As Europe’s regulated markets continue to mature, consumers are bringing a different set of expectations to vaporization technology. Rather than prioritizing intensity or vapor production, many cannabis consumers are shifting towards devices that preserve flavor, highlight terpene profiles, and offer greater control over the experience.
According to Shauntel Ludwig, CEO of Synergy Innovations, the creator of the DaVinci vaporizer, that shift was a key factor behind the company’s European debut of the EQ at Mary Jane Berlin. As DaVinci’s first concentrate-focused device, the EQ was designed around precision, material purity, and temperature control.
Ludwig says the launch reflects a broader evolution in consumer preferences as extract enthusiasts increasingly value craftsmanship, fidelity, and the nuances of premium concentrates.
Q&A
Cannabis & Tech Today: Why was Mary Jane Berlin the right venue for the European debut of the EQ?
Shauntel Ludwig: Berlin made sense on multiple levels. Germany is the largest cannabis market in Europe right now. German consumers approach cannabis the way they approach food and wine. Flavor, quality, and provenance matter. The EQ was built for exactly those people. Mary Jane also brings together retailers, press, and consumers in one room, and for a product debut, concentrated access like that is hard to replicate.
C&T Today: What opportunities do you see in the European concentrate market compared to North America?
SL: The North American concentrate market has been heavily shaped by a cloud-chasing culture. Bigger hits, higher temperatures, maximum vapor production. German consumers we’ve been hearing from want something different. They want to taste what they’re consuming. They want to understand the terpene profile of a quality extract, not burn it off at 700 degrees. A consumer like that is exactly who the EQ was built for.
C&T Today: The EQ represents DaVinci’s first concentrate-focused device. What gap in the market were you aiming to address?
SL: Most concentrate devices are optimized for intensity. We were more interested in fidelity. Quartz is the right material for that. It’s chemically inert, heats evenly, and doesn’t compete with the flavor of the extract. Pair precise temperature control on the device itself with a quartz crucible and the session becomes about what’s actually in the bowl. We were filling a gap for the consumer who has invested in quality material and wants hardware worthy of it.
C&T Today: What design or engineering principles from DaVinci’s vaporizer lineup influenced the development of the EQ?
SL: The core principle has never changed: material purity first, everything else follows. In the dry herb lineup, zirconia ceramic and borosilicate glass in the air path were chosen because neither material interferes with vapor. The EQ applies the same logic to the concentrate experience. Quartz for the crucible, zirconia throughout. The other carry-over is intentional control. Giving the consumer the ability to define the session rather than accepting a preset built for someone else’s palate has always been fundamental to how we build.
C&T Today: How does the EQ differentiate itself from the growing number of concentrate devices currently available?
SL: The integrated touchscreen is an industry first for an e-rig, and it matters because precise temperature selection sits directly in the user’s hands without routing through an app. For a consumer who wants to explore the flavor range of a specific extract, granular control is the whole point. The integrated quartz crucible is the other differentiator. Quartz preserves terpenes in a way other materials simply don’t. When flavor is the priority, the material in contact with the extract is the decision that matters most.
C&T Today: What feedback from consumers or retailers helped shape the final product?
SL: App dependency came up consistently as a frustration, and we took it seriously. Retailers told us setup support calls were a real burden. More interesting was the feedback around temperature. Consumers who cared about flavor were running lower, more precise sessions and wanted finer control than most devices offered. We built the touchscreen interface around exactly those needs. The goal was a device rewarding a curious, knowledgeable consumer rather than one just hitting a button and hoping for the best.
C&T Today: Are there any specific technological innovations within the EQ that you’re particularly proud of?
SL: The integrated quartz crucible is the one worth pointing to. First of its kind on an e-rig, and not a cosmetic decision. Quartz is chemically inert and heats with a consistency other materials can’t match. For a consumer focused on flavor, the difference between tasting the extract and tasting the device is everything. The touchscreen is the other. Real temperature precision on the unit itself, no app, no pairing, no dependency, means the device respects the consumer’s intelligence and their palate.
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C&T Today: How has the cannabis hardware market evolved over the last five years, and where do you see it heading next?
SL: The early concentrate market rewarded intensity. Big rigs, high heat, maximum production. What’s changed is the consumer. As legal markets matured and extract quality improved, a growing segment started asking why premium material was being treated like fuel. The next phase of the market belongs to flavor. Lower temperatures, better materials, precision control. The European consumer, the German consumer in particular, is already ahead of that curve, and the hardware is finally catching up.
C&T Today: What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for cannabis technology companies entering or expanding within Europe?
SL: The regulatory patchwork is real. Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, France: the pace and shape of legalization differs in each market, and retail compliance looks different everywhere. Companies trying to scale quickly will feel the friction. Brands willing to build patiently and compliantly will find a genuinely rewarding market on the other side. European consumers, particularly in Germany, have high standards and real loyalty when a brand earns it. A better foundation for a business than chasing volume in a saturated market.
C&T Today: Beyond the EQ launch, what can consumers and industry stakeholders expect from DaVinci over the next year?
SL: We’ll be expanding the EQ ecosystem with additional accessories and a modular build path giving consumers more flexibility over their session. On the dry herb side, developments in the IQ lineup are built around the same engineering principles. Our presence in Europe is a long-term commitment, not a launch moment. The German market in particular is one we’re investing in seriously, building retail relationships, showing up at the right events, and making sure the product experience translates accurately into local markets.
