Kushy Punch Sativa & Indica Cannabis Gummies Review

Kushy Punch Cannabis Infused Gummies come in Sativa and Indica formulas. I greatly prefer THC edibles that indicate if they are Sativa or Indica, as I never know what effect I can expect with many generic “hybrid” edibles. These gummies provide specific effect with specific formulations, which helps you know what to expect. Kushy Punch also does make a Hybrid formula, a Recover formula (THC +CBD), a CBD formula and a Private Reserve hybrid gummy.

I love that the Kushy Punch website indicates the type of genetics for each of their formulas:

According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, Kushy Punch are one of the most popular edibles brands in the L.A. area and I was glad to find them in Northern California as well. Fortunately they are widely available in California

Ingredients and Packaging

These gummies are gluten free, dairy free, fat free, peanut free and kosher. They are not vegan or really vegetarian either, as the gelatin they contain is made from animal products. They are a tiny 3.3 calories per piece. As with many California edibles, they come in a package of ten doses totaling 100 mg of THC per package. The Sativa and Indica formulas have 0.1mg of CBD per 10mg of THC in each dose. At 3.3 calories per serving, they are a low calorie edible.

Kushy Punch cannabis infused gummies GIF

You have to push in the flaps at the sides of the box to open the inner container, then peel back a foil cover to reveal the 10 gummies. The gummies are in one large piece with sections you have to pull apart. Be careful separating them, as it’s easy to mistakenly rip off more than a single serving size piece.

I found it difficult to figure out what the flavor was. I had to check the box to see that the Sativa is a Strawberry flavor and Indica is Plum flavor. The ingredients are tapioca syrup, cane sugar, water, gelatin, citric acid, natural flavor extract, cannabis oil and coloring. A typical, if not mouth-watering ingredient list common to many gummies. The flavor was pretty generic and I could taste the cannabis oil, though mildly. They tasted fine, if really unremarkable. I did have a cannabis oil aftertaste with the Indica formula.

Effects

The front of the box has a graphic that says there is 60 minute activation. With individual metabolisms varying so greatly, I’m not sure how they can back up this claim as being scientifically proven. Even as an individual I have had the same edible hit me significantly sooner or later than usual depending on what else is my system.

The effects are primarily as you would expect, with the Indica formula to be a more body-focused effect with relaxation, anti-anxiety, heightened senses and a light, calm type of euphoria. Sativa is more focused on the head, with creativity, energy and a similar effect of heightened senses.

These THC gummies produce the effects you would expect from Indica or Sativa strains of cannabis. The strength is good, producing a noticeable effect similar to other type-specific edibles. The effects last the usual 4-5 hours for me.

Not the best tasting gummies I’ve had, but they have no offensive taste either. For a low calorie, reliable edible with effects on point to what you would expect, Kushy Punch gummies are a good bet for elevating.

Taste: 3

Strength: 8

Website: Passion Care LLC – https://kushypunch.com/

Valhalla Cannabis Sativa Gummies Review

My go-to edible for daytime use is the Valhalla Sour Watermelon Sativa gummies. They hit all of the important points for me – flexible potency, great taste and consistent effects.

Tasty, Portable, Economical and Effective

One of the first and most important elements of any edible is taste. While you may be willing to deal with a not-great taste for specific effects, it is always great when the edible is delicious. Being a big fan of Jolly Roger-type flavors, I love the Sour Watermelon flavor that Valhalla uses. I can still taste the cannabis a little bit and the flavoring works in harmony with that taste, not trying to cover it up or clashing with it, as some edibles can.

Since they come in Indica and Sativa and CBD specific types, the Valhalla gummies let you find the right ratio of each through experimentation.You might want half a Sativa and half a CBD for daytime pain relief and uplift. Or half an Indica and a whole CBD for evening use or sleep support.

I have found that if I take them on a relatively empty stomach and take it with some food with fat in it as well as having caffeine, I get a perfectly strong effect that lasts at least 4-5 hours. When I feel the effects fading I can boost it with another half of a gummy, as they are easy to cut or bite through.

This is my standard edible for days when I want an energetic effect to help me get things done around the house, spark creativity or help focus on a task. Valhalla gummies deliver that consistently and with great taste!

Read our review of the Valhalla Indica Gummies here.

Strength: 8

Flavor: 9

Website: http://www.valhallaconfections.com

Dutch Girl Cannabis Stroopwafels Review

My friend asked her favorite budtender, with the day-glo yellow hair, to recommend her favorite edibles and Dutch Girl Stroopwafels were on the top of her list. They come in a resealable container of ten 25mg cookies, equaling a total of 250 mg. The price she paid was $25.00 a container. That comes down to $1.00 per 10 mg, a very nice price!

