Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (February 2018)

2.2018

S OU THER N COLOR ADO

{ the CULINARY issue }

Can you handle the

HEAT

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE AT SOUTHERN COLORADO’S HOT SPOTS

eat

UP!

HOT HIGH-END DINING TRENDS

RoboGrow :

{PLUS} Water-Soluble THC = Liquid Gold Colorado’s Ice Castles + Date Night Done Right

CULTIVATION GOES HIGH TECH

Is this a good thing?

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sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 1

2 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

ISSUE 2 // VOLUME 2 // 2.2018

THE CULINARY ISSUE

FEATURES 30 36

SPECIAL REPORT

High-End Dining

10

Adding cannabis to the food palette is a culinary trend on the rise.

Just Add Water

Like cake mixes and TV dinners, which revolutionized home cooking in the mid-20th century, water-soluble cannabinoids and terpenes are disrupting cannabis cuisine.

every issue 5 Editor’s Note 6 The Buzz

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

10 NewsFeed

6

CRITICAL MASS : PRODUCTION IN THE ROBOT AGE

18 TasteBuds SPICE IT UP

22 CrossRoads LIKE BUT TER

26 AroundTown

DATING IDEAS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T DATE

46 SoCO

CAÑON CIT Y’S CHOCOL ATE WALK

30 I’M SORRY,

what’s for dinner?

Adding cannabis to the food palette

Sensi Southern Colorado is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2018 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 3

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head.

ISSUE 2 VOLUME 2 2.2018

A DV ISORY B OA RD 1906 New Highs // CHOCOLATES Agricor Laboratories // TESTING L AB Craft // RECREATIONAL CONCENTRATES Dabble Extracts // MEDICAL CONCENTRATES Doctors of Natural Medicine // MEDICAL EVALUATION

to the heart, through the

belly

If there’s one thing every

editor’s

NOTE

cannabis consumer can agree

on, it’s that getting elevated enhances just about every culinary experience. Without getting bogged down in the technicalities, cannabis not

Faragosi Farms // RECREATIONAL DISPENSARY

only whets our appetites, it dials-up our senses, too, namely those involved

GreenHouse Payment Solutions //

with scent and taste.

Happy-Kitchens // HOME EDIBLE MAKER

decided to plunge into a love more universal than mere monogamous

PAYMENT PROCESSING

Herbal Healing // COMPLIANCE Industrial Hemp Recycling //

MMJ & HEMP WASTE MANAGEMENT

King’s Cannabiz // MEDICAL DISPENSARY

Although Valentine’s Day is the obvious go-to for a February issue, Sensi romance: l’amour de la nourriture—the love of food, and everything to do with it.

To better understand some of the new developments in cooking with cannabis, start with Robyn Griggs Lawrence’s piece on water-soluble THC products (p. 36). Newsflash: we no longer require butter or vodka to pre-

Lux Leaf // EDUCATION

pare our infused-dishes. The real beauty of water-soluble THC is that it

Maceau Law // LEGAL

can be paired with oil-based THC foodstuffs for both a quick onset and a

marQaha // SUBLINGUALS & BEVERAGES Merkabah Labs // CBD EXTRACTS Monte Fiore Farms //

long-lasting buzz, so edibles enthusiasts won’t need to wait two hours to get the party started.

Once you’ve got some culinary background from Lawrence, you’ll better understand how Top Shelf Budtending’s cannabis mocktails work (p.

RECREATIONAL CULTIVATION

26). These drinks are mixed with water-soluble THC, so expect to feel them

Pat Pen // CO2 VAPE PENS

in as little as 5 to 10 minutes. What better way to kick-off a date night?

Pyramid // DISTILLATES Rocky Mountain Extracts // LIVE RESIN Sharp Solutions Courier & Consulting // TRANSPORTATION

Show Me Kindness // CAREGIVER Studio A64 // CANNABIS CLUB Taste Budz // CONFECTIONS

The rest of this issue touches on other aspects of cannabis and culinary, from ramping up the hanky panky with spicy meals, to the latest trends in fine dining. For those new to cooking with cannabis, check out Ricardo Baca’s CrossRoads feature reminiscing on his first experiences with cannabutter and how keeping a small stock in your fridge could very well just change your entire lifestyle game.

Whether you’re single, coupled, or committed to some other alternative arrangement, remember to be responsible, be respectful, and most of all, be safe—with both your dosing and your, ahem, bedside protections.

M E D I A PA RT N E R S National Cannabis Industry Association Women Grow

Randy Robinson

MANAGING EDITOR

SENSI SOUTHERN COLORADO

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 5

THE NE W N O R M A L

H E R E CO M E S

the

buzz

TRUFFLES, and Make ‘Em DOUBLE WITH VALENTINE’S JUST AROUND THE CORNER, STRAP YOURSELVES IN FOR AN ISSUE OF SENSI HEAVY ON THE CHOCOLATE. THE TERRA-COTTA CONFECTION IS A FAVORITE MEDIUM FOR INFUSED EDIBLES BECAUSE IT CAN EITHER MASK OR COMPLEMENT THE BITTER FLAVOR OF HASH. HOWEVER, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CANNABIS AND CHOCOLATE DOESN’T END THERE. CACAO BEANS CARRY A LITTLE-KNOWN MOLECULAR PASSENGER THAT’S IDENTICAL TO A MARIJUANA-LIKE CHEMICAL PRODUCED BY OUR BRAINS.

That chemical is called anandamide. Named after the Sanskrit word ananda, which means “bliss,” anandamide is known as the human body’s version of THC. THC is the molecule in cannabis that gets us elevated, and it’s structured like a ring. If that THCring is unhinged at a single carbon atom, it unwinds like a long chain, essentially becoming anandamide.

Unfortunately, scientists aren’t sure if anandamide gets us lifted the same way as THC. To date, pure anandamide has never been administered to human test subjects, though there’s some evidence that anandamide has the same effects on our bodies as its pot-derived sibling. Which would explain why so many women crave chocolate as a comfort food: it may help with soothing inflammation and easing away pain.

Chocolate, however, isn’t the only kitchen ingredient that contains anandamide. Truffles—the fungi kind—also produce anandamide. If you’re looking to load up on this endocannabinoid, try the so-called double truffle, a chocolate truffle treat made by mixing chocolate with fungi truffles. They’re tricky to find outside of a few specialty restaurants in Canada, Belgium, and Japan, but you can find recipes online for making double truffles at home.

6 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

PUEBLO MARATHON:

Those

BURN

V-Day INCHES

Valentine’s Day is the 14th.

Chances are, you’ll have eaten some sweets around then, and with all that sugar you may notice the scale tipping a bit higher than usual.

Fortunately, Pueblo presents a chance to work off those extra pounds in one fell swoop.

On February 25, the Pueblo Marathon will start at the North Marina at Lake Pueblo State Park and end at downtown Pueblo’s Historic Arkansas Riverwalk.

If beastmode isn’t on your itinerary, you can always sign up for the Half Marathon.

The Pueblo Marathon proper starts at 7:30 a.m. The marathon-lite starts at 9 a.m. Winners get a shiny medal, a t-shirt, and a slimmer waistline.

