Tag Archives: chocolate

Kiva Cannabis-Infused Chocolate Bars Review

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Kiva is one of the most widely available, well known brands of cannabis edibles with a long history and more than a few awards. Kiva Bars come in eight different flavors, either dark chocolate or milk chocolate. The dark chocolate flavors are vegetarian and vegan friendly as they contain no dairy or other animal products. They may contain traces of milk or nuts from manufacturing, but all are gluten-free. Most of the flavors have only THC in them, two flavors have both THC and CBD.

As regular readers know, I greatly prefer edibles that are made either from similar types of cannabis (Indica, Sativa or Hybrid) and my preference is for edibles that are strain-specific (Blue Dream, Sour Diesel, Gorilla Glue, etc.) and labeled as such. Many edible makers like Kiva, use a mixture of types of cannabis, so while they can be considered “Hybrid”, there is no way to know what strains were used, so the effects are more of a muddle.

Dosing

As always, if it is your first time trying this brand start with a small dose, wait two hours and then judge the effects to determine if you want to increase your dosage.

Kiva Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cannabis Infused BarsThe bar I tried has 100mg total in the bar and it is scored to make it easy to break off 5mg pieces I am an experienced user of cannabis edibles and I know my usual dose is 10mg of THC, so I began by having a 5mg piece and waited to judge the effects. Within an hour I felt a little bit of an effect. After two hours the effects were mild, so I felt comfortable taking another 5mg dose to bring me up to my usual preferred strength.

Taste

For this review I tried the Blackberry Dark Chocolate flavor. This flavor won the 2013 Best Edible at the San Francisco & Los Angeles High Times Cannabis Cups.

I like that Kiva uses natural flavors and as soon as you open the package you get a distinctive blackberry and chocolate smell. The flavor is a good strong dark chocolate flavor with a nice natural blackberry flavor. The combination does a good job of covering up the THC taste, which is hardly noticeable in the background. I can usually taste THC and there is a hint of it in the aftertaste, but generally it is well masked by the flavors.

They have a smooth, chocolatey taste that is not too sweet and melts well. Keep these bars out of your pocket, a hot car or other warm place unless you want a melted mess. Not as gourmet as some edibles like Coda, but definitely a step up from the taste of a Hershey bar.

Effects

My friend June and her partner use a small dose to help with sleep support, so I thought I would try this flavor to see if it had a similar effect.

KIVA Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cannabis Infused BarThe initial effects were mild and more on the Indica side, feeling relaxed and a little tired. Since Kiva uses both Sativa and Indica, for me the effects are a bit schizophrenic. I feel relaxed, then tired, then a bit of uplift, then unmotivated, then creative, then tired again. For me personally this is not the kind of effect I enjoy the most.  I don’t like feeling creative but too relaxed to do anything about it. I don’t like it when my head wants to be productive and my body wants to take a nap.

The first time I tried it was during the day and even at half a does I could feel the Indica effects more than I wanted, so I didn’t even take the other half of a dose for fear of sleeping the day away. For folks who enjoy Indica type effects in the daytime, as it helps them focus or calm anxiety, these effects could be perfect, they just are not what I enjoy.

This Kiva edible is much better as an evening treat or to help with sleep support for someone like me. I tried them in the early evening and I did feel relaxed yet able to stay awake. When I did go to bed I had no problem falling asleep. I would limit my use of these for the late afternoon or evening and everyone experiences different impacts with cannabis edibles.

Kiva Blackberry Dark Chocolate Cannabis Infused Bars have a great taste with natural ingredients and the effects are decently strong. My experience is that they are best for folks who desire Indica-type effects and not good if you are looking for an energetic, uplifted, happy effect. If you are looking for help with anxiety, relaxing or sleep support, this could be a great cannabis edible choice for you.

