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

Kanha NANO Vegan Cannabis Infused Sativa Gummies Review

Kanha’s vegan NANO are “enhanced nanomolecular gummies”, meaning they are more fast-acting than edibles that don’t use that technology. The cannabis infused Luscious Lemon flavor Sativa and Blood Orange Bliss Indica gummies each contain 5mg dose of THC per gummy. There are 20 pieces for a package total of 100mg THC.

These gummies are made without gelatin, so they are vegetarian and vegan friendly. Instead they use pectin, natural coloring and flavoring. They are gluten-free and contain no food allergens like dairy, nuts or soy. Each piece has 29 calories so the whole bag sets you back only 290 calories.

Kanha Vegan Nano Cannabis Infused Sativa Gummies

Taste & Effects

The Sativa product of this line of gummies is labeled is a Luscious Lemon flavor. The smell from the package is seriously citrus and lemony. I found these gummies to be a bit sticky, so it’s best to keep them refrigerated to keep stickiness to a minimum. Each gummy is covered in a fine sugar coating that provides an initial sweet taste. Once that disappears, there is a tart lemon taste and a very slight cannabis oil taste. Unlike other Kanha gummies I’ve tried – such as Kahna’s Sativa Cherry gummies – they are not artificial tasting, because they contain only natural flavoring. Kanha gummies are robust, taking a good five minutes to dissolve in the mouth if you don’t chew them up.

As with all new edibles, I took half of my usual dose the first time to judge how strong they are. The Nano gummies come in packages with twenty(20) 5mg pieces. My usual dose is 10mg of THC, so I started with one gummy of 5mg THC. I took it first one afternoon at home. I didn’t feel much of an effect, even after 2 1/2 hours. I tried again the next morning at the full 10 mg dose.

I did experience a quicker onset of the experience, with effects beginning to be noticeable within 30 minutes and growing to a full effect by the end of the first hour. With the Sativa, it began with a slight uplift effect, plus what I can best describe as a “caffeinated” edge. This is not the same energy-boost and focus-boost type of effect that I associate with some Sativa products, but more of a sharper-edged feeling. I did experience a noticeable increase in senses that I experience with other sativa edibles. This was a little bit like I was slightly on edge from too much caffeine and very focused. It was a clear-headed effect, I didn’t feel dazed or “stoned” and was able to get some work done around the house. The Indica has more typical Indica effect, with more of a relaxed body impact and a bit more spacey head.

Kanha Nano Vegan Blood Orange Bliss Indica Cannabis gummies
Kanha Nano Vegan Blood Orange Bliss Indica

I usually find 10mg of THC is a good dose for me, but for many folks 5mg gives them the effects they want. I tried these again several times at my usual 10mg dose and just didn’t get the strength of effects that I wanted. It may be the strain or the hybrid that went into making the cannabis oil or this could’ve just been a mild batch. I ended up cutting one in half so I could increase the dose to closer to12.5mg. That helped, so if you are tolerant of THC and experienced with edibles, you may find after testing that a but more than your usual dose may be needed to get the effects you want.

With what I experienced as a mild effect, these are great for people who are sensitive to THC or who get the effects they want from a lower dose. Always start low and go slow with edibles and judge the impact for yourself, as we all react differently to different cannabis edibles.

Wrap Up

I love it when edibles are labeled as Sativa or Indica to give folks a better idea of the effects to expect. Kanha Vegan NANO gummies are a good choice. While I find the flavor just okay, it didn’t put me off of using them. Overall a good choice if you are looking for mild effects in a Sativa or Indica vegan THC gummy edible with quicker onset of effects.

Now available in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Illinois.

Taste: 4

Strength: 5

Website: https://sunderstorm.com/kanha-gummies/?#nano

Kiva Lost Farms Strain-Specific Live Resin Cannabis Gummies & Chews Review

Kiva’s line of Lost Farms edibles are strain specific, live resin cannabis gummies. They combine great taste with specific effects and so are one of our favorites.

The line comes in four flavors of gummies and three flavors of chews, each featuring a specific strain of cannabis. For experienced cannabis users who are familiar with specific strains, these are a welcome change to the usual edibles that are often made with a variety of strains mixed together, often not even labeled as one of a group such as Sativa, Indica or Hybrid.

Each gummy has 10mg of THC and 0mg of CBD per serving, for a total of 100mg THC and 0mg of CBD per package. These gummies are not just infused with the usual distilled THC but are formulated with a specific strain like Blue Dream or Clementine to help create more specific effects.

Kiva Lost Farm Family of Cannabis Infused Gummies made with live resin

My local dispensary charges $22 for a package, making it $2.20 for each 10mg serving of THC, close to the same price point as the Kiva Camino gummies or the Kiva 100mg cannabis Chocolate bars.

