It’s been a year since the last time I visited TribeTokes’ Saber battery and cartridges. But TribeTokes has offered us another opportunity to sample their products, so I’m here again; later we will hear a rare review from Denise, also about TribeTokes. Last time, I focused a lot more on the unique battery, so this time I will review mainly the cartridges, of which they sent three. The main thing that impresses me about TribeTokes is their consistency; from last year to this year I see the same commitment to a quality standard. In the cannabis business, half the companies don’t last a year and the other half struggle to put out one good product for every two flops.
TribeTokes operates with the beatific confidence of a smart company that had it all figured out years ago. Based out of New Jersey, their slogan is “your vibe attracts your tribe,” and often point out that they’re a female-owned company. However they’re doing it, they’re doing it right. TribeTokes delta 8 cartridges go for $60/full gram individually, or also have a discount if you’re buying them bundled with a battery.
Pros:
Great tasting oils
Decent potency
Lab analysis right on the packaging
Tight packaging game
Saber battery is a big win
Cons:
“Plant-based terpenes” you say? Care to elaborate?
$60/gram is expensive
Recommendations: I’m curious to see what TribeTokes could do with THCA? Or live resin? Or dabbable concentrates?
TribeTokes Attends to the Last Detail
It may sound strange that I rave about a company merely for being competent, but this is the wild west frontier of the cannabis industry. I get so used to receiving half-baked products that are hastily fumbled into cheap packaging, I forget what a professionally presented product looks like. Just take a moment to admire this clean, aesthetically thought-out packaging. Each cartridge rides in its little box with a fold-over lid that magnetically snaps shut. The Saber battery, which I focused on last time and especially in the video, is a class act by itself, sleekly designed in tasteful colors with a snappy switchblade action. Still one of my top all-time favorite vape batteries.
But like I say, let’s look at the carts themselves…
Look! Lab results right on the package, by jingo! This is the kind of care about their product that puts many another cartridge brand to shame. The stats aren’t shabby either; ~70% cannabinoid range is darn potent for delta 8 and HHC. I have had so many weak delta 8 cartridges lately that I forgot the numbers even go that high. I just want to run with these to the other cartridge companies and get in their face about it: Where’s my on-box lab result sticker? Where’s my 70% potency? Tribe Tokes can do it, so why can’t you?
Here’s a cartridge in action: Observe, pristine, clear oil. And yes, the strain is also printed on the cartridge. Try faking that, counterfeiters!
The Cartridges Are All Satisfactory Across the Board
So we have three cartridges this time…
Delta 8 Green Crack
This was definitely the spikiest of the three, a Sativa taken from a strain noted for being stimulating, which, given my normal cartridge reaction, translates to “least likely to put me in a stupor.” The taste is notably herby and flat, with a sudden, strong fruity taste on the exhale. To my memory, I have never had the actual strain Green Crack flower yet, so I’m curious if the flower smokes the same way. As for effects, this one gets me mellow and calm, but not too stoned to function.
Delta 8 Gelato
The least remarkable of the three, though it is a very well-done Gelato. Last time I criticized TribeTokes’ cartridge for being too sweet; these were all far more reasonable flavors. The Gelato was sweet and smooth, without being a cloying, overpowering experience. The taste is like cotton candy, but then most Gelato carts taste that way to me. Like I say, it’s light and not overpowering. It’s a mild taste that calls you back for another nip.
HHC Northern Lights
This was the stand-out cart. I’d never seen HHC in a Northern Lights strain before, and I consider it a feat of daring chutzpah to offer one. But I have to admit, they pulled it off. I feel that HHC! It hits me hard, knocking me right out on the couch for siesta time. I don’t know if it’s the entourage effect or just HHC does that to me now. I have just stopped asking questions about HHC; it’s the Joker of cannabinoids and no two HHC products have hit me the exact same yet. As for the taste, it is true and blue to the Northern Lights strain. Northern Lights in vape cartridge form always tastes exactly the same to me, like drinking aftershave that’s trying to smell like Mountain Dew Voltage. Here again, it was not an overpowering flavor, but still unmistakable.
A word about “rich plant-based terpene profiles”…
To quote TribeTokes’ own marketing copy. There is no doubt in my mind that the terpenes are plant-based. We do not get terpenes from meat, and it would be pretty horrifying if we did. However, I notice that that phrase “rich plant-based terpene profiles” is a marketing-way to say “botanical terpenes as opposed to cannabis terpenes.” So when I say a cartridge still tastes artificial, I mean, “this terpene profile is not found in the hemp kingdom.” I’m perfectly cognizant of the fact that caryophyllene can come from black peppercorns as well as cannabis. With that being said, delta 8 is not naturally found in such huge quantities in hemp, so I expect that the product is made from modified cannabinoids already. At that point we have to forget about it tasting like rosin.
TribeTokes is at the top tier in Delta 8 carts!
These are as fine as any Delta 8 or HHC cart I have ever vaped. I appreciate that the potency is kept high, and the attention to detail ensures a quality experience all around. With that said, the $60 price tag per cart is just about double what everybody else charges. There’s a discount for bundling with the batteries on their site as I mention, but still, $60 is steep for a Delta 8 cartridge, even one produced with Tiffany standards. I can see where that money was spent, and hey, it is a New Jersey company with a market in New York, so maybe that’s their overhead cost showing up. I just know that most of you aren’t up for a $60 cart every day.
Readers, what’s your overall impression of TribeTokes? What is in the Northern Lights to make it taste like aftershave? Does HHC have a random number generator inside it? Why don’t trees fly? Opine your opinion in the comments below or in that forum we’re constantly trying to herd you into.
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