IN REVIEW: Looking for some smooth chocolate to soothe your body so you can tap into your sense of adventure? Look no further. The four C’s of Papa & Barkley's new bar (coconut, caramel, chocolate and cannabis) are represented in the perfect ratios to provide a treat that’s as tasty as it is effective. Built for microdosing through the day, you’ll find that each energetic and euphoric piece has a great mouthfeel on par with any gourmet chocolatier. And as always, Papa & Barkley has been incredibly intentional with their ingredients, which is why this small-batch, solventless rosin makes for an unequaled edible experience.

Formatted like your run-of-the-mill Hershey bar, this tasty edible will propel any user into a state of brimming optimism. As a companion for a weekend trek through the Angeles Forest, it delivered a subtle euphoria that made the experience all the more immersive. I had two squares (10mg THC total), and that was enough to really add another layer of vibrancy to a nine-mile hike across some steep terrain.

I took the first square as I set off early in the morning, and within 15 minutes I felt a gentle wind behind my back, and an encroaching sense of overall wellness from everything ahead of me. I was in a total groove with my environment, and I found that it set the tone for an introspective Sunday adventure. 

Each square is so tiny, and the flavor so big, that it would be easy to get ahead of yourself with this chocolate bar. But I decided to err on the side of caution since I was all on my lonesome, though after about two hours I did consume another square. It was right around the turnaround point in my hike, and just as euphoric and focusing as the first piece was when I set off.

“I was just swimming in positivity and a sense of accomplishment.”

As someone sitting in the mid-to-low range tolerance wise for edibles, this was a gentle and worthwhile ride that helped me connect with nature while I shedded myself of some tension with every step. It was about as effortless an outing I’ve had on the trail. No pain to speak of, and when I was finally done I was just swimming in positivity and a sense of accomplishment.

The real beauty behind this chocolate is what it doesn’t do. Chiefly, what it didn’t do for me was it didn’t allow me to focus on the first-world problems I’d been having, or stressors out of my control. It helped point my intentions towards the direction of my own choosing rather than being led astray by impulses and negative thought patterns. It was endlessly focusing in this regard, but also just plain fun. When microdosing these coconut-caramel squares, states of random joy are never far off.

I went on to consume two more squares throughout the day, both as a means of recovery and to maintain that overall sense of wellness that I had carried with me through the morning workout. At the end of the day I had ingested 20 total mgs of THC, but it was dispersed pretty much through the entirety of a Sunday. If I had ingested that much of most other types of chocolate edibles, I would be entering into some state of sedation by the time the evening came around. 

“I felt open to the world, and ready to laugh within a moment’s notice.”

That was never the case here. This high was not heavy headed or groggy in any sense of the word. There was also never any feeling of being closed off. I felt open to the world, and ready to laugh within a moment’s notice. It also begs repeating that this is a delicious chocolate bar, and this is coming from someone that is not particularly crazy about coconut. Of which there is quite a bit. To stop at four pieces and not gobble the entire thing up was a feat of willpower.

The fine folks at P&B Kitchen have crafted themselves a chocolate bar that doubles as a trail bar, and inner compass. Perfect for edible novices and cannasseurs alike, this is a high that can dull out aches and pains while also bringing forth a balanced and grateful state of being–making it an ideal weekend choice I will surely keep in high supply.