Strength: 5

Flavor: 6

Website: http://kivaconfections.com/

Atlas Ember, Stratus & Nimbus Cannabis Edibles Review

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Atlas edibles are a hybrid of a granola bar, a fruit/oat bar and a cookie. They come in Sativa, Indica and two different Hybrid formulations. Each bag contains 80mg of THC. There are four pieces in each bag, each piece contains 20mg of THC. They are colorfully packaged, interestingly flavored and cleverly named.

four bags of Atlas brand cannabis edibles
photo courtesy Atlas Edibles

Products

The two hybrid products are Stratus and Nimbus. Stratus promotes mindfulness & playfulness. It is flavored with lemon caramel, wild blueberries, poppy seeds and a hint of ginger. Nimbus is the other Hybrid flavor, having the same effects as Status but flavored with dark chocolate, hazelnuts, pecans and currants.

The Indica edible, which promotes relaxation, is flavored with Mexican chocolate, warm spices and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and is called Origin. Click here for our reviews of Origin.

Atlas Sativa Ember clusters
Ember edible

The Sativa edible is called Ember and it promotes functionality and creativity. It’s flavored with caramel, cayenne, toasted cashews and California apricots. If you are sensitive to spicy, don’t be put off because I love spicy and I hardly noticed any heat when I tried it, so it’s a mellow heat offset by the nuts and apricots. It is vegetarian and almost vegan (if your vegan eats honey) with the cannabis infused in coconut oil.

Ember has a pleasant oat bar/moist cookie taste with some crunch from the cashews and a nice fruity finish with the apricots. THC flavor was present but mild, as was the heat from the cayenne, which I hardly could notice. I should note that I like spicy food and have a tolerance for it, so you might notice the cayenne more than I did. Atlas describes it as promoting positivity, functionality and creativity.

The Nimbus Hybrid product suggests it will promote balance, mindfulness and playfulness. It has a pleasant dark chocolate smell with some of the THC coming through. The taste is the same oat-y, sweet nut and fruit flavor as the other Atlas products. The pecan and hazelnut flavors come in behind the chocolate, oat & honey taste. There is a definite cannabis taste but it is mild and quite well balanced with the other flavors, so the taste is neither medicinal nor absent.

Dosing

It was confusing for me that they called the pieces inside “clusters” a cluster can be a single square or the four squares stuck together could also be a cluster. From just reading the dosing information on the outside I could not tell what I would find inside. Once I opened the package I found four square pieces stuck together with a silicone bag stuck to the bottom of one of the squares.

I had to re-read the instructions and was still confused because the graphic shows one square cut in half, so did that mean half of the four squares stuck together should be cut in half to make what they called a “cluster”? I decided that since there were 80mg in the package, that must mean there were four pieces, each with 20mg, so I pulled apart the four squares.

Atlas Sativa Ember pkg clusters
Atlas Edibles’ Sativa Ember edible fresh from the package

For my usual test dose of 10mg I cut one of the squares in half. Cutting one of the squares in half required a sharp knife since they are dense and there are nuts inside. It cut cleanly in half. My usual 10 mg dose was just right for this product as I found it strong and potent.

Effects

Ember – I took a 10 mg dose of the Sativa edible on a half-empty stomach in the late morning with coffee and I could feel it within 45 minutes. Within an hour I had the full effect of energy and focus. I had so much energy I felt like I could scrub the driveway with a toothbrush if I had to! Luckily I only had usual weekend chores and some cooking to do, so it was perfect.

I had a strong munchie effect from this edible. Since it is strong it likely impacts the blood sugar in a strong way too, so be sure to have your favorite liquids and snacks around.

Nimbus – I took a 10mg dose with my breakfast coffee, pairing it with a piece of bacon to provide the fat that edibles need. I started to feel the effects in less than an hour. Like the Ember product, this one is also potent and delivers a pleasantly noticeable effect. I experienced a clear-headed high, with some energy from the sativa effects and a solid relaxing effect on the body. This wasn’t a foggy-headed or lethargic high that comes with some hybrids that are indica-dominant.

For a review of their Indica edible, Click here for our reviews of Origin.

Flavor: 7

Strength: 9.5

Website: atlasedibles.com

Dr. Norms Originals Cannabis Infused Sativa Vegan Cookie Review

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Dr Norms makes five flavors of their Original cookies, including the Sativa Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip flavor I tried. The other flavors are not vegan, and they do have one gluten-free cookie that is Indica, so if you want an Indica cookie that is vegan or a Sativa cookie that is gluten free, you will have to look elsewhere.

