In celebration of the day that honors the partaking of marijuana HOBNOB delivers its Seattle shopping report from Have a Heart Seattle Cannabis Dispensary. We were completely educated on this new legal phenomenon.
Since this was our first experience in a US store, we had no idea what to expect. At Have a Heart we found a super-friendly staff, eager to educate us on their myriad of brands and what is considered a proper dosage. Staffer Olivia took her time to show us around, then manager BJ arrived on the scene to share some tales of the trade, and posed with us at the store’s animated giant spliff—which had the extra entertainment value of changing color. He also pointed out the fantastic, spiral cannabis-laiden chandelier at the entryway. We felt well treated.
The good news. There are all sorts of edibles on the market, for those who would never consider smoking. We’ve made a selection that any host could have available for their pot-loving guests. If you’ve never experienced an edible—be careful! Take it slow… even if you are experienced with smoking.
First off, Winterlife Hedgehog’s Spikers is a line of “cocktails”, that come in all your favorite flavors: Lemon Drop, Blood Orange Grenadine, Ginger Mint Julep, Holiday Spiced Cranberry Sangria, Mojito, and Mai Tai. (seen in the photo at the top of this post) Designed to be mixed with club soda, each bottle holds enough for 10 servings. For the more experienced, I could see a small dash of this added to a low-alcohol cocktail.
For those with a sweet tooth, we eyed a couple of options. The 4.20 Bar Mini contains one dose in a bite-sized morsel—offered in a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD. CBD is considered another therapeutic part of the cannabis plant, which does not add to getting high, but helps with pain and anxiety, thus balancing the effects of the THC. These bars are a gourmet dark chocolate treat with fair trade 72% Cacao and a hint of sea salt. For something even more decadent, pop a truffle from Swifts, available in 8 flavors, all housing a center of whipped crème chocolate ganache. They come 6 to a box, each a single dose.
Salty snack lovers can get their fix with Emerald Peaks Nice Rice cannabis-infused rice crackers, a 1st place winner in the Medical Edibles category of the 2014 Seattle High Times Medical Cannabis Cup.
For handy and super totable edibles look no further than Mr. Moxey’s Mints. They come in Peppermint (with a CBD version), Ginger, and Cinnamon, and a wee dose of cannabis, just half a serving per mint.
For the smokables: Remember, it’s not legal to smoke on the streets of Seattle, but in private homes it’s perfectly acceptable. While in the Have a Heart Dispensary, we inquired about some of the less potent brands, for those not used to smoking. Generally speaking, strains with less than 15% THC are better for newbies, or those with low tolerance. Coming in with a 15.4% THC, Top Shelf Premium’s Lemon OG is described as “…provides users with a quick-acting sleepy head sensation… mild tasting and pleasant smelling with fruity undertones. Lemon OG tends to feel more psychoactive than other members of the kush family, but still offers a heavy, relaxed feel great for stress relief and increasing appetite.” The other recommendations are Pingston Creek Indica Papaya, Golden Tree Productions Cinex, at 13.4% THC. See more info on low-dose recommendations on Leafly.
For the more experienced, Have a Heart thought these 3 brands were super: Willie’s Reserve (yes, that Willie) Gorilla Glue, Clandestine Gardens Green Crack, and Lil’ Blue Kiss.
Dosage: 10 mg is considered a serving dose. That does not mean it’s perfect for everyone. Especially with edibles, it’s best to to err on the side of caution. For me, 1/2 a mint (2.5 mg) was exactly right—that wonderful, happy feeling which lasted all afternoon long. Go at your own pace.
