As a teenager growing up in Southern California during the transition from “medicinal marijuana” to “legal cannabis,” the idea of a pack of joints existing like a pack of cigarettes was but a spark of excitement for a distant future. Now, not only is the joint pack a reality, it's a multi-dimensional universe.
Infused joints, king-size joints, tarantula joints, multi-strain packs — the list is never-ending. Then you have the ubiquitous mini-joint packs.
There's a number of reasons that mini-joints have become a preferred method of puffing prerolls. First, the size lends itself to new consumers who might find a giant joint covered in kief daunting. Second, it's discreet in that you can take a quick smoke break, become the perfect amount of high in a mere matter of minutes, and return to the function with Karens none the wiser. Third, weed is strong enough these days to warrant just a couple puffs — I'm a huge stoner, and almost never finish a normal-sized joint alone in one sitting.
The only issue I have with mini-joints is that they get super dry, tasteless, and harsh rather quickly. That's why, when searching for the perfect mini-joint, quality is everything.
Enter Dogwalkers, a preroll line from cannabis conglomerate Green Thumb Industries, a national cannabis goods company and owner of Rise dispensary chain. While I don't usually reach for corporate cannabis products when it's time to blaze, I don't feel that eliminating products just because they come from the corporate side of weed is exactly fair either.
TLDR: Dogwalkers are great. They're some of the best and, perhaps more importantly, consistent mini-joints on the market, beautifully packaged with a buoyant high to match. The particular pack of Dogwalkers I reviewed is the Hybrid blend dubbed Stay. Each 0.35g mini-joint (there are five in the pack) contains pre-ground Strawberry Kush cannabis, a cross between Strawberry Cough and OG Kush.
First impressions
I wholeheartedly believe that when it comes to legal cannabis you can in fact judge a book by its cover. So, the first thing that struck me about this product, as all products I've reviewed over my years in the industry, is its aesthetic.
The outer box is a dark green matte texture that feels smooth in your hands. The gold lettering is reminiscent of a nineties Eddie Bauer look, or even Orvis, and has a cool, asexual appeal. The smaller tin box within is perfect for throwing in a bag or pocket. It's well made and not going to spill out, which is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to preroll packs. Overall, they clearly put a ton of money into the design and execution of this packaging.
Aroma
Most prerolls don't smell too loud in the paper, and these are no exception. As opposed to smelling prerolls, I think the best way to pre-test a preroll is to do what is called a “dry hit,” where you take a hit of the joint unlit.
The dry hit was pleasant, subtle, and overall flavorful. Fruity, piney, and a little tangy, you can really taste the dominant terpenes, which is the sign of a good, dry hit.
Appearance
Dogwalkers are well made, taught, and strong to the touch. Upon the first hit, it appeared to burn evenly, and I was impressed by the structural integrity throughout the smoking experience.
Flavor
Fruity notes come to the forefront of a profile that actually tasted like strawberries with a tart, lemony finish. Another way I like to judge flavor in joints is if the flavor lingers for a while after the exhale, and the sumptuous strawberry lemonade flavor definitely remains. Strawberry Cough can often be a harsh smoke, so it was nice to see that this Strawberry Kush got all the strawberry and none of the cough.
Effectiveness
These joints are extremely effective in getting you high really fast, which is exactly what it's designed to do. I actually smoked the mini-joint in three separate sittings, which is really saying a lot for its potency given it's such a small preroll.
The high feels like a mix of limonene, caryophyllene, and myrcene — uplifting, anxiety-relieving, and ultimately relaxing — which would make sense given the cross of the Strawberry Cough and the OG Kush strains.
Experience
In fitting with Dogwalker's air of discretion, I smoked the joint outside after crawling out the window of my childhood bedroom at my mom's house. (I was staying there for the weekend.) I got high enough off a couple of poofs and climbed back through the window. The whole thing took about two minutes total, which was great because sneaking in and out of windows to smoke weed is a weird look for someone my age.
I use weed to work a lot, so I like to see how products play into my creativity and writing process. This is actually a really good joint for work as you feel uplifted enough to be productive, but not bogged down by anxiety or couch lock. I think a lot of creative work is transcending all the annoying stuff about existing to get to a point where you can bring thoughts from your mind into the physical world, and this made that transition process seamless and fluid. I got a lot of work done, and then started to feel sleepy and cozy towards the end of the high.
Bottom line
As you can see, I really enjoyed these mini-joints. Potent flower, chic branding, good burn — they kind of have it all. As someone who has tried pretty much every mini-joint on the market, the genre can be a bit of a dodgy bunch. These deliver.
Featured image courtesy of Dogwalkers/Weedmaps