I prefer edibles that indicate the strain name (Sour Diesel, OG Kush, Romulan, etc.) but I appreciate when they are labeled Sativa, Indica or Hybrid as these cookies are. Also appreciate offering a cookie that is vegan and one that is gluten-free, though having each in both Indica and Sativa would be an improvement.

Most of the cookie flavors come in 100mg packages with 10mg of THC per cookie. Dr. Norms also makes a 20mg dose cookie and a Max cookie of 100mg – both of those should only be used by folks very experienced with edibles. They also make gummies, brownies and other edibles.

Packaging is easy to read and fairly easy to open, with a child proof mechanism similar to how many edibles bags work, using a thumb to grab one side while pulling open the other side. The closure is sturdy and easy to re-close. The cookies are loose inside, not individually packaged.

All of the ingredients are ones you have heard of, with no hard-to-pronounce chemicals, artificial colors or flavors. I also like how the package back comes with the reminder that with edibles you can always eat more but you can never eat less.

Taste

I appreciate that the bag claims you will taste the cookie and not the Cannabis and it is true, no strong cannabis flavor. Unfortunately, these are not great tasting cookies. The cookies look and smell fine, like a good quality crunchy cookie. There is a tiny bit of chew but it is mostly a crumbly butter cookie. They have a very nice peanut butter cookie taste with chocolate chips, sugar and butter the predominant flavors. I hardly was able to taste the cannabis, which for folks who don’t like that taste is a big positive. Even the aftertaste was butter cookie, not THC.

Effects

Within 30 minutes I started to feel the effects of a mild buzz. It remained on the mild side. It was hard for me to tell from the effects if this was an Indica or Sativa. I felt a little relaxed but not a lot. I did not feel the uplift, energy or focus I normally get from a Sativa edible. These seem to be a balanced mild hybrid with a slight cerebral high and a mild relaxing body high. I tried these several times in the afternoon and they did not give me a strong head high or any significant body effect, just a slight stoned feeling.

If you are sensitive to THC, if you are new to edibles or just prefer a mild effect, these could be a good product for you in terms of effects. Try half a cookie for a 5mg dose first to see how you are impacted. I prefer my effects to be more noticeable, to give me a decent strength either in the direction of energy and creativity or in the direction of relaxation or pain relief. I did not find any strong effects with these at my usual dose. These could be perfect for folks who get strong effects from a dose smaller than 10mg or who are looking for a mild buzz.

Not a great tasting edible but vegan, using real ingredients with a mild hybrid sativa effect.

Flavor: 2

Strength: 4

Website: https://www.drnorms.la/

Sensi Chew Energy Cannabis Chocolate Caramel Review

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Before adult recreational use of cannabis was legal in California, as a medical marijuana user, SensiChew was one of my favorite edibles. Especially their Energy product, which had a good 50mg dose of caffeine that boosted the positive effects of the THC. Now with new state regulations, they have adjusted the formulas. Thankfully the great taste and powerful effects remain in the new formulas.

Formula

Sensi Chew come in various formulas for specific effects. Sativa for daytime, Indica for nighttime/insomnia and hybrid for anytime. There are also specific CBD formulas for pain and an aphrodisiac formula for “amoré”.

Sensi Chew newer formula of their Energy product is labeled as anti-fatigue and has 40mg of natural Ginseng per dose. The website says “Sensi Chew Energy 100 mg is for patients with pain, who want to medicate and be alert, and have a THC tolerance.” I agree, these edibles are not appropriate for people who are new to edibles who may have little thc tolerance. I have a lot of experience and a healthy tolerance yet I still find these strong.

Sensi Chews are made with natural ingredients that you would use to make caramel at home. There are not lots of chemicals or ingredients you’ve never heard of. They do contain butter, so they are not suitable for vegans.

Sensi Chew Multiple

Taste & Dosing

All of the Sensi Chews have a smooth chocolatey-caramel flavor that reminds one of the tootsie-roll candies. There is not a strong cannabis flavor as it is well balanced with the chocolate and caramel flavors.  I wondered if the ginseng would alter the flavor, but I didn’t taste any other flavors. They recommend letting a piece dissolve sublingually – under the tongue – for faster onset.

