review

You Have To Try These Nuts
Review by Laura Benack
Jul 11, 2018 · 4 min read

Two almonds was all it took to have a blissful afternoon in my garden.

When it comes to edibles, there’s a simple phrase I like to keep in mind: Start low and go slow. I’ve learned from personal experience that eating cannabis is the most unpredictable method of consumption because both the intensity of effects and onset time can vary greatly. Depending on a number of factors like dosage, product ingredients, and even what other food you’ve eaten that day, you might notice you’re high after 15 minutes—or two hours. There’s really no way to know! By treading carefully, however, you can avoid looking like the Michigan cop who made the now-infamous “I think we’re dead” 911 call after eating brownies made with confiscated stash. It’s worth mentioning that it’s physically impossible to overdose on cannabis, but there’s a lesson to be learned here nonetheless.

The ingredients are delightfully simple.

Today there are plenty of low-dose edibles on the market, so the days of sampling unlabeled pot brownies are behind us. Zendo’s Honey Cocoa Almonds are one such product that offers a low-dose option with a ton of flavor. With 100 milligrams in each package and 25 milligrams per suggested serving, you can choose your dose accordingly. It’s often recommended that first-time consumers start with a dose of around 5 mg or less—one almond in this case.

I have to say, Zendo’s pyramid-shaped packaging is kind of adorable and the ingredients are delightfully simple: cannabis oil, raw almonds, cocoa powder, honey, and cinnamon. Zendo also makes a spicy honey sea-salt flavor that sounds intriguing. All-natural and gluten-free, I like that the almonds are a great choice for the health-conscious consumer. On that note, when you’re in the market for a new edible, I recommend choosing a product with ingredients that already appear in your normal diet. If you buy a bag of infused gummy bears but don’t typically snack on candy, that’s one more variable that might influence your high.

When I recently tried these honey cocoa almonds, I made sure my afternoon was clear of commitments since it was my first time sampling the product. (This is a wise idea. Just ask Alison Becker, who ate some weed popcorn and lost her mind at a recreational basketball game.) Although my tolerance for THC is relatively high, I like to play it safe with edibles so I started with two almonds (roughly 10mg according to my calculations) and waited for the effects to hit. They tasted delicious and sweet like honey and I detected only the faintest hint of cannabis. I had eaten a sandwich about an hour before, which ended up being a smart move as the almonds were so tasty I might have been tempted to eat more had I been hungrier.

About 40 minutes later, I was taking my dog on her afternoon walk when I started to feel a strong head buzz creeping up, similar to the feeling I get after inhaling a double espresso. My hands felt jittery and a wave of excitement washed over me. I started mentally running through my long to-do list and considered how I could do something productive with my free afternoon.

The sun felt amazing on my skin.

When I arrived home 15 minutes later I felt an energized buzz, but thankfully the jitters I’d experienced on the walk had passed. I decided to tidy up my apartment and put the Moody Blues’ Days of Future Past record on in the background. I vacuumed and dusted my living room while passionately singing along to “Nights in White Satin.” Before long, the light pouring in from the window was beckoning me outside, so I filled up my watering can and headed out to give my collection of plants and succulents some TLC. The sun felt amazing on my skin and I was happily engrossed in the task at hand. I took note that Zendo’s almonds would be the perfect pairing to an active day outside. I would definitely try them again before gardening or getting some writing done in the park.

About two and a half hours after eating the almonds, my energy buzz had faded and the effects had mostly worn off. My muscles felt very relaxed, so I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch reading and watching Queer Eye. All told, the high from the almonds was very enjoyable and mostly comfortable, aside from the initial jitters I experienced 40 minutes into the experience. I felt very focused and clear-headed for a full two hours, making the almonds a great aid to help me burn through my to-do list. Since almonds are already one of my go-to snacks, I plan on swapping in Zendo’s for my regular almond fare next time I weed my outdoor garden (pun intended).



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