TO BE BLUNT

Couples can get closer with cannabis

By Chelsea Cebara EVERCANNABIS CORRESPONDENT

Hey Blunt,

My parents have gotten into smoking weed together and it’s ADORABLE. I want to get them something for Christmas to celebrate their new hobby. Any suggestions? They’re in their mid-60s and before this only smoked in college. – Love, Baby of Boomers

You are correct: This is charming as hell. Congrats to your folks for picking up cannabis together! Way back when I was a budtender, we saw plenty of your parents’ demographic: people who hadn’t touched the plant since deep in the Prohibition era, whose concept of weed is dry buds of indeterminate genetics, laden with seeds and pesticides. Imagine their first trip to a rec shop 40 years after that!

Based on my experience with this type of consumer, I’m going to make some assumptions: your parents probably enjoy lower-THC smokables, and they probably buy pre-rolls or share a pipe. If that’s true, you will want to introduce them to the wonder of the dry flower vaporizer.

Preferred by medical cannabis professionals and aficionados alike, these vaporizers heat the flower rather than combusting it, preserving terpenes and making for a smoother, gentler inhale.

Whole flower is still driving the market and this will allow your parents to access the widest variety of strains. These vaporizers are available at many price points, but personally I’m fond of the Magic Flight; it’s affordable, easy to use, and full of hippie design appeal. If they want to get fancier, there are accessories for water filtration and concentrates available too.

Of course, you’ll want to bundle it up with a sampler of a few grams of high-quality flower. Not just any flower, mind you. You need weed with a story. Consider an original landrace strain such as Hindu Kush, the heirloom tomato of cannabis. Or maybe G-13, which, unlike most the apocryphal strain origins stories out there, probably actually was smuggled out of the Ole’ Miss research lab in the ‘70s. Or choose something with a particularly impactful color or flavor: Ellensburg’s Puffin Farms grows a dark and terpy Tangerine that’s a hit with your parents’ demographic.

I’m now imagining them curled up together on the couch laughing and connecting over cannabis, and honestly it’s the sort of wholesomeness I needed today. Thanks for that.

Dear Blunt,

I want to make some infused treats for the holidays, something more impressive than brownies. Got any ideas? – Love, Sweet Tooth

You know it! Brash, herbaceous and musky, cannabis can be a challenge to the palate. Most product developers and home cooks treat the flavor as an annoyance, something to be overcome. But the way they cover it up reminds me of bathroom air fresheners – as in, we all know what went on here and attempting to mask it only makes it more noticeable. Instead, I treat cannabis as a flavor to be embraced and complemented rather than combated.

Some flavors that pair well without competing are citrus, smoke, warming spices and coconut. I also tend to make my edibles super weak, because I want people to be able to have more than one! Below is one of my go-to recipes for an elegant infused treat:

White Chocolate

LemonGRASS Truffles

¼ cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste (available in the herb section of most grocery stores) 2 cups high-quality white chocolate, chopped finely 20 grams infused cannabutter

About a cup of finely shredded unsweetened coconut for rolling

Pour the cream into your smallest saucepan and add the lemongrass paste. Heat until just below boiling,

COURTESY PHOTO

A Magic Fight vaporizer is great for heating, rather than combusting, cannabis flower.

then cover and turn off the heat. When the side of the pan is cool enough to touch, pour the cream through a fine strainer into a glass bowl to remove the lemongrass solids.

Add white chocolate and cannabutter to the bowl. Stir, then place in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each zap, until smooth. Let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm.

Using a cookie scoop or small spoon, scoop out about a tablespoon of the ganache, roll it smooth between your hands, then roll it in the coconut. Present in a festive and well-labeled manner. Happy holidays!

CHELSEA CEBARA

White Chocolate LemonGRASS Truffles feature flavors that complement the specific taste of cannabis.