MADMOOSEEVENTS.COM/ PUEBLO-MARATHON

All-Out

If You’re Going Out,

GO

It’s easy to get mired in the hum-drum routine of Netflix-and-chill, especially for couples who’ve been together for a while. Sometimes wining and dining ourselves with something extravagant is in order, to rekindle the fires that burned in us during those first nights.

For luxury right down the street, Briarhurst Manor Estate in Manitou Springs offers the splendid atmosphere of old Victorian England without having to venture across the Atlantic Ocean. Built by the town’s founder, a London-born physician named William Bell, the Briarhurst is located just at the base of the mountains, complete with a view of the majestic Pikes Peak and the placid airs of nearby Fountain Creek.

Discover why OpenTable listed the Briarhurst as one of the “50 Most Romantic Restaurants in the US,” and why The Independent called it the “Best Restaurant for a Wedding Reception.” Decor aside, the Briarhurst’s menu includes unforgettable à la carte items and five-course dinners. This is one of the few restaurants in Southern Colorado that serves game meats, but diners with more delicate palates can enjoy domestic meats, fresh seafood, artisanal desserts, or vegetarian dishes instead.

After dinner, take a private stroll through the Briarhurst’s five acres of landscaped lawns and gardens. Or simply keep walking another ten minutes westward to explore the shops, penny arcades, and historical sites dotted along downtown Manitou Springs.

404 Manitou Ave. Manitou Springs (719) 685-1864 BRIARHURST.COM

MOVE

OVER,

MICROBREWS New research from the University of Connecticut suggests people prefer cannabis to booze. Previous studies on the topic relied on respondents’ surveys, but this recent study stuck to sales data alone.

The researchers found that states which greenlit medical marijuana saw a 13 percent drop in alcohol sales. This drop happened in each state in the order those states approved medical cannabis reform.

Deloitte, a private research firm, found in its study of recreational states that around 80 percent of cannabis users don’t like to “cross the streams,” as it were. A majority of people who use pot and alcohol prefer not to mix the two, which may account for the drop in sales for liquor in legal states.

This isn’t to say cannabis will snuff-out booze altogether. A 2015 report from Park Street shows alcohol accounts for 60 percent of all beverage sales in the US, gliding just past the $210 billion mark. Aggregate data at Statista reveals an overall increase in alcohol sales every year since 2009.

Rises East, Upon West SUN

At the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College in Colorado Springs this month, two exhibits will showcase avant garde masterpieces from two Japanese artists: Chiho Aoshima and Yoshitomo Saito.

Aoshima’s Takaamanohara video installation reimagines Japan’s Shinto creation stories with mind-blowingly explosive anime stylization. Yet, whereas

SETS

Aoshima explores the ever-expanding limits of technology within mythological narratives, his contemporary looks at the modern era draw on pre-modern Italian bronze-casting techniques. Saito’s millionyearseeds assesses the forms and functions of everyday objects, natural and artificial, in a manner that’s simultaneously selfreflective and—at times—kind of funny.

Both exhibits run from Feb. 3–8.

Tickets go for $5 –10.

30 W. Dale St. Colorado Springs (719) 634-5581 CSFINEARTSCENTER.ORG sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 7

THE NE W N O R M A L

the

buzz

Prismatic palaces Utah’s Famous Ice Castles Come to Dillon, CO

In Colorado, winter doesn’t start after Thanksgiving. Heck, it doesn’t even really start around Christmas. Grandfather Winter’s alabaster chariot typically descends on Colorful Colorado when other states are celebrating the first chirpings of springtime. And most of us are perfectly okay with that.

While the weather’s still frigid, look up the mountain town of Dillion on your maps. If you’re heading to the resorts near Breckenridge or Copper Mountain, Dillon’s along the way. There, you’ll find the frozen corridors of the Ice Castles, an arcane, sparkling series of constructs sculpted from pure ice.

Bring your boots to maintain traction, a camera to capture fantastic memories, and ski pants if you want to slide on the castles’ ice slides. Families with children can pull the kiddos along sleds, too (but bring your own).

The Ice Castles, like all things dreamy, are only here for a short time. Get there before Grandfather Winter withdraws for the season.

ICECASTLES.COM

© AJ MELLOR

8 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

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sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 9

{newsfeed}

by R A N DY R O B I N S O N

CRITICAL MASS: PRODUCTION OF EDIBLE CANNABIS IN THE AUTOMATED AGE As the demand for legal cannabis climbs to record highs, Southern Colorado’s industry is turning to automation to streamline workloads and reduce costs. But will quality—and workers—suffer as machines shoulder the bulk of production, or is this just the beginning of cannabis’s crowning ascent into the mainstream?

Forget about robots bagging your fast food—that’s so 2017. In the next year, robots will slice sashimi and

sort buds by size and uploads their progress to seedto-sale software in real time.

roll sushi. Robots can—right now—grow lettuce without any human intervention. Cars and trucks won’t

BUILDING TO A CRESCENDO

require human drivers in the next few years. In the

Packaging cannabis products, a process that most

next decade, nearly 8 million retail jobs will be out-

consumers take for granted, is where Coda Signature

sourced to computers and machines, according to a

is making its first switch to automation. Coda is a can-

financial report from the Cornerstone Capital Group.

nabis-infused-chocolates company with a factory in

It was just a matter of time before cannabis, America’s most valuable cash crop, became subject to the

Trinidad, and soon, more of its manufacturing processes will rely on machines.

automation game. Automated systems dispense can-

“We’ve always had a plan since day one of upscal-

nabis oils in neatly measured quantities. One company,

ing through automation while maintaining the hand-craft-

Hardcar Security, has employed a robot to patrol

ed appearance and quality of all our products,” says Mark

grows at night. Bloom Automation sells a trimming

Grindeland, CEO and cofounder of Coda. “We’ve really

machine that’s being used by a dispensary in Boulder.

been doing that over the last year.”

Eaze, based in California, is testing drone delivery for

Although some long-established edibles compa-

pot. Meridian Merchandising offers packaging bots that

nies such as Incredibles and Dixie Elixirs have already

10 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

banked on a mass production model, newer operations like Coda are updating their manufacturing processes, too. But Coda is distinct from many of its competitors because the Coda brand is gourmet, best known for its handmade truffles that pass for bitesized pieces of modern art.

“When you’re making products 100 percent by hand, you have some challenges,” Grindeland continues. “One is that as you scale, you have to bring on more people. As you bring on more people, you’re introducing variables into your manufacturing process that are difficult to control. People can screw up recipes.

There are lots and lots of things they can mess up.”

Grindeland’s decision to automate Coda’s packaging has to do with efficiency, reliability, and liability. He explains that although Coda’s factory workers are incredibly skilled, there were variations between how each employee applied pressure to seal sections of Coda’s chocolate boxes with glue. Though Coda hasn’t experienced any seal hiccups for products that made it to the shelves, a single slipup is a huge deal in an industry as heavily regulated as Colorado’s cannabis edibles. A mistake could lead to an MED audit, operational suspension —and gross profit losses that can reach into the millions.

Scaling big was inevitable for Coda since its launch in the spring of 2016.

Since then, the company has won six first-place awards for its chocolates, including the coveted 2016 High Times Cannabis Cup for Best Edible, a feat achieved just two months after debut. In less than two years’ time, Coda now accounts for over a quarter of Colorado’s infused chocolate sales.

