Cannabis edibles have become much more popular in recent years, but they aren’t exactly new. If you talk to your favorite aunt or the friendly hippie who lives next door, they might tell you about how they encountered “pot brownies” decades ago. People have been cooking with cannabis for a long time, ever since we collectively realized how we could activate the cannabinoids with heat.
What’s relatively new is the massive selection of different types of edibles. Most people who are relatively new to the industry might have never had infused baked goods. Instead, other products like gummies and chocolates have become much more popular. This brings us to THC- and CBD-infused beverages.
What Are Cannabis Beverages?
Cannabis drinks are to beverages what cannabis edibles are to food. Soft drinks can be infused with cannabinoids, creating tasty beverages like infused soda. Next time you have a night out with friends, you might even notice that your favorite cocktails can be turned into CBD-infused beverages. Cannabis beverages have become significantly more popular in recent years as people have leveraged existing products like tinctures to make more CBD- and THC-infused beverages.
Before that, it was somewhat of a challenge to create good cannabis beverages. This is because cannabinoids like CBD and THC are fat-soluble, not water-soluble. That’s why the first edibles were all made with types of foods that naturally have high-fat content, like baked goods that rely on either butter or oil.
Introducing fats to beverages was difficult because things like oil and butter tend to bead up and float on the top of some drinks. This creates an unpleasant consumption experience for people, making the drinks feel chunky or oily. Because the cannabis-infused component of the drink was floating right at the top, it also gave the drinks a distinctive taste that many people found to be undesirable.
After all, who wants to sip a root beer or lemonade when the first note of every sip is bitter and tastes kind of like a grassy plant? We’re sure there are people like that out there (different strokes for different folks, after all), but most of our customers say their favorite edibles are the ones where the taste of cannabis has been masked by something more pleasant. The difference comes down to a new scientific innovation.
Why Do Cannabis Drinks Work Now?
The secret has to do with breaking cannabis oil down into microscopic particles. From there, the small particles can be mixed with an emulsifier (that is, a substance that allows oil to dissolve in water). Just like that, it became possible to consistently spread cannabis oil out in other beverages without having it bead up to create an unpleasant texture and taste.
Even for a cannabis enthusiast who somewhat likes the taste of flower, this is generally regarded to be much better. Now, instead of having an intense taste of bitter plants accompanied by an oily sensation on the tongue, every sip delivers just a hint of cannabis terpenes. Not long after this discovery was made, many cannabis edible companies started creating their own THC- and CBD-infused beverages.
Taste and mouthfeel aren’t the only reasons it’s great to spread the cannabinoids out in the drink. Before, when the oil was floating on top of the beverage, it was much more likely to get stuck on the inside of the bottle or the can. That created an entirely different type of disappointing experience: you might drink a beverage that promised you a certain amount of THC, but only actually ingest a much smaller portion of it.
On the topic of finding your own serving size of cannabis versus eating it, it’s also worth mentioning that cannabis beverages and cannabis edibles are not believed to have the same effects. Ever wondered why you feel so much different after eating a 10mg cannabis edible compared to drinking a 10mg cannabis drink?
There’s a Difference Between Drinking Cannabis and Eating It
“Are all edibles the same?” It’s a question we get all the time, and we can see why people might think that. The truth is, though, that all cannabis edibles are not created equal. Drinking cannabis and eating cannabis isn’t quite the same. To understand why it’s helpful to understand some of the science behind cannabis edibles.
Your body first starts to process cannabinoids in the mouth, which you might notice if you’ve ever experienced cannabis tincture or lozenges. From there, the product makes its way down your throat and to your stomach. This is where things start to get a little bit different.
Think about it this way: When you drink a cup of coffee or an alcoholic beverage, does it take a full hour for you to feel the effects? For most people, the answer is now. The nature of liquids allows them to be processed by the body more quickly than nutrients in food or cannabinoids in solid edibles. This is why most of our customers say cannabis drinks seem to kick in faster than cannabis edibles.
Drink Your Cannabis – The Best Cannabis Drinks
As cannabis becomes more widely accepted throughout the United States and the world at large, we expect to see all kinds of different cannabis drinks hitting the market. Constellation Brands, for example, has been bringing cannabis into its portfolio. Constellation Brands is a huge distributor of beverages, so it seems safe to say they have some ideas of cannabis beverages, too.
Even as excited as we are for what the future holds, we don’t want to lose sight of how many awesome cannabis drinks are already on the market. When you visit the best dispensaries in Wheat Ridge and Cortez, you’ll see a wide selection of premium Colorado cannabis drinks. Keef Cola and Dixie Elixir are just a few examples of companies that have made a name for themselves by creating sparkling cannabis beverages that offer great taste and consistent THC levels.
When you buy cannabis beverages, be mindful of which cannabinoids are present, and at which levels. Some cannabis beverages offer much higher potency of CBD or THC per ounce, which means they’re intended to be consumed in much smaller amounts. In other cases, you will find cannabis beverages where the serving size is intended to be the entire can.
Even though there are differences between cannabis beverages and other types of cannabis edibles, the same general ideas apply as far as best practices. Most importantly, we recommend that all of our customers start low and go slow. In other words, if you’re not sure about your preferred serving size, it’s a good idea to start with a lower amount. You can always enjoy more later if you want, and drinking too much too fast can lead to an unpleasant experience.
Where to Buy Cannabis Drinks in Wheat Ridge and Cortez
Here at Chronic Therapy, we pride ourselves on offering a wide selection of cannabis edibles that includes CBD and THC-infused beverages like Keef Cola or Dixie Elixir. When you visit us in Cortez or Wheat Ridge, our experienced staff will be happy to help you answer all of your questions as you find the best products. Stop by today or start shopping online!
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