Packaging, Labeling, and Product Design
Select notes that its Elite line of vapes is powered by ceramic core technology: “Our award-winning hardware maintains a controlled, even temperature to allow for larger hits,” the company reveals. This cartridge is constructed with metal and glass, with a mouthpiece made of plastic (not unlike most Hollywood stars). While this might sound disheartening, trust me, this particular mouthpiece feels exceedingly comfortable on the lips. Maybe this is how Select gets you – anyone who’s had a Nalgene bottle with the nipple top knows what I’m talking about.
Like I’ve noted in other reviews, I enjoyed Select’s commitment to telling me, the consumer, where their oil was tested, when it was tested, and how I can verify the results. I also appreciate the strain information, size/weight, and THC/CBD levels. Still, my curious mind wants to know every last bit of crucial info: a full cannabinoid and terpene profile, the extraction process used, and dates of harvest and processing. Maybe I’m being too picky, but at $50-60 per cartridge, this feels like a reasonable request.
I do give Select bonus points for making all of their labels peelable stickers. This means consumers can label their cartridge and tell the difference between this heavy-duty indica and a lightweight CBD-rich cartridge, like Select Elite’s Ringo’s Gift.
Quality and Ease of Use
Select Elites use an organic cotton wick and specially designed ceramic coil aimed to “preserve the delicate flavor nuances of the oil and maintain a consistent temperature.” I have thoughts on the flavor (keep reading) but I do agree that the technology of these vapes allows for perfect consistency, every time.
Potency, Effectiveness, Affordability
As I take my first puff and contemplate the taste, I think to myself “Hey, this does taste a bit like L.A. Confidential!” The piney and woody flavor has a bit of a hash taste at the end. Select notes that they “reintroduce cannabis-derived, strain-specific terpenes” to recreate flavor profiles, and this vape pen tastes enough like the original strain’s profile that I believe them.
However, what this brand lacks in flavor, it certainly makes up for in potency. After a couple more puffs, I could tell it had the same effects I get from L.A. Confidential flowers as well. It’s a calming, heavy-hitting indica that will totally couch-lock you. This strain is perfect for use as an evening vape – if you have trouble sleeping, this will definitely help you to melt into your bed.
Nugg Score: How the Nugg Team Rates This Product
Packaging: 4/5
- Cartridge comes in a hefty cardboard box, yet it could easily bust under some weight.
- Graphics are simple, clean and elegant.
Labeling: 3.5/5
- Decent but could be better.
- I would prefer new details instead of repeating the same info that exists on a different part of the packaging.
- Turning labels into peelable stickers is genius – it helps me keep track of which cartridge is which.
Cartridge Quality: 4.5/5
- Metal and glass construction with a plastic mouthpiece; a highly efficient cartridge.
- Easier to take a bigger puff than expected, due to the ceramic core technology.
- Perfect for users who want longer harder hits, but may be too harsh for new users.
Taste: 3.5/5
- Not terrible, but not mind-blowing.
- I did taste some earthy, skunky, piney remnants on the exhale, but I didn’t love the inhale flavor.
Vapor Quality: 4/5
- Fairly smooth when you take a three-second hit (as the box suggests).
- Longer hits may hit you on the back of the throat, causing you to cough.
Oil Quality: 5/5
- Top-shelf, spun gold oil.
- Viscous and light in color – indicating purity, careful testing, and cleaning manufacturing processes.
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
- Vape is compatible with most mainstream batteries (510 threaded).
- Small enough to take anywhere.
Effectiveness: 5/5
- Highly effective with minimal use.
- Calming, heavy indica effects will allow you to melt into your sofa or bed, and have you sleeping in no time.
Consistency: 5/5
- Cartridges have the same look, taste, pleasure and relief.
- It’s difficult to tell them apart without using their supplied stickers.
Affordability: 4.5/5
- At $50-60 per cartridge, this is a decent price, given the golden oil which speaks to its purity, well-designed vape technology, and consistent experience.
Overall Rating: 4.35
Select nails it with their L.A. Confidential strain-specific vape, which perfectly mirrors the (excellent) experience I’ve had with its flowers. This Elite cartridge only loses out because it doesn’t include the full range of specific information (harvest details etc.) that I’ve come to expect from the top brands. This high-potency THC vape is particularly effective if you suffer from chronic pain, just don’t expect to be too active after consuming.
If you live in the L.A area, you could have this Select Elite L.A. Confidential vape delivered right to your door. Click here to find out if you qualify for a Nugg Club delivery!
1 Comment
Sara Sawhet
This is the most BS I’ve read all day. Small, bio-dynamic farmers? There aren’t enough of those licensed to grow in CA to supply the company that wants to be the cannabis industry’s ‘unicorn.’ Select is a huge corporate cannabis endeavor. Trying to position themselves as sourcing from small farmer is just ludicrous.