Grindeland says regardless of automation, consumers should not expect Coda’s product quality to change. As the company gets bigger, the recipes will remain largely intact. Grindeland points to success stories like Ralph Lauren and Godiva as examples of non-cannabis companies that exploded while maintaining the brand’s niche. Godiva, a European gourmet

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 11

chocolate company, is expected to do about a billion dollars in revenue this year.

“How did Godiva and Ralph Lauren differentiate themselves against other companies and create a premium brand?" he asks. "They haven’t compromised and have been able to scale their companies very significantly.”

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT Just as the marijuana chocolate industry is, in many respects, no different than non-infused chocolate industries, then cannabis can be considered just another food ingredient as well. From 2014 to 2016, edibles sales in Colorado alone leaped from $17 million to $53 million, over a 300 percent increase. To keep up with demand, edibles companies cannot maintain small operations where human workers put everything together by hand. By proxy, cannabis farmers must automate, too.

Ceres Greenhouse Solutions, a greenhouse design firm based in Boulder, has set up automated grow installations across the country. One of Ceres’s largest cannabis greenhouses is in Leadville, cultivating a commercial grow.

According to Josh Holleb, the lead designer at Ceres, overhead costs for grows may force all cannabis companies to someday move into automated greenhouses. He says indoor warehouse grows, which currently make up the bulk of Colorado’s grow sites, are spending about 50 cents per gram to grow their product, in utility costs. "We’re saying, on a very conservative level, that we’re less than 10 cents a gram," he says. "A lot of our math says 5 cents a gram, but we’re being cautious with 10 cents a gram.”

Why are automated greenhouses so efficient? Surely the largest savings come from cuts in electric bills, since greenhouses utilize sunlight instead of high-powered lamps. Watering and feeding times are set to specific schedules and dispensed in fixed amounts, so not a single drop is wasted. Temperature and humidity levels, which not only influence plant yields but also the plants’ cannabinoid and terpene contents, can be fine-tuned in real time. Insulated seals on glass, walls, floors, and doors ensure temperature and humidity remains steady throughout the day.

“We’re seeing that we’re using 80 percent less input in electrical and gas costs than indoor grows,” Holleb adds. “We’re Continued on p. 14

12 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 13

going to see more greenhouses and outdoor grows.”

Whether automated grows will compromise bud quality, Holleb says that depends on how the grow runs its day-to-day operations. “When you move up in scale, you can’t have your eyes and hands on every plant, so there may be some quality differences there,” he says. However, Ceres greenhouses are compartmentalized, so different sections of the grow—such as those in vegetation or nearing harvest—thrive under separate, customized environmental settings.

“We’re finding if controlled well, we can grow higher quality cannabis than some indoor growers,” he says.

But Will

ROBOTS Replace Humans?

As the cannabis industry becomes increasingly automated and robotic, what will happen to the jobs? According to New Frontier, America’s regulated weed industry has already created up to 150,000 jobs and may create a quarter million total by 2020. However, the global consulting firm McKinsey predicts automation will put 70 million Americans—from all commercial sectors—out of work by 2030.

Holleb believes automation in cannabis could “potentially” kill jobs, but he also notes the question has triggered a “raging debate” in the industry.

For now, he sees little change in the number of employees most cannabis cultivators require to keep things running smoothly. “If your water system is automated, and your lights are automated, and your mechanical system is automated, you’re going to have the same jobs in either a warehouse or greenhouse grow,” he says.

Grindeland takes Holleb’s position a step further and posits that scaling could ultimately lead to more hires, not less. “Because we’re scaling so quickly, we’re still hiring lots of people,” he says. “But if I had to just rely on only people to do the manufacturing, I’d have a tough time being to source that many people in Trinidad”—a small town of 8,000 residents.

Either way, the automation revolution cannot be stopped at this point, in Southern Colorado or anywhere else with legal weed. Whether the cannabis industry’s robots kill jobs like The Terminator or servilely complement human workers like I, Robot has yet to be seen. As with everything else in big business, it may end up being a little of both.

Automated grows can also resolve any scaling issues a cannabis company may face as demand increases. Robots being tested on California’s lettuce and grape farms can do the work of 20 humans, which could make up for the lack of agricultural labor in the Golden State. And if robots today can grow lettuce on their own, in the future we’ll likely see robots growing our cannabis, too.

14 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

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sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 17

{tastebuds}

by RANDY ROBINSON

SPICE IT UP If you can handle the heat, spicy food may be the key to uncaging the bedroom beast.

In one of Hollywood’s most iconic erotic-comedy scenes, John Gray (played by Mickey Rourke) indulges

SWEATING IT OUT: THE SCIENCE OF SPICE AND SENSUALITY

his new lover Elizabeth (played by Kim Basinger) with

Some of the earliest books about cooking and on

a seductive game. While planted in front of an open

love recommend spicy foods to stir the carnal juices.

refrigerator, backlit by the General Electric’s soft glow,

Ancient peoples likely attributed a spice’s aphrodisiac

John asks Elizabeth to close her eyes. At first, she can

qualities to its anatomical resemblance—the phallic

only hear what he’s doing: cracking an egg, twisting

shapes of peppers and the vulvic visage of flowers

open an aluminum can. While voluntarily blind, her

sprouting from cinnamon trees.

lips are breached by an array of finger foods, fed to

Today, we know there’s much more than shapes

her one sultry bite at a time. First, a black olive. Then

to spices’ influence over our sex drives. Peppers in

candied cherries, a baby tomato, raw strawberries,

particular trigger a biochemical cascade in our bodies,

naked rotini, a spoonful of red gelatin. The Newbeats’

starting by igniting the nerves in our mouth, blazing

catchy “I Like Bread and Butter” is the soundtrack of

through our veins, and inevitably stoking our most

that culinary montage.

potent sex organ: the brain.

The final item John feeds to Elizabeth is a jalapeño

Pepper contains a chemical called capsaicin, which

pepper. She cries as the pepper singes her tastebuds.

stimulates our vanilloid receptors. These receptors

He concludes their session by dousing her tongue

are the same ones that generate the neuropeptides

with a splash of cool milk and a messy drizzle of sweet

responsible for our pain reflexes to excessive heat or

honey. Primed by the barrage on her senses, they kiss

abrasions, which is why pepper imitates the feeling

and the scene fades to black.

of being burned. This burn, in moderate amounts, is

This moment from 9½ Weeks captures the power

always harmless, and finding pleasure in spicy foods

that food wields over our libidos—and our roman-

is likely a learned behavior. In an interview with the

tic endeavors. Of all the foods in this scene, it’s the

Washington Post, psychologist Paul Rozin describes

pepper that catalyzes Elizabeth and John’s transition

this process of learning to love capsaicin’s buffet as a

from gameplay to foreplay, and that’s no coincidence.

“benign masochism.”

18 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 19

Providing quality

cannabis and

concentrates

here in Pueblo, CO

BE STILL, THIS BEATING HEART But there’s more to the pepper’s allure beyond its poignant sting. The brain, despite its cognitive magnificence, can’t distinguish between the pain caused by a real injury and illusory pain caused by capsaicin. Because of this, the body responds the same way to a pepper’s burn as it would to touching the smoldering end of a joint.

When sensing pain, the brain releases a neurochemical slurry of endorphins—our body’s built-in painkillers—and endocannabinoids, our body’s built-in marijuana.

