Two of Michigan’s most renowned cannabis cultivators — Hytek and Growing Pains — are teaming up for a one-day live rosin drop combining two of this year’s most-awarded strains.
The collaboration will debut at a cannabis party on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 4-11 p.m., at Burn 1, a new consumption lounge in Utica at 45411 Park Ave.
For flavor chasers, the limited edition rosin combines the fruity, tropical sweetness of Growing Pains’s Honey Banana with the creamy, lime flavor of Hytek’s Lantz.
Since the event takes place inside a licensed consumption lounge, guests will be able to sample the collab and other products from Hytek and Growing Pains. A dab bar will be available. The neighboring dispensary, Bowdega, also stocks the brands’ products.
In addition to the collab, the brands will also offer promotions, along with event-exclusive merch and prizes.
In October, both strains were named High Times’s “Strains of the Month” for October, and a month earlier, they dominated this year’s Zalympix, a premier cannabis competition often called the “Grammys of Cannabis.” Hytek’s Lantz, a hybrid cross of Ridgeline Runtz and Green Lantern, took home best overall flower and best tasting, while Growing Pains’ Honey Banana won best terps, most unique, and second-best flower overall.
“I’m really excited for the limited drop of Honey Banana x Lantz mixed wash rosin collab with Hytek,” Tom Farrell, owner of Growing Pains, tells Metro Times. “We’re good friends with the stout team warriors and like what Hytek is doing in Detroit. We thought it would be fun to wash two award-winning strains together and make a limited rosin drop.”
Farrell says the idea is to “bring the community together to smoke some good hash, have a couple laughs and there is no better place than Burn 1 in Utica.”
Limited quantities of the collaboration will be available, so it’s expected to sell out fast.
Detroit-based Hytek and Paw Paw-based Growing Pains have built strong reputations for their high-quality flower and solventless concentrates.
It’s that time of year again to ditch the flip-flops, grab a hoodie, and stock up on some good weed.
Fall has arrived in Michigan, and there’s nothing like getting into the season with cannabis-infused apple cider, football-themed flower, or live hash rosin that tastes like autumn.
Whether you’re sitting around a bonfire, watching the Lions, or going to a Halloween party, cannabis can be a fun part of the ritual.
What really gives cannabis its autumn character are terpenes, which are aromatic compounds in marijuana that create the flavors and smells associated with different strains. Terpenes also shape the high and influence whether it’s relaxing, uplifting, or somewhere in between.
Some terpenes are perfect for autumn. Caryophyllene, myrcene, and humulene tend to enhance relaxation, which is ideal for fall activities like tailgating, bonfires, and day-drinking pumpkin ales.
Pinene’s effects are more uplifting and energizing, making it a good buzz for hiking, apple picking, or visiting a haunted house.
These terpenes are also reminiscent of fall. Caryophyllene is often associated with peppery, spicy, and clove aromas, while myrcene tends to be musky, earthy, or herbal.
Pinene has a pine forest scent and can be earthy, woody, and slightly sweet, and Humulene, which is found in hops, adds a woody, herbal flavor.
So where do you start? I pulled together 10 products that feel like fall or enhance the season.
Sparkling Sweet Apple Cider by Armada Cannabis Co. is just right for the fall. Credit: Courtesy of Armada Cannabis Co.
Sparkling Sweet Apple Cider by Armada Cannabis Co.
This delicious cider is back for the season after winning first place in the Best in Grass competition this year for best infused beverage. Sparkling Sweet Apple Cider contains 20mg of THC and is made with real fruit. Crack one of these open and pair it with a cider mill donut.
Huckleberry Maple sticks and hot honey sticks by Hey Captain! are fun fall edibles. Credit: Steve Neavling
Edibles by Hey Captain!
Leave it up to Hey Captain! to come up with a perfect cannabis-infused snack for the fall. The Lansing-based brand is known for its unique lineup of edibles, which includes freeze-dried candies and ice cream bites. Hey Captain! will soon roll out their latest creation – Huckleberry Maple sticks and hot honey sticks. I sampled them, and they’re a delicious, fast-acting way to enjoy fall activities. Each stick contains 40 mg of THC, and because of the brand’s proprietary processes, the taste of cannabis is virtually nonexistent. Also coming soon are two new flavors of freeze-dried ice cream that are perfect for the fall – salted caramel latte and butter pecan.
