Seth Rogen’s Weed Brand, Houseplant, Dropped Some Pre-Rolls — How Do They Compare To The Full Flower?

When it comes to celebrity weed brands, Seth Rogen’s Houseplant sits comfortably at the top of the food chain. Rogen is to the celebrity cannabis space what Popeyes is to the fast-food chicken sandwich. In fact, it’s not even fair to lump in Seth Rogen with the other celebrity brands. Yes, like virtually all of those brands, Houseplant is a product of white labeling, but with Rogen’s expert curation, his eye for design, and the brand’s commitment to quality, Houseplant earns its place in the pantheon of great cannabis brands, celebrity-owned or otherwise.

Now the company is tapping into a different segment of the market by offering pre-rolls of some of their best-selling strains.

The Houseplant pre-rolls are now available at select retailers throughout California and come in sets of seven .5 gram joints rolled in organic ultra-thin rice paper offered in three different strains: Pancake Ice (sativa), Pink Moon (indica), and Ice Fog (hybrid). To see how the joints stack up to Houseplant’s signature flower, we sampled a tin of Pink Moon.

This wasn’t my first experience with Houseplant, I’ve tried a number of the brand’s signature flower strains so I’ll be looking for ways these pre-rolls differ from the whole flower versions. Let’s smoke.

Price: $55

THC: 27.40%

Before we get into this weed we have to talk about the packaging. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Houseplant’s flower tins. On one hand, I think what Seth has designed is truly bespoke — the tins are colorful, interesting, and once you’re familiar with the brand, comfortingly recognizable. They look like nothing else on the market.

But… they also kind of suck. They’re hard to open, and do nothing to mask the smell once they’ve been pried open with two hands and some tools.

House plant’s pre-roll joint packaging fixes all of these issues. Yes, the weed is still in a tin box, but the clamshell closure on this box is so tight that smell isn’t an issue, while still being easy to open. The packaging is also incredibly elegant, with minimal branding via a removable slip cover that reveals a monochrome embossed tin housing seven pre-rolled joints individually arranged on a cardboard rack. There are three joints on the top layer, and four joints underneath.

Space wasn’t an issue, so we have to say it’s a little disappointing that Houseplant couldn’t throw in the eighth joint to make it an even number, but at .5 grams per joint, you’re looking at a collective total of 3.5 grams. Considering that’s the same amount as a Houseplant flower jar which retails at $60, not giving the eighth joint is fair, especially because you’re getting the same amount of weed for five dollars cheaper.

Unfortunately, it’s also drier and less fresh. This isn’t a one-off phenomenon — joints, while convenient, are typically drier than whole flower, less sticky, less stinky, and less flavorful. That’s very much the case here. The pre-roll version of Pink Moon doesn’t really compare to the premium experience of smoking the whole flower version, which should be expected, but what this form factor does offer is convenience, and for a more casual smoking audience, I think it really delivers.

While this bud isn’t as fresh as the whole flower version, the joints are perfectly rolled and feature a paper tip filter, and a set of wooden matches, in a small form factor that allows for a powerful smoke session that delivers a strong high. Unlike longer more substantial pre-rolls (think Jay-Z’s Monogram brand, with their cigar-like hand-roll joint) the Houseplant joints are short and stubby. They pack a powerful punch, but not so much at one time. They are shareable, but if you’re a hardcore stoner, you might want more than a .5 gram joint — in which case we’d direct you to the Pink Moon flower tin.

If you’re just looking for a quick smoke session, something to elevate your headspace before hitting the beach, or catching that late-night movie, or dinner meet-up, these little joints are the perfect companion. Take a couple of hits, pass it off to your friend, or just kill it solo, it’s never so much weed that the high will dominate your night, but it’s enough that you’re going to head into whatever experience you have planned in a blissful elevated state.

While the weed isn’t as flavorful as the whole flower version, it’s still far from harsh, producing a smooth and milky smoke with flavors of tangerine citrus and pepper-forward earthy undertones. The THC percentage is high, 27%, with a terpene profile dominated by Limonene, Caryophyllene, and Linalool, producing a soothing high that is relaxing, but pleasingly cerebral, never weighing you down or making you feel sluggish. A few hits into this and my eyes were glossed over, my head was buzzing, and my thoughts bounced around in jazz-like riffs and tangents.

The Bottom Line:

If you’re a casual smoker and you’re interested in trying out Seth Rogen’s brand, grab a tin of these Houseplant joints. You’re getting premium flower that delivers a powerful high, in beautiful packaging that supplies you with everything you need to light up, and a more forgiving price point that will save you a few bucks for snacks.

If you’re a more experienced stoner and you love smoking at of your glass piece, vaporizer, or rolling your own, there is very little reason to grab these over the whole flower versions. Ultimately, while the quality is good for a pre-roll, it can’t compete with the OG.