Cannabis can spark inspiration anywhere. Who hasn’t had a lightning bolt of brilliance randomly strike them while speaking with the green muse? In the case of Space Gems, that spark came in the most perfect of places: at a concert.
In this case, at a Phish concert.
While en route to see Phish with a group of girlfriends many, many moons ago, Space Gems founder Wendy Baker popped into a dispensary to pick up something discreet for the occasion.
“I stopped at Harborside, and picked up these hard candies,” Baker said over a call. “They had kief in them, I think. … So, I saw the band, and I immediately came home and started making like seven batches of candy.”
She made her confections in multi-color arrays of fruit flavors, eventually landing on gummies after a stint making hard candies. She was so happy with the result, she sculpted it into a brand.
“I thought they looked like gems that took you to space,” Baker recalled. “They were really colorful, they were in a rainbow, and that’s how Space Gems were born.”
Many of the edibles on the market get their fuel from distillate – a pure, mostly flavorless THC extract. But Baker doesn’t feel like she gets the effect she wants out of distillate edibles, so she sought to do things differently.
One of the drivers for Baker’s inspiration was her love of hash. As any experienced connoisseur will tell you, there’s nothing quite like the effect of the world’s classic extract. So after some R&D and some batches with various extracts, she decided to go with solventless ice water hash – a significant rarity in the edibles category.
The overall effect of Baker’s approach is nothing short of magnificent. Upon opening a tin, you’re greeted with a meaningful quote (our packages featured Dr. Seuss and Rumi), cast against a black card adorned with stars. Underneath, the gummies offer a perfectly juicy squish in both the Sweet and Sour flavor varieties, and the fruit-forward flavors complement the Cannabis so completely that it’s practically indiscernible that they’re medicated.
That brings up the next point. When people say, “Start slow when trying new edibles,” these are the treats they’re talking about. Space Gems cradle you in an all-encompassing cocoon of fuzz as they usher you into the atmosphere. The edges soften and colors brighten, and any pain or stress you may have felt throughout your day gets lost in the jet wash.
All-in-all, it’s hard to recommend an edible more highly than these chewy morsels – and it’s worth mentioning that the CBD version just won 2nd Place overall in the edibles category at the 2021 Emerald Cup. If you’re a fan of hash, or simply of tasty gummy candy, seek them out and prepare for takeoff.
This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue of California Leaf.
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