Welcome to Weed Weviews, a verbal foible that’s become the very real name of this monthly column.
This summer, I made my way through a ton of THC products—all in the name of journalism, of course. But there’s still so much stuff out there I want to try, so I thought it’s be fun to keep the party going. Each month, I’m going to highlight a few things I dabbled in, be it beverages, gummies, chocolates, candies, oils, or… “other” (weed comes in a lot of different forms these days!). Think of it like our Doin’ Beers column, but for weed.
As I’ve explained a few times before, I am a casual but experienced weed traveler who’s familiar and comfortable with the effects of THC, whether I’m just feeling a whisper of the sweet bud or a full-on hurricane.
Also important: These are just my experiences. As we all know, time and place can impact reactions. So can mindset, experience levels, overall sensitivity to chemicals, and energy level. Everyone’s body and brain is different. So stay safe and be careful out there, folks.
All right! Let’s get this party started.
Stigma THC Gummies, Rapid Intake
About: Stigma is a Minneapolis-based THC and CBD company. They’ve got oils, they’ve got CBD doggie treats, they’ve got drinks, and even CBD cream. Right now people can shop their products online, but before the pandemic they also had a shop in the North Loop. They're planning to reopen in a new location (but the same neighborhood) in the coming months.
Flavor: Of all the gummies I've tried, these are way bigger and softer, which is is great for people who like to play around with dosage, as they’re easy to halve or even quarter. While I enjoyed both flavors, I found myself chewing on a few unmixed gelatine clumps a few times.
Blast-off time: About 30 minutes, which is about average for a gummy. You do hit the higher side of the high faster though. So if you’re the kind of person who takes a dose, then takes another dose 30 minutes later because you’re not high enough, these might be good for you.
Experience: I definitely felt chill and ready for bed. If you’re in the mood for a warm blanket and a cute movie on the couch, these are a good time.
Stoneover? Nope!
Retro Bakery Infused Sugar
About: These guys make super-tasty chocolates, Oreo-style cookies, and Nutty Buddy-esque crunchy bars. I’ve already done some experimenting with this straight-up sugar product, but I wanted to try to incorporate these things in a few baking project, since simply adding this sugar to tea is convenient, but not as exciting as unleashing my inner stoner Betty Crocker on my friends.
Flavor: I bought an oatmeal sandwich kit from the $1 basket Lund’s sometimes has in the middle of their frozen food aisle. I decided to add the sugar to the icing I made for the filling.
Blast-off time: Less than 30.
Experience: Have you ever overused butter when making weed brownies? And then you and your friends didn’t want to waste them but they’re too rich and they’re making your stomach hurt? I did that, but with sugar. I’m going to blame the recipe, not the product. Cooking with weed is kinda tricky, and I failed. The sugar high eclipsed any weed energy I was hoping to derive from the snack.
Stoneover? No. Just shame.
Cultivated CBD Plus
About: This Minnesota company sells a ton of CBD stuff as well as Delta-9 gummies. According to their site, their gummies come from a traditional French recipe that is referred to as “Pâte de Fruit.” Ooh la la!
Flavor: These taste like Gatorade. I’m not saying that these aren’t classy French-style gummies, but blue-raspberry is just never going to come off as complex or natural.
Blast-off time: Probably closer to 45 minutes with these.
Experience: The blast off takes a tiny bit more time, but these are great. These aren’t going to bed gummies, so give yourself a project or at least some time to wind down before you try to sleep.
Also, I gotta send love to the container. So many THC edibles these days come in a child protective Ziplock seal-type thing, which I also find to be “Jessica-proof.” This brand’s canister design, with little plastic nubs you squeeze to pop the top open kinda remind me of the mechanism used on some orange prescription drug bottles, and they keep dumb babies outta of my stash. (FYI: There are no babies in my social circle.)
Stoneover? Nope! Woke up refreshed the next morning.
Take Five THC Tea Lemonade
About: Surly Brewing is getting in on the drinkable weed market by teaming up with Stigma Cannabis Co., whose gummies I enjoyed this month as well. The collab includes two bubbly THC bevvies, Lime and Mixed Berry, and the brand-new Tea Lemonade.
Flavor: Okay, I love Arnie Palmers, especially in the summertime. The tea tastes instant, as is to be expected with canned tea. The lemonade has hints of Country Time, which is serviceable too. So yeah, I would say this is pretty dang drinkable, but it’s nothing fancy. I would expect to find a similar concoction (minus the THC) in the cooler section of a gas station or CVS. Every time I crack one of these and take the first sip I get the same rush to the brain that I get when I drink an Arizona Green Tea.
Blast-off time: About 10 minutes? But I gotta say, each time I tried this I barely felt the effects. Liquid THC tends to make me feel a little slower, but not necessarily stoned. Maybe these would be nice for people who are looking for a body focused high?
Experience: I suspect that with drinks like these I need to layer the consumption and drink more than one. But honestly, I don’t think I could drink multiple cans of this since it’s so sweet and the cans are generous-sized. I think, for me, the best way to enjoy this would be to pop a gummy and then drink this at a leisurely pace--a nice approach if you’re a beer person who needs a little drinking action with your THC.
Stoneover? Nada.
