Welcome to Weed Weviews, a verbal foible that’s become the very real name of this monthly column. Think of it like our Doin’ Beers series, but for weed. This month I revisited a few brands with new flavors, a beer company dabbling in THC, a super-can of weed, and a stoner cocktail. Alright, let's do this!
Buz Pop’s Vanilla Cream Infused Soda
About: This St. Paul-based THC soda line is part of the No Coast brand, and they want you to know that they’re not like other sodas—they’re a soda that's good for you. So, what’s in this can? Mostly sugar. A lot of different types of sugar: brown rice syrup, tapioca syrup, stevia, cane sugar, etc. In fairness, there is probably less sugar; Coke is about 140 calories, while this is 90 cals for the whole can. The can says “no added sugar on the side,” but if you look at the ingredients you can see that aside from water, sugars (added or not) are the main ingredient. There’s also a bunch of inulins in here—they’re supposed to act like fertilizer for your intestinal tract, helping the good gut flora thrive in the trash compactor of your body. “Diving into the world of the human microbiome has been quite the adventure, and honestly, we're just scratching the surface,” they write.
Where I got it/price: I got it for $5.99 at Hemp House.
Flavor: Tastes like carbonated cream cheese! I didn’t mind it, but it’s not quite what I expect when drinking a cream soda.
Blast-off time: About 25 minutes.
Experience: My gut biome is already a pretty happy place, so I didn’t notice any change. But I did get a nice 10mg high and the flavor was pleasant enough even if it reminded me of a sweet Bruegger’s Bagel.
Find Wunder’s Higher Vibes
About: This California company has been making drinks since 2018 and claims to be the No. 3 THC drink in the state. So, like, the Ranch Water of THC bubbly.
Where I got it/price: $6.99 at Hemp House.
Flavor: This tastes like carbonated liquid candy, and is only 20 cals a can, Buz Pop. I’m getting blackberry Jolly Rancher from this, with a dash of Lip Smackers. The blackberry really dominates. I don’t taste any lemon or citrus, and when I poured a bit into a glass I was delighted to find that this bevvy is a super pretty fuchsia color.
Blast-off time: Again, about 20 minutes. I drank this one fast like lip gloss you can’t stop licking off.
Experience: Nice! This was a 10mg can, too, so I got that solid three-beer-level of THC high. But this also has 10mg of CBG, which can lighten moods and (maybe? I dunno) promote focus. I will say, I did put some dishes away, transfer my money plant to a bigger pot, and take out the trash while on this, so there is something to that science.
Venn Brewing Co.’s Zenn 10
About: Do you ride the Blue Line? Venn is mere feet from one of its stops, which is also an easy walk to Bull’s Horn. (I'm obviously crafting a bar crawl as I type this.) Anyway, you may know these guys for their coffee or their beer, but they also make some mean THC drinks—and I recently tried the Clusterfruit flavor.
Where I got it/price: $7 at Marigold.
Flavor: Delicious! According to the can, the Clusterfruit is a mix of mango, passionfruit, pineapple, and pink guava. (There’s a little kick of something sparkling in there too.) I would say the guava stands out of the mix, but this is just juicy, tropical goodness. I gotta give props to any THC beverage that tastes like what it says it is on the can, and these guys nailed it.
Blast-off time: About 15 minutes, I gulped this down and loved it.
Experience: I was 10mg THC high, and juice high as well. I took a nice walk then watched a horrible/amazing movie called Night Swim, which you may recall being set in Minnesota. (Top IMDB review: “Yeah, it’s a haunted pool.”) Weed makes so many bad movies amazing; they really should be their own genre/have their own tag on streaming services.
North High Tonics
About: There’s not really an origin story on North High's website, but it looks like these guys are Minnesota-based and specialize in low- and no-cal slightly carbonated THC drinks. Typical quote from their site: “With North, you're not just buying a beverage; you're investing in a lifestyle.”
Where I got it/price: $7.99. This one came highly recommended from the guy who helped me out during my recent visit to the actual brick-and-mortar Hemp House.
Flavor: This tastes like watermelon bubblegum, my least favorite bubblegum outside of bubblegum-flavored bubblegum. That said, it’s not bad. It’s just a very artificial taste and I was hoping for a more natural approach. I was also hoping for strawberry, one of the best flavors—artificial or not—and there was nary a berry to be found. I do appreciate that this drink isn’t super sweet, and the lighter carbonation level makes it stand out from the “bad Lacroix with THC” punch to the head a lot of companies are taking these days.
Blast-off time: 15 minutes.
Experience: That 10mg of THC got me where I needed to go that evening. And where I needed to go was my couch, where my PS5 and new crossword puzzle book awaited me.