Endorphins and endocannabinoids instigate warm feelings of happiness, which is how we learn to crave spicy foods. Those feelings are related to the euphoric phenomenon athletes call the “runner’s high.” The pain response also provokes a cascade of physiological reactions, such as pupil dilation along with accelerated metabolism, breathing, perspiration, and heart rate—the same reactions we experience when we’re sexually aroused.

SoCo SPICE

$20 1/8 Recreational

GIVEN ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE OF HOW SPICY FOODS CAN REV UP THE ENGINES, THE STRATEGY FOR A DATE - NIGHT SHOULD INCLUDE DINING - IN SOME PLACE WITH A MENU CATERING TO CAPSAICIN’S CAUTERIZING CAPABILITIES. ASSUMING, OF COURSE, YOU AND YOUR PARTNER CAN HANDLE THE HEAT.

Colorado Springs

Trinidad

ISLANDDELIGHTCOS.COM HOT TIP: Try any of the jerked meats at this Jamaican restaurant for a peppercorn kick.

HOT TIP: The Chiles Relleno smothered in extra-über-hot green chile is a menu must.

Island Delight 3735 Bloomington St. (719) 434-2141

Salida

Amicas 127 F. St. (719) 539-5219

STEM BEACH 3321 S I-25, Exit 91 Pueblo, CO 81004

303.956.3312

20 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

AMICASSALIDA.COM HOT TIP: This pizza joint serves Green Chile Ale, made from Pueblo’s world-famous green chiles.

Mission at the Bell 134 W. Main St. #14 (719) 845-1513

Pueblo

Mr. Tandoori Urban Bar and Grill 310 S. Victoria Ave., Suite C (719) 544-3000 PUEBLOMRTANDOORI.COM

Puukaow Thai Cuisine 1021 Market Plaza #109 Pueblo West (719) 547-8777

PUUKAOWTHAI.COM HOT TIP: These two Asian eateries will crank up the hot above the listed four-alarms upon request.

Be prepared to commit to that level of spice.

Bring the Heat

PEPPERS MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE WAYS TO SPRUCE UP A DISH, BUT OTHER COMMON INGREDIENTS PURPORTEDLY HAVE SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS FOR INDUCING FRISKINESS.

Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg: Known as warm spices, these versatile ingredients can go into sweets or non-sweet foods, rich or light. They can increase blood circulation, much like capsaicin, which turns up the metabolic rate and may stimulate the nether regions.

Fenugreek Seeds: A medical study from the Centre for Integrative Clinical and Molecular Medicine in Brisbane suggests fenugreek can raise testosterone levels in men in a similar fashion as capsaicin, and it can also mimic estrogen in women's bodies. Extra estrogen-like effects can heighten a woman's drive.

Garlic and Onions: If you don't have garlic or onions in your kitchen, do you even cook, bro? Both bulbs contain allicin, which can ramp up the heart rate and reinforce stamina. Unfortunately, heat can degrade allicin, so to get the most out of alliums as aphrodisiacs, you should eat them raw. And that's why they're listed here last, because kickin' breath ain't gonna kickstart the hanky pank.

DISTILLATE LIVE RESIN ROYAL JELLY TERP SAUCE (HTFSE)

SCENT OF A WHOA, MAN

THCA CRYSTALS

With men, there’s even more. According to a 2014 study in Physiology & Behavior, spicy foods may amplify testosterone production in men. Testosterone, the masculine hormone, contributes to a man’s adventurous inclinations (in the bedroom and out), heightened sex drive, and, oddly enough, a predilection for red clothes. (That scarlet lingerie lingering in your boudoir was colored that way for a reason, ladies.)

Further, women tend to prefer the natural scents exuded by men with more testosterone compared to guys with lower levels of the hormone. Or so says a study from a 2013 issue of the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior. Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute confirmed these same findings for gay men in 2005.

So, fellas, you may want to ditch the bottle of cologne and invest in some serranos instead.

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INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK: @RMEXTRACTS sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 21

{crossroads}

by RICARDO BACA

L IKE BUT TER How cooking with cannabis changed my life for the better.

In a previous life, I founded a cannabis-centric news

popular post to increase our value to readers and their

and culture site called The Cannabist at the Denver Post.

time spent with us. Since we were a small team, I knew

Yeah, I was the marijuana editor you might have seen

we’d likely end up shooting that video in my kitchen.

on Colbert Report or The View or CNN or MSNBC, and my

And again: little did I know. It turns out making can-

goal with The Cannabist was to create a site that would

nabutter for the first time ended up changing my con-

cover the news and features of legal marijuana with the

sumption patterns entirely, and it also changed my

same fervor and standards my colleagues employed to

relationship with the plant.

cover other industries, be it oil and gas or education.

And so in addition to our breaking news reporting and coverage of the ever-evolving government regulations in those early days, we also dove deep into dissecting the culture of cannabis on the precipice of legalization.

FROM STORE-BOUGHT TO HOMEMADE I’m lucky because, in my house, my wife does most of the grocery shopping while I do most of the canna-

How had the act of consumption changed in the

bis shopping. I enjoy checking in with my favorite med-

modern era? What strain was best for introspection and

ical dispensary or ducking into a new recreational shop.

creativity? And how was marijuana being used in the

It’s research, and I pride myself on being familiar with

kitchen, both as inspiration and ingredient?

new brands, products, and retail environments.

Once I connected with a talented Oregon chef who

Since I primarily consume edibles, I spend most of

would pen the site’s cannabis-infused recipes, I knew

my time on that side of the display, asking budtenders

we had to start her culinary column with a rock-solid

questions about specific ingredients, extraction meth-

recipe for cannabutter, a.k.a. the building block of most

odologies, and customer reviews. Sometimes they have

infused cooking. Once we had cannabutter and canna-

answers; sometimes they don’t.

oil recipes up, we could expand into the fun stuff— from brownies to smoothies, lasagnas to tacos.

But on that particular cannabutter-making day I was on the hunt for an ounce of cannabis flower—an afford-

Little did I know. A few months later, our cannabut-

able sativa, since we were shooting the video in my

ter post was the top-ranked article page on the site. A

kitchen and I was serving as the video’s star (read: glo-

few years later, same thing. At one point along the line

rified hand model). Once I secured a $99 recreational

I recognized that we needed to capitalize on all that

ounce at a local shop I’d never frequented before, I met

traffic by embedding a smart how-to video into the

my producer at the house for the video shoot.

22 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

HOMEMADE CANNABUTTER

HAVING

IN THE FRIDGE IS MORE REWARDING THAN I EVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist and the founder and original editor-in-chief of The Cannabist.

His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership and messaging via thoughtful and personalized content campaigns.

A few weeks later, the video was edited and em-

“Decided to have a low-key night in. Making some

bedded on the site—all was great on the work front.

cookies. How much of this cannabutter should I use? :)”

Yet at home, my cannabutter remained untouched in

I directed her to another story we’d written to help

a Tupperware on the top shelf of my refrigerator. I

home chefs properly dose their homemade edibles, but

wasn’t used to having cannabutter at the ready, and it

she’d already moved on with her makeshift recipe. “I

was actually my wife who first dipped into it. I was fly-

eyeballed it, and used half cannabutter and half regular

ing to San Diego to interview Willie Nelson on his tour

butter.” I laughed and shared the text with my produc-

bus when she texted:

er, who was standing next to me at the airport. sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 23

“Looks like she’s in for a fun night,” he correctly predicted.

and many of those options are much healthier and simpler than what you can buy in the stores.

