Review: Chalice Farms’ Fruit Chews, Edibles, Topicals

Chalice Farms is one of a handful of publicly traded multi-state cannabis brands operating in both recreational and therapeutic categories.

Consumers can find a variety of fruity toffee chews bearing the Chalice Farms logo in pharmacies throughout Nevada and California, and in Oregon, award-winning floral and boutique pharmacies have become a notable common thread in the state’s recreational landscape.

Here are our reviews of a selection of Chalice Farms cannabis treats.

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First impression

My first impression of every Chalice Farms product I’ve auditioned for has been, “Wow, how compact.” Both the chocolate and toffee edibles were dainty like a candy dish, and the dual pack of medicated plasters was about the size and the weight of two extra large patches. Each edible contained 50 milligrams of THC, although the strains available in California contain a total of 100 milligrams of THC. The patches did not exceed a 1:1 ratio and contained less than 5 milligrams of cannabinoids in total.

Edibles as small as these seem to challenge the idea of ​​portion sizes or portion doses in individually wrapped edibles. These little confections felt like they were dosed for a medium- or high-tolerance consumer to take right away—none of the edibles lent themselves to sharing. However, the patches come in a neat 2-pack.

Chocolate mocha explosion

Smaller, individually wrapped edibles, like Chalice Farms Chocolate Mocha Blasts, are my go-to choice when spending the day with my family. If the formula is just right, 50 milligrams can smooth out the rough edges of parenting and provide me with a manageable high that keeps me relaxed but awake. The Mocha Blasts certainly reviewed these crates, but the packaging lacked a certain whimsy: a leaf imprint, a bit of green tinge, a mild grassy aftertaste, or any other detail that would suggest it was designed by connoisseurs for connoisseurs.

The chocolate felt ultra-subtle, straight forward and no frills. It weighs about the same as a lozenge, fits snugly on the tongue, and melts away in a minute. The mocha element is punchy with cracked dark roasted espresso beans, and the fair trade organic chocolate is tasty if not exceptional. The overall mouthfeel is reminiscent of chocolate-covered coffee beans, so expect an understated, gritty bite.

During testing, I sat in the navigator’s seat for a short day trip consisting of small-town antiquing and thrift-hunting with my family, including my autistic son, whose needs can become overwhelming when we’re not home. I ate the chocolate bar on the drive out of town and the activation came in about 30 minutes. This edible provided a cool surge of sustained calm rather than a dizzying psychotropic experience. The most notable effect was the smooth balance of cool, loosely focused headspace and sparkling physicality. This balance made it relatively easy to keep up with the kid while keeping myself focused enough to diligently shop for vintage fur coats.

The munchies kicked in after about three hours of exploration, which suited the end of the day well; Nothing beats a unique small town drive through on a long, scenic drive home.

Mango Serrano Fruit Chew

The family and I planned another short day trip, this time to a sprawling craft and farmer’s market in a nearby town; and again I popped the Chalice Farms confection from the passenger side as we neared our destination.

The candy is a medical equivalent of toffee in the corner: soft and pliable, chewy and slightly sticky. The mango flavor was generically fruity sweet rather than mango skunky, and the Serrano felt bland given its Scoville rating – be warned, cannabis isn’t my only high tolerance, and this edible strain could potentially be far too spicy for be softer palettes. The Mango Serrano Chew is made with strain-specific RSO instead of distillate, but retains no discernible cannabinoid aromas.

Activation kicked in after we arrived at the deserted promenade and realized the market was off-season. Even the adjacent playground had been fenced off with signs reading “Closed due to vandalism”. Had it not been for that toffee that promotes a mild mood, I would have been far less amused when describing to my child the scenario as we drove away from the event he had been promised we would attend. He offered an alternative, which is huge given his verbal development, but the alternative was Walmart.

So we transitioned from what we hoped would be a glorious day smelling of veggies outside to an afternoon navigating the fluorescent aisles of our son’s favorite sprawling suburban megastore. Luckily the high was in full swing by the time we crossed the threshold of the store and I was perfectly content to slowly drive a cart through the toy department while my child examined the stock.

These effects were consistent with what I felt after consuming the Mocha Blast – calm headspace and slight physical high – but the high felt a bit more rounded and mellow. The effects kept my spirits up on the way back home, and about four hours after I ate it, the effects of chewing were mostly gone, thankfully without binge eating.

RXO 1:1 patch

The patches seemed thin at first glance. I was expecting something with something violent, similar to other therapeutic patches that are infused with penetrating ointments. When applied, these felt like drugstore band-aids without the padding. They have no aromatic or balsamic component and are very easy to read as large, dry patches. I put one on my wrist before a hard day’s work to prevent cramps coming up and immediately the corners of the bandage peeled away from my skin as the adhesive stopped. So maybe big dry generic patches.

I worked back and forth for several hours without removing or adjusting the bandage. It wasn’t until the unit finished and a dull ache began to creep up my wrist and thumb that I even remembered putting it on in the first place. For this low stakes application (relatively mild tendonitis) I was happy with the patch’s effectiveness, although I can’t comment on how it relieves more severe chronic pain.

bottom line

For high-tolerance consumers, the edibles are great single doses, the small sizes aren’t great for sharing. They come in two sets of packaging: a larger labeled pouch and a single pouch with the edible inside, so you can really discreetly forgo the branded packaging to buy something that literally looks like it came out of a candy bowl at the front desk been picked .

The patches are also discreet and look pretty much identical to band-aids. I’ve used them as prevention for chronic pain flare-ups, although they’re not intended as a recreational or immediate pain reliever. However, in terms of effectiveness, your results may vary, but I was surprised and pleased with the results I experienced.