Ricci flower by Michigrown smells like fall. Credit: Steve Neavling
Ricci by Michigrown
Earthy spice, pine, and a smooth herbal flavor make Ricci by Michigrown a good choice for the fall. With a unique lineage – Thai/Afghani x Forum Cut x Undisclosed – this strain packs a punch, delivering an uplifting, cerebral high that relaxes the body and sharpens focus. The effects make it ideal for outdoor activities or even a night in for some fall TV. Michigrown has a large, constantly revolving list of well-grown strains.
Hash Bee OG by the Hive is a perfect strain for the fall. Credit: Steve Neavling
Hash Bee OG by the Hive
There’s a lot of buzz around the Hive in Hazel Park, and for good reasons. The small, woman-owned dispensary grows some of the best flower in Michigan, and none screams “fall” more than Hash Bee OG, an indica-dominant hybrid that crosses Hash Plant and Face Off OG. With an earthy, spicy aroma and notes of pine, Hash Bee OG smells like fall in a jar.
Hytek’s Lantz is a delicious strain that tastes like forest pines on the backend. Credit: Steve Neavling
Maize and Blue by Premier Cannabis Farms is a tribute to the University of Michigan Wolverines’ football team. Credit: Steve Neavling
Maize & Bluebelts by Premier Cannabis Farms
For many Michiganders, Saturdays in the fall revolve around college football. Premier Cannabis Farms has two well-grown flower strains that will satisfy Michigan and Michigan State fans. Both are potent but relaxing strains, making either one a great choice for kickoff. Maize and Blue Belts is a fruity cross of Oregon Blueberry and Rainbow Belts, and 517 Spartan OG is a potent combination of 517 Headband and Private Reserve.
Eastside Alchemy’s Jared Goff live rosin is a fun way to enjoy a football game or tailgating. Credit: Steve Neavling
Jared Goff by Eastside Alchemy
Speaking of football, we can’t omit the good old Lions. Eastside Alchemy, a small crew with a ton of experience in solventless extraction, produced a strain of live hash rosin called “Jared Goff,” a tribute to the Lions quarterback. A cross of Peyton Manning and Melted Strawberries, this strain is just right for tailgating or watching the game at a bar. And Eastside Alchemy’s glass-tipped vapes make it easy for you to discreetly take the rosin with you.
Tear Gas #9 by Favrd is a good choice for Halloween. Credit: Steve Neavling
Tear Gas #9 by Favrd
With Halloween a month away, it’s time to find some creepy cannabis. One of my favorites is Tear Gas #9, a foul, heavy-hitting strain by Favrd that is often sold in ghoulish packaging. As soon as you crack open the jar, your senses are assaulted by a gnarly aroma of diesel, burned tires, and skunk. A combination of Skunk Piss and Sherb Cake, this flower packs a serious punch and goes straight to the head and body.
Named after the sedating drink concoction, Purple Drank by Exotic Matter is a great way to forget the cold and dark. Credit: Steve Neavling
Purple Drank by Exotic Matter
With the days getting shorter and the temperatures dropping, sometimes you just want to get away and forget everything. Exotic Matter, one of Michigan’s best small-scale cultivators, has you covered with their Purple Drank rosin, a flavorful strain that takes its name from a numbing concoction of cough syrup, soda, and candy. Like the sedate effects of the drink, Purple Drank rosin produces a smooth high that settles into a relaxed, full-body calm.
Wojo whips up some of the bets live rosin, and their vapes are a discreet way to enjoy the fall. Credit: Steve Neavling
Wojo live rosin vapes
If you’re heading out to explore a haunted house, down beers at an Oktoberfest, or go apple picking, you’ll want a strain that is uplifting and energizing. And since you’re leaving the house, sometimes the most convenient option is a disposable vape, despite the environmental impact. Wojo has mastered live rosin in a disposable vape. They’re reliable, flavorful, and smooth. For energizing effects, my favorite Wojo strains are Roasted Lemons, Pink Pineapples, Strawberry Candy, Strawberry Guava, Strawpicana and the Juice Man.
Hytek’s Lantz and Rkive’s Banana Peelz took top honors at Michigan’s Zalympix, a high-profile competition often dubbed the “Grammys of Cannabis.”
The winners of the fourth-annual event were announced Saturday night at the Crofoot in Pontiac.
People who bought a Zalympix box judged most categories. Organizers offered 200 flower and 200 rosin boxes for $260 each, and buyers received an exclusive invite to the awards party.