We landed in California to hilarious texts from my

When a friend told me she keeps a cannabis-infused

lady, who was intensely high while walking the dogs

olive oil handy at home because she prefers it to the

around the park and getting existential with podcasts.

sugars and fats present in most store-bought edibles, it opened my mind to the idea of DIY cannabis foodstuffs.

TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THE INFUSED EDIBLE

Now I see where she’s coming from, and then some.

Not only can I more carefully formulate and shape

But her chocolate oatmeal cookie experiment was

my desired edible experience with my cannabutter

only the beginning. We evolved from baking to tossing

stash, but I can also answer many of the questions

the cannabutter into hot pasta with some garlic and oil,

that often perplexed budtenders. I know the specific

and the experimentation only got more rigorous from

ingredients, and I know how it was extracted—be-

there. After a few successful dishes, we realized we

cause I made it from scratch.

could try just about anything with the butter.

In fact, it became a regular question when the fridge door swung open for dinner: “Infused or not tonight?”

Having homemade cannabutter in the fridge is more rewarding than I ever thought it would be. While we’re

When you can use cannabis flower you yourself grew from seed or clone, even better. In the same way that growing marijuana completely transforms your relationship with the plant, the same is true when you begin cooking with cannabis.

not hurting for consumption options in many legal mar-

And perhaps the biggest surprise, especially for a

kets, the butter opens up our possibilities even more—

cannabutter rookie who rarely shops for flower: having

24 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

HAVING A CONTAINER OF CANNABUT TER IN THE FRIDGE WILL SAVE YOU MONEY—

LOTS OF MONEY.

a Pyrex of cannabutter ter in the fridge will save you mon-

a cannabutter stash with 2,800 milligrams of THC. And

ey—a lot of money, as it turns out.

that’s a conservative estimate based on a strain con-

Think about it: Your average 100-milligram edible

taining only 10 percent of THC.

will cost you between $15-$20 in a recreational store,

Don’t get me wrong: I still love well-made gummies

which means you’ll get roughly 400 milligrams of THC

and some of the gourmet chocolate options we’re start-

for $60-$80. But if you’re taking advantage of one of

ing to see in pot shops. But I also feel so damned em-

the many ounce specials offered by dispensaries and

powered by my newfound ability to make my own in-

make a quick trip to the grocery store for butter and

fused edibles, and save some money and peace of mind

cheesecloth, that same amount of cash will make you

along the way.

Showcase your dispensary with great photos and video!

Indoor/Outdoor Grows Strains Products Headshots & Portraits Harvest Trimming Retail Space Events & Parties Blown Glass jacquelinecollinsphotography@gmail.com jcollinsphotography.smugmug.com @jackie_collins_photography sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 25

{aroundtown}

by R A N DY R O B I N S O N

DATING IDEAS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T DATE Here are some Southern Colorado date ideas for the quirkier outliers.

Colorado Springs is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and Pueblo isn’t far behind. Yet you’ve probably heard residents claiming there’s “nothing to do here.” Or that it’s “too cold to hike or camp.” Or that they’re broke.

We can’t help with that last one, but we can offer some suggestions for Valentine’s Day dates that aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill, electric-candlelit dinner at a chain restaurant along I-25. You’re spending the special day with that special someone. Make it count.

Best of all, many of these activities can be shared with friends, family, or, in some cases, complete strangers. (Swipe right!) Even if you’re chronically single, or if you’re part of a couple that doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day (because everyone has reservations for an electric-candlelit dinner at a chain restaurant along I-25), here are a few of our area’s quirkiest, wildest, or just downright fun ideas for a day or evening out.

SWEET JANE'S SATIVA SOIREE

Just gonna drop this cannabis excursion here, right off the bat. Although Denver’s the most famous city for its weed tour packages, we’ve got plenty of options here in Southern Colorado, too.

26 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

Sweet Jane’s Sativa Soiree, hosted by Colorado Rocky Mountain High, fuses luxury with cannabis for one upscale event, the sort that have become commonplace up north. Smoking is allowed, though guests are more than encouraged to try the specialty mocktails mixed by Top Shelf Budtending. These mocktails are infused with water-soluble THC and CBD for a balanced, refreshing elevation that can set in as quick as 10 minutes. Pair your mocktails with the gourmet hors d’ouvres, and see what an elevated date-night can be like sans alcohol. $175 PER PERSON RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FEB. 4, 11, 18, 25 (4 P.M. TO 7 P.M.) (719) 367-6790 COLORADOROCKYMOUNTAINHIGHTOURS.COM BATTLEFIELD COLORADO

It may be a tad bit nippy this time of year, but if you bundle up, you can deploy for a laser tag team battle that goes beyond the usual indoor American Ninja course. At Battlefield Colorado’s Urban Adventure, the action takes place outside, in environments mimicking the local cityscape. Pew-pew your way around open streets, parked vehicles, stacks of crates, and other obstacles you’d expect to encounter in a first-person

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 27

shooter video game. Sign up as a couple, or join the fray in a team of up to 60 players (30 double-dates, woo hoo).

120 COSTILLA ST. COLORADO SPRINGS (719) 599-3000 BATTLEFIELDCOLORADO.COM COLORSPLASH PAINTBALL

If getting down, dirty, and a little bruised is more your thing (or your significant other’s), then get in on some paintball. At ColorSplash in Pueblo, you can bring your own paint for the games (some restrictions apply).

Charge across an outdoor course for speedball, capture the flag, and other games to add some flare outside of the typical splatter-up free-for-alls. Additionally, ColorSplash offers special packages for couples and groups throughout the year. Contact them for details.

THE MANITOU INCLINE

Every athletic cognoscente in our region at the very least knows about the Incline, if they haven’t scaled it multiple times by now. Pushing yourself 2,000 feet high, at an inclination that reaches nearly 70 percent at some stretches may not sound like that best date idea.

But consider this: experiencing a fear of heights can make people appear more attractive to you. Several psychological experiments since the 1970s support this notion (Dutton and Aron 1974, Meston and Frolich 2003, McKinney 2011). Fortunately, even if you don't fear heights, just getting your adrenaline pumping can also make others appear more attractive as well.

Just be sure you don’t walk back down the Incline itself.

It’s hard on the knees, and swollen knees are no-good for post-workout coitus. Instead, take Barr Trail down.

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FARGO'S PIZZA

If you’ve lived in Colorado Springs for longer than a week and you haven’t been to Fargo’s yet, then you should put this one at the top of your list. The only Fargo’s on the entire planet, the Grand Ol’ Opry of pizza joints will immerse you in a throwback feel reminiscent of a carnival blended with a touch of the Wild West. If pizza’s not on your New-Year-resolution itinerary (or if you’re vegan), there’s an open salad bar at Fargo’s longer than a Star Wars intro scroll.

Afterward, you can walk across the street to Independent Records and browse through the selection of pipes, bongs, rigs— oh yeah, and CDs; they sell music there, too.