Dutch Girl Cannabis Caramel Waffles 250 mg package
Image courtesy Gary Uncle G Brown

The waffle is cinnamon and caramel. Crunchy on the outside and pleasingly chewy on the inside. It was a little weedy tasting, but not too bad.

She highly recommend when trying  Dutch Girl Stroopwafels that I wait one and a half hours before eating more. They are slow to create a full buzz, but are VERY powerful. She was stoned for more than 3 ½ hours.

The waffles gave her a heady high. A nice, strong buzz. Once feeling the high, she began to de-stress and chill out. It was a creative, happy, stoned feeling. Dutch Girl Stroopwafels didn’t give her the munchies.

It was so nice she decided, rather quickly, to double check this product. It really is delicious and very strong. Just like her favorite budtender, she said she absolutely would suggest this to my friends, so I decided to try them.

Cannabis Caramel Waffles 250 mg Nutrition Facts
Image Cannabis.net

I tried them one weekend afternoon at 5pm. I had a late lunch so my stomach was half full. I didn’t have caffeine with it or anything else to boost the potency. The waffles are already made with a good amount of fat from the butter, so I didn’t feel the need to follow my usual practice and eat it with something with some fat in it like an avocado or some mac & cheese.

Heeding the warning about this being a very strong product, I decided I would try half of a single waffle first. My usual dose is 10mg so trying half would bring me close, with about 12.5 mg in half a waffle. One issue for me is that they don’t easily break in half. If they are cold, they are solid enough you could cut them with a sharp knife. My attempt to break one in half gave me more like 60% and 40%, so I started with the 40%.

Absolute best way to enjoy a stroopwafel - on top of a warm mug filled with a favorite drink
Image courtesy ILoveStroopwafel.com

The taste is good, the sweet caramel mixes with the crunchy sweet ice cream cone-like waffle cookie. There is definite cannabis taste at the end and it lingers with the caramel as the aftertaste. If you are familiar with Stroopwafels you know they are meant to be enjoyed with a hot drink like coffee or cocoa. As seen in the image above, you can let them warm on top of your hot beverage and then they can melt in your mouth as you eat them.

It took a while for me to feel the effects – be prepared to wait a while for this edible to hit you. Don’t take more if you don’t feel anything in the first hour, it takes a little longer for this to wind up its punch before it hits you! I was sitting for the first 60 minutes after I took it and when I stood up and walked around, I got a distinct head rush.

I ate some dinner after 90 minutes and expected that to retard or reduce the effects. After about an hour, I felt a tiny bit of body relaxation but the primary response was one of a stoned, heavy head. I am very sensitive to any sedating effects that Indica strains have, so I usually feel that more than many people. This was a “don’t drive or operate heavy machinery” kind of a very relaxed feeling with sluggish thinking and slowed reaction time. I didn’t have strong munchies.

So if you are looking for a strong, relaxing effect this is a good edible for that. Perfect for late afternoon or early evening if you want to just relax and stay in. It is not an edible I would have with my morning coffee unless I planned to do almost nothing all day :).

Flavor: 7

Strength: 9

Website: CannaPunch

Transdermal Patches: An Introduction

I first learned about transdermal patches from a good friend in Colorado whose son uses the CBD patches for pain management. For their privacy, we’ll call them Brenda and Will. Brenda had the patches recommended by a doctor for Will’s pain related to cerebral palsy. They are easy to apply and have much less side effects than opioids (and most other pain pills). The transdermal’s effects last up to 12 hours, so you don’t have to remember every 4 or 6 hours to administer another dose – or wake up to take them in the middle of the night. While other medications are necessary for his complete pain management, the CBD patches provide a more reliable and consistent foundation of pain relief than Will has ever had.

Brenda then shared that she had used them for pain as well, including after she had knee surgery. When she went in for her 3 month checkup after the surgery, her doctor was surprised to see that the knee had healed as well as if it had been 6 months. He asked her what she had done to accelerate her healing and she shared how the CBD patches had helped manage the pain and must had had an impact on the healing.

She wears the transdermal patches herself as needed for pain relief and other effects.

The transdermal patch is something like a nicotine patch, if you’ve ever seen one of those. It has an outer layer that often looks like a type of bandage fabric, a layer of medication in a medium designed to dispense consistently while worn, then a layer of adhesive to make sure it sticks to your skin.

Patches come in either single formula or a mix. They can comes as THC-Sativa, THC-Indica, THCa, CBD or CBN. There are slao patches with rations, such as CBD/THC 1:1.