Sensichew Cannabis Infused chocolate caramel ENERGY bar 100mg of thc and 40mg of ginseng per dose

The full 100mg bar comes scored to make it pretty easy to break into 10 pieces of 10mg each. It is caramel, so it is a bit stretchy and sticky. Putting this in the fridge or freezer for a little while before cutting it makes for cleaner cuts. It also makes it harder to cut than when at room temperature, so always take care and cut safely.

As always if you are new to a cannabis edible, only take half of your usual dose the first time. I am a seasoned edible user and I find these strong, so it is easy to over do it with these. Proceed with caution. If you have never tried edibles and are starting with these, first cut off one piece (10mg), then cut that 10mg piece into four pieces so you have four 2.5mg pieces. Start with one of those small pieces and wait two hours to notice the effects. You can always take more but you can’t take less.

My usual dose is 10mg and I took 5 mg first. I definitely noticed the effects and they were mild enough that I went up to 7.5mg another time and then another day went up to 10mg. My usual dose is plenty for these edibles. Again, start low and slow with these as they are potent.

Effects

The effects are what you would expect from a Sativa-dominant hybrid. There is an energy boost, likely supported by the ginseng, that is pronounced without being overbearing. These are very strong, so I could see how taking more than my usual dose could give an over-revved, too hyper feeling.

I did let it dissolve under my tongue and felt the energy boost first, about 45 mins after taking it, with the full effects coming on around 90 minutes after ingestion. As with most edibles, your body chemistry and the contents of your stomach will impact the effects. Having a cup of coffee and a little bit of fat like an avocado half with the edible will usually create a much stronger effect than if you ate a big breakfast with no caffeine and then took the edible.

I really enjoy the effects of these edibles, a clear head, focus, energy and some pain relief body effects as well. I am very sensitive to Indica-type effects of cannabis such as relaxation or tiredness. I did notice with these, since they are made for pain relief, that after a couple of hours it does become more of a body-focused relaxed high as the energy effects fade.

Flavor: 8

Strength: 9

Website: https://sensiproducts.com/product/sensi-chew-energy/

Kiva Terra Bites Cannabis Milk Chocolate Blueberries Review

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Kiva Confection’s Terra Bites are milk chocolate covered blueberries infused with cannabis. Each tin contains around 20 blueberry bites, each with 5mg of THC. They have an excellent blueberry taste paired with the THC infused milk chocolate.

Closed canister of Kiva Terra Cannabis Infused blueberries. 20 5mg pieces.
Kiva Terra Bites Blueberries in Milk Chocolate
Kiva Terra Bites Blueberries in Milk Chocolate

The small dose size makes it easy to use a little or a lot. I found my usual 10mg dose size to be accurate for these edibles, if a little on the mild side. It may be because this product contains 0% CBD, which can sometimes help the THC activate fully. I can comfortably go up to 15mg of this edible without the effects becoming too strong.

I found these strong enough that I could “mini-dose” – which for me is 5mg instead of my usual 10mg. With just one blueberry I experienced energy and focus, something like having a strong cup of coffee. I felt mentally sharp and was able to take care of business without feeling spacey or stoned. It was perfect to power through some chores and errands.

I really like both the taste and effects of these Kiva edibles. I do not feel tired or lethargic when I take them, they are a good choice for elevating in the daytime. They are in my regular rotation, especially for those time when I want a decent strength effect without going for my usual 10mg dose.

Kiva Terra Cannabis Infused blueberries instructions, THC content, and nutritional information.
Terra Cannabis Infused blueberries instructions, nutritional information and THC content
Open canister of Kiva Terra Cannabis Infused blueberries. Showing 25 Chocolate covered blueberries.
Mmmmmm THC Infused blueberries!

I love their insert under the cover of the tin that advises to “start with one bite” – always good advice. Terra Bites are very tasty, delivers antioxidants along with the cannabis, and comes in a convenient size that is easy to open. This packaging is not child proof once opened, so as with all cannabis products, keep this away from animals and anyone under 21 that does not have a prescription.

