Courtesy of Bosky Labs
Audio By Carbonatix
Companies pushing vitamins, melatonin and now cannabis have grabbed at gummies as a preferred way to get their products in our bellies. And sure, gummies are easy and convenient, but where’s the fun? Where’s the innovation?
At the moment, it seems that only small businesses are trying new tricks with edibles.
Walk into a pot shop, and you’ll see dozens of different weed gummies. Fast-acting, low-THC, high-CBD, sleepytime, daytime, body recuperation…the list goes on and on. Most of the gummies are from larger brands relying on the lowest common denominator, and you don’t get much cheaper than sugar and distillate, a refined form of THC that can be extracted from remediated plants.
I’m from the Flintstones vitamin generation, so it’s not hard to wrap my head around bite-size sugary supplements. While it’s a lot harder to wrap my head around barbecue sauce, coffee pods and snow cone syrup infused with weed, that’s exactly the kind of innovative fun I’m looking for when I walk into dispensaries.
Although just as sugary as gummies, infused syrups have become a fun way to crank up my drinks – and they’re also easier to consume in higher THC doses. Bosky Labs, founded by New York City transplant Steve Fried, uses Cherry Brand cannabis to create various rosin syrups that have kept me outside and knocked me on my ass. I use (lightly) its caramel and Irish Cream flavors with coffee during the day, and dump the Bosky grape in a seltzer water to knock me out at night.
Highgrade, another local syrup brand, offers both rosin and standard infusions, and goes even further with flavors. There’s no shortage of fruit syrups for drinks and snow cones, but I like Highgrade’s simple syrup and vanilla offerings for milkshakes ad mocktails – both of which are a lot more fun than gummies, and a more effective replacement for drinking alcohol.
Courtesy of Saucy’s Southern
Looking for something more savory? Saucy’s Southern makes THC-infused BBQ and Carolina Gold sauces that are good on wings, meatballs, pulled pork and plenty more. Each bottle comes packed with 100 milligrams of THC, so pour some over your lunch or dinner during game day. The brand was founded by two cousins who met in college and started a Mississippi-inspired barbecue cart outside of a Denver dispensary. Today, Saucy’s Southern is a full-fledged restaurant, and you can find its THC-infused sauces at dispensaries across the city.
The sauce doesn’t end there. Mighty Tree, a group of two underrated dispensaries in south Denver, sells Fairytale Fire Hot Sauce. Available in four flavors, including verde and tropical, they let you add THC to breakfast, lunch and dinner. (Eggs, anyone?)
Speaking of breakfast, some small edibles companies specialize in homemade hot drinks for the morning, also. Villa Grove-based Teajuana sells single-serve pouches of instant lemonade, hot chocolate and hot apple cider, as well as Earl Gray, orange blossom and hibiscus rooibos teas. However, our favorite from Teajuana are the sugar cubes, which allow you to infuse anything from an Old-Fashioned to a morning cup of bean juice. But if you’re looking for convenience, new edibles manufacturer Güd Tymz makes coffee K-cups dosed with 10 milligrams of THC – and for when work is over and play begins, Güd Tymz has infused jello shots, too.
All of these are more fun and better conversation starters than a chewy piece of fruity sugar. With so many boutique edibles out there, gummies seem ho-hum. You might have to look around town to find these alternatives, but you won’t be disappointed if you do. Next time, why not give the little guys a try?
