Tag Archives: THC

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/

Suck It 10mg THC Sour Apple Cannabis Sweets Review

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Canyon Cultivation makes various forms of cannabis produts – SuckIt hard candies, ChewIt gummies, LickIt Lollipops, DropIt liquid THC, PopIt capsules and DrinkIt cannabis coffee. Several of the lines have a variety of flavors. All of the products are non-GMO, gluten free and use all-natural ingredients. Many of them are Vegan as well, including the SuckIt hard candies I tried.

Sour Apple Flavor Suckit Candies from Canyon

I greatly prefer edibles and other cannabis products that are strain-specific and labeled with which strain was used to make the edible. From reviewing the Canyon website, I don’t see any indication of the stain used in any of the products. I am much more hesitant to try a product when I don’t know what effects to expect.

Flavor

I tried the Sour Apple flavor of the SuckIt hard candies. The taste is quite strong, in a supercharged Jolly Rancher sort of way. The strong flavoring helped mask most of the THC taste, but there still is a medicine- like flavor that is unpleasant and a THC aftertaste.

Effects

I tried these several times and for me they had a decent hybrid effect, if one that was more uplifting like sativa. The effects were uplifting but not really energizing. I had a clear head and generally good focus with a little of the dreamy/spacey head effects that some strains create. I was functional without being over-hyped. There was a mild body relaxing effect without the couch-lock or sleepiness that comes with some Indica dominant strains.

This makes good sense as a late afternoon or after work edible, if you are looking for a mild physical relaxation with a clear head and an uplifted feeling. I prefer something more energizing in the morning or early afternoon, so these are great if I am done for the day and plan to stay at home.

It is a shame that the product is way over packaged, with ten small candies only taking up about 1/6th of the large container. I know that Colorado requires the use of standard packages that meet child safety requirements, so Canyon may just be following the regulations. Its always good to see no more packaging than a product requires so I’m hopeful that the packaging can be reduced in the future.

Overall I found SuckIt hard candies to be a not so tasty yet effective edible with a mild uplifting effect.

Flavor: 4

Strength: 6

Website: Canyon Cultivation

Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Patch Review

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Mary’s Medicinals is my favorite brand of transdermal patch. They come in Indica, Sativa, THCa, CBD and CBN. The CBN one is a standout for its help with getting to sleep and staying asleep.

MARYS PATCHesTransdermal patches like these are placed on a clean patch of skin and deliver the medication through the skin. With patches, the amount of medicine released is consistent and can keep the effects going for a full 12 hours. I like to use rubbing alcohol to clean the area of skin both before I put the patch on and after I take it off. Recommended locations for applying patches are the inside of wrists and the tops of feet.

Dosing & Effects

Mary's CBN patch

CBN – I have experimented with half of a patch and one quarter of a CBN patch (both are shown in the picture with pre-2018 packaging). With half of a patch I started to feel the effects within 20 minutes and I was ready to go to bed not long after 30 minutes. With one quarter of a patch the effects took a little longer but still provided a strong relaxed feeling that is perfect to help get to sleep and avoid insomnia.

The quarter patch dose has become one of my preferred tools for those nights when I need some extra help getting into sleep mode or I want to interrupt insomnia.

With the CBD, THCa, Sativa and Indica patches, those also provide a strong dose that is long lasting. A friend with nerve pain in his feet prefers THCa to his prescribed pills. I have used the CBD patches on areas where I have aches in my muscles or in joints and I often find relief, it depends on the source of the pain. I like being able to put a patch near my hip or on my shoulder to focus the effects in that area. While it is a transdermal and not a topical, it does seem to help, specifically with the CBD, to reduce inflammation in the area.

Patches are the longest lasting way to have a consistent stream of medicine. Most edibles at a standard dose last a maximum of six hours, smoking/vaping usually less, so for folks with chronic conditions – especially pain – transdermal patches are a great choice. Much better than popping pills every four hours.

Highly recommend Mary’s Medicinals transdermal patches!

Strength: 9

Flavor: n/a

Website: http://www.marysmedicinals.com/

Korova 1:1 CBD/THC Cannabis Infused Vanilla Bean Cookies Review

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Korova’s line of cannabis infused cookies are some of the best edibles on the market. Their excellent taste, use of real ingredients in their products and consistent potency have all made them a very popular edible treat. The CBD/THC 1:1 Vanilla Bean cookies bring a balanced CBD + THC formula to Korova’s line.

Korova Cannabis Infused mini cookies 1:1 CBD/THC Vanilla Bean flavor bag

Each cookie provides 10mg of CBD and 10mg of THC. Each package contains 10 cookies, each one coming in at 45 calories. Like other Korova cookies, these use simple ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, salt, vanilla bean paste and a few others. No artificial colors or flavors are used. These are made with Hybrid Cannabis extract and contain dairy and gluten.

Taste

Like other of the cookie edibles in the Korova line, they smell and taste great, like a good quality crunchy cookie. It is primarily a crumbly butter cookie with a solid vanilla bean taste. I hardly was able to taste the cannabis extract, which for folks who don’t like that taste is a big positive. Even the aftertaste was butter cookie, not cannabis oil.

People are fans of Korova since they produce a good tasting product with consistent effect and keep the ingredients simple.