2910 E. PLATTE AVE. COLORADO SPRINGS (719) 473-5540 FARGOSPIZZA.COM KIMBALL'S TWIN PEAK THEATER

Okay, so movies for date night is about as cliché as it gets. But Kimball’s is different. For starters, Kimball’s focuses on indie, foreign, and arthouse films over this week’s biggest Hollywood blockbuster (though sometimes they play those, too, especially if said blockbuster is up for some Oscars). What really separates Kimball’s from everyone else is the bar, the kind of bar that serves alcohol. And you can take your adult beverages into the theater for a tipsy good time.

115 E. PIKES PEAK AVE. COLORADO SPRINGS (719) 447-1945 KIMBALLSPEAKTHREE.COM LAZER LIGHT FRIDAY NIGHTS

Another date cliché: the skating rink. Except at the Pueblo Plaza Ice Arena, the skating rink has frickin’ laser beams! On the luminescent Fridays, the arena unleashes over 1,100 laser and LED lights through a cloud of fog, and the lights dance to the music, shifting colors and tones with the beat blaring over the speaker boxes. $6 PER PERSON FRIDAYS, 7:30 P.M. TO 9 P.M. 1 CITY HALL PLACE PUEBLO PUEBLO.US (719) 553-2489

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 29

Highh End En DI N I NG

by LEL AND RUCKER

Adding cannabis to the FOOD PALET TE is a CULINARY TREND on the rise.

M I X IN G

cannabis &food

I S PRE T T Y

HIP RIGHT NOW. HIGH-END, POT-INFUSED DINNERS AND PARTIES ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON IN LEGAL STATES. COOKS ARE EAGERLY TEACHING WOULD-BE BUDCHEFS HOW TO TURN CANNABIS INTO BUT TER AND DECANT IT INTO BISQUES, CURRIES, BARBECUE SAUCE, AND BORSCHT. MARIJUANA STRAINS ARE BEING INFUSED IN FINE WINES AND CRAFT BEERS AND PAIRED WITH FOOD. ESPECIALLY IN CALIFORNIA, WHERE RECREATIONAL POT CAME ONLINE L AST MONTH, THE CANNA-CULINARY MOVEMENT IS IN OVERDRIVE.

30 30 Southern DenverColorado //Boulder FFEEBBRRUARY UARY 22018 018

special REP ORT

It’s not that canna-food events are new to the Golden

makes it a more adventurous experience. “It’s kind of a

State or anywhere else, for that matter. But before Jan-

scary thing for people,” she says. “You can’t taste the

uary 1, they were only open to those with medical cards,

cannabis, but you know it’s in there.”

so everyone is expecting a boom in high-end dining as

For Chris Sayegh, founder and CEO of The Herbal

well as offerings like infused tacos, sandwiches, and bur-

Chef in Los Angeles, it goes even beyond that. Food, he

ritos, better selections of vegan and gluten-free products

says, is the way to bring cannabis to the masses. “It’s

and cannabis infusions into every kind of cuisine avail-

digestible, literally and figuratively, and it makes sense,”

able in the state. Chefs are creating events that feature

he says. “Nobody can say anything when there’s a plate

high-end, exclusive dinners in elaborate settings paired

of good food in front of you. It’s just about you and

with talks about cannabis and medicine, lessons on how

eating, and the world eats.”

to dab, lounges and massages to wind down, and goodie bags to take home.

Sure, there is a faddish component, but there seems

Once overlooked, the study of flavor is now in vogue.

Scientists are researching what makes us want to eat and how terpenes, the chemical compounds that help

to be far more going on here. Food and weed just seem

give foods their flavor and cannabis strains their dis-

to mix well together. THC-infused edibles have become

tinct scents, actually work. “The science of flavor is

a major part of cannabis sales, especially for consum-

burgeoning,” writes Bob Holmes in a brand-new book,

ers who are opposed to smoking. Using cannabis in-

Flavor: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense. “Ev-

creases some sensory centers that make us hungry

ery month, researchers publish new studies about our

and salivate, but it’s also about having a good time, says

flavor senses, the psychology and neuroscience of fla-

Denver chef Dave Query, whose sardonic column,

vor perception, and techniques to enhance flavor in

“Weed: It’s What’s For Dinner,” appeared in a recent is-

industrial food labs, on the farm and in the kitchen.

sue of DiningOut magazine. “Cannabis and food have

We know more about flavor than ever before, and new

been hand in hand for years, decades, centuries. It’s

vistas are opening all the time.”

just now it’s legal.”

Chefs are taking advantage of the knowledge. Scott

There’s also a kind of vulnerability about the whole

Durrah, co-owner of Denver-based Simply Pure, who’s

experience of getting cannabis in food that tempts peo-

catered parties for reggae superstars and created in-

ple, adds Hope Frahn, head chef of the Denver-based

fused menus for Denver Broncos players and medical

Love’s Oven edible brand and a private caterer. When

patients, says food is the most comfortable way for

people think of pot and food, many still mostly associ-

many people to get into cannabis. As a chef, it becomes

ate the combo with brownies and edibles, she says, but

another flavor he can add to a meal. Dinner parties are

a dinner with fine ingredients and no marijuana taste

sensual experiences, and so is cannabis, he says. sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 31

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“Food is sexiness, and cannabis makes it extremely sexy. Let’s be real.

Cannabis is an enhancement to food.”

When ingesting cannabis in cuisine, cannabinoids, the chemical compounds in the plant, are processed by the liver, not the lungs. When smoking cannabis, the effects are almost immediate, but when eaten, cannabinoids are absorbed through the digestive tract before hitting the bloodstream, so the effects are always delayed. And when those psychoactive effects do hit, they can be much more intense and last much longer than the experience of smoked cannabis. To make it more confusing, the process affects everyone differently.

“The effects can last from two hours to six hours, and people have experienced even longer,” Sayegh, who has been studying the medical effects of cannabis and food for many years, explains. “If you're using cannabis for pain relief, that helps tremendously— you want long-lasting effects."

“ treat it like a herb.

YO U H AV E TO C RE AT E S OME T HING T H AT W IL L CH A L L E NG E S O ME O N E ’ S P A L E T T E . Y O U ’ R E A C H E F FIRST, A ND THE GOAL IS TO MAKE FL AVORFUL FOOD. K NO W YOUR AUD I E NC E . I ’M NOT HE R E TO G E T YOU HIGH—I’M HERE TO ENHANCE YOUR EXPERIENCE. SC O T T D U R R A H

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So if the effects are different for everyone, how do you plan food events to keep people from getting too wrecked later?

Durrah enhances his infused dishes with spices, coconut milk, curries, and ginger. “Honestly, treat cannabis like an herb. You have to create something that will challenge someone’s palette,” he says. “You’re a chef first, and the goal is to make flavorful food. Know your audience. I’m not here to get you high—I’m here to enhance your experience.”

When planning an event, Sayegh says he asks guests in advance

32 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

”

// MASTER C ANNABIS CHEF

about their tolerance levels before he plans the menu. With smaller events

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 33

that’s easy, but with large groups, it’s more difficult

are looking for better ways to ingest it. Smoking a

because he often doesn’t get responses from every-

joint just isn’t the same. And when you’re making it

one. When that happens, he plans on 10 milligrams of

yourself, you have total control.”

THC with eight ounces of wine per person. “That’s not

Sayegh has spent the last few years planning Herb,

enough to overwhelm anyone,” he explains. “If they’re

a restaurant that will cater to diners’ every whim,

zonked out, it doesn’t matter how much work we did

scheduled to open this fall in Southern California.

in preparation and in ingredients. We want to keep

Guests will sign up for packages in advance, and

people light and euphoric.”

