Kikoko’s line of cannabis-infused herbal teas offers a more genteel way to get lit
For the cannabis enthusiast who prefers his or her lungs to be a natural color, and isn’t that keen on the calories that come with sweet-treat edibles, Emeryville, Calif., company Kikoko, which started distribution in Southern California at the end of last year, might have the answer: cannabis-infused herbal tea.
Formulated in low doses that range from 3 milligrams to 10 milligrams of THC per sachet (a 1-gram joint, by comparison, has roughly 10 times that), it’s no harder to prepare than boiling water (and if you can’t boil water, you might want to rethink the whole getting high thing), and with flavors such as chamomile and lemon myrtle (Tranquili-tea, 3 mg per serving) and hibiscus cardamom rose (Sensuali-tea, 7 mg), it’s a straight up tasty cup of tea.
Kikoko is the brainchild of Jennifer Chapin and Amanda Jones, who share the title of “co-teaEO.” They created the company in 2015 after a mutual friend couldn’t find the right product to alleviate pain, stimulate appetite and quell the nausea she felt while battling cancer.
During an L.A.-area tea party hosted by friends last month, Chapin and Jones explained that they decided to use tea not just because of its health benefits but also because of its symbolism for a women-owned company aiming at a mostly female customer base. “Tea parties were an important part of the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S.,” Jones told a mostly female group of tea-partiers. “Women met and organized in tea rooms.”
There are currently four different flavors of Kikoko tea; in addition to the two above, there’s a turmeric ginger blend with 3 mg of THC (Sympa-tea) and a 10 mg THC lemon grass, mint and green tea blend (Positivi-tea). All are sold as individually wrapped sachets ($5 to $10 each depending on formulation and dispensary) or in cans of 10 ($40 to $65). A full list of California stockists, as well as additional information about the brand, can be found at the company’s website www.kikoko.com.
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