HOW TO CHOOSE AN INFUSED TREAT
By Cait Brooke
One glance at the shelf space on any dispensary will tell you that edibles are no longer what they used to be. Now menus are decorated with various edible options of different consistencies and taste. A dank brownie covered poorly in saran-wrap has elevated to fine treats and drinks of chocolate, berry, and now even a faux-beer infused with THC. When the options surmount, it may seem dizzying to pick the one that delivers everything you’re hoping for.
When edible shopping, it’s important to hammer out just what is most important for you. Although some products may appear similar, edible products on the shelves can vary widely in terms of taste, potency, effects and infusion process, etc.
TASTE
Whereas this may have been the least of our worries before, we now have the luxury of choosing the channel for which we ingest our THC. With advancements in extraction technology as well, companies are able to infuse their edibles with a small amount of high potency oil, allowing the edible to keep its same great taste, not skewed by the addition of the cannabis.
This was an important factor for us here at VERT, as well. Our chef, Melissa Parks, put so much love and energy into choosing specific ingredients that would taste exceptional. We didn’t want any of this flavor to be compromised in the infusion process, which is why we use a strain specific distillate.
Notice how different edibles taste, it just may be a clue as to how it was infused!
POTENCY
In the state of Nevada, recreational law limits edibles from exceeding 100mg of THC ±15mg. If you are a medical patient, higher-dosage edibles can be found around the Las Vegas valley and purchased with proper medical patient identification. It is also within state requirement for the edible to be dosed down into 10mg pieces, or clearly marked into 10mg doses. This is due to the state recommendation of ingesting no more than 10mg of THC at a time. With so many factors contributing to how an edible can affect you, do not be dismayed if it takes a higher milligram dosage to achieve your desired effects. However, we always recommend to start low and go slow as you discover your personal sweet spot.
All VERT Cookie Squares come infused with about 100mg of THC with scoring lines on the back of the cookie to easily break into 10 pieces of 10mg each.
EFFECTS
Regular cannabis smokers looking to try edibles for the first time always try to equate what the edible will feel like compared to smoking cannabis. “So is one 10mg dose like smoking one bowl?” The answer to this question is impossible to answer. Aside from so many other factors influencing your edible effects, Delta9-THC converts into 11-OH-THC when ingested. This conversion creates its own unique effects, different from that of inhalation and also varying from person to person given their biological make-up. Studies have looked at the potency of 11-OH-THC compared to that of THC, finding in more cases than not that 11-OH-THC produced stronger psychoactive effects.
INFUSION PROCESS
As mentioned briefly in the Taste section, how the edibles are infused can play a factor into their overall taste and effects. Binding cannabinoids to butter through low-temperature seeping of the plant has been the most common way to infuse edibles, especially when making your own at home.
However, now that knowledge and technology has advanced we are able to use several different processes to infuse edibles. Here at VERT, we send a specific strain of flower through the CO2 machine, capturing all those wonderful cannabinoids and terpenes under heat and pressure. The extracted matter is then sent to further distillation, removing any fats, waxes or lipids left over from the raw plant material, a process we call winterization.
The freshly winterized oil is also decarboxylated during this process, converting the natural-found THC into the activated compound of Delta9-THC, ready for ingestion. Utilizing this strain-specific distillate oil allows our VERT edibles to not only remain tasting great but also provide it’s user with a clean overall high at both the onset and downslide of effects.
When shopping for edibles keep these key factors in mind. Don’t be afraid to ask your budtender how different edibles are made and infused. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram @Vertedibles to see when we will be popping into different dispensaries with deals and non-infused samples!