Hytek’s Lantz, a hybrid cross of Ridgeline Runtz and Green Lantern, won best overall flower and best tasting. The strain is layered with very different and bright flavors, including candy, tang, pine, and floral.
Rkive’s Banana Peelz, a hybrid combination of Honey Banana and Papaya, dominated the rosin contest, winning best overall, best tasting, and best looking.
Growing Pains, a popular cultivator, also did well in the flower contest with its Honey Banana strain. Honey Banana won best terps, most unique, and second-best flower overall.
In the rosin field, Organic Mechanic’s White Gummy Bears took home three awards – most unique, best terps, and second best overall. Mi Loud, one of the top growers in the state, won cups for gassiest and heaviest hitting strains.
Zalympix began in California in 2021, created by the Los Angeles dispensary Greenwolf. The competition has since expanded to Michigan and New York.
In Michigan, Exotic Matter, another top cultivator in the state, organizes the event and supplies the kits, which this year featured about two dozen strains for each flower and rosin, a solventless concentrate known for its purity, potency, and flavor.
For the fourth straight year, Michigan cannabis users are going to judge the best flower and live hash rosin in the state as part of Zalympix, a high-profile competition often called the “Grammys of Cannabis.”
I was lucky enough to snag one of the rosin kits, which featured 23 strains in glass jars. The rosin, a solventless concentrate known for its purity and potency, was produced by some of the top growers and brands in the state, offering consumers a chance to sample some of the highest-quality concentrates in Michigan’s legal market.
There were 200 flower and 200 rosin kits for $260 each, and most sold out within hours of hitting dispensary shelves. Some people waited in line hours before dispensaries opened to grab a kit.
Instead of relying on marketing and dispensary budtenders, participants get to compare strains side by side and decide for themselves what deserves to win. The categories are best overall, best looking, best tasting, heaviest hitting, gassiest, best terps, most unique, and best candy. Each person who bought a kit can judge those categories, except for best candy, which is judged by the industry.
Zalympix brings together top growers, brands, and connoisseurs from across the state. The competition is capped with a party at the Crofoot in Pontiac on Saturday night, and only people who bought a box are invited.
Zalympix began in California in 2021 and was created by Greenwolf, one of the nation’s most awarded dispensaries. The contest has since spread to Michigan and New York City, and Oklahoma plans to join the fun in 2026.
“We wanted to do this out of respect for Michigan’s name as a top weed destination in America,” Ty Decoeur, who handles sales and marketing for Exotic Matter, tells me. “Michigan is in the same category as Cali or New York.”
The contest has become “the Grammys of weed,” he says.
And that shows in the rosin box. I dabbed each strain a few times and was blown away by the flavor, consistency, and potency of most entries.
Exotic Matter also added a free disposable vape from its rosin collection. The vape hardware is impressive and delivers a smooth, strong hit. The strain — Purple Dank — tastes like sour grape candy, with a hint of sweet syrup. Exotic Matter plans to offer these in the near future.
With 23 strains in the kit, narrowing down my favorites was no easy task, but I’d gladly do it again and again. Each jar had its own character, with aromas ranging from sweet and fruity to bold and gassy. Most of the rosin had a wet, pliable texture and was easy to work with. The effects ran the spectrum, from gluing me to the couch to giving me boundless energy.
After too many dabs to count, these are my favorites for each category:
Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud. Credit: Steve Neavling
Best overall: Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud
This was the most difficult category to judge. A great rosin should look fresh, smell pungent, and deliver a flavorful dab.
While I love fruity and candy-forward flavors, dialed-in, fuel-soaked terps are harder to come by. Kota’s Kush has an aggressive, layered nose that opens up with burning rubber and diesel and then mellows into an earthy funk. After a dab, the delightfully acrid taste coats the tongue and throat.
And you can’t have a “best overall” strain unless the dabs deliver potency and depth. Kota’s Kush did just that, with stoney, sedate, and strong effects.
Blue Zoap by Eastside Alchemy. Credit: Steve Neavling
Best looking: Blue Zoap by Eastside Alchemy
When it comes to rosin, appearance matters. A wet, glistening texture or smooth, whipped consistency speaks to the freshness and quality.
None of the jars looked as promising as Eastside Alchemy’s Blue Zoap. When I popped the lid, the batter was light golden, wet, and buttery. It glistened in the light. The texture was smooth and pliable, making it easy to scoop.
The rosin melted clean without residue.