These gummies do not contain gelatin, so they are vegetarian and vegan friendly. They do contain potato starch but it’s not a large percentage of the ingredients. The gummies are not individually wrapped and the packages are pretty easily resealable.

Dosing & Flavor

The smell from the tube or bag is primarily a strong fruit smell. Unlike the Camino gummies which are smooth and see-through, these have a more of a fruit chew appearance and a sugar-covered texture. They easy to bite through and melt about the same as Camino gummies.

The gummy flavors are Raspberry, Strawberry Lemonade, Juicy Peach and Citrus Spritz. Raspberry is made with the strain Blue Dream for the Sativa strain and Wedding Cake for the Indica strain. Strawberry Lemonade is made with Super Lemon Haze for the Sativa and Strawberry Bananaz for the Indica. Juicy Peach is made with the Sativa-dominant hybrid strain Mimosa. Unfortunately, as of March 2021, the Citrus Spritz flavor made with the strain Clementine is no longer available.

The chews come in Blueberry made with hybrid strain Blue Dream, Key Lime made with the Sativa-dominant hybrid strain Lemon Meringue and Watermelon made with the Indica-dominant strains Wedding Cake x Watermelon Zkittlez.

The flavors are somewhat sugar-forward since the outside of the gummies are coated with a sugary substance. The chews come without the outer coating and a bit more translucent. They all do have fruit flavors but they seem to border right on the line between solid natural flavor and more candy-type flavors. Mostly it is a mild citrus and fruit flavor that doesn’t have any bad aftertaste or strong THC flavor. A mild sour note gives these that suggestion of sourness and the fruit flavors suggest a flavor but you wouldn’t think you are biting into a real berry or slice of watermelon, they are more candy-flavors, although they do use real fruit powders as part of flavoring.

As we always recommend with new edibles, try half of your usual dose before trying a full dose as you never know how strong something will effect you. The chews and gummies are easy to bite in half to give a 5mg dose of THC. Since I am experienced with edibles and my usual dose is 10mg of THC, I began with half of one piece, with 5mg THC. After having only light effects for that trial run, I then moved closer to my usual dose on another day, taking one whole gummy for a total dose of 10mg THC. I sometimes use two and a one quarter pieces for a 12.5mg dose of THC when I want a stronger effect, if I have recently eaten or if I’ve taken CBD, which can tamp down the effects for me.

Effects

The effects I experienced were closely aligned with the effects I’ve enjoyed when smoking these strains, only adjusted to be edible effects. For the hybrids, a lovely elevated and relaxed feeling, while still being alert and energetic. More alertness and energy with the Sativa-dominant strains like Super Lemon Haze, and more relaxing and chill impacts from the Indica-dominent strains like Wedding Cake. I love the Sativa and hybrids for interacting with nature whether it’s gardening, “forest bathing” or a walk on the beach. As someone who enjoys photography, those are great for staying alert to great images without feeling over-hyped and at the same time the mild relaxation leaves you open to possibility. Similar impacts with the Blue Dream, a positive effect of a dreamy, elevated mind along with an Indica kind of body relaxation that isn’t too strong that you just want to sit down. The Indicas I find very relaxing as I’m sensitive to the effects of Indica strains.

Enjoyable flavor profiles and strain-specific effects are exactly what I look for when I want to elevate and Kiva’s Lost Farm cannabis edibles do a great job on both counts.

Read the reviews of Kiva’s Camino gummies here.

Taste: 8

Strength: 7

Website: https://www.kivaconfections.com/brand/lost-farm

Kanha NANO Cannabis Infused Sativa Gummies Review

Kanha NANO are “enhanced nanomolecular gummies”, meaning they are more fast-acting than edibles that don’t use the technology. The cannabis infused Cran-Pomegrante Punch flavor Sativa THC gummies each contain 5mg dose of THC per gummy. There are 20 pieces for a package total of 100mg THC.

Kanha gummies are made with gelatin, so they are not vegetarian or vegan friendly. They are gluten-free and contain no food allergens like dairy, nuts or soy. Each piece has 23 calories so the whole bag sets you back only 230 calories. The Nano line of gummies also comes in an Indica formula with a Passionfruit flavor, or a Hybrid formula with Key Lime flavor. This review is for the Sativa formula only.

Kanha Nano Cannabis Infused Sativa Cran-Pomegrante Punch Gummies, package of 100mg THC
Kanha Nano Cannabis Infused Sativa Cran-Pomegrante Punch Gummies

Taste & Effects

The Sativa product of this line of gummies is labeled as a “Cran-Pomegrante Punch” flavor. The smell from the package is a generic cranberry/cherry smell. Each gummy is covered in a fine sugar coating that provides an initial sweet taste. Once that disappears, there is an artificial cherry taste, mixed with cranberry-like flavor, citric acid tartness and a slight cannabis oil taste.

