Looking for a little more oomph in your cup of coffee? San Francisco-based Ritual Coffee Roasters has joined forces with local cannabis startup Somatik to create a bona fide artisanal marijuana-infused cold brew.
As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Somatik founder Christopher Schroeder had no experience with either beverages or cannabis before founding the Oakland-based company in 2016 with the goal of making the perfect artisanal, pot-infused cold brew. All he needed was the right coffee roaster.
Schroeder had met Ritual Coffee founder Eileen Rinaldi through SF Made, back when he was working in marketing at Rickshaw Bagworks, and a partnership was born. Together, they taste-tested more than 40 different coffees before settling on beans grown in Gigante, Colombia for their brew. The beans are roasted and ground at Ritual's SoMa roastery and delivered to Somatik's manufacturer in the South Bay, where they steep for 12 hours in cold water to produce a rich, smooth concentrate, which is then strained and blended with THC oil before bottling.
For the cannabis, Schroeder chose several outdoor-grown hybrid strains, which are processed into oil using carbon dioxide extraction. The result is a light-bodied and smooth cold brew with subtle notes of cherry, a hint of herbaceous flavor, and undertones of bright lemon—no strong marijuana flavor or aroma.
Debuting in Bay Area cannabis dispensaries this week, the cold brew comes in eight-ounce bottles, each containing 15 milligrams of THC (about one-and-a-half the standard dose of marijuana per bottle). Drink it straight, or dilute it with water, cream, or almond milk—whatever your particular fancy.
"There's no replacement for a joint and a cup of coffee," Schroeder told the Chronicle. "[But the cold brew] gives me a more balanced feel between my mind and my body, so I don't feel as 'cerebral' as when I smoke a joint. It's functional. It does make me feel light and fun, but also relaxed and very much in my body still."
// Somatik Medical Cannabis–Infused Cold Brew ($12) is available at Harvest (San Francisco) and Magnolia Wellness (Oakland); get.somatik.us.
