I don’t want to be a buzzkill, but this is not a great time to be in the weed business.
If you’re a THC edible or beverage producer, your product will become illegal in November on a federal level—unless Minnesota (or any other state) gets a last-minute carve-out. If you’re a dispensary, unless you’ve got ties to medical marijuana, you’re probably struggling to get your hands on any product to sell or finding drivers licensed to drive it to you. And then there’s the NA bottle industry; most of these places have closed, and the last one standing (Marigold) reports it's surviving on a week-to-week basis.
This is not a high point, so to speak, for weed. So let’s celebrate what we have while we can. No matter what happens, plenty of local makers have shown us a good time along the way.
The following are a few of my faves from this year, including the products I kept enjoying throughout the year, and those I'm (hopefully) going to keep buying again and again.
Merry Stoner Christmas, Weed Weviews readers. Support your local dealers, be they a neighborhood shop or your weed-growing uncle. And thanks for always being cool.
Best THC Drink (Sweet): Buz Pop’s Concord Grape Prebiotic Soda
I don’t know why this one surprised me so much. Its makers, No Coast, put out some of the best stuff in town. But in a sea of grape sodas (which I also love) this was unexpectedly sophisticated. It tastes legit, like real not-from-concentrate grape juice. Plus it’s not too sweet, and the low-level carbonation gives it an extra sparkle.
What I said at the time: This is grape soda for adults, rich but not too sweet. I can’t say that I noticed any prebiotic benefits, but my digestion system is a pretty happy place in general.
Previous winners: Ganja Skoden’s Sparkling Lime Margarita
Best THC Drink (Sparkling): Wandering Leaf Brewing Co.’s Micro Greens
Look, I’ve had some real bad flavored sparkling waters, and quite a few have been THC-laced. When dealing with artificial flavors you’re going to get a lot of unpleasant chemical tangs and fruit-flavoring that just doesn’t taste right. That is not a problem with Micro Greens. The notes of pineapple and mango here are but a whisper, but they're there and actually taste like the real stuff. Think juicy like Spindrift, but with THC added into the mix.
What I said at the time: Upon cracking this baby open I am immediately greeted with the smell of fruit juice—real fruit juice. So the little “made with real fruit!” claim on the can is no lie.
Previous winners: Dangerous Man’s Painkiller, Utopia Borealis Mapleau
Best Gummy: Herb Garden Co.’s Gummies
Don’t be fooled by the boring packaging. Like some of the other winners this year these little buddies are made from real fruit, and that really makes all the difference. The raspberry is a deep, jammy flavor reminiscent of a homemade dessert.
What I said at the time: INo complaints here, other than it made me want toast.
Previous winners: Drops’ Hemp Jellies, Minny Grown Peach-of-a-Day Gummies, No Coast Cannabis Co.’s Pâte de Fruit.
Best Tincture: Nothing But Hemp’s THC Tincture
I kept reaching for this bottle throughout the year. It’s such an easy way to turn a drink into an adult cocktail at the squeeze of a dropper. You won’t want to drink this straight—it’s too bitter and herbal to be enjoyable on its own. But it disappears into a mug of cocoa, a glass of red wine, cup of tea, or pint of beer beautifully and it's an easy way to accurately control your dosage.
What I said at the time: A nice daytime tincture I have found that gets me where I need to go.
Previous winners: Retro Bakery’s Unflavored THC Tincture, Jane’s Relax, Sleep, and Creativity Tinctures
Best Candy: Zuuz’s Party Mix THC Tarts
OK, if I was doing a “Worst Of” award, this would also win for “Most Difficult Packaging” because wow, that little tube is hard to get into. But once you do, you’re in for a sweet treat. These taste like Nerds or SweeTarts, and dissolve quickly in a pretty dang satisfying way in the mouth. They are also the only stoner candy I think I’ve ever come across that is actually fast acting—I swear I am noticing effects 5-10 minutes in instead of my typical 20-30-ish minutes. Just move that candy into a mint tin once you get it open.
What I said at the time: These are solid little 5 mg candies. They’re easy to pop into a purse for on-the-go stoning and don’t totally zonk me out. The lid, however, is not only child-proof but adult-proof.
Best Fruit Punch: Zenn Pacific Punch
I’ve been noticing a lot of fruit punches on the market these days and, as a former Hawaiian Punch kid, I find a lot of them to be pretty great. The “Pacific Punch” blend here is guava-forward, though I also detect a bit of apricot, papaya, passion fruit, and pineapple. It goes down easy like a summertime treat.
What I said at the time: Much like Venn’s Clusterfruit flavor, of which I’m also a fan, this is a guava-forward punch that offers pure juice-box goodness. Added bonus: It’s lightly carbonated and smells like weed.
Best Ginger Ale: Birch’s on the Lake
In addition to fruit punches and Grape Apes, I've also been noticing a number of takes on ginger beers, another drink I love. Birch’s was my fav this year, with its natural flavors tasting like actual ginger root. It was spicy, fresh, and not too sweet. I can only imagine the delicious damage someone could do if they used this in a Moscow Mule.
What I said at the time: This is a 10 mg can with 15 mg of CBD, so you will be melty. The ginger also makes this a great drink for upset stomachs; I found it neutralizing my body after a heavy lunch and it saved my afternoon.
Best Microdose: Mary & Jane’s Sunny Micro Candies
These are really the MVPs of the random candy in my purse. They come in a little tin that you can fit in just about any bag or pocket, and it’s nice to be able to offer one up to your stoner friends when you’re at a street fest or pool party. They’re low-dose, which means you can layer them for whatever level of high you want, but they’re also great for public crossfading if you’re a two beers-and-a-buzz kind of person like me. They taste a lot like Smarties and quickly melt in your mouth.
What I said at the time: It’s very easy to do these in public and navigate the world around you, but you might find yourself a little more giggly or even on the low end of slap-happy.
Previous winners: Jane/Joy Microdose Gummies (2025) and Billy Goat’s Hard Candy (2024).
Best Innovation: Tattersall’s Functional Tonics
That’s right: You can buy a 40 oz bottle of weed. You’re not going to want to drink it all at once, of course. But you can consume as little or as much as you want—just follow the dosing instructions on the label and you’re set for a micro-dose, medium-level high, or a face-melting afternoon. Being able to mix your own drink and add the amount of THC as you want shouldn’t be revolutionary, but in our highly regulated state it really is. Added bonus: I've been converting my old booze cart into a THC cart, and these iridescent bottles sure do look pretty on it.
What I said at the time: I love that you can control how much you add to your drink (there are handy dosing tables on the label ranging from a teaspoon for a microdose to an ounce for a 4 mg-er). I also like that, like a bitter or an aromatic, you can add it to drinks you already know you like, so you’re never stuck downing some weird-flavored soda.
Previous winners: Doctor Dabs’s ZZZzzzZZZ Nighttime Chamomile & Lavender Tea, Doctor Dabs’s Seasoning