Blue Zoap didn’t just look good. It was one of the top overall jars, with a bold fruity, sweet, and floral aroma.
Sundae Driver by Wojo. Credit: Steve Neavling
Best Tasting: Sundae Driver by Wojo
Anyone who regularly dabs in Michigan likely knows Wojo, a Pinconning-based brand that has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in creating high-quality rosin.
I’ve had this strain by Wojo before, and it has always been one of my favorites. This jar was as good as I remembered it.
With flavors of sweet grapes and a rich cake frosting, this strain coats the palette and lingers long after the exhale. The taste is smooth, creamy, and fruity. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Wedding Pie by Freshy Fine. Credit: Steve Neavling
Heaviest Hitting: Wedding Pie by Freshy Fine
Let’s face it. Rosin can be flavorful and look perfect, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to effects.
After a few dabs of Freshy Fine’s Wedding Pie, an indica-leaning cross of Wedding Cake and Grape Pie, the high was immediate, heavy, and euphoric. It packed a punch and left me fully relaxed and couch-locked without a care.
This is the perfect strain for unwinding, as long as you don’t have to think. After a few dabs, I sunk into my favorite chair and listened to music.
Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud. Credit: Steve Neavling
Gassiest: Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud
This was the easiest category to judge. None of the entries came close to matching the fuel-drenched aroma of Kota’s Kush.
The jar shouts pure diesel with layers of earth, funk, and scorched rubber. The flavor is aggressive and coats the throat and tongue with a lingering sour, biting taste.
From the moment I opened the lid, the nose was loud and commanding, with a creamy, tart lime aroma followed by a floral sweetness and pungent forest pine.
The flavor was layered and dynamic, like tangy, sweet candy on the inhale and a deep forest-pine finish that coated the tongue and throat long after I finished my last dab.
The depth and layers of aroma and flavor made this a true standout and one of the best overall rosins.
Most Unique: Lantz by Hytek
It has been a long time since I was blown away by such a unique aroma and flavor. Hytek’s Lantz is so incredibly layered with very different and bright flavors, like candy, tang, and pine, with a strong floral finish that coats the throat.
It’s rare to find such a dynamic, shifting blend of flavors.
Hytek nailed this.
Grape Z by North Coast. Credit: Steve Neavling
Best Candy: Grape Z by North Coast
Candy flavors dominate the market, but they weren’t as represented in this year’s Zalympix box. And I think that’s a good thing because there are so many other wonderful flavors out there.
For me, the best candy flavor came down to Grape Z by North Coast and Plan Z by Peninsula Garden. Both were very sweet and tasted like childhood. While Plan Z, a phenotype of Rainbow Beltz 2.0, burst with tropical fruit and sweet and sour candy, the dabs were somewhat harsh.
Grape Z, on the other hand, was smoother and more layered. While not a bold flavor, it was a tasty blend of grape, bananas, and sour candy.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the other outstanding rosin. These are my honorable mentions, and I would definitely buy them again:
Space Guavaz by Element. Credit: Steve Neavling
Space Guavaz by Element
This has been one of my favorite rosin strains since Eastside Alchemy and Tip Top Crop collaborated on Space Guavaz, a sativa-leaning cross of Space Runtz and Guavaz 74.
Element did this strain justice. If you like energizing, daytime highs, Space Guavaz is a must-try. The effects are long-lasting, and the flavor is sweet and fruity, with obvious notes of guava.
Pink Starburst by Yetistash. Credit: Steve Neavling
Pink Starburst by Yetistash
The first thing I noticed when I opened this jar was the glistening, scoopable mound of rosin. The nose was fragrant, with layers of fruit, earth, and gas.
The taste translated well, and the dabs were smooth.
Tropicz by Lamb Chop Melts. Credit: Steve Neavling
Tropicz by Lamb Chop Melts
If you like refreshing, fruit-heavy flavors, Tropicz is a treat. A cross of White Gummy Bear and Pete’s Papaya, the aroma is a pungent combination of sweet and funky tropical fruit and candy terps on the backend.
The rosin was a little dry, but it wasn’t cakey. It didn’t stop the dabs from being smooth and flavorful. The effects were creative and uplifting.
ZOZ by Dat Canna. Credit: Steve Neavling
ZOZ by Dat Canna
From start to finish, ZOZ stands out. The rosin is glossy and wet, with a honey-blonde hue. The aroma is a sweet combination of fruit and funk. The flavor is nuanced and is best experienced at a low temperature.
