A cool scent of mint wafted from the opalescent gem—the most adult incarnation of a ring pop I have ever witnessed—and though the odor was distinctly reminiscent of common toothpaste, this candy was putting out some serious luxury vibes. The opaque coloring punctuated with ribbons of “Aquafresh blue” supported my toothpaste thesis, but the cut gem shape so appealed to my inner glamourpuss. Instead of thinking, Damn, this is going to taste like a hard wad of old Crest, I was thinking, Ooh, mint, yaaas, money, diamonds, yachts, mint, yaaas, which in retrospect feels diametrically opposed to Drip Sweets’ self-image.

In my mind, there are two main types of mint: synthetic mint for your stank breath and lush mint leaves from your garden. And there's minimal crossover; you can cure stank breath by chewing mint from your garden, but you can't make a mojito with mentos. (Trust me on this.) So while the White Mint Illuminate Gems were not totally unlike the mildest cornerstore breath mints I’ve tried, they were still pretty tasty. But I wouldn't liken them to candy necessarily. My breath felt very fresh—almost disturbingly so—as a minty vapor infused everything I ate for several hours.

But I wasn't here for luxury breath mints, I was here to get high. Camping is my best litmus test for edibles. Since camping can quickly go from easy breezy weekend getaway to stressing out over floppy tent poles, wandering toddlers, and insatiable mosquitos, edibles are my go-to when I want to maintain a mellow, woodsy countenance. The White Mint Illuminite Gems certainly delivered in this respect. The 5mg of THC arrived like a cool breeze on the back of my neck, keeping me focused during last-minute packing before dissolving into a dreamy head high that paired perfectly with a winding car ride through the steep mountain backroads of Mt. Hood. Dripping moss, verdant ground cover, and vibrant redwoods painted a breathtaking picture, but when viewed through the lens of this edible, the lush beauty of the forest was more than breathtaking; it was arresting, heart-wrenching, completely histrionic.

“The moment felt very once-in-a-lifetime.”

It wasn't until several hours into my experience with these minty candies that the astral depiction really came to fruition. After setting up camp with ease, having a short float in a nearby alpine lake, and exploring the surrounding woods, the edible had all but expired. Still, introspective traces remained. Once night had fallen but before the moon could rise and outshine any stars, my partner and I set out to a small clearing about 20 feet from our camp. Our acute altitude lined us up with the peak of Mt. Hood, and in the endless black of night, the entire Milky Way was visible, revealing every inch of the inky sky to be robust with glittering stars. Even though I live only 45 minutes from the woods and could easily arrive at the same clearing to see the same stars any day of the week, the moment felt very once-in-a-lifetime. Even at that late stage in the game, when the edible should have been mostly exercised from my system, it was still imbuing moments with sentimental wonder.

The next morning felt like a rebirth. The emotionality of the previous day's experience primed me for a truly relaxing morning that bled into an equally placid afternoon. It wasn't that the candy was still in effect, but rather the effects were so great that the ripples left in my subconscious changed my mental landscape well after the gem had evaporated. Consider me attuned to my inner eye.