While much of the cannabis industry races to standardize and scale every aspect of production, craft cannabis producers like ROACH Live Resin Vapes have taken an entirely opposite approach.
Offering a highly curated, ever-changing selection, ROACH goes against the grain and is embracing cultivars for their unique characteristics and offering a truly ephemeral experience. Contained in a patented, coin pocket-sized device, these vapes are like little gems filled with small-batch, rare-strain live resin.
Art Kushkyan, co-founder of ROACH, wanted to create something that showcased the highest-quality cannabis on the market—and help consumers discover strains they couldn’t find anywhere else.
“A lot of cannabis products are designed to have the highest THC potency,” Kushkyan explains, “and that doesn’t do justice to the full flavor that cannabis is capable of bringing. We go for strains at the forefront of cultivation technology, with exquisite taste and flavor.”
Rare strains, high-quality extracts, limited editions
ROACH vapes contain carefully selected strain-specific extracts like Strawberry Fields, Pineapple Sherbert, and Blueberry Muffins—to name just a few—these single-use, limited edition vapes are numbered like a fine wine or art print.
It’s Kushkyan’s keen sense of quality that makes the vapes unique. When curating cultivars for future releases, he’s looking for passionate producers as much as unique genetics.
“As you speak with seasoned farmers, you will notice a lot of passion in their talk, and they will describe a particular strain they’re growing with a certain sparkle in their eyes,” he says. “That’s how you know the product has also been grown with passion, and it usually becomes visible within our first couple of minutes of contact.”
The first step is finding new, rare, and exotic strains to showcase—the kinds of strains consumers want but won’t be able to pick up at every dispensary on the block. Kushkyan sounds, appropriately, like a sommelier describing the strains he seeks out. His top criteria? He values strains that are “really exquisite in taste and overall body.”
The next step is creating live extracts that do the product justice. ROACH uses fresh-frozen cannabis and hydrocarbon extraction to preserve the full flavor and fragrance of the flower. They make just one batch of each concentrate—and there are typically less than 3,000 of each strain available.
While ROACH keeps their upcoming releases close to the vest, Mark Hoashi, co-founder of ROACH, says that their upcoming Orange Creamsicle is a favorite so far.
“There’s something about that plant that just has this unique orange citrus flavor that just stays on the tongue,” says Hoashi. “That’s what we’re super jazzed about.”
A pocket-sized vape that packs a punch
The ROACH team took two years designing a vaping experience that even the most die-hard flower devotee will love, and the vape itself is much more portable than a pipe or even a standard vape pen. At just 29 millimeters tall, it’s less than half the size of a standard lighter, and it holds around a third of a gram.
But don’t let the size fool you—it rips. Expect some satisfyingly big clouds to go with the bold flavors. “It’s more like a dab,” says Hoashi, “and it hits the dome like a dab.”
These itty-bitty vapes harness the latest and greatest technology, but signal a return to cannabis’ earthy roots.
By design, each batch is a limited edition so once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Luckily, each ROACH run consists of about three to seven strains, and new releases are announced via Instagram so there’s always a new favorite to discover.