KIVA CA Terra Blueberries

Winner of Best Edible, 2017, East Bay Express user poll
Winner of Best Edible, 2017, The Errl Cup
Winner of Best Local Edible, 2017, by SF Weekly

Flavor: 7

Strength: 6

Website:  http://kivaconfections.com/products/bites/bites-blueberry

KoKo Nuggz + THC Chocolate Chip Cannabis Edibles Review

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KoKo Nuggz +THC edibles care a cannabis infused cereal treats. They come in eight different flavors. For this review we tried the Chocolate Chip flavor. Think Rice Krispy squares but made with Cocoa Puffs cereal and covered in green chocolate. Each jar contains 100mg of THC. There are ten pieces in each jar, each piece contains 10mg of THC.

Be aware that “Koko Nuggz” also come as just a candy treat with no THC. They ship those everywhere, but the “KoKo Nuggz +THC” can only be purchased at a licensed dispensary, you cannot order the THC version online. The candy version is great for fooling folks, as they look so close to actual cannabis flower, but they will not provide the elevated experience that the +THC version provides.

They are packaged in a glass jar with a green wrapper and screw lid. They are shaped to look like frosty cannabis flower buds, which is very cute and clever.

koko nuggz thc cannabis infused green colored cocoa covered cereal treats in the shape of cannabis buds

Product

All of the products are made with a blend of cannabis oil. They do not come in Sativa, Indica or any specific Hybrid formulation, so it’s not easy to know what type of effects to expect.
The jar is easy enough to open with a child safe lid you push down as you unscrew.

These are a gluten free treat, but they are full of sugar and very sweet. Talk about a sugar rush, these could be a shock to your system if you don’t eat a lot of sugar. They also have a lot of saturated fat. Thankfully they are low in sodium. They do contain milk so they are not vegan or vegetarian friendly unless you are lacto-ovo vegetarian (vegetarians who consume milk and egg products). They also contain artificial flavors and coloring, so these are not the product for you if are looking for an all natural cannabis edible. These are a sugary treat, like a can of soda or a candy bar.

Dosing

We are not sure how they make the nuggets a similar size or ensure each one has 10mg of THC, since they are irregularly shaped. It is not easy to accurately cut these in half to get a 5mg dose, as the irregular shape and the fact that pieces can break off when you cut them makes accuracy a challenge. If you are looking to try this at a lower dose, like 2.5mg, that would be very difficult.

As we all edibles, we highly recommend you start with half of your usual dose until you know the strength of the edible and how it will react with your body. If you don’t know your regular dose, it’s always best to start with a 2.5mg dose and see how that effects you. If you feel little or no impact, wait at least 6 hours or wait until another day to try a higher dose, then move up to 5mg. As our usual dose is 10mg, we did the best we could to estimate half of a nug for the first try.

kokonuggz thc cannabis infused chocolate chip cocoa covered cereal treats

After feeling little impact from a 5mg dose, I went up to my usual 10 mg dose, it was pretty right for this product as I felt effects at the 10mg level. I would not call these strong or potent in my experience.

Effects

I took a 10 mg dose on a half-empty stomach in the afternoon with caffeine and I could feel it within an hour. By ninety minutes I felt the full impact. Because this is not made with Sativa or Indica strains specifically, you get a middle of the road effect that could potentially be different with each batch since different batches could be made with different blends of cannabis oil.

I did not have an effect of energy and focus. It was more of a body high, with some physical relaxation but not a strong impact. The head effect was a little fuzzy, not euphoric or dreamy at all, but a classic “stoned” kind of feeling. It definitely did not leave me feeling mentally sharp or physically energized, more of a slightly relaxed and dull elevation experience.

I had a strong munchie effect from this edible. Since it is full of sugar it impacts the blood sugar in a strong way too, so be sure to have your favorite liquids and snacks around. Eating some protein with this edible would be a good idea to help balance out the sugar roller coaster.

A delicious sugary gluten-free treat infused with THC that is fun to look at and eat.

As of 2021, only available in California.

Flavor: 7

Strength: 6.5

Website: http://kokonuggzthc.co/thc-jars/

Manufactured by http://www.trendhausdistro.com