I could be way off here, but I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon of fatigue proliferating across a variety of industries. In Hollywood, for example, even the biggest superhero movies are underperforming at the box office — first and foremost because of the pandemic, but also because your average audience member has a wicked case of superhero fatigue. In the cannabis industry, it seems among consumers and industry insiders alike, there’s a nagging sense of edible fatigue out there.
People are tired of the same old super-sweet snacks and subpar gummies, and they’re ready for a higher quality edible cannabis experience. But here’s the thing: as the edible market gets more and more diverse in its arsenal of product categories, I think there’s going to be a renewed interest in edible “treats” that people can incorporate into their consumption habits with greater deliberation and specificity.
If any of this resonates with you, and you’re still looking for a convenient, tasty, and appropriately sweet edible that offers a well-rounded high, Cheeba Chews‘ new line of caramel and chocolate taffy might be for you. For this review, I’ll be trying Cheeba’s Trifecta and Sleepy Time taffy chews.
First impressions
Going on a decade now, Cheeba Chews have been a well-respected staple of the cannabis edibles market. Born in Boulder, Colorado, from founder James Howler in 2009, Cheeba Chews came about out of a desire to make edible lab testing more accountable and provide an imminently accessible edible that delivers on quality and consistency.
The new additions to the Cheeba Chews line — the Trifecta caramel taffy with a 1:1:1 CBG:CBD:THC ratio and the Sleepy Time chocolate taffy with a 2:1 THC:CBN ratio — come in sleek yet inviting packs of 20 bite-sized chews. The gold-tinted aesthetic of these packages brings to mind the elegant, understated luxury vibe of dark chocolate treats like Riesen’s or Skor bars. You’ll find batch information and THC content displayed on the back of the outer wrapper, and the front label includes instructions for accessing the separately packaged chews in the breakable plastic tray inside.
Individual chews come in two trays of 10 stacked on top of one another. Each piece snaps off from the rest of the tray pretty easily, and the lining is accessible and easy to peel off. And because the tray was easy to work with, I walked away from the unpackaging experience with a sense of appreciation for the precision and security of the way these chews are contained.
Trifecta Caramel Taffy
Flavor
With most edibles, you get a mix of vague cannabis extract flavor with whatever central ingredients make up the product. Sometimes these flavors clash. Other times they blend well. Luckily, Cheeba Trifecta chews are of the latter variety. These bite-sized caramel taffy chews give a taste that blends smoothly with the inherent cannabis flavor, and as it melts in your mouth, you get an assurance that it is cannabis-infused, as advertised, while delivering a noticeable caramel taste that isn’t overly sweet.
Effectiveness
If you’re a first-time consumer of Cheeba Chews, the company recommends starting with one chew, then giving yourself ample time to observe the effects before taking more. Because I’m a regular consumer of flower and edibles, I took on the risk of taking two chews to get a decent sense of what a less-experienced consumer might feel after one. After about 50 minutes, the effects came on strong, but not too strong, and there was no mistaking them.
Experience
There was also no mistaking the uniqueness of the chew’s intended 1:1:1 experience of 5 milligrams THC, CBD, and CBG, which was designed to offer a “mild psychoactive experience,” as well as “promote a positive state of mind.”
I definitely enjoyed the even mix of mild psychoactivity and palpable body relaxation, feeling sufficiently stoned and also just calm, relaxed, and full of thoughts for a good portion of the day. I was also kind of surprised by this chew’s mood-boosting quality, which seemed to carry over well after the other psychoactive effects had worn off.
Sleepy Time Chocolate Taffy
Flavor
The Sleepy Time chocolate taffy has a comparably enjoyable melt-in-your-mouth texture to the caramel chew, only with a decidedly different flavor experience. The chocolate taste was sweet but earthy, blending even more synergistically with the chew’s plant-based ingredients.
Effectiveness
After sampling the Trifecta taffy and being more than satisfied with its effectiveness, I decided to try only one Sleepy Time chew in the evening to test out its effectiveness as a sleep aid. These chews offer a 2:1 THC:CBN ratio with 5 milligrams THC and an added dose of melatonin, so I figured if these things worked, one chew would probably do the trick for me. In a similar fashion to the Trifecta taffy, it only took about 50 minutes to get the full effect.
Experience
Considering my previous Cheeba experience, I sampled a Sleepy Time chew fairly late in the evening, around 10:15 p.m., in preparation for the effects to hit around the time I wanted to drift off to sleep. Once again, around 50 minutes later, I noticed myself starting to drift off a bit. Then the mild stoniness slowly permeating my head also became apparent. After another 15 minutes of getting ready for bed, my head hit my pillow and I was out in no time.
A lot of edibles, especially if I take them at night, leave me with a light weed hangover the next day. With this Cheeba Chew, I woke up feeling pretty damn refreshed and not only no worse for wear, but in a decent mood — a rarity for mornings around my house.
Bottom line
Quality and consistency are the things Cheeba Chews have hung its hat on from the beginning. The brand’s latest confections tell me it can continue to do so. If you’re suffering edible fatigue, these convenient Cheeba Chews offer a winning texture, flavor, and delivery method for precise consumption and streamlined, holistic effects. Whether you want to feel stoned, happy, or appropriately sleepy after a long day, Cheeba Chews may be well worth your time.
Featured image courtesy of Cheeba Chews/Weedmaps
