a look inside seed & smith

Today, I went on one of the best tours I’ve ever experienced..sorry, Nature & Science Museum, but this one takes the win. It’s no surprise that Forbes ranks Seed & Smith as Colorado’s best cannabis tour! In just over 45 minutes, they pull back the curtain and give you an exclusive look at the magic behind their craft, from cultivation to extraction. And trust me, it’s impressive.

Our tour began in the lobby, where we were guided outside and around the building. As we stepped through the doors, we were greeted by the hiss of machines releasing pressure. A fitting entrance to the behind-the-scenes magic we were about to witness.

just a baby

Our guide, Jake, kicked things off with a little pun, explaining that despite the name Seed & Smith, they don’t actually start their process with seeds! Instead, they use carefully selected clones to ensure consistency and quality—a fun twist that set the tone for the rest of the tour.

Clones are cuttings taken from a mother cannabis plant, which then grow and eventually produce the beautiful, resinous buds we all know and love!

Each of these tiny babies you see in the picture started as part of a giant mother plant. They're carefully clipped and nurtured in smaller pots until their roots are strong enough to be transplanted. Once ready, these lovely little ladies are moved into larger pots or grow bags, where they’ll settle in for the next 4-6 weeks!

They are pictured here and below :)

How many fans can you count?

Inside the Veg grow there are tons of fans to simulate weather which helps make the plants strong. The more air circulation the better!

The grown ups

Not your average gardening center!

We were blown away by everything happening in the grow room—especially since we happened to visit on harvest day! Luckily, our tour guide, Jake, made sure there were still plenty of plants for us to see.

The netting you see in the picture is called trellis, and it plays a crucial role in supporting these big, beautiful plants. I didn’t get any pictures, but even with the trellis in place, the buds get so heavy that some plants still topple over!

into the oven

To extract all the goodness from the plant, a solvent is used—in this case, a mixture of propane and butane. After extraction, these gases need to be removed through a process called purging.

The vacuum purging ovens maintain the perfect temperature to allow the solvents to evaporate while preserving terpenes and preventing the hash from reaching a boiling point. A vacuum is then used to fully purge the remaining solvents. This process can take varying amounts of time and multiple vacuum pulls, depending on the batch size and the desired consistency of the final product.

Letting gravity do all the work, the THC settles at the bottom, patiently waiting for its terpene friends to evaporate.

The team at Seed & Smith takes terpene extraction to the next level by distilling everything in-house! I didn’t get a chance to snap a picture, but if you can imagine the intricate lab setups from Breaking Bad, you’re on the right track. The process is just that detailed. For their cartridges, they reintroduce these carefully extracted terpenes back into the mix, enhancing the flavor and ensuring a top-notch experience.

wrappin’ it up

Once everything is ready, it's time to get it packaged up! The live resin and waxes are carefully portioned into childproof gram containers, while the cartridges are filled to the brim with precision. I honestly thought live resin was going to spill everywhere, but their filling machine nails it every time.

As for their prerolls—no shake or trim here! Each one is hand-packed with quality flower. They even use a grill grate to separate the small nugs from the big ones, ensuring only the best makes the cut. The attention to detail and commitment to quality left me seriously impressed.

Seed & Smith is officially Cannabis Compass approved!

Whether you're a cannabis connoisseur or just curious about the process, Seed & Smith offers an inside look at what goes into producing top-tier products. From seed to sale, their dedication to quality and education is clear in every step.

If you ever have some free time or just want to learn more about cannabis, I highly recommend this tour. It’s completely free, and to top it off, they hook you up with 10% off at their dispensary once the tour wraps up. Talk about ending on a high note!

If you ever need guidance, I am just a click away.

Stay Hydrated,

Victoria.