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What you will learn in this post:
Cannabis gummies are one of my ultimate favorite ways to consume the plant. Compared to infused chocolate bars, I find the slight cannabis flavor in gummies works better with fruit flavors. But as the cannabis market explodes, there are more and more options on the market. Sometimes when I walk into the dispensary, I feel completely overwhelmed by the choices and all-too-often revert back to products I know I like rather than branching out to try something new. When I get this analysis paralysis, I feel like Phil in Groundhog Day, reliving the same experience over and over again.
How do I choose when there are literally hundreds of options? We’ve been told not to judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to cannabis edibles, I judge hard! Packaging is the number one thing that draws me in.
When I walk into the dispensary this time, I resolve to try something new. I won’t be caught in another Groundhog Day time loop! Scanning my options, the peach and cotton-candy-colored tin catches my eye: PLUS cannabis-infused gummies. Beyond the vivid packaging, the flavor combination of blackberry and lemon is something I don’t think I’ve seen before. That flavor combo sparks an unexpected nostalgia for summer days spent picking wild blackberries at my grandma’s Oregon home – my interest is piqued. And a quick Google search of PLUS tells me this brand was birthed in Colorado and its reputation allowed the company to expand to the largest cannabis market in the world, California.
Their blackberry and lemon gummies are coming home with me! And I’m hoping they’ll bring me as much happiness as my grandma’s homemade blackberry cobbler.
Packaging, Labeling & Product Design
The packaging is what draws me to this product. I don’t see much pastel pink on the shelves of cannabis dispensaries, so the unique color and child-proof plastic bag with a pink and yellow metal tin inside immediately caught my eye. On the front top half of the recyclable plastic bag, the packaging tells me these are cannabis-infused gummies, with the tantalizing flavor combination of blackberry and lemon. Right below that, there’s a small sticker with THC (95.8 mg THC) and CBD (8.4 mg) content, a manufacturing date stamp, and the CA cannabis warning symbol. The back of the bag has all the additional information I look for, including storage advice, all compliance-required information, and the brand’s social media handles.
The circular metal tin housed inside the package looks like a lip balm container and I love this sturdy level of protection for the gummies inside. I can easily toss this container into my bag without worrying it’ll pop open or get smashed. Plus, the packaging is very discreet. If I pulled this out while walking down the street, no one would ever think there are cannabis gummies inside. I love that they repeat important information here for when I inevitably lose the plastic bag it came in. The label on the tin informs me this is an indica-based product (which tells me I should be expecting more sedative effects), with 20 servings of 4.5 mg THC and 0.5 mg of CBD each. It also lets me know these PLUS gummies are gluten free, with no artificial sweeteners, kosher, and made in California.
As much as I love the look of this packaging, there’s one thing that really bothers me. There’s a discrepancy with the stated dosage on the labels and the lab testing information. The label says there are 90 mg of THC and 10 mg of CBD total, breaking down to 4.5 mg THC and 0.5mg CBD per serving. But in reality, there’s 4.79 mg THC and .42 mg CBD per serving. This may seem like a small, nitpicky detail, but it does highlight a lack of consistency.
Quality and Ease of Use
It’s time to break into these! The labeling tells me to take two to three pieces and wait for at least two hours. And since I’m a small lady with a low-normal tolerance for cannabis edibles, I take their advice. I don’t want to end up like Veruca Salt, eating her way through the Chocolate Factory with reckless abandon.
I start with three in the evening as a non-alcoholic happy hour of sorts. Each square gummy, some a dark purple color and others a deep yellow, is coated in a sugary powder. And, since each one is a separate serving, this product is incredibly easy to dose.
I love that these have some blackberry and some lemon flavored gummies, not combining the flavors artificially in one. Each piece bursts with flavor and only the slightest hint of cannabis can be detected. Sometimes gummies taste artificial, but not these guys! I can tell the PLUS team works hard to make these artisanal edibles and can taste the effort they place into each piece.