Effects

As always with a new edible – even from a familiar brand – it’s important to start with half a usual dose. My usual dose is 10mg of THC, so I started with half of one cookie so I could judge how the 5mg each of THC & CBD in this product reacts with my system. I usually feel very little with a 5mg THC dose and when it is one to one THC to CBD, the CBD usually dampens the THC effect for me. I found the effects of half a dose to be mild enough that I was able to trust trying a full dose without fear of overdosing.

My experience is that taking 10mg of THC by itself or taking 10mg of CBD of itself in an edible is much different than taking a combined 10mg THC & 10mg CBD together. The CBD reduces the impact of the THC for me, so I have much less psychoactive effects. At the same time, the THC actually increases the effects of the CBD. If I have aches and pains and take 10mg of CBD with no THC, I don’t get much relief. If I take something with a good amount of THC – no less than 2.5mg of THC to 10mg of CBD – I get much greater pain relief.

Korova Cannabis Infused mini cookies 1:1 CBD/THC Vanilla Bean flavor bag and cookies

Within 60 minutes I started to feel the effects of a mild buzz and some pain relief. The buzz remained on the mild side. 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 have the effects of 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.

The CBD effects were noticeable. My muscle aches were reduced, as was some pain from inflammation related to my budding arthritis. On a cold, damp day when I would usually start to feel aches, it reduced those aches to a low level. With the CBD pain impact and relaxing THC effects, the effects made for a very body-focused experience. It was similar to what you might feel from taking a warm, relaxing bath where your aches were soothed.

Beyond the stoned head and relaxed effects, I felt very little of the THC effects. The CBD effects were more noticeable. If you are okay with the slightly spacey, stoned effect that comes with the THC and boosts the pain management effects of the CBD, these could be a good product for you. I appreciate the relaxation and the pain relief very much for times when that is what I desire. For afternoon or evening use, I don’t mind the spacey, stoned feeling I experience. I likely would not use these in the morning or early afternoon unless it was on a do-nothing day as they reduce my energy and focus too much.

Great tasting cannabis edibles with solid CBD pain impact and a relaxed, mildly stoned THC effect.

Taste: 7

Strength: 6

Website: http://www.korovaedibles.com/

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

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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

Heavy Hitters Sativa, Indica and Hybrid Cannabis Gummies Review

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Heavy Hitters line of edibles are cannabis gummies that come in nine different flavor and strain combinations. The line comes in nine flavors of gummies, each featuring a specific type of cannabis – Sativa, Indica or Hybrid.

Each gummy has 20mg of THC and 0mg of CBD per serving, for a total of 100mg THC and 0mg of CBD per package.

Sour Apple Heavy Hitters THC gummy edible 20mg package
Sour Apple Heavy Hitters

These gummies contain gelatin, so they are not vegan friendly. They do contain natural coloring and flavoring, without artificial ingredients. They are gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. The gummies are not individually wrapped and need to be cut in half for a 10mg dose or in quarters for a 5mg dose. They are scored across the gummy so they do give a guide for easily cutting them in half.

Dosing & Flavor

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

The gummy flavors are Moondrop Grape, Pink Grapefruit, Blueberry Dream, Sour Apple Lemonade Haze, Tangerine Dream, Strawberry Storm, Pineapple Punch, and Watermelon Spark. For our review we tried the Sour Apple Sativa and the Pineapple Punch.

Sour Apple Heavy Hitters THC gummy edible 20mg piece

The flavors are somewhat sugar-forward since the outside of the gummies are coated with a sugary substance. They all do have fruit flavors but they seem to border right on the line between solid natural flavors and more candy-type flavors. For the sour apple, mostly it is a nicely sour citrus and fruit flavor, without any bad aftertaste or strong THC flavor. For the Pineapple Punch, a mild sour note combines with a pineapple candy flavor. The citric acid gives these a suggestion of sourness and the fruit flavors suggest a flavor. Be clear, you wouldn’t think you are biting into a real apple or berry or slice of watermelon, they are more candy-flavors, although they do use natural 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 gummies are easy to cut or bite in half to give a 10mg dose of THC, then to split again for a 5mg dose. Especially with something called “Heavy Hitters”, it’s important to try a partial dose first to see how you react.

Since I am experienced with edibles and my usual dose is 10mg of THC, I began with half of a 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 one and a one eighth pieces for a 12.5mg dose of THC when I want a stronger effect, or if I have recently eaten or if I’ve taken CBD, which can tamp down the effects.

Effects

The effects I experienced were closely aligned with the effects I’ve enjoyed with similar terpene- specific gummies. For the hybrids, a lovely elevated and relaxed feeling, while still being alert and energetic. More alertness and energy with the Sativa-dominant strains, and more relaxing and chill impacts from the Indica-dominant strains. 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 hybrids, a positive effect of an 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 specific effects are exactly what I look for when I want to elevate and Heavy Hitters cannabis edibles do a great job on both counts.

Taste: 8

Strength: 8

Website: heavyhitters.co

Note: Terpenes are the aromatic oils that give your favorite cannabis varieties distinctive flavors like citrus, berry, mint, and pine. These oils, secreted in the flower’s sticky resin glands, appear in many other herbs, fruits, and plants. They play a significant role in the therapeutic and medicinal use of cannabis strains by creating subtle differences in effects across various types. Want some more inside knowledge about terpenes? Check out this video series on terpenes from Three Wells