To apply them, you find an area of your skin that is venous like the inside of your wrist or ankle. You can apply them close to a point of pain like a knee or hip as well, just try to make sure the area is free of oil, hair or scars. Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the area before applying the patch. Apply it firmly and evenly to ensure it adheres well to your skin. We like to use rubbing alcohol not only to clean the area but that it helps to remove the adhesive once you remove the patch.

Usually patches provide an even, long lasting effect as they release over time. As with edibles, the effects can be impacted by what you eat. If you feel the effects are too strong, try eating something to see if that reduces the effect. The effects can be boosted by using transdermal gels, edibles or smoking flowers. Always get to know your reactions to individual products first before combining them.

A favorite is Mary’s CBN patch, used to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. My local dispensaries often sell out of them within days whenever they get them in.

Read the Review: Mary’s CBN Transdermal Patch.

Wana Watermelon Cannabis Gummies Review

One of the first edibles I tried years ago were cannabis gummies. They were familiar sounding and I didn’t really know what else to try. That was a while ago. Here I am today reviewing Wana Watermelon Gummies. It feels like old times.

Wana Gummies Watermelon

They come in a container of 10 pieces (20 mg each). One gummy works out to cost $2.00. This edible doesn’t say of it is Indica or Sativa and is not strain specific.

I do not like the taste of these gummies. I’ve had Wana’s mixed flavor gummies and the watermelon ones are really the best. It tastes very medicinal, then it gets bitter. I don’t enjoy the taste of these gummies. Its’ okay but just generic with the bitter aftertaste.

Although I took a little more than my usual dose, the high was not too strong. It took about 45 minutes to have any noticeable effects. This was more “up” like a sativa buzz. I was able to accomplish several tasks. Focusing was very easy. The high lasted 3 hours and I didn’t have the munchies.

Twice more I took a 10mg dose, which is my usual dose and felt practically nothing. I tried boosting them with 2.5mg of another gummy but still almost no effect. It was like taking nothing at all, which felt like a waste of money.

The edibles industry is growing with all types of amazing products. Wana Gummies are a safe bet, but I urge you to talk with your favorite budtender and ask for their recommendations and read our reviews for honest feedback.

Between the bad taste and the weak, non-specific effects, I can’t recommend these gummies.

Flavor: 2

Strength: 3

Website: Wana Brands

Incredibles Microdosed Cannabis Infused Calming Fire Mints Review

From Incredibles, these spicy cinnamon mints, with 2mg of THC in each piece are, as the microdosed name implies, a low dose edible with calming effects. They come 100 pieces to a package, for a total of 200mg THC. They also come in a medical dose of 500mg in a package, with each mint being 5mg, so be sure to check the package before consuming.

Product and Taste

Medical dose Calming Fire Mints in 500mg package

These mints come in a small round plastic container with a screw top lid. They almost fill the container so they are much less over-packaged than other edibles. They were easy to open and should be easy for folks with limited hand strength. It’s the classic “push down and turn” lid and it doesn’t require a lot of strength to get them open, a blessing for folks with arthritis or other similar hand mobility restrictions. They are small round tablets, so they’re very convenient and portable.

There are no allergens listed on the hidden label (you have to peel the label back to read the nutrition information and ingredients). They contain no dairy or other animal products so they are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

These are strongly flavored with cinnamon, almost an Altoids-type strength. They call them Fire Mints for a reason! If you don’t care for cinnamon you would not like these. At my normal dose they even gave me a very small stomach ache from the cinnamon, likely because of what else was in my stomach, but be aware if you are sensitive to cinnamon or have an easily upset stomach.

Dosing

These are a great cannabis edible for folks new to edibles, because you can start with one for a 2mg dose of THC to see how it effects you. If that goes well, next time try 4mg then another time 6mg. See how they work with your system and tolerance. Always start low and go slow.

Like all edibles, I try a smaller dose when I’m not familiar with the product. For these I tried three the first time, for a dose of 6mg, since my usual dose is 10mg. I felt mildly relaxed but nothing much else. The next time I tried four, for a dose of 8mg.

Effects

At 8mg I definitely felt the anti-anxiety and calming effects. I was pleasantly surprised that they were not sleep inducing, as many edibles with relaxing/ Indica-type effects can produce couch- lock or sleepiness. Sometimes you want that, but these focus on the calming without making me tired.

For those times you want the calming effects without the heavy body, these are a great low dose cannabis edible. For folks who need more than 10mg or 20mg of THC, they are not the best choice. Taking 25 of these for a 50mg dose would not be fun unless you can never get enough cinnamon!

Strength: 7

Taste: 6

Website: https://iloveincredibles.com/