15 Oct Infusing Beverages

The Start of it All

Cannabis beverages have been around for thousands of years. The first recording was 1000 BC in India. There a cannabis concoction called Bhang was created.  Technically speaking, Bhang is the name given to a paste made from the leaves and flowers of the female marijuana plant.  The soaking, pulverizing and rolling of the plant material results in a smooth, shiny ball.  These balls are the base of Bhang, a milk (fat) based beverage. In addition to milk, other ingredients can be added, such as spices, nuts, and sweeteners, to create a signature flavor.

Should you grow your own Cannabis, this may be a fun way to use up some of your harvests. The following recipe indicates ½ ounce to 1 ounce of starting plant material to create a batch. https://wayofleaf.com/recipes/what-is-bhang

Cannabis Beverages Today

The cannabis beverage market is growing and is meeting the needs of those who:

• find that drinking their medicinals is more pleasurable than smoking them,
• enjoy the slightly faster onset of beverages to that of edibles, and,
• use Cannabis beverages to help swap out or eliminate drinks with alcohol.

Whether making Cannabis-infused products at home or purchasing, the most important factor is homogenization and consistency of the dose. The challenge with beverages is that Cannabis is not water-soluble so not easily mixed into liquid. Cannabinoids like THC and CBD are lipids — fat molecules, like those found in butter and chocolate. This is one reason brownies and candy bars were among the first commercially successful cannabis edibles to be manufactured on scale. The beverage industry has some challenges as Lipids cannot dissolve in water making it an unnatural fit.

This has been a challenge for those creating cannabis beverages for large scale distribution. Recent technological breakthroughs have helped to overcome these problems. Through a process called nano-emulsification, cannabis oil is broken down into microscopic particles and then mixed with an emulsifier, a substance that helps oil dissolve in water.

DIY – Cannabis Beverages

For home beverage making, consistent dosing will be the most important factor. Each person’s reaction to Cannabis is different, so you won’t know how your body tolerates it best until you try different doses. And, with all new-to-you cannabis products, go low and slow.  You can take the guesswork out by using Canuvo’s ready-made infused and lab-tested products (e.g., MCT Tincture, Alcohol Tincture, and Infused Honey). This way you will be able to accurately and consistently dose to your personal needs to see what works best.

A rule of thumb for dosing your signal serve beverage:

1mg – 2.5 mg – Beginners and those who want to microdose.

5mg – 10mg – Intermediate. Can be used day or nighttime.

15mg-30mg – Experienced user. Chronic pain & sleep issues.

50mg+ – Very experienced user with high tolerance or severe pain.

Recipes and Concoctions

Since we started this conversation discussing Bhang, we will visit another recipe idea from India.  When temperatures soar, the local custom is to sip cooling beverages.  The ingredients for this beverage will help you to cool down and stay healthy.  This recipe is enhanced with mango and coconut water.  Though mangos are higher in sugar than other fruits, they have a lot of nutritional value.  They are a low-calorie fruit that is high in fiber and is a great source of vitamins A and C.  It also contains folate, B6, iron, and a little calcium, zinc, and vitamin E.  The coconut water is a great way to add potassium to your diet, which will help you rehydrate even more effectively.  In addition, cannabinoids help to regulate body temperature.

Mango Smooth

Ingredients:

4 ounces mango puree, mango sorbet or mango sherbet

4 ounces Greek-style yogurt

1 cup crushed Coconut Water ice

Creole-style bitters (Has fruit scents of dried apricots, cherries, and cranberries mingling with the strong flavors of anise, smoked paprika, and hints of smoldering pine wood.)

How to Infuse:  We would suggest the THC Alcohol Tincture for the infusing.  Should you want to skip the THC or the alcohol, you could also use Canuvo’s tincture with MCT oil (medium-chain triglycerides) in either THC, THC/CBD, CBD, THCA/CBD or THCA.  For Canuvo’s tinctures, each 1 milliliter (ml) dropper is 10 milligrams (mgs).  You can adjust the mgs to meet your preference.

Directions:  Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Depending on how much tincture you use, you can add a little water if the drink is to thick.  Divide between two lovely glasses and dot each with a couple of drops of the Creole Bitters.

Modified Lucky Lemon – Mint Iced Earl Grey Tea

The original recipe is from Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics, by Warren Bobrow.

