The artisan infused food market is a booming sector in the legal cannabis industry, driven by the need to make weed tastier to consume. The more the edible doesn’t taste like weed, the higher quality it is – and the more expensive.
Does cannabis really taste that bad on its own? It depends on what you like. Even in the oil form, cannabis has an earthy and bitter taste, still sometimes a little grainy, so it’s not widely considered to be palatable. Some users can’t tolerate the taste at all.
Additionally, the extracts from cannabis are difficult to work with and combine with other ingredients. The plant’s terpenes and flavonoids can only interact with certain specific foods successfully to produce a quality result; usually fatty compounds which boost other flavors. As a result, there’s a large market for cannabutter and infused coconut oil.
The main terpenes in cannabis, the naturally occurring compounds found in a variety of plants including fruits, produce limonene, myrcene, and pinene, which give the cannabis plant its dank flavor.
As a result, the cannabis beverage market is also growing. Drinks such as seltzers offer a low calorie, tasty alternative to beer and wine, with the THC high that users are looking for. Additionally, THC and CBD infused drinks allow for a faster onset of the high, as opposed to food edibles, which can sometimes take a few hours or longer.
As the edibles market continues to expand and evolve, there will continue to be a huge demand for quality ingestibles that mask the taste of cannabis, and also provide an enjoyable consumption experience.
Source: Medical Jane, Plos One, HelloMD, Newsweek