High Honey!

IMAGE: WW Staff

Winnie the Pooh didn't want to eat it, he just wanted to taste it. It's the main ingredient in mead, the drink of kings. Also: nectar of the gods. With such respect paid, you'd think we'd treat honey with more reverence. But forget that noise: Let's infuse it with cannabis! We tried every cannabis-infused honey stick we could find.

The 10 mg AbsoluteXtracts Honey Stix (available to California medical marijuana cardholders) taste like honey up front, with mild coconut oil in the middle, finishing with an oily sweetness. The California-grown CO2 extract packs enough potency for two cups of morning coffee, but stick to stronger brews here, as the THC kick has a slight plant-material taste and weed (terpene) aroma. Its body high is smooth and long-lasting, but don't mix it with anything cold unless you like gobs of honey in your drink.

The THC Honey Stick from Genesis Pharms (8.79 mg THC, $4 at Fresh Buds) won't shoot out of its tube; the thickness of the honey meant I had to squeeze it out with my teeth. The weed smell is barely present, and would have gone unnoticed had I not gone looking for it. The Genesis Pharms stick is perfect as a replacement for that crusty honey bear in everyone's cupboard; this tastes like farm-fresh honey without any need to be hidden in strong coffee. If you're looking for a weekend morning relaxer, this is the high you should seek.

The 2 mg THC 2 Dye 4 Creations Apricot Hotshot Honey Stick ($6 at Foster Buds, 5522 SE Foster Road, 444-7433, fosterbuds.com) came with a warning from my budtender: Don't take it all in one dose. With one-eighth's worth of usable flower in this thing, its resiny upfront feel made me worry it would be sticky like Rick Simpson Oil—RSO is just a shade less stickier than tree sap—but two chews and it was down my throat. With my nose saying molasses and my tongue saying brown sugar, the honey taste is muted, but the stick maintains drinkable viscosity. It's not a great coffee additive, but I'm already looking forward to mixing it with latte-type drinks. The high is more of a feel-good sensation than a one-way ticket to a late-morning nap.

Easily the fanciest of the group, the 6.815 mg THC Granny's Honey Pot ($4 at Green Oasis, 1035 SE Tacoma St., 206-7266, portlandgreenoasis.com) is sheathed in a black opaque straw with an attached folding label, leaving me with little idea of how much was left or how much I'd had (good thing these are all single servings). It tastes a bit like anise on the tip of the tongue, with a smooth mouthfeel that reminds you of an unsweet simple syrup. It finishes with an apricot tinge that mixes well with anything warm, but will overpower most weaker teas and coffees. The high is smooth without any head cloudiness, with great focus.

WINNER: Genesis Pharms. I'd grab the THC Honey Stick from Genesis Pharms every single time—it's the honey from our childhood, infused with the sweetness of adulthood.

All products available to medical marijuana cardholders only.

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