Like other Kanha gummies I’ve tried – such as Kahna’s Sativa Cherry gummies – they are artificial tasting, even thought they contain only natural flavoring. Maybe its the way their natural cherry flavoring is processed, but it tastes artificial to me. It reminds me of that awful cherry flavor they sometimes use that the dentist to polish your teeth.

So while they are not my preferred flavor profile, it’s just a personal preference and the gummies are perfectly edible. I don’t like cherry flavor to begin with, and I don’t like artificial flavors, but these have a soft enough flavor that they taste pretty similar to other cherry gummy candies. Kanha gummies are robust, taking a good five minutes to dissolve in the mouth if you don’t chew them up.

As with all new edibles, I took half of my usual dose the first time to judge how strong they are. The Nano gummies come in packages with twenty(20) 5mg pieces. My usual dose is 10mg of THC, so I started with one gummy of 5mg THC. I took it first one afternoon at home. I didn’t feel much of an effect, even after 2 1/2 hours. I tried again the next morning at the full 10 mg dose.

I did experience a quicker onset of the experience, with effects beginning to be noticeable within 30 minutes and growing to a full effect by the end of the first hour. It began with a slight uplift effect, plus what I can best describe as a “caffeinated” edge. This is not the energy-boost and focus-boost type of effect that I associate with some Sativa products, but more of a sharp-edged stimulation. I did not experience the creative charge, noticeable increase in senses or energy I experience with other sativa edibles. This was a little bit like I was slightly on edge from too much caffeine and very focused. It was a clear-headed effect, I didn’t feel dazed or “stoned” and was able to get some work done around the house.

Kanha Nano Cannabis Infused  Gummies in Sativa, Indica and Hybrid formulas
Kanha Nano product range

I usually find 10mg of THC is a good dose for me, but for many folks 5mg gives them the effects they want. I tried these again several times at my usual 10mg dose and just didn’t get the strength of effects that I wanted. It may be the strain or the hybrid that went into making the cannabis oil or this could’ve just been a mild batch. I ended up cutting one in half so I could increase the dose to closer to12.5mg. That helped, so if you are tolerant of THC and experienced with edibles, you may find after testing that a but more than your usual dose may be needed to get the effects you want.

With what I experienced as a mild effect, these are great for people who are sensitive to THC or who get the effects they want from a lower dose. Always start low and go slow with edibles and judge the impact for yourself, as we all react differently to different cannabis edibles.

Wrap Up

I love it when edibles are labeled as Sativa or Indica to give folks a better idea of the effects to expect. Kanha NANO Sativa THC Cran-Pomegrante gummies are a good choice. While I find the flavor just okay, some folks love cranberry-cherry flavor and it didn’t put me off of using them, it is not my preferred taste. Overall a good choice if you are looking for mild effects in a Sativa THC gummy edible with quicker onset of effects.

Taste: 3

Strength: 4

Website: https://sunderstorm.com/kanha-gummies/?#nano

Transdermal CBD Gel Trampled My Pain

A good friend was sharing her positive experiences with transdermal patches, and she whipped out the Mary’s Medicinals transdermal gel pens that she uses to boost the effects of the patches. The lotion-like gel is what gave me my initial first-hand experience with a transdermal CBD application.

Besides the pens, Mary’s Medicinals also makes transdermal patches in several formulas – THC Sativa, THC Indica, CBD, and more. Mary’s makes transdermal gel pens in similar formulas. Each pen dispenses a measured amount of medicated gel, that is similar in consistency to a skin lotion.

Mary's Medicinals Transdermal Gel Pens

I was experiencing severe pain in my left wrist, unable to support any weight with it in several different positions.  Traditional pain relievers (advil, aspirin, tylenol) didn’t make much of a dent in the pain. I tried ingesting THC and CBD tinctures which provided some general relief but didn’t target the pain. It had gone on for weeks and I was about to make an appointment with my doctor to see if it was arthritis or something more serious.

My friend suggested I try the transdermal lotion. I rubbed a nickel-sized portion of the CDB lotion on my wrist and within an hour the pain was completely gone. I have had no sign of the pain since then and it has been over 6 months. From that point on, I have been an advocate for transdermal CBD application. Whether as a topical gel or in transdermal patches, it works especially well for pain that is specific to one area.

My pain was likely from inflammation, which CBD can be great at reducing. I have also used the CBD gel rubbed on my temples to reduce headache pain or on the back of my neck at the base of the skull when I feel tension built up there. The great thing about the pen is that it dispenses small portions so it easier to control how much you use.

For general aches and pains, edibles and tinctures are fantastic. For pain in specific areas, transdermal gels and patches provide more targeted relief.

Read more about Mary’s Transdermal Pens and patches, including one of our favorites for sleep, Mary’s CBN transdermal patch.