Sayegh and his team will study their likes and dis-

Tony Magee is a cannabis enthusiast and founder

likes and come up with a night that includes guides

and CEO of Lagunitas Brewing Company. Last summer,

rather than servers, customized menus, decompres-

Soo if S i f the t he effects ef ffeect ctss are a rree different d iiffffffeerent for for everyone, ever yon onee, Lagunitas, which had recently been aquired by Heineken International, released SuperCritical Ale, a limited-edition beer infused with cannabis terpenes. This month. Magee is giving the keynote speech on the in-

HOW DO YOU PL AN FOOD EVENTS TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GET TING TOO WRECKED L ATER?

tersection of cannabis and craft beer, focusing on the similarities between the rise of the two industries, at

sion lounges where diners can relax after the meal

the National Cannabis Industry Association's Seed

with massages, special juice drinks, and the chance

to Sale show in Denver.

to “seep into a blissful state,” as well as transporta-

Magee sees terpene research and infused foods

tion to and from the event. For Sayegh, this venue is

are the future and thinks that smoking cannabis will

the final step in a long journey of discovery about the

one day become passé. “You’ll find cannabis as an in-

relationship between cannabis and food. “It’s the

gredient in all kinds of things,” he predicts. “Now

way we want to present ourselves to the rest of the

when someone smokes a cigar, it’s nostalgic. Smok-

culinary world,” he says.

ing a joint of pot will become obsolete.”

When I asked Frahn about what might come next,

For his part, Durrah sees a future where the people

she happened to be sitting inside the Sugar Factory in

who attend these new cannabis-paired dinners in le-

Las Vegas, a restaurant that’s known for its overzealous

gal states will start growing their own cannabis and

portions and celebrity endorsements. Its website offers

learning how to infuse food themselves. He works with

party and wedding planning services. “I’m looking at

a lot of people who are gravitating to infused foods as

this little girl eating a shake the size of her. Very extrav-

a substitute for prescription drugs. Making those in-

agant. Think about having that kind of specialty for

fusions at home using their own recipes takes a lot of

adults,” she speculates. “It is inherent for human nature

the uncertainty out of it. When you make it yourself,

to want to get away and play and do things. Why not do

you know exactly how much you're getting. “People

that with cannabis for an even better time?”

34 Southern Colorado F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 35

water w

just add

by ROBYN GRIGGS L AWRENCE

LIKE CAKE MIXES AND TV DINNERS, WHICH REVOLUTIONIZED HOME COOKING IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY, WATER-SOLUBLE CANNABINOIDS AND TERPENES ARE DISRUPTING CANNABIS CUISINE.

{ WELL , THIS CHANGES EVERY THING . }

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, COOKING WITH CANNABIS WAS RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD — IF NOT ALL THAT SIMPLE. TO EXTRACT THE PLANT’S FAT-SOLUBLE TERPENES AND CANNABINOIDS (THC AND CBD, PRIMARILY), YOU HAD TO SLOWLY SIMMER THE FLOWERS AND LEAVES IN SOMETHING OLEAGINOUS (BUT TER, OIL , CREAM) OR MACERATE THEM IN A SPIRIT (GIN, VODKA, EVERCLEAR). HEAT AND ALCOHOL GAVE THE ADDED BENEFIT OF CONVERTING NON-PSYCHOACTIVE THC-A INTO MIND-ALTERING THC, UNLOCKING THE CANNABIS PLANT’S UNIQUE MAGIC. This technique has been the core of cannabis cookery for centuries, even though every cannabis chef

what you’re doing, one bite could deliver a massive dose of cannabinoids while another has none at all.

knows that it’s far from perfect. It doesn’t give people

Anyone who cooks with cannabis has dreamt of a

on raw and low-fat diets a lot of options, and lipids

workaround. We’ve all known that finding a way to

are one of the least efficient ways to deliver cannabi-

dissolve cannabinoids and terpenes homogenously

noids and terpenes to the blood — which is about 80

into water and other liquids as simply as we stir in

percent water. When THC and CBD are ingested and

baking soda or tamari would be a giant leap for can-

processed through the liver, they’re less bioavailable

nabis chefs and eaters everywhere.

and take longer to come on, with potentially more po-

The demise of cannabis prohibition brings new mir-

tent and unpredictable effects. Finally, fats are tough

acles every day. Within the last year, that very thing

to homogenize throughout a recipe, so if you don’t know

has become a thing. Water-soluble cannabinoids and

36 36 Southern SouthernColorado ColoradoF FEEBBRRUARY UA RY2 2 00 1 81 8

FAT - SOLUBLE adjective

soluble in nonpolar substances such as ether, chloroform, and oils. Fat-soluble compounds are often insoluble in water.

WATER-SOLUBLE

adjective capable of dissolving in water COURTESY OF DIC TIONARY.COM

sensimag.com FEBR UARY 2018 37

terpenes are increasingly available in dispensaries and retail stores in legal states and countries. Hydrophilic THC and CBD is now sold in various formulations of easily doseable powders and liquids that can be folded into any dish or beverage just as you would add water, salt, or stevia. Processed through the intestines rather than the liver, these cannabinoids deliver predictable effects in about 10 minutes.

We are getting what we wished for.

REVOLUTIONIZING

Archaic Processes

The ability to easily stir reliable doses of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids and terpenes into any food or beverage shakes up the cannabis food scene as considerably as TV dinners and cake mixes revolutionized home cooking in the mid-20th century. No more time spent simmering oils, straining out messy plant matter, calculating dosage! Freedom for the cannabis chef! A whole new world!

Fake News, EXPLAINED It was late summer 2016, shortly after Donald Trump became the Republican presidential nominee, and the media was looking for dog-days diversions. A report about THC being found in local wells in Hugo, Colorado — complete with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment encouraging residents not to drink, cook with, or bathe in the water — was almost too good to be true.

And of course, as anyone who understands even the basic chemistry of fat-soluble cannabinoids could tell you, it was. Tests found no THC in the water supply — because that would be impossible.

In a Self.com report, Christopher Hudalla, PhD, chief scientific officer of Massachusetts-based medical marijuana testing company ProVerdeLabs, explained that even if massive amounts of THC did get into a well, the cannabinoid would stick to the muck on the sides rather than dispersing into the water because it isn’t water-soluble.

“You can make cannabinoids water-soluble, but it would be very, very expensive and very difficult,” said Hudalla, who went on to explain what a huge challenge this has been for the cannabis industry. “People in the industry have been working on this for years, and a few people have achieved water-soluble cannabinoids — but it requires very sophisticated technology.”

I’m excited about all this — and selfishly, I can’t help but worry a little. Will anyone ever need directions for foolproof coconut oil infusions or ask for my favorite Bubba Kush-infused bone broth recipe again?

