be inhaled via the mouthpiece. (The set includes a tiny glass stopper that can be swapped in for the mouthpiece in between hits, another one of the many well-thought-through details.) It’s a party-starter — and the star of the party all in one.

$2,800 at Flora Nero

Rogue Paq Personal-Petal Poppy ashtray

There’s a lot more to this hefty, solid brass Hollywood Regency design-inspired flower than meets the eye. That’s because when not pulling focus in the center of a coffee table, each of the five removable poppy petals can be pulled out to serve as a personal-sized ashtray (for all those party-of-one mini-joints everyone’s smoking these days). Adding to the functionality are five brass toothpick-like stamens that do double duty as tampers/pokers/bowl-cleaners.

$210 at Rogue Paq

16 gorgeous gifts for cannabis fans who appreciate high design