The sweet zone

In the holiday season, it’s always nice to stock up on a few trustworthy edibles to get through it all. A little nibble here and there can go a long way during the marathon of family functions.

But dosing with edibles can be tricky. Finding the appropriate amount of THC to give you the desired level of “high” is enough of a challenge. Adding cannabidiol (CBD) to the mix only increases the difficulty since ingesting it at the same time can counter the psychoactive effects of THC.

While industry trends vary between 5 and 20 milligrams per serving as the recommended amount of THC for safe consumption, it’s not uncommon to encounter higher-dosage edibles at dispensaries. New options come out every day, with each brand boasting its formula is “the best,” or each package claiming to achieve “the perfect high.”

So, in a quest for a balanced holiday high (you know, for science), I tried three currently available sweet edibles that offer a range of experiences.

Coda Signature’s Coffee & Doughnuts chocolate bar, for example, provides a nice little pick-me-up in the morning. The cinnamon and toasted-milk flavors brought to mind a room full of the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee or steaming eggnog. The 5mg of THC in each piece of the 100 mg bar snaps the brain awake. The low dosage is enough to provide the energy and clarity to see tasks through to completion—and then some.

In contrast, Big Pete’s Treats’ “10:1” version of its chocolate chip mini-cookies are great just before checking out for the day. Few things provide a better assist for a few hours of relaxation like cannabidiol, and the 10mg CBD to 1mg THC ratio in each tiny cookie sets the body and mind at ease for taking in the evening breeze or catching some Z’s. After one small bite, you’ll feel like you’re floating on a still ocean on a warm night.

If you want a combination—an edible that provides both the psychedelic effects of THC and the soothing effects of CBD together in one satisfying package— NUG, one of California’s most popular brands, answers with its matcha chocolate bar.

The bar has an equal ratio of of CBD to THC, and the flavor features an interesting contrast of matcha earthiness and white-chocolate creaminess. Though there’s a subtle sweetness, the Japanese-imported matcha is prominent. If you like a matcha latte, you might enjoy this. If not, you might be put off by the vegetal taste. As for the effects, each of the bar’s 16 cubes contains 6.25 mg of CBD and 6.25 mg of THC, and produces a balance between a delicate head high and soothing muscle relaxation.

Getting past the incongruous ground-tea-leaf flavor might be a hurdle, but the payoff is sometime in the wonderful “flow state,” where the mind calms down and gets clear. For now, the matcha is the only NUG chocolate bar to bring CBD and THC together. But with other (all-THC) varieties like mocha crunch chocolate, dark chocolate and salted-almond chocolate already on its roster, hopefully by next year there will more flavor options for getting in the zone for the holidays.