This post was originally published on Words Never Said, Danté Jordan’s weekly newsletter about the intersections of personal growth, travel, cannabis, and all things life.
Go behind the scenes of an insiders-only Storz & Bickel cannabis event in Germany featuring the unveiling of the company’s new limited-edition Peace Volcano Classic vaporizer.
Every now and then, as a journalist, you get to go on a press trip. It might be dope, it might be wack, but they’re always somewhat interesting for various reasons. Recently, I was able to attend a cannabis press trip with Storz & Bickel, makers of the legendary vaporization device known as the Volcano.
Here’s how it all went.
What is a “cannabis press trip,” exactly?
Bsically, a company throws down a bunch of dollars to bring media members to a place in which they’re hosting an event to unveil a new product or campaign that they want to generate maximum coverage for. They want you to showcase the product, hype up the company, and overall tell people “Yo, this experience was dope as hell. You definitely should buy *this* product and/or support *this* initiative.”
This press trip was for Storz & Bickel’s with Love for Peace campaign, and the release of their new, limited-edition Peace Volcano Classic.
Who is Storz & Bickel, and what is the Volcano?
Founded by Markus Storz and Jürgen Bickel, Storz & Bickel is a German-based vaporizer company whose history dates all the way back to 1996. Their flagship product is the Volcano Classic, which they first launched in 2000. S&B also produces the Crafty+ and Mighty+ handheld herb vaporizers.
The Volcano is a desktop dry herb vaporizer that turns your cannabis buds into flavorful bags of tasty vapor. It swept the game by storm decades ago and quickly became one of the most popular devices on the market, especially for medical cannabis patients who do not want to inhale smoke and its potentially harmful byproducts.
The Volcano comes in two types: The Volcano Classic and the Volcano Hybrid, which allows temperature control. They both come in a wide array of colors. For this press trip, it was all about their new Peace Volcano Classic, a white Volcano model that has “with Love for Peace” engraved upon it.
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What is the Storz & Bickel “With Love for Peace” campaign?
The with Love for Peace campaign was launched in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Storz & Bickel takes 100 euros from each sale of the 1,000 limited-edition Peace Volcanos and donates it to one of four charities:
According to Storz & Bickel, funds will go directly to providing vulnerable populations much-needed humanitarian aid, evacuation for civilians in dangerous areas, and continued international advocacy for the Ukrainian cause.
What is a cannabis press trip to Germany like?
This Storz & Bickel press trip was a two-day affair, scheduled for Sept. 8 and 9, 2022 in Tuttlingen, Germany. The bulk of activities took place on the 8th.
The trip consisted of about 30-40 content creators of all kinds, including influencers, educators, musicians, media, models, and overall creative talent from all over the world. Most of them were people who had worked with Storz & Bickel before.
Day 1’s activities included a tour of the Storz & Bickel facilities, where we were able to see how their devices were made, stop for a hangout in their Volcano Bar, take a surprise hike up to a castle, and sit down for a dinner party.
Getting to look behind the curtain at all these devices was especially dope. It was an excellent time to ask questions, and allowed us direct access to Jürgen Bickel (fellow namesake Markus Storz is no longer with the company). Basically, it was a big building full of electronics, with employees laser-focused on the task at hand.
The tour concluded with a beverage/snack session at their Volcano bar, which is essentially the building’s cafeteria. The pretzels and apple juice were FIRE.
After the lounge, the S&B bus drove us out to a big-ass cornfield where we did a weird raisin-tasting type thing, then went on a surprise 3.2-mile hike that absolutely no one was prepared for (or even aware of). That felt a bit tumultuous at times, and I was very vocal about my disdain for the situation. Eventually, after the 5k ambush, we all made it up the mountain to a castle called Schloss Bronnen.
At this castle, we enjoyed beautiful views, German breads, various beverages, and finally, some cannabis. Inside the castle/manor, there was a Volcano with single-serving baggies of weed for us all to enjoy. We kicked it there for a little bit before they gathered us for Jürgen’s big announcement.
It was Peace Volcano time.
After a speech from Jürgen about Storz & Bickel, the with Love and Peace campaign, and the unveiling of the Peace Volcano, it was dinner time.
Prepared by Bickel’s wife, the dinner was a culinary journey through the Danube Valley. The menu included a crayfish on melon-mango-ragout with herb pesto; an herb salad with raspberries; roasted venison with pretzel dumplings, spaetzle, and vegetables; and three desserts: panna cotta, a dark chocolate mousse, and a lemon sorbet.
The food was great; the company was greater. After a long day of obligations, it was awesome to sit down and actually get to know all of the other creators there. It truly put the idea of global cannabis into focus for many of us Americans.
Day 2 of the trip, we went on a ferry ride on Lake Constance. Here we were able to see Tuttlingen from many different angles, and also smoke some weed on a boat.
Smoking weed on a boat is always fun.
What were the highlights of the trip?
Everything about the trip was a highlight, but the people really made it. No one sucked. Not a single person. It was a special time with such a special cast that I left with a mission/obligation to travel the world, see other cannabis markets, and connect with new weed homies all over.
That’s what traveling is all about. You go to a place that peaks your curiosities, and hopefully meet a few people that walk you right into their world. That’s what the Storz & Bickel team did with their offices, the hike, the castle dinner, the ferry ride, and the cast of experts and enthusiasts they brought together.
All told, the trip was amazing, and I’d for sure pull up on Storz & Bickel again. Shout out to them for an excellent example of what a cannabis press trip should be like. It was their first time ever putting together an event like this, and they absolutely killed it.
Danke schön, S&B.
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