The texture is familiar to other gummies, but the sugary coating on the outside gets a little monotonous after the third piece. I could have definitely done without that, especially since these microdoses require more servings than many edibles.
Potency, Effectiveness & Affordability
As I munch through three of these gummies, the flavors meld together, and I wait for the effects to kick in. The label indicates these are indica-based gummies (although there’s no additional strain information) so I am expecting a nice, sedative body high that is recognizable but not overwhelming. We’ve already discussed the potency discrepancy, but even if each serving was the advertised potency level, these seem to be a bit weak.
After waiting for a while, the three gummies still hadn’t set in. So I went back to the proverbial well and ate two more, bringing my total to five servings. I kept waiting and waiting to be taken by the effectiveness of these gummies, but the desired sedative and relaxing effects never really came. I could certainly feel a bit of a buzz, but with five servings and a low to moderate tolerance, it seems like they should have hit me harder. And the overly-sweet, sugary coating on these edibles keeps me from wanting more.
If I were to eat these again, I’d save them for a time when I want an extremely mild high. These would be better suited for a work day when I want a minimal high, rather than an evening treat when I want to fully feel the effects.
The underwhelming potency makes me question the $25 price point. There are stronger gummy options for the same price that I would opt for instead. That being said, I don’t want to discount the artistry, flavor, and beautiful packaging. If I was looking for a microdose option, I would purchase these again.
Nugg Score: How the Nugg Team Rates This Product
Packaging: 4/5
- Packaging is well-designed, pleasing to the sight and touch.
- Metal tin comes in a child-resistant, recyclable bag that is quite difficult to open.
- You can tell the producer put the time and effort into the quality of this packaging for sure.
Labeling: 4/5
- Enough info for the consumer without being completely plastered in labels.
- Includes most everything you need to know: cannabis-infused (big font on the front), refrigerate for quality, compliance needed labels, consumption and storage advice, ingredients, and social media handles.
Easy to dose?: 5/5
- The way these gummies are cut up and easily divided, it would be hard to not understand what 1 serving is.
- Package says to start with 2-3 and wait two hours to consume – an easy regimen to follow.
Discretion: 5/5
- Any sort of gummy candy, treat or anything sour will always be easy to hide as they do not look like cannabis products.
- Could eat these edibles anywhere without worry or suspicion.
Taste: 4/5
- Being a HUGE gummy fan, it was easy for me to enjoy these.
- Artisanally crafted with plenty of love and effort; taste sat well in my mouth.
- On the sweeter side without an overwhelming cannabis taste.
Texture: 3/5
- Standard gummy texture, then covered in a sugar/sour powder.
- Pleasant mouthfeel (not scratchy), but the coating could be a little lighter. It was hard to consume more than a few in one sitting.
Effectiveness: 3/5
- Having a minimal tolerance for edibles, I started low on the dosage scale to gauge effects and see if I would need more and the answer was YEAH.
- These are advertised as 100mg (90mg THC/10mg CBD), the package says that there is actually only around 90mg so they are about 4mg per piece.
Versatility: 4/5
- Less versatile than the traditional brownie, but still delicious and have a variety of uses on their own.
- Could be added to frosting on a cake, topped on thumbprint cookies or added to a refreshing drink or smoothie.
Consistency: 3/5
- Of the three packs purchased, all were somewhat similar in size and taste, though potency varied.
- Disappointed that the bag was only 95mg when advertised as 100mg; consistency is always appreciated.
Price: 3/5
- A great product and somewhat of a niche market, though the price of around $25 for a pack of these seems a little steep.
- For the moderate to minimal effects, the taste, and inconsistency, there are plenty of other products that you might find more suited for you.
Overall Rating: 3.8
I thoroughly enjoyed the packaging and flavor of these PLUS Cannabis Gummies. The delectable and unique blackberry and lemon flavor created a nice respite from the more generic flavors I find on the dispensary shelf. The sugary coating on the outside of these artisanal gummies did get a bit overwhelming for me after five pieces, enough so to make me not want more. I wish the effects were stronger but could see these as a good option for microdosing.