Juan Ayala, chief technology officer for Seattle-based Tarukino—which sells water-soluble cannabis liquids and powders made using its Sorse emulsion technology to the wholesale market and to consumers via drinks like Happy Apple and Utopia sparkling water — assures me they will. The former worldwide marketing director for Microsoft, whose new mission is to “revolutionize the archaic processes associ-

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ated with the bio-delivery of cannabis to patients and

rie-free, and could be stirred into anything. Stillwa-

consumers,” says people who love the cannabis plant

ter’s lead food scientist Keith Woelfel, who left Mars,

—“the people who say even the terroir, the minerals

Inc. to join the startup in 2016, says his team has

from where and how the plant was grown, has mean-

“spent considerable time and has gone to great lengths

ingful impact”—will continue to make up a credible,

to achieve consistency in dosing and clean, consis-

if small, premium market.

tent flavor without green, hashy bitterness.”

Tarukino (named after the Maori word for cannabis)

Los Angeles-based cannabis chef Chris Sayegh,

has that market covered with strain-specific cannabi-

who has been cooking with water-soluble cannabi-

noid and terpene formulations. The Tarukino team is

noid solutions for several years, will soon sell bottles

investing heavily in water-soluble technology because

of water-soluble CBD solution through his company,

it believes that is the cannabis industry’s future. The company’s scientists have worked for more than two years to break cannabinoids and terpenes into ever-tinier particles for maximum absorption while removing or improving their bitter taste. “Our first version was kind of like the original iPhone,” Ayala says. “It was good, it did some things, but there’s no comparison to where the technology is today.”

Reliable Dosing, NO HASHY TASTE Since Naturally Splendid USA claimed the first USPTO patent for water-soluble cannabinoids, which are essential to its hemp-based Natera nutraceuticals, in 2014, several cannabis companies have won or are seeking patents that tweak the process of emulsifying cannabinoids into nanosized particles that dissolve into water and mix more easily into blood.

In the cannabis industry, water-soluble is the new black.

At Tarukino, Ayala says soccer moms—who can just as easily and discreetly sip a Utopia sparkling water as they would a LaCroix—represent the big-

NOT SO H OT

Cooking with WATER-SOLUBLE cannabinoids and terpenes is relatively simple, but you still need to understand the P LA N T’S S C I E N CE to get the most out of the LIQUIDS and POWDERS. Because heat degrades

CANNABINOIDS and terpenes,

you never want to put them in an oven hotter than 200 DEGREES. It’s better to stir in the cannabinoids at the very end of cooking, just before serving, if possible.

gest growth opportunity, but the company is not underestimating home cooks, prime targets for its Pro 20

The Herbal Chef. Sayegh says the liquid is more sta-

and Pro-Mini water sold in bottles with dosing cups.

ble, easier to dose, and “probably the best way to ho-

The biggest hurdle, Ayala says, is getting people to

mogenize because on a molecular level, nanoparti-

understand how simple the product is to use.

cles work to create a nice, even net, if you will.”

“People are having a really hard time understand-

All of this is why Jon Cooper, founder and CEO of

ing it’s just water,” he says. “You can make pancakes,

Colorado-based Ebbu — which sells liquid cannabinoid

soup, ramen, guacamole … anything. The only dishes

formulations engineered to produce certain moods to

you can’t make are ones in which you throw away

the wholesale and consumer markets—predicts wa-

the water, like spaghetti.”

ter-soluble technology will create “some fairly seismic

Colorado-based Stillwater Brands ran into similar

shifts in the food and alcohol world in the next five years.”

issues when it started marketing Ripple cold-water

“Our most important message as we move forward as

soluble powders derived from distillate, says brand

an industry is trust, control, responsibility, and safety,”

director Missy Bradley. The team had to explain again

Cooper says. “People will never trust products that don’t

and again to people who thought Ripple was a sugar

deliver consistent experiences. Big companies coming

packet that the powder was tasteless, odorless, calo-

into this space will have no choice but to achieve that.”

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19 0 6 N E W H I G H S

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Irresistible New Frontiers A LOVE F OR SCIENCE LED TO THE SCIENCE OF LOVE. Chocolate is the currency of Valentine’s Day, when

Currently, 1906 offers four chocolates: Go, for a dai-

lovers exchange truffles and turtles every February

ly boost of energy; Pause, for chillaxing; High Love, for

as a matter of standard practice.

hanky-panky; and Midnight, for a good night’s rest.

The sweet treat has been married to the holiday

High Love, made especially with passionate lovers

since the 1800s, and European royalty primed their

in mind, brings together the Blue Dream strain with

bedroom escapades with chocolate since the 1600s.

ashwagandha, catuaba, theobromine, muira puama,

Two millennia prior, Mesoamerican rulers regarded

and damiana for a mind-blowing elevation. Or, as Bar-

drinks made from cacao as a gift from the gods.

soom describes it, “It will make your bed levitate.”

The Aztecs and Mayans considered the cacao bean so valuable it served as a surrogate for money.

Best of all, adventurous chocolate lovers can mixand-match these flavors to fuse their experiences.

Wall Street veteran Peter Barsoom, the founder of 1906 New Highs, intimately understands the relationship between chocolate and love. Science has long confirmed cacao’s aphrodisiac, antioxidant, and energizing properties. Barsoom and the team of scientists and chocolatiers at 1906 saw immense potential for chocolates infused with essences of other health-enhancing herbs, among them Colorado’s most famous bud: Cannabis sativa.

“What makes us unique is that every one of our edibles is a combination of cannabis with other plant medicines,” says Barsoom. “That has enabled us to create amazing formulations that enhance the way

“People will mix Go and High Love — that’s a great

people live — including how they love. We’ve created

combination,” Barsoom continues. “You have the eu-

our products with high-functioning adults in mind.

phoric sensation from High Love, and Go gives you the

We’re not here to obliterate your head.”

energy. Personally, that’s my favorite combination.”

1906’s morsels contain fine chocolate with all-

Each piece of a 1906 chocolate contains 5 milli-

natural plant medicine extracts designed to provide

grams of both THC and CBD for a balanced delivery

a specific mood. The company’s special recipes em-

of cannabis’s two most powerful components. Nov-

ploy microencapsulated THC and CBD to guarantee

ices can ease into these edibles effortlessly, and ex-

a quick onset time, so the effects begin to kick in

perienced consumers can eat more than one sim-

within 20 minutes. Compare that to most edibles

ply for the decadent enjoyment.

on the market, which can take up to two hours to

“1906 brings art and science together to create

generate a buzz. Faster onsets mean less guesswork

truly unique, safe experiences,” Barsoom says. “It’s not

for nibblers who may be prone to consuming too

about getting stoned, it’s about getting the best out

much, too quickly with other infused chocolates.

of ourselves.

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{soCO}

by RANDY R OBINSON

A Walk to Remember

CAÑON CITY’S CHOCOLATE

WA LK

Have you had enough chocolate yet? Too bad. It’s February. You can never have too much chocolate, especially in February.

For the truly choco-obsessed, Cañon City will host the 16th annual Chocolate Walk along the downtown district’s Main Street this month. More than 50 businesses are expected to participate, giving out-of-town visitors a chance to browse the adorable mom-and-pop shops while sipping local wines and craft brews. Chocolate-covered strawberries, lush truffles, packed fudge, and syrup-filled cordials are a mere sampling of what will be available along each of the walk’s “Sweet Stops.”

The trek starts at Chocolate Lovers Headquarters, where guests receive a map to the event’s Sweet Stops. The Chocolate Walk is limited to only 300 guests, so grab tickets while they’re still available.

FEBRUARY 10

// 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

CCBLOSSOMFESTIVAL.COM

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