Keef was launched in 2010 when founder Erik Knutson wanted to create a new way to enjoy a drink with friends and family. Upon bringing the beverage to life, he put his first test batch in front of his 85-year-old Grandma Dee – who went back for seconds after taking her first sip. She loved it, and for being someone who doesn’t consume Cannabis regularly, Erik knew he was on to something.
The brand has come a long way since then, expanding into Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Canada, and now the lovely state of Maryland. SunMed Growers is the brand responsible for bringing this sweet treat to the market in Maryland, and needless to say they are doing Keef justice. It has been amazing to see the landscape of the edibles market in Maryland go from exclusively gummies to baked goods, chocolates, coffee creamer, and now soda.
Combining the sweet experience of having a soda with the relaxing effects of Cannabis makes for a social beverage that won’t leave you with hangxiety. It also provides an option for non-drinkers that allows them to be included in an activity they are often excluded from. Alcohol is one of the only drugs in the world people publicly get shamed and guilted for not using. We’ve all heard someone say, “Come on, just have a drink with us.” This product smashes that idea and provides something for the Cannabis-only crowd to join in with. The current flavors on the Maryland market include Blue Razz, Purple Passion, Bubba Kush Root Beer, Orange Kush and of course, Classic Cola. There are 10mg in each can, making this product available to both medical and adult-use customers. The state has certainly limited many of the products that adult-use customers can purchase and SunMed wants to make this something anyone and everyone can enjoy. Keef also produces 25mg and 100mg varieties in other markets, so hopefully that is on the horizon for Maryland.
I grabbed a can of each of the available flavors, diving into the Classic Cola first to get a feel for where this brand started out before I tried the others to see how it has evolved. When eating edibles you obviously want the effects, but sometimes an overpowering Cannabis flavor can ruin the experience. The flavor in the Classic Cola is spot on with what you would expect out of cola, with a nicely masked Cannabis flavor that doesn’t even come close to outweighing the flavor. Aside from the Classic Cola, my favorites were Orange Kush and Purple Passion. Markets outside of Maryland have several other flavors including Mr. Puffer and Pineapple X-Press, which will hopefully be hitting shelves here in the coming months.
About 20 minutes after consuming my first can, I began to feel a cerebral relaxation wash over my head and then down into my body – all the way to my toes. All of the classic sodas from Keef are caffeine-free, making them perfect for any time of the day. I look forward to this summer when I can crack open an ice-cold Keef soda on the beach and get some major relaxation in the sun. Kudos to the team at SunMed for constantly finding ways to be innovative and bring products to the market that we never saw coming.
