Puffco, a leader in the evolving cannabis accessories space, offers premium products that deliver on their promise of next-level experiences that match the high-tech look. Roger Volodarsky, the founder of Puffco, took time out of his schedule to speak with Hip-Hop Wired about his company, the upcoming Puffcon gathering, and more.
Roger Volodarsky gave us a few moments of his time and his affable charm, deep knowledge of vaporizers, and enthusiasm for cannabis were all present in our all-too-brief chat. Volodarsky opened up the discussion to share how Puffco got started.
“Well, first of all, I’m a New Yorker and I think it’s an important part of the story,” he began. “Around 2012, these new devices were hitting the scene that we called wax pens and wax, we now use terms like BHO (Butane Hash Oil), concentrates, it was completely new then.”
Volodarsky adds, “I remember my homie coming over and saying ‘Hey, bro, I’m smoking this in museums, nobody knows I’m consuming’ and this is before the big box mods and even e-cigs. I felt liberated. I’m someone who caught a few legal cases for just having weed and now I can smoke anywhere and not look over my shoulder.”
The draconian drug laws that emerged in the ’80s and ’90s that Volodarsky references are far more relaxed now around cannabis, but this is still the early stages of his company and at a time when devices were just coming into their own.
“I kept running into the problem of suggesting these devices to friends who would then come up to me later and tell me they broke too easily,” Volodarsky explains. “I remember talking to a friend about the cheapness of these devices that I enjoyed and he suggested that I try to make that happen.”
This put Volodarsky on a journey to perfect the best delivery device for his beloved hash, admitting in the conversation that if he realized the difficulty in doing so before embarking on the task, he wouldn’t have begun the company.
However, his persistence paid off and the company rolled out the Pro pen and later the Peak. These devices came about as Volodarsky was still learning about concentrates, which literally translates into highly concentrated cannabis, and hadn’t yet gotten into the world of dabbing, which is one of the early high-powered methods of consuming BHO.
“This was how we came up with our first big device, the Peak. It’s really a New York love story. Getting these devices to mimic what a nail and torch can do during dabbing with just the push of a button,” Volodarsky said.
Volodarsky made an excellent point about the look of dabbing despite its many devotees. Watching someone do a dab or even using a glass bowl could remind one of the use of a certain type of narcotic that ravaged the nation in the ’80s.
He then shared that trying to get friends into dabbing was a harder sell despite the intense and cleaner effects of BHO. We later learned that a champion of dabbing, the late Phone Homie aka Rico Valderrama, was known to Volodarsky as the pair shared a love of BHO.
This weekend, Volodarsky is preparing for his third annual Puffcon event happening this weekend on, a celebration of cannabis culture in welcome spaces with the promise of safe consumption and safety. This year, 2 Chainz is the headling act with Dr. Bachlava (who we believe is an alter ego of the great Action Bronson), Zombie Juice of Flatbush Zombies fame, Curren$y, Fulcrum and more acts. We also learned that Volodarsky is a huge Hip-Hop fan, and we’re hoping to collaborate on a playlist in the future.
“Puffcon truly began because of how large cannabis events have routinely gone in Los Angeles,” Volodarsky said, regarding the reasons why the block party-styled event was created. “Usually these events were pushed way outside of the city and safety is an issue. We worked with the city and our event is held in an area where our company has a space and where big film and television studios shoot their content.”
The block party concept of Puffcon is an innovative one indeed, growing year to year, and it is exclusive to Puffco product owners. What that means is, that if you own one of the company’s flagship devices, you can purchase a general admission ticket and for a bit more, you can bring a guest. No cannabis is sold on site but as most know, recreational use of cannabis is allowed.
“What Puffcon is ultimately is a love letter dedicated to our scene and that’s why we made it a space where we can come together, gather safely, enjoy one another, and give a platform to music acts that help us in this community feel seen,” Volodarsky said. “And a lot of this wouldn’t happen without @kevin_puffco.
We’ve been using the Peak Pro and Proxy devices after featuring the company in a past post. We’re here to tell you that this is the top of the tops in the world of vaporizers and rigs. Further, as Volodarsky aimed to do, the ease of use for a newbie and the flexibility of options for experts means that everyone can enjoy the devices at their desired level.
To learn more about Puffco, click here.
To learn more about Puffcon and to get more information, click here. The event takes place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at Los Angeles Center Studios.
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Photo: @jollyroger/Instagram
