The days of the stale pot brownie are over, replaced by single-origin chocolate, homemade magic bars and organic fruit coolers. In a town overflowing with fabulous restaurants, talented chefs and gorgeous local ingredients, it makes sense that the medical cannabis dispensaries would have some pretty serious game when it comes to edibles. On some level, food can be considered medicine whether it contains any medical marijuana or not, and the options for people with special dietary conditions are myriad. Santa Fe is a hotspot for foodies, and luckily there are loads of places for people who don't want to make any sacrifices in terms of flavor—and don't want to taste any of the green stuff in their baked goods.
Best Daze
4641 Airport Road, 585-4937
The edibles at Best Daze are strong across the board, from 200 mg gummies for $24 to 10 mg cannabis-infused chocolate disks for $7.50. The latter come in a range of delicious flavors, from dark chocolate and espresso with an added kick from a sativa infusion to a white chocolate and strawberry paired with indica. There's even a selection of donuts that come with either a strawberry or chocolate glaze, each for $4.20—expensive for a donut, but reasonable given the secret ingredient. It tasted delicious, but hands-down my favorite specialty item involved the dispensary's unique "nannobis," a delivery system that involves a nano-sized emulsion of THC. These were flavored "potsicles" which come in 50 mg or 25 mg doses for $10 and $5.50, respectively. The benefits of nannobis are enhanced therapeutic effects and a minimized hangover, and I found it took effect much quicker (within a half hour as opposed to two hours) and I woke up the next morning brightly and easily with no grogginess. Since nannobis loses its potency at temperatures higher than 90 degrees, the popsicle method of delivery compliments it perfectly.
Fruit of the Earth Organics
901 Early St., 310-7917
Fruit of the Earth has an excellent selection of edibles, packaged in biodegradable brown bags. All the cannabis is grown outdoors and organically, and owner Lyra Barron operates the neighboring Edible Alchemy as well, although all the edibles for Fruit of the Earth are made in a separate facility to avoid cross-contamination. Organically made treats come in flavors like piña colada and red chile, produced in delightful miniatures at various dosages. There are plenty of low-glycemic options for those wishing to avoid sugar, although you wouldn't know it from the satisfyingly indulgent taste. My favorite was the $10 indica lemon bars which, at 10 mg apiece, I found easy to eat without overindulging.
Kure Cannabis
220 N Guadalupe St., 930-5339
Kure Cannabis is a tiny, family-owned dispensary that grows its own organic outdoor cannabis and makes almost all its own edibles in-house. Since Kure doesn't have to make products to satisfy a broad audience, the edibles have an almost boutique, gourmet quality about them, particularly the chocolate bars. These are single-origin bean-to-bar delights, which owners Minka Ingersoll and Frederick Lucas process in-house from cacao pods sourced from countries such as Bolivia and Peru. The bars come in different dosages ($15 for 100 mg, $10 for 50 and $5 for 25) and, in addition to artisan chocolate, Kure offers a full menu of products, such as Kure Coolers, which are fresh-squeezed infused juices. I had the 12 oz indica watermelon cucumber mint ($12), which I would highly recommend as a refreshing warm-weather treat. I also snacked on organic lemon mini cupcakes ($4). At 10 mg of sativa apiece, these were a light, breezy style of high that left me feeling remarkably clear-headed as I went about my day. CBD options are also available, although these are produced under the separate business heading of Kure Wellness, which handles all the non-regulated products. The dispensary itself is cheerful and friendly, even allowing people to bring their dogs in (and letting them indulge in CBD flavored doggie treats once in a while too).
Minerva Canna
1710 Cerrillos Road, 982-1090
As the superlative dispensary in Santa Fe for flavorful edibles in manageable doses, the baked goods at Minerva are so good I find myself wishing I could get them undosed just so I could nosh on them all day whenever I wanted. Executive baker Bethany Orbison crafts gorgeous magic bars, lemon squares, cheesecake, gummies and cookies, sometimes with a seasonal bent. She takes inspiration from classic snacks that have the sheen of nostalgia, such as Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, and makes from-scratch versions featuring high-quality, organic ingredients. All the chocolate used in house is sourced from Valrhona, a French chocolate manufacturer based in Tain-l'Hermitage, the high-quality flavoring oils are from a company called Lorann that services pharmacies and health practitioners, and the pork gelatin used to make gummies is made from skin rather than any gnarly bits, sourced from Altamira by way of Denver. Orbison also plans to incorporate house-made ice cream into the menu as well. Dosages are kept reasonably low, often clocking in at 80 mg for a large square baked good. Her attention to detail pays off immensely, as her edibles taste fantastic. My favorites were a dark chocolate coffee and sea salt cookie ($12), which knocked me out of this world in more ways than one. A similarly priced raspberry oatmeal square was delicious crumbled up over yogurt for an indulgent late-night snack. Patient Windy Carter prefers the liquid options. "My favorite drinks in town are Minerva's lemonade and Arnold Palmers," she says, "and I also love the peanut butter gold bars."
