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, while my colleague Em Cassel tried a modern take on a traditional Indian cannabis bev. Alright, let's do this!
Stigma’s Peach Iced Tea
About: This Minneapolis-based company’s products include seltzers, iced tea and lemonades, and gummies, and they’re also supposed to be fast-acting, getting folks high in about 20 minutes. (For me, I consider that normal-acting.)
Where I got it: I picked this up at Hum’s while waiting for the bus. I’m not 100% on the price, but less than $10.
Flavor: This is artificial tea mixed with artificial peach and artificial sweeteners. That said, I don’t mind it. It’s like a Lipton Iced Tea mix or something you’d find in the Arizona Iced Tea section at a gas station. Easy to drink, familiar, but not sophisticated.
Blast-off time: Twenty minutes, man. No lies in their branding.
Experience: This is a 10 mg can, and it’s big—a 16 oz’er—so you’re gonna end this drink hydrated. And stoned.
Jixxie’s Peach Rhubarb Seltzer
About: This company makes weed bubbly spiked with natural juices and Minnesota-grown and -sourced THC.
Where I got it: $5 at Hemp House. Nice and cheap!
Flavor: This is a nice seltzer with juuuust enough fruit to make it juicy. Jixxie uses real/natural ingredients and you can tell: The peach tastes like the real peach puree that goes into bellinis, the rhubarb tastes like real rhubarb, adding a tartness to the sweet. Everything here tastes as promised on the can—not often the case in this industry.
Blast-off time: About 20 minutes.
Experience: This is a 5 mg THC/5 mg CBD, so it’s not gonna blow your wig off, but some nights a mellow high is all you need.
Fulton’s Watermelon Lime Narc
About: You may already know Fulton for its excellent beers and fun North Loop taproom, but they also have a line of THC bubbly. I’ve previously tried the Triple Berry flavor; this month I am going for the Watermelon Lime.
Where I got it: This was actually sent to me with some Oktoberfest beers, but you can generally pick these up for around $6-$8 a can or $14 for a four-pack.
Flavor: The lime definitely comes through more than the watermelon. Artificial watermelon is a tough flavor, honestly. You either end up with a face-punch of bubble-gummy sugar or it gets lost in translation. I got no beef with the lime though—it’s liming here.
Blast-off time: Good ol’ 20 minutes.
Experience: A nice easy 5 mg'er. It’s sparkling water, so the only thing slowing you down is the carbonation.
Lemon Haze
About: Finding state-sanctioned recreational weed in stores is no easy task, but your friendly neighborhood stoner will almost always have the hookup.
Where I got it: My friend’s uncle, who is also a Racket reader, handed this to me at our anniversary party.
Flavor: It’s been a while since I’ve been randomly handed a bag of weed at a party, so that was a nice surprise. I tried to taste any lemon notes, but what I am getting is a nice, mild party weed.
Blast-off time: It’s smokeable weed! It takes like, two minutes to hit. It’s the original fast-acting green!
Experience: You can’t buy stuff, so I’m mostly including it here as a shout out to the folks who hook you up when you ask. The friend who brings the one-hitter to the outdoor festival; the dude who shares his stuff at a chill backyard party; the neighbor who splits their stash with you when they buy a baggie. I salute you, generous green gifters!
A note about the review below: I was super excited to try Desi High Bhaang, but upon first sip it burned all the way down my throat. I have a few allergies (rosewater, some cinnamons); I suspect I am allergic to this stuff. It wouldn't be fair (or useful!) to review Bhaang as "fire in my mouth," so I invited my colleague, Em Cassel, to give it a try and share her thoughts.
Desi High Bhaang
About: Desi High is behind the "world’s first Bhaang in a can"—bhang being a traditional Indian cannabis edible that gets blended into bevs like bhang lassi and bhang thandai. Bhaang bills itself as "a modern take on a centuries-old drink," with 10 mg of THC in each hot-pink and yellow 4.2-oz can. The brand is woman- and queer-owned and South Asian-founded, so it's a refreshing entry to the typically very white THC bev space.
Where I got it: My neighbor dropped off a bag of these for me (I live in the greatest neighborhood on Earth) but you can also find Desi High at Marigold, Ombibulous, Flipside, and other local retailers.
Flavor: Bhaang is unlike any other THC beverage I've tried to date. The nose is all rosewater and cardamom, and the texture is creamy, milky, and downright decadent. (It is vegan, however!) It's silky af and goes down smooth, and you can also microwave it to enjoy warm, something I'll definitely be trying this winter.
Blast-off time: Between 15 and 20 minutes? I did also chug it, more or less, because it was so delicious.
Experience: A roasty, toasty high that makes you feel warm and cozy. I curled up on the couch with a can and paged through the new Patricia Lockwood, which was even weirder and less accessible stoned. Lockwood rocks; Desi High rocks.