Ingredients:

2 teabags Earl Grey Tea

1 teabag Lapsang Souchong Tea (Smoked black tea)

24 ounces of boiling water

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ honey

Crushed ice

A handful of fresh mint leaves

Alcohol Tincture or Infused Honey

How to Infuse:  Based on how strong you would like each serving to be, add either the alcohol tincture or you can use the infused honey.  Decide how many mgs you want in each serving of the tea. For example:

Infused Honey – Canuvo’s Infused Honey is 16.5 mgs per 1 tsp.  This recipe makes 4 serving and if wanted each serving to be 5 mgs, you will use 1 tsp plus a scant more of medicated honey to reach 20 mgs and a little less than 11 tsps. of regular honey, which equals the ¼ cup of honey the recipe called for.  (12 tsps. = ¼ cup)

Alcohol Tincture – Canuvo’s tincture has 10 mgs of cannabinoids per one ml.  So one dropper (1 ml) will have 10 mgs.  One-half dropper would have 5 mgs.

Directions:                                                                                                                                                                Steep tea bags for 5-10 minutes, and then remove the tea bags.  Add the lemon juice and the honey and stir to combine.  Let cool and refrigerate overnight.

Fill four tall glasses with crushed ice.  Top each with the chilled iced tea.  Garnish each with a few torn mint leaves.  Serves 4.

Sleep Tonic – Tea for Sleep

Chamomile tea has been known to create a relaxing state.  Its calming effects may be attributed to an antioxidant called apigenin, which is found in abundance in chamomile tea.  Apigenin binds to specific receptors in your brain that may decrease anxiety and initiate sleep.

For a nighttime elixir, you could steep a lovely cup of good grade chamomile tea and add your medicated honey or tincture to your dosing preference.

Cocktails

You can take any favorite cocktail recipe that doesn’t count on the flavor of the specific alcohol (e.g., bourbon or scotch) and substitute the alcohol for the infused alcohol tincture—for example, Bloody Mary.  So much of the flavors come from the tomato base and the added veggies and spices.  This would be an easy recipe to substitute the vodka for an infused tincture to your preferred dose.

Coffee Enhancements

Chocolate Coffee – add medicated chocolate before you pour your brew. Canuvo’s milk or dark chocolate coins are ten mgs per coin.

Irish Coffee – add Cauvo’s medicated THC alcohol tincture.

Bullet-Canna Coffee – add Canuvo’s MCT THC or CBD tincture.

Sweet Coffee – add Canuvo’s medicated THC honey to your coffee.

CBD Beverages on the GO!

Our partner, Old Man Goodies, has an ingenious design for a reusable pouch for making tea with the addition of CBD.  Her drinks are a mix of helpful blends to help create relaxation, energy, and boost your immune system.  Our customers have reported that mixing the tea with Canuvo’s medicated THC honey has been both enjoyable and helpful!  It’s a triple home run with the medicinal teas, CBD and THC.

Blends :

Original Rooibos:  Blends with all-natural anti-inflammatory ingredients:  Clove, cinnamon, ginger, CBD, Rooibos.  Every added ingredient has its own medical compounds.  Clove, ginger, and cinnamon all show amazing benefits when it comes to inflammation, digestion issues, and immune boosters.

Energy Black Tea Blend:  We blend Certified Organic black tea with organic cinnamon, cardamom anise, ginger, and medium caffeine level naturally from black tea.  Fully caffeinated Golden Chai is a healthy alternative to coffee or soda.  Get a mellow energy boost without the jitter and crash of Coffee plus the delicious flavor of our premium organic tea blended with warming luxurious spices.

Lavender and Chamomile:  This flowery combo of lavender and chamomile proves that tranquility and calmness can be found during even the most hectic of days.  Enjoy hot or iced.  Caffeine Free!  Still containing our rooibos with natural ingredients that produce relaxing effects for both your body and mind.  Chamomile has properties that may aid sleep and digestion, combined with Mallow, which is used for irritation of the mouth and throat, dry cough, and bronchitis.  It is also used for stomach and bladder complaints.  Add to that the lavender with anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe irritated stomach muscles, eliminating stomach pain.  These same antispasmodic effects can help relieve indigestion, gas, and bloating.

We hope this information has been helpful and wish you well on your journey for wellness with Cannabis! Check our menu or more products you can use to infuse beverages!